Blog

3 Form Mistakes That Are Killing Your Landing Page Conversion Rate

Blog

3 Form Mistakes That Are Killing Your Landing Page Conversion Rate

Blog

3 Form Mistakes That Are Killing Your Landing Page Conversion Rate

Blog

3 Form Mistakes That Are Killing Your Landing Page Conversion Rate

Blog

3 Form Mistakes That Are Killing Your Landing Page Conversion Rate

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Blog

3 Form Mistakes That Are Killing Your Landing Page Conversion Rate

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December 9, 2014
Blog

3 Form Mistakes That Are Killing Your Landing Page Conversion Rate

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/
December 9, 2014
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Is your landing page converting at a lower rate than expected? If you’ve implemented landing page best practices, it may not be the page design or content that’s killing your conversions.

It could be your web form.

Many marketers don’t realize that one little form flaw can affect an entire landing page. No matter what you’re promoting, you’ll want to avoid these three common mistakes at all costs.

Common Mistake #1: Mismatched Messaging

Have you ever been excited about a special offer only to be let down by the fine print? Or unable to find your deal on a website where it’s buried?

This is how your audience feels when your form doesn’t deliver on a promise you made in digital ads or landing page content. Common examples include:

  • Forms that require credit card info for “free” trials
  • Coupon promotions that lead to full-priced order forms
  • Contest forms that mask pre-checked email opt-in boxes

People fill out your forms because they’re excited about what’s in it for them. Your form needs to deliver on the offers you make in headlines and copy.

How To Fix It: Make sure your forms match every promise you make and don’t take liberties with customer interest. A few form field tweaks may be all you need to boost conversions.

Common Mistake #2: Too Many Form Fields

When using a landing page for lead generation it’s tempting to ask for a lot of customer data.

Don’t.

Even if you use a feature like Conditional Logic, too many form fields will cause visitors to leave out of frustration or become suspicious enough to provide false information.

Remember: Most visitors don’t know you yet. When asking total strangers to trust you with personal data, you should only request info you genuinely need. A one-on-one demo may warrant full names and a phone number. Your email newsletter signup or white paper download probably doesn’t.

How To Fix It: Whittle your forms down to as few fields as possible. Then, as prospects get to know you through email and social media, you can slowly ask for more.

Common Mistake #3: Lack of Form Design

Everyone knows that landing page design affects conversions. But forms are often an afterthought. Marketers will A/B test every last detail of a webpage without ever considering that a lack of form design could be killing conversions.

Forms without even just a little styling may be overlooked. This is especially true if your button is tiny and grey or your fields include hard-to-read fonts—a common mistake for forms that don’t adjust to mobile screens. A lack of branding, header images, and descriptions will keep your forms unnoticed.

How To Fix It: Customize your form buttons, then make sure your fonts are easy to read and your form headers and footers are branded and indicate the type of form they are filling out. And check to ensure it all looks good on PCs and mobile devices of various sizes.

Looking for a form builder that makes it easy to avoid these common mistakes? Sign up for a free trial of Formstack here—no credit card required!

Blog

3 Form Mistakes That Are Killing Your Landing Page Conversion Rate

Blog

3 Form Mistakes That Are Killing Your Landing Page Conversion Rate

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Is your landing page converting at a lower rate than expected? If you’ve implemented landing page best practices, it may not be the page design or content that’s killing your conversions.

It could be your web form.

Many marketers don’t realize that one little form flaw can affect an entire landing page. No matter what you’re promoting, you’ll want to avoid these three common mistakes at all costs.

Common Mistake #1: Mismatched Messaging

Have you ever been excited about a special offer only to be let down by the fine print? Or unable to find your deal on a website where it’s buried?

This is how your audience feels when your form doesn’t deliver on a promise you made in digital ads or landing page content. Common examples include:

  • Forms that require credit card info for “free” trials
  • Coupon promotions that lead to full-priced order forms
  • Contest forms that mask pre-checked email opt-in boxes

People fill out your forms because they’re excited about what’s in it for them. Your form needs to deliver on the offers you make in headlines and copy.

How To Fix It: Make sure your forms match every promise you make and don’t take liberties with customer interest. A few form field tweaks may be all you need to boost conversions.

Common Mistake #2: Too Many Form Fields

When using a landing page for lead generation it’s tempting to ask for a lot of customer data.

Don’t.

Even if you use a feature like Conditional Logic, too many form fields will cause visitors to leave out of frustration or become suspicious enough to provide false information.

