12 Tips to Optimize Your Web Forms for Lead Generation

Boost you lead generation form conversion rate by implementing some of these 12 optimization tips.

1. Limit the number of form fields

The first rule to high converting lead generation forms is to limit the number of form fields. The industry standard is between 3 and 5 fields, but in most cases you do not need anything other than email address.

2. Don’t use a Captcha

Avoid using a captcha on you form. Captchas are a good way to stop spam bots from filling out your form, but it’s a pain for your site visitors. The recommended method for protecting your lead forms from bots is to implement the honeypot method.

3. Use button text other than “Submit”

Test your submit button copy against different variations. Usually forms that have submit text saying “Sign up Now” or “Download the eBook” convert better.

4. Required fields

Find the right balance between required fields and optional fields. Too many required fields could prevent the lead from filling out the form.

5. Limit the use of open text fields

Avoid using open text fields where possible and use picklists instead. Not only will this make your data cleaner, it will also allow the user to fill out the form faster.

6. Integrate social media

Increase the volume and quality of conversions that come from your forms by allowing visitors to fill out a form by linking to their social media account. Some marketing automation platforms, like Marketo have this feature. You can also set it up directly through your Linkedin account.

7. Leave out the phone number field

When the goal is to get the lead, you shouldn’t be asking for phone number in your forms. Most companies see at least a 5% dip when adding phone number to their forms.

8. Place the form above the fold

Make the form visible without making the user have to scroll. The best converting spot for a form is in the upper right hand corer of the page.

9. Use a single column form

This study shows that single column forms convert better than multi-column forms.

10. Clearly show any errors

Clearly highlight any errors on the page and make sure the form doesn’t reset itself. If the user has to start from scratch, they might not attempt to fill in the form again.

11. Make the form call to action clear

The text on your landing page matters too. Make sure the visitor knows what’s in it for them by having a clear CTA on the landing page.

12. Don’t ask for information you already know

Instead of asking your leads to submit the same information everytime they fill out a form on your website, you can implement progressive profiling. Progressive profiling will allow you to ask information incrementally over time, which will help you gain more insight into the lead. Most marketing automation platforms such as Marketo, Pardot and Hubspot already have features you can enable for progressive profiling.