Your Contact page may be one of the simplest pages on your website, but that doesn’t mean you should give it little thought.

If someone has decided they might want to work with you, you don’t want to make it difficult for them to get in touch. At the same time, you probably don’t want to spend your time going back and forth with someone who hasn’t provided enough information for you to determine whether you can help them.

A well-designed Contact page can do both jobs. It makes it easy for potential clients to reach you while giving you the information you need to respond appropriately.

Here are some things to consider when creating or updating your Contact page.

Make It Easy to Contact You

Even if you display your phone number and/or email address in your header or footer, prospective clients who don’t spend much time online may not think to look there. Instead, they may look for the word “Contact” in your menu.

Your Contact page should include all of the ways you are willing to be reached. This may include:

Phone Numbers

As a general rule, you only need to list your primary phone number, but if you have separate numbers for different locations or departments, it makes sense to list those as well.

If your phone is only answered during regular business hours, your potential clients will probably appreciate knowing your schedule.

Email Addresses

As in the case of phone numbers, you can either display a central email address only, or provide email addresses for each department, as shown on the Professional Organizers of Canada website.

When you publish your email address online, be aware that you are exposing it to spammers. If you’d rather not publish your email address, a contact form is another option – more on that below.

Other Options

These days, we’re not restricted to the traditional methods of communication. If you welcome inquiries via text, WhatsApp, or other online channels, these can also be listed on your Contact page.

• Text
• WhatsApp or another messaging app
• Social media
• Booking link, if you use one

Tell People Where and When You Work

Be sure to list your geographic service area and whether you offer virtual services.

If you work within a specific geographic area, let prospective clients know where you provide services.

If clients visit your location, provide the address, directions, parking information, and hours if appropriate.

Use a Contact Form to Get the Information You Need

As mentioned above, a form allows potential clients to contact you without the need to publicize your email address. That’s not the main benefit, however.

You’ve probably received emails along the lines of “I would like to know more about your services.” With no information about the client’s situation, requirements, location or budget, you have no choice but to email them back with questions. It may take several emails back and forth to actually schedule an appointment or to simply discover that it’s not a good fit.

A contact form streamlines the process by allowing you to ask key questions up front, even if it’s as simple as “When is the best time to call you?” Well-worded questions also help the client to explain their needs more effectively.

What Should You Ask on Your Contact Form?

Depending on your business, you might ask for:

• Name and email
• Location/service area
• What they need help with
• Type of project
• Preferred method and time for contacting them
• Anything else that’s genuinely useful to you

Don’t Ask Too Many Questions

Don’t make the mistake of asking so many questions that people get frustrated or feel that you’re being intrusive. Avoid asking for information you don’t actually need before responding to the message.

Make It Clear What Happens Next

I think we’ve all filled out a form and wondered when we would hear back. Don’t make your potential clients wonder! Let them know:

• When they can expect a response
• How you’ll contact them
• What happens after the initial inquiry

You might also provide links to relevant FAQs or service information.

My Preferred Form Plugin for WordPress

There are many tools available, both free and paid, to create contact forms. My favorite is the Gravity Forms form builder plugin for WordPress, which I’ve been using for over 10 years.

Most form plugins will allow you to create your own questions, but Gravity Forms has many features which set it apart from most of the others. Here are a few creative ways you can use it:

• Set up a custom thank you page that comes up after someone completes the form. This is a great way to engage them by directing them to other important content on your site, promoting a special offer, or inviting them to follow you on social media.
• When someone completes the form, invite them to join your mailing list. If they give the required consent and submit the form, their information can be sent automatically to Mailchimp, Kit, or another email marketing service. If you enable double-opt, they’ll receive a confirmation email and be added to your list after they confirm their subscription.
• Set up conditional fields, causing different questions to appear based on their answers. For example, on my Organizer Interview Questionnaire, newer organizers who have been in business less than 3 years will see different questions than those with more experience.
• Create automated and customized emails to be generated after a form is completed, with unique messages going to you, the person who filled out the form, and/or other team members who may need to reply or take other action.
• Collect payment through PayPal, Stripe, or another online payment system.
• Create a poll and allow participants to view the results.

Some of these features are available with the Basic license, while others require a Pro or Elite license. For example, payment integrations and some advanced add-ons are available at higher license levels. Check the Gravity Forms pricing page for the latest details.

For an additional cost, there are also tons of add-ons created by other developers.

GravityView is an add-on I’ve found very useful because it allows you to display information from form entries on your site in many unique ways. Since I started using it for the Productivity & Organizing Blog Carnival, it has saved me many hours of copying and pasting!

Check out the GravityView demo to see some of the other possibilities.

Keep Your Contact Page Up to Date

Your Contact page has a very important job. No matter how well you describe the benefits of using your services, if people can’t reach you, what’s the point?

Once or twice a year, review your Contact page and make sure all the information is still accurate and any links still work.

At the same time, test your form to confirm that the automated emails go out as intended and that the wording is still the message you want to send. Test it on mobile as well as a computer.

If you use a scheduler, test it too.

Don’t Make Your Contact Page Do Too Much

You don’t need a complicated Contact page to make it effective. The goal is simply to make it easy for the right people to get in touch and to collect enough information to make that first conversation useful.

Photo by AndreyPopov / DepositPhotos