Want to add a simple contact form in WordPress? This guide will show you how to make your custom contact us form in WordPress today!
Approximate read time: 7.5 minutes
Running a website or blog on WordPress is enough work.
But now you need to add a contact form so visitors can get in touch. But you don’t know how to do that. You’re not tech-savvy.
And that’s why you have this post. This guide will show you how to add a simple contact form to your WordPress website in a few simple steps.
Whether you’re a business owner, blogger, or freelancer, this tutorial is for you.
Let’s get started.
Why create a custom contact form in WordPress?
There are plenty of reasons to use a custom contact form in WordPress.
Having a way for visitors to contact you is an obvious one. But a WordPress contact us form can help you in other ways, too:
- Branding. When your website looks more professional and uniform, it builds trust with your website visitors. Adding your logo is one way to do that.
- More control. Everyone uses pre-built forms. And nothing is exciting about them. Adding your own touch to your form makes it stand out to visitors.
- Better experience. No one knows your audience better than you. So, customize your form to speak to them. This gives your visitors a way better experience.
- Spam protection. Custom contact forms come with more options for security, such as CAPTCHAs, which help reduce spam.
So, the question is, why wouldn’t you add a contact form on WordPress?
Now, let’s cover how to make a contact form on WordPress for your site.
How to create a contact form in WordPress
Luckily, adding a contact form to your website is simple!
The only thing you need is a contact form plugin. And we have just the one for you!
Formidable Forms.
Formidable is the most advanced form builder for WordPress, and it’s perfect for beginners.
With a simple drag and drop builder, an excellent styler, and more, you get everything you need to create a form that fits your website.
And you can use Formidable’s free WordPress plugin to do it!
So, there are a few basic steps to setup a contact form in WordPress:
Follow the steps below to learn how to use our form maker on your WordPress site!
1. Install Formidable's form builder plugin
First things first, let’s get Formidable installed and activated.
Head to your WordPress dashboard and go to Plugins → Add New.
Next, search for Formidable, click the Install button, then click Activate.
Once it finishes, the first step is done, and you’re ready to get creative!
2. Create your contact form
Now it’s time for some fun!
In your WordPress dashboard, head to Formidable → Forms and click Add New in the top left corner.
Next, choose one of our pre-built templates (premium option) to get your form started faster.
Or click Blank Form to start one from scratch.
Next, name your new form and click Create to start building your contact form.
The plugin will take you to its drag and drop form builder, where you can start building!
Add a text field, email address, paragraph, and more! All you have to do is click and drag it to the canvas.
For a simple contact form, we recommend adding these field types:
- First and last name
- Email address
- Message field
- reCAPTCHA
You can customize the field text using the Field Options in the left sidebar. Change the label, add conditional logic, or make a required field from this area.
But this is your form, so customize it to suit your needs!
Once you’re finished, click Update to save your changes.
3. Set up contact form notifications (optional)
If you don’t respond to your visitors, how will they know you saw their submission?
An easy way to fix this problem is by sending confirmation emails! Plus, this allows you to connect.
Just think about it. This person took the time out of their day to send you a message. When the average conversion rate for a contact form is between 3-5%, that’s a HUGE opportunity.
So, reach out and create that connection with them.
And with Formidable, it’s simple.
First, go to your Settings tab and click the Actions & Notifications tab.
Find the Send Email action and click it.
Next, scroll down to the Send Email form action to customize it for your needs. Fill in your message's subject line, email address, and content.
And you don’t have to limit it to text. You can upload images, gifs, and more to it and make it your own!
So feel free to play around.
Once you’re finished, click Update to save your changes.
4. Display your form
Now let’s get that form on your webpage so it can shine.
So, head to Pages or Posts in your WordPress dashboard and choose the area you want to show your form.
Next, add a new WordPress block with the classic editor, then search for Formidable and add its block.
Last, choose your form from the dropdown menu and update your post or page!
That’s it! Your form is ready to get submissions.
If you don't have the WordPress block editor, never fear. Using a shortcode, you can follow these simple instructions to embed the form on any website!
Before you finish up, now would be a good time to try a test submission to ensure everything is working correctly, like the email when someone submits the form.
Now, that’s how you create a basic form. But if you want your form to stand out, check out the next section.
Doing more with your form (optional)
A basic contact form is fine.
But it’s exactly what it sounds like…basic.
If you want your form to stand out, you need the opposite of basic. And that’s where creating a beautiful contact form for WordPress comes in.
Here are a few extra things you can do with your form to boost conversions.
Customize your form’s design
A plain white and black form gets the job done.
But matching your website’s theme? That’s taking the job to another level.
And with Formidable’s Visual Form Styler, you can easily change every part of your form.
Font size and color, backgrounds, spacing — all of it is at your fingertips.
All you have to do is go to the form you want to change and click the Style tab.
In this menu, you can choose one of Formidable’s pre-built design templates (premium option) or design your own!
To design your own, click the three dots on the style template, which will take you to the form styler.
Play around with the design, and find something that fits your site.
Once you’re finished, update the form, and your design is ready.
Now, you’d probably like to show it in a few places so it catches some eyes ?.
Set your confirmation type
Depending on your website, you may want to show different information after the user submits your form.
Head to your form in Formidable, and go to Settings → Actions & Notifications.
Find the Confirmation button and choose it. Then, you can choose what you want to show:
- Show message
- Redirect to URL
- Show Page Content
This allows you to customize the experience for your visitors.
Give them a personalized message, send them to a related page, or give them gated content!
The choice is yours.
Spread it across your site
Your form won’t get many views if it sits in one place.
So spread it across your site so your visitors see it, no matter the page they visit.
One great way to do this is by placing it in your sidebar or footer.
In your WordPress dashboard, head to Appearance → Widgets and easily add your form.
Click the Main Sidebar or Footer Bar section to add a new block.
Next, search for Formidable, add it and choose your form from the dropdown menu.
Next, update your page, and your form will be displayed in the sidebar or footer across your site!
Connect it with an email service
Do you have an email newsletter?
(Psst, if not, you should start one!)
If you do, you probably have an email service you use.
Well, Formidable easily integrates with all the major ones so you can add multiple email addresses to your list.
Mailchimp, Convertkit, ActiveCampaign — you name it, it’s here. But this is a premium feature, so you’ll want one of our awesome plans to get started.
Go to Formidable → Add-Ons and search for your email service to enable yours.
Then, click Activate. From here, it’ll depend on your email service. But we have guides for you:
- Set up your Mailchimp contact form
- Set up ActiveCampaign with Formidable
- Use a MailPoet signup form
- Make a Constant Contact form
But, no matter your choice, it’s sure to be easy ?
Track your user journey
Ever wondered exactly how your visitors got to your form?
What pages did they visit? What did they click on? How long were they on each page?
Well, Formidable has another powerful feature for that: User Flow.
Installing the add-on gives you a detailed report for every step the user took on the path to your form.
And that means you can improve this path so more people see your form!
Go to Formidable → Add-Ons and search for the User Tracking add-on. Then, click Activate.
Now every form submission will have a report ready.
Go to Entries and choose one, and your User Flow report will be waiting.
Not too bad, right?
Are you ready to make your simple contact form in WordPress?
And there you have it!
With this guide, you now have a form on your site! And it’s all made simple with Formidable Forms. Other form builders are available (WPForms plugin, Ninja Forms, and Gravity Forms), but none offer the ease of use of Formidable.
If you want some inspiration, this article with contact us page examples will surely help give you some!
Last, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for more form tips & tricks!
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