Lead capture forms, otherwise known as lead generation forms, are a quick and easy way to collect contact information from potential customers—information that you can use later to reach out and sell your products or services. Lead capture forms are often an afterthought—you set them up on your website and hope that people will fill them out eventually. But if you want to use your lead capture form to generate leads, you’ll need to avoid these common mistakes that can kill your conversion rate.
Boring forms.
If you have a tedious form, it’s going to fail. Plain and simple. The more friction there is in your lead capture process, including complicated forms, requiring unnecessary details, and forcing readers to hunt for information elsewhere on your site, it means that you’re doing something wrong. If someone has spent enough time on your site—and they want what you have—they’ll go through any number of forms if it means they can reach their goal faster.
Not focusing on one goal.
Don’t try to pack in every possible question under the sun when creating a lead capture form. Instead, focus on one goal: capturing leads from your prospective customers. If you can accomplish that, then you’re off to a great start and won’t need more information from them. To ensure your lead capture form is effective, ask yourself what you need from people who fill it out. Do you want their contact info? An email address? Some basic demographic information?
Over usage of abbreviations
If you’re using a word in your form that most people aren’t familiar with, your reader will be confused. When possible, use short words or phrases instead of long ones. For example, are you interested in a 30% discount on any product(s) we offer? Write Get 30% off any product(s). This makes it easier for people to understand what they’re signing up for at first glance.
Not keeping it complicated.
Don’t make your lead capture form too complicated. If you do, people won’t fill it out. And if they don’t fill it out, they won’t receive your valuable free resources and information. Ensure that your lead capture form is short, simple, and doesn’t contain any unnecessary questions or fields.
Excluding a spam-gate
To make your forms more secure, add reCAPTCHA to them. This free tool from Google improves conversions and prevents spam submissions. Not only will your visitors have an easier time filling out your form, but you’ll also see an improvement in conversions—because it adds a second barrier of entry that humans can pass through, while robots are blocked.
Asking way too much info
A common mistake is including fields for someone’s name, email address, and physical address without giving visitors a compelling reason to enter it. Before you ask for someone’s personal information on your lead capture form, make sure you have a reason for it. If not, consider removing those fields or making them optional. A good rule of thumb is that if an individual needs contact information to find out more about your product or service, it’s likely necessary.
Pro Tip: Use a free lead capture form tool
It’s okay if you have no idea how to code your lead capture form; there are many free online form builders out there. A good example is HeyForm. They provide free lead capture form templates as well.
