You must consider some essential web elements to run a successful WordPress business website. Among those elements, the most important one is the contact form. You can pick one among several form builder plugins available on the market. They are available in both paid and free versions to give you a headache. On top of that, the platforms offer tonnes of features too.
To take away your headache, we have compiled a list of key characteristics you need to find in your preferred WordPress form builder plugin, along with an explanation of their significance for each function.
The Key Features to Have in a Form Builder Plugins
1. Drag and Drop Feature
These days, drag-and-drop editors have almost become the norm. Almost all form add-ons have this feature.
Since the captioned feature enables you to create and design your WordPress forms quickly and easily, you save a tonne of coding time. Also, to make form construction beginner-friendly, almost any WordPress form builder plugin will include this functionality in their free edition. That’s why we think it’s an absolute must for any form builder plugin.
You can add certain blocks to your form using drag-and-drop editors, and these tools frequently provide you with a selection of ready-made templates to work with. A drag-and-drop form builder will significantly simplify your life if you are unfamiliar with coding and can’t afford to hire a specialist to make varied forms.
2. Must be Responsive
You may already know how crucial a responsive design is for a website. You probably have heard that most of the traffic comes from mobile devices. Hence, every aspect of your website must be compatible with smaller screens. Your forms are also a part of them. Imagine that your form does not function properly or looks bad on mobile devices.
It becomes difficult for potential customers to contact you and increases business abandonment with no drag-and-drop feature. It’s expensive and pointless. Users now expect all form builder plugins to provide elements and templates that automatically adjust to smaller screen widths.
3. Notification for Form Submission
Instant notifications are now widely used and demanded in daily work and life. These days, we have almost become accustomed to getting notifications for everything in real-time. So why is it not possible to receive an email or even a text-based notification following each submission?
Well, a significant portion of your customer service entails providing prompt answers to any questions or concerns both current and potential consumers may have. It allows you to stand out from the crowd and overtake your rivals. As a result, you should be informed whenever a user submits a form.
4. GDPR Compliance
A topic nobody bats an eye on, yet it is one of the important features that every WordPress form builder plugin must possess. If your website is based in the USA or Europe, you must ensure the form builder you have complies with the US or European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In the absence of GDPR, you could find yourself in hot water.
You need to make a few changes to better your website’s compliance with GDPR because the GDPR stipulates things like obtaining explicit consent before collecting or storing user data and enabling users to request access to or erasure of the stored data. Turn off IP tracking, disable user cookies, and add the mandatory GDPR option.
Modern form builder plugins provide components for the “acceptance” requirement. Some form builders even let you decide whether or not to keep submitted data in the WordPress database. You can demonstrate that the user has consented to process their data in any scenario.
5. Export Submission
Usually, this feature is used with the entry management feature. Not to mention that your form builder plugin should make it simple to export every submission to a CSV or XML file. However, many people still ignore its potential use.
An export submission gives you access to all submissions in a data processing tool. This makes it simple to integrate them into your CRM or the mailing service and helps you save a tonne of time that you can use to expand your company.
6. Entry Management
Unquestionably, your form builder plugin should provide entry management. This aids you in viewing all your leads in your WP dashboard in one place.
Moreover, the captioned feature guarantees every submission is saved in the WordPress database to eliminate the chances of data loss. Why is that essential? We don’t need to remind you how unpleasant it might be to waste a revenue-generating lead because of any technical problem.
7. CSS/HTML Customization
Adding customized CSS and HTML to this list might appear strange since we have already discussed how the drag and drop builder feature makes form building easy. Keep reading to know the reason for inclusion:
By default, form builder plugins will only minimally contribute to their own styles. However, modified CSS can be helpful if your ideal WP website theme makes your forms appear a little odd. You might need a developer to set it up, but that’s better than having a form that looks weird.
8. Limitless Form Fields
Beware of the field restrictions before picking your “free” form builder. For limitless fields, some businesses demand an upgrade to a premium membership. Thus, if you are aware that some of your forms are lengthy, it will save you loads of effort.
A small number of fields could be adequate for a straightforward contact form. However, when it comes to ordering forms or registration processes, you need to ensure your form builder plugin has no restrictions regarding form fields.
Wrap Up
To ensure the success of your website, you must select the best online form builder. It must have the features mentioned above and be able to collect the information you require. The software you use to create the forms must also enable you to examine the data you’ve gathered.
