Landing Page Forms: Design Tips to Increase Submissions

Optimizing Landing Page Design

Making a landing page that’s worth its salt means transforming casual visitors into avid fans or eager customers. Nail the few things that actually matter and you’ll see that little corner of the internet do its job just right.

Key Elements for Conversions

So, what’s a landing page for anyway? Simple! It’s all about directing folks to that one magic moment—clicking that button, filling out your form, or jumping on your newsletter bandwagon (Webflow). Here’s your short list of the need-to-haves:

Clear Call-to-Action (CTA): Keep it simple, keep it prominent. Use punchy phrases like “Join Us” or “Snag Yours” to spell it out for them.
Compelling Headline: This is your hook. Make them look twice and feel like they’ve stumbled on something they can’t do without.
Engaging Visuals: Dust off that camera! Great images or videos need to hit home and echo your message. Dive into our guide on landing page images for some visual inspiration.
Social Proof: Let your fans do the bragging—testimonials, reviews, whatever—you name it. Folks love hearing from other folks. Dig deeper in our piece about landing page social proof.
Form Placement: Smack it up top—before the fold so there’s no Olympic-style scrolling involved. Keep it short ‘n’ sweet, just the nitty-gritty (WPForms).
Minimalist Design: Less is more. Clear out the clutter, let the content breathe, and keep eyes on the prize.

Design Considerations

You’ve got the elements down; now let’s get nitty-gritty with the design bits that make a page pop:

Mobile-Friendly Design: Phones are hot right now! Make sure your page slides easily onto any screen. Shortcuts and slick forms are what you need. Poke around in our mobile landing page design tips for more.
Color Scheme: Flash those colors! Align them with your vibe and let the CTA stick out like a green button on a red page. Check our tips on landing page color schemes.
Typography: Pick fonts folks can actually read without squinting. Make important details pop. More on that in landing page typography.
Loading Speed: Nobody’s got time for the spinning wheel of death. Sharpen image sizes and tidy up the code. For the full scoop, head to our landing page speed optimization.
Page Layout: Keep it neat. Think bullet points and cozy white space. Got layout woes? We cover that in landing page layouts.

Here’s a little cheat sheet:

Key Element	Purpose
Clear CTA	Gets clicks
Compelling Headline	Grabs eyeballs
Engaging Visuals	Tells your story
Social Proof	Boosts trust
Form Placement	Easy-peasy access
Minimalist Design	Keeps it clean

By getting these bits right, you’ll turbocharge your landing page form design and watch those conversions soar.

Explore more design tips if you’re hungry for more know-how and want to keep smashing those goals.

Types of Landing Pages

When thinking about making landing page forms that encourage people to hit that submit button, you’ve gotta know the different types of landing pages and what makes each one tick. They each do their own thing and nailing their quirks is your ticket to getting those conversions rolling.

Lead Capture Landing Pages

Lead capture pages are like digital nets catching names and emails, all in return for something juicy, like snazzy content or sweet deals. The big idea? Grow your email crowd and keep that convo going.

Key Features:

Forms that don’t make your brain hurt
A CTA that feels like a friendly nudge
A tempting reason your visitor won’t leave without dropping their info

Best Practices:

Stick with one column for the form, ’cause simplicity rules
Don’t ask a million questions; just get the essentials
Promise not to be a data junkie with a privacy note that’s clear as day

Wanna get more deets on making awesome forms? Check out our piece on landing page form design.

PPC Landing Pages

PPC landing pages are the wingman to your paid ad campaigns. Crafted to match the ads step-for-step, they reel in those clicks with precision and keep the focus razor-sharp.

Key Features:

Sync up with those ad words like they were meant to be
Headlines that don’t just scream but command attention
No frills, just paths to a goal

Best Practices:

Flash some proof—reviews, testimonials—anything that says “we’re legit”
Make those pages snappy so bouncers don’t bounce
Play with A/B testing like a scientist with new toys—tweak headlines and CTAs until they shine

Peep more tricks for making PPC landing pages rock in our take on landing page psychology.

Product Landing Pages

Here’s where you put your shiny product on a pedestal. These pages dish out everything you need to know, flaunt their best features, and kindly coax you to buy or test the waters with a trial.

Key Features:

Photos and videos that do your product justice
Descriptions that make every detail sing
Calls to action that jump out like they owe you something

Best Practices:

Testimonials and success stories that say “look who tried and loved it”
Lay out the prices crystal clear
Show off what makes your product stand out like a rock star

If you’re hunting for more tips on these pages, swing by our article on landing page layouts.

Getting to know these page types and what they’re all about is like having a secret recipe for forms that really convert, getting your business to nail its goals. For more wisdom and game plans, explore our mini treasure chest of resources on landing page color schemes, landing page typography, and landing page hero section.

