One thing that every good marketer understands is the importance of a good simple lead form. When you create a form to collect user information you are populating your lead automation system with the details you need to effectively market to your target audience. If these lead forms are the main way to gather information then you need to focus on specifically on a simple form that is easy to create and submit. Here are some suggestions on how to create a lead form that converts.

Create Simple Forms

Your forms should be simple in nature. Don’t try to ask your user to fill out a 5 page form with a dozen fields on each page. Be smart about the information you want to collect and only ask for the pieces of info you really need. You may want to break it up into multiple forms if you have a lot of information you want. If you do this consider the possibility of sending the user to different forms at different times to keep the task from feeling overwhelming. Your lead forms should be quick and easy to fill out.

Create Beautiful Forms

You’ve heard that first impressions are important when meeting someone new. Well, this same philosophy holds true when talking about your website and your landing pages. Your landing pages are your first impression for your new site visitors. Your forms are the first interaction these visitors may have with you. You need to focus on keeping them simple, clean, and beautiful. Pay attention to your CSS and your use of images. Consider your site visitors when building your forms: Are they using a mobile device or a desktop? Are they on a fast internet connection or a cellular network? All of these things affect how beautiful your form is. Your website forms need to be optimized for speed, clarity, and readability.

Create Clear Form Button Names

There have been numerous studies and tests on form submissions based purely on the call-to-action button text. This text needs to be compelling but not pushy. You want to encourage the user to submit but not be in their face about it. The good news is you don’t have to panic about your button text. Sometimes the simplest wording is also the best. For example, “get” has proven to be highly effective for call-to-action buttons text. Keep your statements short and simple, don’t go over a dozen words (remember this is a button). If you're interested in learning more here's one article on button text and cta's.

Pick Your Title Carefully

When you name your form (or title for your landing page) you want to use this opportunity to create a compelling story for your visitor. You should not be creating your forms and your landing pages just for a search engine. Remember that you’re working with people and human emotions and reactions. You want to target their interests and their behavior with your titles. Craft a title that speaks to people. This form title is the most read copy on your page and you should use your title to create an interest and a motivation to complete the form. What are you offering them as a result of their form submission? What is the value you are giving to them? Choose your words carefully and tell a story with your title. 

A/B Test Forms

Lastly, you should always A/B test your forms. This means creating two very similar versions of the same form and sending your users randomly to one of them. There is no perfect environment for A/B testing and there are some who would disagree with the value of creating these tests, however, while these tests may not provide immense value in fine-tuning a form they can be great help when massively overhauling a form design and layout. Don’t neglect the importance of reworking your forms based on user feedback, submissions, or interactions. Your lead forms should not be created once and then neglected or left alone. Always be looking for ways to improve your forms. Once you've found a lead form that works you should begin implementing small, incremental adjustments.

When you create your lead forms you want to keep this idea in mind: You are asking for trust from your user. You are asking them for information. You want them to give you something. When you do this you need to show them why they should feel safe to give you this information. You should make your landing pages, and your forms trustworthy and valuable. Give something to your visitors. Be open and honest. Your button text, your form title, and your form design all help make you more trustworthy. Now you’re ready to go and use these 5 tips to build amazing lead forms.