How to Create an Awesome Contact Page

Here are two things to think about as a new website owner.

First, when online visitors want to get in touch with you, the first thing they will do is locate your website and click on your contact page. Next, it only takes 2.6 seconds for a user’s eyes to land on the area of a website that most influences their first impression.

This means if you want to impress the people that are looking to get in touch with you, you have to create a contact page that will rock their world.

It may seem like creating an outstanding contact page is a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised at how many people forget to leave out critical contact information. 

In fact, 51% of people think “thorough contact information” is the most important element missing from many company websites. Not to mention, when you leave out vital contact information, you lose your visitors.

According to research, 44% of website visitors will exit a company’s website if there’s no contact information or phone number.

This post will outline how to create a contact page that will draw your users in and give them the information they seek.

Do I Really Need a Contact Page for My Website?

Yes! It doesn’t matter if you’re a blogger, a small business owner, an agency owner, or if you are using your website as a portfolio. Your users need a clear-cut way to find your contact information. 

Skeptical? Keep in mind that it only takes about 50 milliseconds (that’s 0.05 seconds) for visitors to form an opinion about your website that determines whether they’ll stay or leave.

If someone clicks through to your site looking for contact information, they aren’t going to stick around for a wild goose chase.

You have approximately .05 seconds to show them where your contact information is, or you might lose them. This means it’s best to follow standard practice and provide a contact page with a quickly visible link.

What Goes on a Website Contact Page?

If 51% of people think websites don’t contain thorough enough contact information, it’s important to know what “thorough enough contact information” means.

Let’s state the obvious first. The most important thing your contact page needs is a header explaining users are on the contact page. 

You can be straightforward and write “contact page,” or get more creative with something your users will find self-explanatory, yet amusing. Try: “Let’s connect,” “say hello,” “get in touch,” or something to that effect.

Then you need to list all the information for how they can contact you, including:

• Your company name
• Mailing address
• Phone number
• Email address
• Map
• And potentially more!

You also should include a call to action that prompts your website visitors to get in touch. Consider: “chat now,” email today,” “call us,” etc.

If you run a large business that has several departments, then your contact form will be more robust. 

Take Apple, for example.

There are several reasons why a customer may want to contact Apple. They may need customer support for one of their devices, to schedule an appointment at the Genius Bar, to check their online order status, or help with billing, to name a few reasons.

Apple approaches this by outlining different reasons why a customer may want to contact Apple, in an organized and visually-pleasing way, and by providing individual links for additional support.

For example, if you need help with your Apple ID, you can click on the contact page link, quickly identify “Apple ID,” click on it, and Apple will direct you to the right place.

Of course, this is an example from one of the largest companies in the world, but the sentiment applies to smaller companies or bloggers. If you have several reasons someone may contact you or different departments people may want to contact, then include well-organized information with the appropriate links on your contact page.

What Fields Should I Include on My Website Contact Form?

In addition to listing your contact information, you should also include a contact form on your website. Providing a contact form allows customers to send you a direct request and you can get back to them at your convenience.

The best news is there are several contact form plugins for your WordPress site that you can use. Just remember, when choosing a contact form plugin, it needs to be mobile responsive since 3.7 billion people access websites via a mobile device.

The last thing you want is someone trying to pinch and minimize a ginormous contact form that doesn’t fit in the mobile device screen.

Now, let’s talk about what you put on your contact form. What you put on your contact form depends on the type of business you run and how much information you need from customers. Let’s break it down.

What to include on a small business website contact form

If you’re a small business and people generally only contact you for simple questions, your contact form can be simple. You only need to ask for a name, number, email address, and allow a space for a quick message.

What to include on a contact form for your blog

If you have a blog, what you include on your contact form can vary depending on the size of your blog and what you offer. 

If you run a small blog, it’s sufficient to include a simple contact form like the one pictured above for small business websites. If your blog is bigger, and you have different programs, offer various services, or provide guest blogging opportunities, you can include a “reason for contacting” section in your contact form. 

The blog, 100 Days of Real Food, is a good example of a popular blog that follows this method.

What to include on a large business or enterprise website contact form

If you run a large business, you may need more details about your customers. Extra details help you provide the right information, make sure the right person gets in contact with the customer, and help you understand who you are talking to.

For example, you can ask for the name of the company, the size of the company, an email address, a number, a subject line, the preference for how you get in contact with them, and more.

As a general rule of thumb, the simpler your contact form is, the better. Only include information that is necessary.

Best Practices to Follow for Website Contact Pages

Now that you what goes on a contact page and form, let’s talk about the information you’ve been dying to hear: contact form best practices.

Here is what to do to make your contact information stand out from the crowd:

• Make it easy to find. It should take your audience less than a second to find your contact information. Common places for your contact information link include in your primary navigation bar, and at the bottom of your home page.

• KISS. Keep it simple, smartie. While you want your contact information to be complete, it doesn’t have to be comprehensive. You don’t have to include the GPS coordinates to your office or a satellite view of your place of business. You also don’t need to include fluffy copy.

• Give reasons for people to contact you. There may be more than one reason you may want to hear from your customers. Tell your customers why they should contact you and how you can help them. Similarly, there may be reasons you don’t want people to contact you. Outlining why they should get in touch will help weed out requests that are answered on your FAQ page, for example.

• Use a contact form. It’s necessary to list your contact information, but it’s helpful to visitors if you include a contact form. This way, your website visitors will know they are getting their message across and that it will go to the right person.

• Redirect to a thank you page. After someone enters their contact information, don’t leave it at that. Select the option on your preferred WordPress contact form to redirect them to a thank you page. You can use this page to, of course, thank your customers for getting in touch, but you can also include a short video, another call to action, or additional content that leads customers to continue to engage with your website.

• Include a call to action. A simple call to action like “get in touch,” “call now,” or “email us,” sends out a friendly vibe to your customers that you want to talk to them, and subtly lets them know how you prefer to communicate.

• Be mindful of design. Adobe did some research on design and found that two-thirds of people would rather read something beautifully designed than something plain. It will only take your audience a second or two to read your contact form, but do them a favor and make it easy on the eyes.

• Keep the most important information above the fold. Website visitors pay more attention to information that is above the fold. As such, keep your most vital contact information above the fold.

• Link to your social media accounts. Your most loyal website supporters may also want to engage with you via social media. Your contact page is a great way to help people connect with you on different social platforms.

These best practices will help guide you when you’re creating your contact page. Follow them and you can rest assured your contact page will be incredible.

Build Your Contact Page Today

Your contact page is one of the most important pages of your website. It’s critical to get it right. Creating a top-notch contact form includes following best practices, listing relevant information, and including a contact form.

As you design your contact form, and the rest of your website, remember this. 57% of internet users say they won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed website on mobile.

Don’t let this worry you. When you host your website with HostGator, and use the website builder or choose a popular WordPress theme, your website will be both gorgeous and mobile responsive.

For more information on how to get started with building your website, head over to HostGator now.