Google Analytics can tell you which pages on your site your visitors see most frequently or spend the most time reading, but one key bit of information is harder to find: how well your contact page works for you. Contact pages are for more than just helping your visitors get in touch with you; when they’re well designed, they also let you collect important data, streamline communications with your customers and make it easier to help visitors who have questions. If your current contact form doesn’t have these details, you aren’t getting the most from it and should consider an upgrade.
Responsive Web Design on Contact Pages
Before you focus on the information your contact form should have, think about how users will view it. Chances are good they’ll be reading and responding to your form from a mobile device, so simple forms that use responsive web design are best. Responsive design adapts fluidly to the device on which it’s displayed, making it easy for users to type in the necessary information whether they’re contacting you from their office computer or sending off a quick request on their way to dinner. Radio buttons that users can tap with a fingertip or stylus are easier to manipulate than lengthy forms, so give busy readers the option to choose from a list or drop-down menu instead of typing in all their details.
Functional and Distinctive Design
Few things make customers unhappier than reaching out to a company and getting no reply, so test thoroughly from multiple platforms to ensure that all your contacts’ requests make it to you. The layout should also be easy to read and use. If visitors are already on your contact page, they want to contact you; make that as easy as possible to maximize the response you get. The rest of your site may be luxuriously appointed with special features, but if your contact page is an unadorned HTML form, it needs help. Give it the attention it deserves by adding your company logo and colors to the page. If you have a brick and mortar business, add a map so prospects can find your office or storefront.
Outstanding Copy
Contact pages sometimes get short shrift, especially when it comes to compelling content. You don’t want to write a feature-length article here – this form is about getting your visitors to do the talking, not you – but it’s still a platform for you to market yourself. Just changing “Contact” to “Contact Us” can produce higher response rates from your readers; it sounds more personable and engaged than a single word, drawing them in and helping them feel comfortable communicating with you. It’s precisely because your space on this form is so limited that your copy needs to be persuasive. Invite readers to leave a message or reach out to you with their questions in every word, and you’ll see results.
Additional Information
A bare-bones contact page will include a blank for your reader’s name, email address and comments, but those fields should only be the beginning. Add radio buttons to let readers select their chosen title, and you’re rewarded with a whole new dimension of demographic data. Ask for a company name, and you’ve learned another important piece of information about the person who’s talking to you. Other fields might include a telephone number, address and position within the company. Those details help you and your customers by supplying more background for their comments and questions.
Your contact form could be the tool that makes the difference between a sale and a bounce or turns a dissatisfied customer into a delighted one. Let a content creation specialist devote a few minutes to perfecting this often overlooked part of your site; you and your customers will be happy you made the extra effort.
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