In today’s online world, user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) are now more often prioritized in the lead conversion process. In fact, Page Rank, the algorithm Google uses rank websites in its search engine results, is being continually updated to reflect the significance of UI/UX. Routinely, websites with too little content are ranked poorly. It has also been speculated that “dwell time,” the time a person stays on a particular website before returning to the search engine results page, is a component of the search algorithm. While the exact tools and approaches used in the ranking process are not entirely clear, it is clear is that user experience is of the utmost importance.

For this reason, each website form a company creates for its website should be designed to make the visitor experience one that is simple and pleasant, as this interaction marks a critical point in the lead conversion process. It is at this point that a visitor either funnels into your pipeline as a lead by providing you with their important personal information necessary for future interaction, or they leave your site in search of an alternative option.

In order to prevent visitors from leaving your site without taking any action, there are steps you can take to optimize your forms for conversion. The following are among the many changes you can make today to increase conversions and ultimately profit:

Less is more. It’s been shown that forms with fewer fields have higher conversion rates. The last thing you want is for website visitors to be overwhelmed at the number of fields they must feel in, often of seemingly irrelevant information. Typically, nothing more than a name and email address is truly necessary. Once this information is obtained, a sales representative can reach out to a lead and find out any remaining information through a follow-up call or email.

Highlight what’s required. If you choose to include helpful but not necessary fields on your form, such as a “How did you hear about us?” field, be sure to mark the required fields. This is usually done with an asterisk (*), or by changing the font color of required fields. This small detail gives visitors the option to share more information, without forcing their hand.

Keep forms above the fold. Visitors should not have to scroll down to the bottom of the page before encountering the form. Instead, keep the form at the top of the page where it is visible. This ensures that the next steps are clear, whether visitors should want to obtain a promotional offer or receive a quote.

Be creative with your call-to-action. The submit button is the last step to converting a website visitor to a lead. It is recommended that instead of simply labeling this button “submit,” take the opportunity to demonstrate the value you bring one final time. Consider:

1. • Sign up now for the webinar
2. • Begin free trial
3. • Download ebook

Remind your website visitors why they took the time to fill out the form, and what they’ll receive in return.