Mobile Landing Page Best Practices

Crafting a snappy mobile landing page is like whipping up a masterpiece of digital art right in the palm of your hand. This chunk of wisdom dives into two core areas: making the design as slick as it can get for all those on-the-go folks and making sure forms don’t make users want to throw their phones in the closest lake.

Simplifying Design for Mobile

Think of a mobile landing page as your online welcome mat—it’s got to make everyone who lands there feel they’ve come to the right place. Here are some hot tips to keep the mobile page swimming smoothly:

Concise Written Copy: Keep your words as tight as new shoes, focusing on slapping your message across in a snap.
Above-the-Fold Content: Quick! Grab their attention with the good stuff right at the top where they can’t miss it.
Single Column Layout: A tidy road to scroll down without turning it into a game of “find that button!”
1:1 Attention Ratio: Zoom in on one action you want them to take. Nobody likes being pulled in every direction.
Optimized Load Times: Smush those images down to size and toss in lightweight vids for a speedy experience.

Check out style inspo in our mobile landing page design guide if you’re fishing for ideas.

Form Optimization for Mobile

Forms on mobile aren’t just mini versions of the desktop ones—think of them as forms’ cooler, more user-friendly cousins. Here are some tricks for making the form-filling dance a lot smoother:

Autofill-Enabled Forms: Saves the day by letting users breeze through their info with a tap.
Shorter Forms: Only ask for the essentials and keep it brief so folks don’t pause or drop out halfway.
Sticky Bars: Turn the call-to-action into the stickiest of buttons that won’t vanish as they scroll.
Click-to-Call Buttons: Handy dandy for when users want to get in touch directly without fuss.
Responsive Design: Make sure forms shape-shift perfectly across all screen sizes and devices.

Feature	Impact on Conversions
Autofill	+20%
Shorter Forms	+15%
Sticky Bars	+10%
Click-to-Call	+25%

If simplifying forms and boosting conversion rates is your game, our section on streamlining checkout forms has more fresh tips.

Creating separate mobile landing pages or shaping up your site to fit mobiles like a glove is the ticket for keeping folks happy and converting. For some gold-star advice and hands-on help, jump right over to our guide on landing page form design.

Form Abandonment Reduction Strategies

Nobody’s a fan of half-filled forms, right? They’re the digital equivalent of leaving your shopping cart in the middle of the grocery store. Let’s dig into why folks tend to ditch these forms halfway through and why mobiles play a tricky part in this.

Understanding Form Abandonment

Form abandonment is like a silent thief—stealing potential customers right from under our noses! Ever started filling out a form only to bail midway? Yep, that’s form abandonment. It’s a nuisance for businesses and sends conversion rates plummeting.

Apparently, according to those form-whizzes over at WPForms, we lose about 68 out of every 100 potential leads. That’s nuts! Blame it on things like the form being as long as a geography exam, too many bells and whistles, or technical gremlins. Here’s how it generally breaks down:

Stumbling Block	How Often It Trips Up Folks
Wordy or Complicated Forms	27%
Non-Responsive on Mobiles	10%
Technical Hiccups	31%

Meanwhile, the fine folks over at FormStory tell us that watching these forms like a hawk—real-time style—gives us a clue as to when users go AWOL and why. Keep a close eye on this stuff, and you’ll figure out which parts are tripping people up, letting you fix them pronto.

For the nitty-gritty on whipping landing pages into shape, check out our article on landing page psychology.

Mobile Form Challenges

Now, let’s talk mobiles. They’re brilliant, right? But when it comes to forms, they can be a bit of a nightmare. About 10% of form drop-offs are blamed on designs that just don’t play nice on mobile screens (FormStory). Given how everyone and their grandma’s using mobiles for everything now, it’s kinda crucial to get this right.

Some handy tips for making mobile forms less of a bother:

Keeping It Simple: Go for a sleek look, scrap the fluff, and don’t drown users in fields. Fewer fields make for happy users. Want more on designing for tiny screens? Scope out our take on mobile landing page design.
Warm-up With Flexibility: Make sure your form dances to the tune of any screen size or orientation—big buttons, readable text, and fields you can spot with ease.
Instant Feedback: If someone makes a boo-boo, let them know right then and there. No one likes surprise errors at the very end.
Auto-fill Magic: Let your form be the high-tech butler and fill in some blanks for the visitor. This little trick makes folks like your form a whole lot more.

We’ve got a handy guide on landing page mistakes if you’re interested in seeing other blunders.

For those in the medical gizmos biz, it’s even more critical to keep forms user-friendly. Knocking form abandonment on its head improves experience all around and bumps up submissions. To delve more into designing top-notch forms, swing by our article on landing page copy writing.

