Ten Tips for a Better Contact Page

You want visitors to your site to do one of two things: Pick up the phone or submit an inquiry. We’re going to focus on your Contact page because after the home page, it’s the most important page on your site.

1. Is the contact page easy to find?
This is often the first and biggest problem. It isn’t easy to get to your contact page. Make sure the link is obvious, viewable without scrolling and on every page.

2. Do you have a contact form?
Many sites have a phone number and an email link on the contact page. So why do you need a form? There are several benefits:

• Email may end up in spam filters or junk mail folders
• You can immediately send an auto-reply message
• You can request specific information you need to follow-up

3. Does your form require only essential information?
Require only information that is absolutely necessary. It might be as simple as name, email address and comments. Make sure all required fields are clearly indicated: Don’t make them guess!

4. Do you offer basic instructions or a Call-to-Action?
"Please send us your inquiry by completing the form below” or "Contact us for a free consultation." Keep it simple and offer a benefit if at all possible.

5. Do you ask visitors how they would like to be contacted?
Some people prefer to get a phone call. Others want an email reply. It is courteous to give them the option and set their expectations: “We’ll get back to you within 24 hours.”

6. Do you provide a thank you page and auto-reply email?
You have an opportunity to demonstrate great customer service by providing useful information on your “thank you” page and auto-reply email: Industry news and events, download a white paper or case study, sign-up for your newsletter, etc.

7. Do you include your physical address or mailing address?
Providing only your email address and phone number is not adequate. Even if clients don’t visit your office they may still want to know your physical location: Where do they send the check? A missing address undermines your credibility.

8. Do you include a link to your Privacy Policy?
Even though few people will click on it, a link to or brief summary of your privacy policy provides reassurance for those people who are about to click on the “submit” button.

9. Do you provide directions?
A link to Google maps is a nice way to make it easy for people to get directions to your office. It’s free and takes just a few minutes to set up. If you’re trying to get people to visit your location it’s a good idea to also include a photo of your office.

10. Do you need CAPTCHA?
CAPTCHA is a free tool that reduces spam submissions by asking visitors to decipher a distorted text image in order to submit the form. If you aren’t getting spam submissions you don’t need to add it. Get CAPTCHA here.

If you're interested in a professional, objective evaluation of your website please contact us.

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