Conversion-friendly copywriting in forms: How to ask the right questions

Forms are the most critical part of the conversion funnel. They are usually the bridge between the user simply visiting a site, and actually getting in contact with your company and reaching the end of the funnel. This is why taking care of the form's conversion rates is so important, and why taking care of every little aspect of it actually matters.

How communicating right with your users will help form-submission rates

Taking special care of your forms copywriting is crucial for many reasons  — an outstanding communications strategy contributes to a good user experience, improves your brand image and can help persuade users, and hence reach your goals. Here you have 5 tips you can apply to your communications and copywriting strategies to improve your form-submission rates:

1. Be concise and straightforward

Filling forms is a tedious task every internet user has to go through on a daily basis. In order to make it feel as light as possible and help the user reach the submission button, the form has to be as concise and straightforward as possible.

This applies to every aspect of the form: the number of fields, the number of steps, a logical organization of the questions, and also the texts you write. Displaying a transparent and understandable copy helps the user understand what they are asked for. It's been proved — a short and concise form has better conversion rates.

2. Write a conversational copy

Conversational design (or Conversation design, CxD) is a term used to describe online processes that imitate real human conversations, in order to make the internet a more real and human place. The impact of being conversational has been proved to be highly positive, since the user feels comfy and at ease.

Contrary to what most people think, conversational design not only applies to copywriting, but to the whole user experience design. While texts are the most obvious pieces when it comes to imitating human conversations, the whole context plays a crucial role.

Writing a conversational copy doesn't interfere with your brand's voice — you can apply this technique either if your brand's tone is formal or friendly, and regardless of your buyer personas.

3. Appeal to the user's feelings

Imagine you're searching for a cruise for your next holiday. When you're filling a form to book your cabin, you should feel excited rather than annoyed, shouldn't you? In these cases, appealing to the user's feelings can make a great impact on your form submission rates. Following this example, using a CTA that goes "Onboard!" instead of "Request info" can greatly help you.

This technique applies to call to actions, but also to headings and block texts. Of course, other elements present in the user experience contributes to this technique, like showing pictures. This technique is particularly effective in sectors related to leisure.

4. Write an unmistakable call to action

Following the previous example, you might want to come up with an appealing call to action, but without losing the purpose of the call to action and without confusing the users.

If you're unsure about how to do this, try keeping a balance between the texts of the forms and the CTAs. The context of the whole form can help you define what to write in each section.

Imagine you run a lead-acquisition site where users can fill a form to receive more information about your product: conditions, pricing, features, etc. The CTA of your form should go beyond a simple "Submit". Ask yourself what's going to happen after clicking the submission CTA. Is the user going to be called? Will they receive an email with all the information? Will they be redirected to a different site? While the intention of the user remains the same, you may want to consider different options, like "Talk to an agent", "Get more info" or "Learn more", respectively.

Analyze all these options to write a self-explanatory CTA, so conversion rates don't die after this step. We recommend you to be particularly clear when it comes to executing payments or booking products. These final and definitive actions should be crystal-clear, as users might feel deceived if they encounter a different action after submitting the form.

5. Eliminate common doubts about your product

Some products often cause common concerns that stop users from submitting your forms and ruin your conversion rates.

Here's an example you've probably seen before: products that offer free trials often ask for the user's credit card. If this is not your case and you know this factor ruins your conversion rates, go ahead and specify that you won't be needing this information.

This is a common practice in SaaS websites, audiovisual platforms, educational websites, etc. But the same goes for any kind of business with specific concerns. Users may worry about the misuse of their personal data, about being spammed when they give their phone number, etc. Displaying comforting messages about these concerns probably helps your numbers, and the user's perception of your brand will improve as well.

Confirm your intuition with data

While these are general best practices that can be applied to almost any kind of business, you might want to test each practice to measure its impact and come up with the best choice for you.

When it comes to copywriting, possibilities are almost unlimited. That is why we recommend you to execute as many A/B tests on your form as you consider necessary, so you can make a sensible decision. Keep in mind you can integrate Arengu with your preferred analytics or testing tools, to view and analyze the performance of every point of your form!

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