Branded Forms Versus Unbranded Forms + How to Reduce Form Abandonment Rates
Any successful business relies on online forms for positive results. If you’ve submitted a contact form, checkout process, email newsletter signup, or quiz before, you’ve already interacted with branded forms used professionally.
Generally speaking, higher form completion rates are better for brands and their business. Every lost form means a lost lead or sale, the opposite of closing the deal with a new client.
One of the main reasons for form abandonment is the lack of branding. You maintain user experience consistency with branded forms over online channels, meaning they’re less likely to question your authority and click away.
Let’s further explore why users abandon forms and how branded forms can help you generate leads and conversions.
What is Form Abandonment?
Form abandonment is an essential part of conversion optimization practices. A simple definition of form abandonment is when a user starts to fill out a form but leaves the page without submitting it.
Any type of online form can fall prey to abandonment – contact forms, checkout forms, lead generation forms, email newsletters, and others.
Unfortunately, any abandoned forms can mean a loss in sales or leads. Many visitors start to fill out a form, but they never complete the process. And there can be many causes, from bugs in the submission process to excessive fields or lack of perceived value or ownership.
Let’s dive in to understand why users abandon forms and how branded forms can help you avoid form abandonment.
Why Are Unbranded Forms Susceptible to Form Abandonment
It’s normal to ask yourself why users would abandon your forms. And there are many reasons for that. Let’s find out what the most significant motives are.
1. Users Don’t Believe the Form is Yours.
For many consumers, security is a top priority. They need to feel confident and secure when filling out forms with their personal information. They will only enter their email address, credentials, or credit card number when they trust the form. So when a form looks conspicuous, they worry about scams and phishing. 123FormBuilder safeguards data entered on forms. We make every effort to identify and remove any forms made by service users specifically for data phishing.
123FormBuilder is an ideal option for branding your forms because it allows you to add your personal touch. Your customers enjoy a seamless experience, assured that the forms on your website are yours.
2. You Leave an Unprofessional Impression.
Not all users are the same, and some may be pickier than others. Some notice the lack of branding on your forms and see it as a lack of attention to detail on your part.
Consumers now interact with brands in more ways than ever – social media, mobile sites, desktops, apps, etc. – and expect brand consistency across all channels. That includes contact forms, payment forms, or any other type of form you employ online.
“Do it yourself” sites are less credible. Professional-looking websites – with branded forms like the templates from 123FormBuilder – are more likely to be trusted by customers. They help you build trust with your visitors.
3. Your Brand is Perceived as Unlikeable.
Any time your visitors have an unpleasant experience on your website, their opinion of your entire brand changes. A lack of branded forms can become an obstacle to lead generation.
Use a good content marketing plan to optimize your website and other components, including online forms, to simplify interactions with your customers and improve their opinion of you.
4. A Form’s Perceived Value isn’t Strong Enough for Users.
Perceived value is the customer’s opinion of a product or service. When the customer sees his effort of filling out and submitting a form as more significant than what he gets in return, he is more inclined to abandon the form.
The perceived value of the action they are asked to take can influence customers. When it comes to online forms, users can abandon filling them out because they don’t see enough value in submitting them. Unbranded forms aren’t helpful in this case because they contribute to a customer’s negative opinion of the goods and services promoted.
How to Reduce Form Abandonment Rates
Reducing form abandonment rates starts with your online forms, specifically with design. More often than not, it translates to carefully selecting the information you’re asking for and the number of fields used.
Of course, there are other parameters to consider, one of them being branding your forms to make your business look professional. Next, let’s look at some key form best practices.
1. Personalize Your Online Forms.
Users are more likely to fill out and submit forms when they know they share their personal info with a legit business. Pick the templates you want – 123FormBuilder has over 2000 forms to choose from – and customize them to match your branding.
Use the form designer to add your logos, fonts, styles, backgrounds, conditional logic, and more. Truly customize the ins and outs of your online forms to make them part of your online presence.
2. Emphasize Form Security.
We already mentioned security as one of the reasons why customers abandon forms. Security concerns are one of the biggest motives behind form abandonment.
Forms lacking your branding can make users feel fearful regarding their data security. It translates to higher form abandonment rates, mainly when your forms include payments.
Your customers should be reminded that their personal data and payment information is secure. 123FormBuilder includes Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.Net, Square, and more payment integrations ready to use when building your forms to let people know they can trust your online forms.
An SSL Certificate is another valuable measure for your online branded forms. Luckily, 123FormBuilder encrypts data passing through your forms using an SSL connection, so it’s a safe bet.
Depending on location and industry, a GDPR-compliant or HIPAA-compliant online form could help lower form abandonment rates. Users are interested in how you collect, use, and store their data, so assuring their information is safe could accelerate lead generation using online forms.
3. Use Mobile-friendly Forms.
Statistics say that, in 2022, over 60% of the global internet population went online using mobile devices. And these numbers will only grow in the future. So, your online presence must adapt, too. It starts with your website and the online forms you use.
You need mobile responsive forms to increase your chances at conversion. And 123FormBuilder has mobile-friendly forms ready to use, no code required. Other things worth considering when building mobile-friendly forms:
- Use conditional logic as much as possible (which 123FormBuilder integrates with form templates)
- Label form fields and use descriptions to make things clear for respondents
- Test your forms on large and small screens to ensure they work correctly.
To resume, avoiding form abandonment means optimizing users’ mobile experience as much as possible, so you don’t lose those leads.
4. Use Domain Aliasing.
Domain aliasing is essential to ensure brand consistency over all aspects of your business. It increases your chances of converting leads and keeping them loyal.
This solution is available on 123FormBuilder, where you can brand your forms to the smallest detail, including domains. That means the online forms will display your website domain instead of 123FormBuilder.
5. Add Calls-To-Action to Your Forms.
Call-to-action buttons can keep users on your forms until they are filled out and submitted.
Consider customizing exit-intent popups to get user information before someone leaves your website or branded form. Keep things simple by asking for an email address or a name, for example.
Offer form responders incentives like discounts or pieces of gated content in exchange for general information like an email address and their name. You can build a database ready to repurpose for campaigns and other advertisements.
There you have it! You now know how to reduce form abandonment issues. Use branded forms to simplify and improve user experience, helping them to submit them confidently. 123FormBuilder offers an engaging form designer that lets you quickly personalize every aspect of your online form templates, including logos, colors, and fonts. Are you curious? Have a look and try it out yourself!
