Online forms, or web forms, are electronic forms that allow users to feed data onto a website. They can be used to collect valuable information about visitors to a website such as their preferences, likes, Internet usage, or their personal details. They resemble paper forms, but with the advantage of being more efficient, fast, and better at allowing for automation.
Online forms are useful to a business website, in fact, almost vital. Any modern business site that lacks a page where visitors can fill in details fails in lead generation and conversions. Getting information about the target market audience would be difficult, making marketing strategies aimless and almost ineffective. Here are reasons why forms are important on any website.
1. Online Forms Are Trackable
Online forms allow a website owner to keep track of the number of visitors to the site; when they visited, if they filled the online form or not, and the amount of time they spent on the site. Such information is important in designing ways to improve a site to increase traffic. And if they filled the online form, you get to know what they were looking for, and in a narrowed way, so that you can respond to that specific need.
Being able to harvest this kind of information helps your business to grow by knowing what needs of potential customers to target, what products they prefer more, and what channels of communication interest them. And the good thing is, you get the information the very instance they visit and fill the online form.
2. Less Spam
Most online forms require users to give their emails to receive replies. The email of the site owner is not immediately available until you send in your filled form and get it replied to. Because users are required to fill details instead of sending email queries, spam bots are easily kept away.
You, as the site owner, receive less spam in the business’s email, making your inbox less cluttered and manageable. You’re also able to build a genuine email list from the form queries because anyone keen enough to fill a form is sure to be a serious user looking for long-term engagement. Also, by keeping unwanted emails out of the way, you’re able to respond to specific and genuine mail, leading to more conversions and profits.
3. Automation of Response to Queries
Online forms allow visitors to fill in details in a narrowing-down manner, specifying their queries and preferences along the way. It eliminates generalized queries that are tedious to respond to, sometimes even too vague to give a clue on how to give the best response. Email queries can only be replied to manually, making it a long process, especially where large numbers of users are involved.
When queries are made on online forms, they become more specific and can easily be directed to an automated response that’s specific and fits the query. Responses are mostly by email, or onsite at the end of the web form; it depends on how you design the forms to be, or the type of business you run.
Quick responses improve the communication your business makes with potential customers. The result is satisfied visitors of your business site who are willing to buy from you.
4. Better Communication Option
When users visit your site, what they want is quick communication. Online forms offer an easy and almost instant way to get a reply to a potential customer’s query. Depending on the type of form present on the website, the user gets responded to either through email, or there and then after filling the form.
It’s unlike the communication on a website without any web form where users can only contact the site owner through the provided email. It can be a long process involving a series of emails. On an online form, a user can complete every detail in at a go, whether selecting an item, choosing the method of payment or making the actual payment.
5. It encourages Visitors to Return
Once a site’s visitor has taken time to go through the process of filling out an online form, they’re likely to come back for results, or to keep checking their email for a response. They become an email list prospect, and you can count on them to be dedicated visitors to your site. Filling a form shows commitment and loyalty to the products or services your business offers. Website forms are, therefore, a sure way to gauge the trust of visitors and if their visits are likely to become regular. It makes pitching to them easier.
6. Convenience
Online forms are convenient to both the website owner and the site visitor. They allow you, the business owner, to determine what information you need from the visitors to your site. You can tailor the details you require to be filled to be in line with your marketing strategies, or to be details that are useful to the growth of your business. You can also design the forms to direct users to what they’re likely to be looking for in an automated way.
On the part of the user, web forms offer a convenient way to get what you want without having to draft email queries. They allow you to subscribe to email lists of your choice, or to order for products online, without having to leave your desk or home.
Online forms are too important for any business website owner to ignore. They provide a means for potential customers to join your email list, ask about your products in a specific and personalized way, and give personal details useful to your business. Online forms allow users to buy your products remotely by filling their details and even making on-site payment. A website for a business without any web forms would be limited in terms of what it offers to potential customers. It would lack in the mechanisms needed in today’s e-commerce.
When designing a website for your business, the inclusion of online forms is crucial to the overall growth of the business, especially regarding getting and retaining online customers.
Source: https://gsquaredstudios.com/online-forms/