Improving Form Conversion Rates

If you’re looking to get folks hitting that submit button, then it’s time to roll up the sleeves and focus on sprucing up those form fields along with some good old-fashioned A/B testing. Believe it or not, there’s a lot more to it than just asking for an email address.

Form Field Optimization

Picture this: nearly 68% of landing page visitors see that form, think “Nah, too much work,” and skedaddle right out of there (WPForms). Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to make those forms as painless as possible. Less clicking, more converting.

Who would’ve thought that trimming down from 9 fields to just 5 could give you a 3.4% upswing in conversions? Each additional query you add is like a roadblock—slam on the brakes, and there goes another 8% of potential sign-ups (Black Propeller). Keep it simple and sweet!

Here’s how you do it:

Stick to the absolute must-haves, let the users breathe with fewer fields.
Bundle similar questions together—it’s not Netflix, but try to keep it bingeable.
Short and snappy labels only, leave the thesis for another day.
Friendly error nudges, not finger-wagging messages.

Number of Fields	Conversion Rate Increase/Decrease
9 Fields	Baseline
5 Fields	+3.4%
1 Additional Field	-8%

For all the gory details on designing a form that’ll truly stand the test, check out our guide on landing page layouts.

A/B Testing Strategies

Let’s talk about split testing, folks—imagine it like Pepsi challenge but for forms. It’s your secret weapon in figuring out what clicks with people and what sends them running. So, what can you do with a bit of A/B magic?

Follow these steps, and you might just hit the jackpot:

Pick a Variable: Zero in on just one thing at a time, maybe the number of fields, button shades, or those all-important words asking folks to “click here.”
Build Variations: Get creative! Try on those changes for size and see how they feel.
Field Test: Divide your audience up like a pizza, direct slices to different forms, like a little social experiment.
Check Out the Results: Watch those numbers, see which version is hitting home, and roll with it.

For kicks, take a gander at how something as small as a different CTA button might change the game:

CTA Button	Conversion Rate (%)
“Submit”	21.5
“Get Started Now”	23.7

Testing isn’t just for science—use it over on landing page form designs to sniff out the elements that’ll send your conversions soaring.

Oh, and don’t forget to peek into landing page psychology to understand the mind games at play and steer clear of those landing page mistakes that could trip you up. Keep tweaking those forms, play around with A/B testing, and watch as you meet, nay exceed, your business goals.

Streamlining Checkout Forms

Getting that checkout form just right is like hitting a sweet spot—it can make the difference between a sale and a missed opportunity. Too many steps or fields, and you’ve lost them faster than a teenager loses socks in a laundry.

Creating Seamless Checkout Experiences

Now, when I’m setting out to create a checkout form that flows better than a well-scripted drama, I gotta keep both the design and how it all works in mind. The data fairies at Baymard whispered in our ears that most folks are dealing with around 5 to 6 steps in 2024, with an average of 5.1. But the real magic lies in chopping down those form fields.

Use a Single “Full Name” Field: By shoving “First Name” and “Last Name” into a single “Full Name” field, we’re talking simplicity at its finest. Honestly, only a measly 4% are puzzled when met with this. Less brainwork for our lovely users means they’ll be tip-toeing toward that ‘purchase’ button in no time.
Hide Optional Fields: We don’t want anything distracting users, do we? Let’s tuck away “Address Line 2,” “Coupon Code,” and “Billing Address” behind some neat little links. Keeps things tidy and distraction-free.

Field Type	Display Method
Full Name	Single “Full Name” Field
Address Line 2	Hidden behind a link
Coupon Code	Hidden behind a link
Billing Address	Hidden behind a link

Delay Account Creation: Encourage every potential customer only to sign up once their shopping cart’s been wheeled through the checkout. Making them create an account smack in the middle of buying stuff is like asking someone to juggle flaming torches—most end up dropping something, like completing their purchase (Baymard).

Reducing Form Complexity

Now, to keep complications at bay, those forms need to be as straightforward as a Sunday afternoon nap.

Limit Form Fields: Got to reel in the number of fields. The trend in 2024 hangs around 11.3, but any site worth its salt can go by on just 8 fields. Slimming down the fields makes the process about as intimidating as a sleepy kitten.

Year	Average Form Fields	Recommended Form Fields
2024	11.3	8

Employ Conditional Logic: Smart, eh? Only show what’s necessary. Like, don’t bother popping up a “State/Province” field unless we’re talking about a country that needs it.
Use Inline Validation: Real-time feedback. Users love it! It’s like having a helpful guide whispering in their ear, letting them know they’re doing alright or nudging them back on track with a gentle hand.

If I tick these boxes, it’s smooth sailing through checkout-ville. Want more brainy tips? Check out our other ramblings on landing page psychology and landing page ab testing.