There used to be days when we just listed our phone numbers or email addresses on our websites so that people could reach out to us. However, using a “contact form” instead of listing your email address on your website has become increasingly popular.  So let me explain the 5 things that you should look at and set up when putting a “contact us” form on your website.
 

5 Elements of Having a “Contact Us” Form on Your Website:

1) The Contact Form.

2) The “Thank You” Page or “Success Message” Your Visitor Gets.

3) The Email Confirmation the VISITOR Gets
Letting Them Know They Filled Out the Form.

4) The  Email Notification YOU Get Letting You
Know Someone has filled out Your Form.

5) The Form Entries inside Your WordPress Site.

Watch this Short Video that Explains the 5 Elements

(Note: For you to test your contact form, you need to have two email addresses: One for you, the business owner, and one for you to test out your contact form and see if it works.)
 

Benefits of Using a Contact Form

Using contact forms as a method for your website visitors to contact you has many advantages, and if you are not using them, you probably should. Consider …

1) Provides a Convenient and Secure Way to Communicate

If you put your phone number and/or email address on a public website, you’ll most likely start receiving unwanted sales calls and spam emails. The World Wide Web, unfortunately, is always crawled by bots that are looking for personal information… Using a contact form instead will provide a way for people to contact you while giving you more security.

2) Accessible Anytime

People can submit a contact form at any time of the day, 7 days a week. They don’t need to worry about waking you up in the middle of the night. And you can check the form submissions when it’s convenient for you.

3) Easy to Use

Contact forms are user-friendly. Your web visitors can simply fill out a form and press a submit button. Much easier than dialing a phone number or composing an email.

4) Streamlines the communication process

You can efficiently collect the information that you need by including appropriate questions in your contact form. This will allow you to be more prepared and efficient when you get back to them.  And it will allow you to collect the info that you need to help your visitors.

5) Helps Organize Incoming Inquiries

A contact form can be used to filter incoming inquiries, which will help you determine the next steps. By being strategic about this, a contact form can be a part of your marketing funnel.

 

Now, a contact form is different from an email marketing opt-in box. If you want to understand more about the difference between a Contact Us form and an Opt-in Box, you can read my other article here.

Popular WordPress “Contact Us” Form Plugins:

While many WordPress contact form plugins are available, here are three that I recommend.

1) Ninja Forms (Free and Premium Versions)
By Kevin Stover

Ninj Forms
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I love Ninja Forms because it’s free and easy for the non-techie business owner to get set up quickly.  This is one of the most popular contact form plugins for WordPress. https://wordpress.org/plugins/ninja-forms/

2) Gravity Forms (Premium Version Only)

contact form with gravity-forms
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I love Gravity Forms because it’s intuitive to use (I never have to read the documentation because it’s so easy), and it has lots of advanced features. http://www.christinasresources.com/gravityforms/

There are many contact forms available for WordPress besides the above ones, each offering different functions and designs. So, I suggest you try out some popular ones to find what works best for you. 
 
Do you have any favorite contact form plugins? Please share in the comments below!
 
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