Remember: Most visitors don’t know you yet. When asking total strangers to trust you with personal data, you should only request info you genuinely need. A one-on-one demo may warrant full names and a phone number. Your email newsletter signup or white paper download probably doesn’t.

How To Fix It: Whittle your forms down to as few fields as possible. Then, as prospects get to know you through email and social media, you can slowly ask for more.

Common Mistake #3: Lack of Form Design

Everyone knows that landing page design affects conversions. But forms are often an afterthought. Marketers will A/B test every last detail of a webpage without ever considering that a lack of form design could be killing conversions.

Forms without even just a little styling may be overlooked. This is especially true if your button is tiny and grey or your fields include hard-to-read fonts—a common mistake for forms that don’t adjust to mobile screens. A lack of branding, header images, and descriptions will keep your forms unnoticed.

How To Fix It: Customize your form buttons, then make sure your fonts are easy to read and your form headers and footers are branded and indicate the type of form they are filling out. And check to ensure it all looks good on PCs and mobile devices of various sizes.

Looking for a form builder that makes it easy to avoid these common mistakes? Sign up for a free trial of Formstack here—no credit card required!

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3 Form Mistakes That Are Killing Your Landing Page Conversion Rate

Is your landing page converting at a lower rate than you’d hoped for? It might be due to one of these common web form mistakes.
Download InfographicDownload Infographic

Is your landing page converting at a lower rate than expected? If you’ve implemented landing page best practices, it may not be the page design or content that’s killing your conversions.

It could be your web form.

Many marketers don’t realize that one little form flaw can affect an entire landing page. No matter what you’re promoting, you’ll want to avoid these three common mistakes at all costs.

Common Mistake #1: Mismatched Messaging

Have you ever been excited about a special offer only to be let down by the fine print? Or unable to find your deal on a website where it’s buried?

This is how your audience feels when your form doesn’t deliver on a promise you made in digital ads or landing page content. Common examples include:

  • Forms that require credit card info for “free” trials
  • Coupon promotions that lead to full-priced order forms
  • Contest forms that mask pre-checked email opt-in boxes

People fill out your forms because they’re excited about what’s in it for them. Your form needs to deliver on the offers you make in headlines and copy.

How To Fix It: Make sure your forms match every promise you make and don’t take liberties with customer interest. A few form field tweaks may be all you need to boost conversions.

Common Mistake #2: Too Many Form Fields

When using a landing page for lead generation it’s tempting to ask for a lot of customer data.

Don’t.

Even if you use a feature like Conditional Logic, too many form fields will cause visitors to leave out of frustration or become suspicious enough to provide false information.

Remember: Most visitors don’t know you yet. When asking total strangers to trust you with personal data, you should only request info you genuinely need. A one-on-one demo may warrant full names and a phone number. Your email newsletter signup or white paper download probably doesn’t.

How To Fix It: Whittle your forms down to as few fields as possible. Then, as prospects get to know you through email and social media, you can slowly ask for more.

Common Mistake #3: Lack of Form Design

Everyone knows that landing page design affects conversions. But forms are often an afterthought. Marketers will A/B test every last detail of a webpage without ever considering that a lack of form design could be killing conversions.

Forms without even just a little styling may be overlooked. This is especially true if your button is tiny and grey or your fields include hard-to-read fonts—a common mistake for forms that don’t adjust to mobile screens. A lack of branding, header images, and descriptions will keep your forms unnoticed.

How To Fix It: Customize your form buttons, then make sure your fonts are easy to read and your form headers and footers are branded and indicate the type of form they are filling out. And check to ensure it all looks good on PCs and mobile devices of various sizes.

Looking for a form builder that makes it easy to avoid these common mistakes? Sign up for a free trial of Formstack here—no credit card required!

Is your landing page converting at a lower rate than expected? If you’ve implemented landing page best practices, it may not be the page design or content that’s killing your conversions.

It could be your web form.

Many marketers don’t realize that one little form flaw can affect an entire landing page. No matter what you’re promoting, you’ll want to avoid these three common mistakes at all costs.

Common Mistake #1: Mismatched Messaging

Have you ever been excited about a special offer only to be let down by the fine print? Or unable to find your deal on a website where it’s buried?

This is how your audience feels when your form doesn’t deliver on a promise you made in digital ads or landing page content. Common examples include:

  • Forms that require credit card info for “free” trials
  • Coupon promotions that lead to full-priced order forms
  • Contest forms that mask pre-checked email opt-in boxes

People fill out your forms because they’re excited about what’s in it for them. Your form needs to deliver on the offers you make in headlines and copy.

How To Fix It: Make sure your forms match every promise you make and don’t take liberties with customer interest. A few form field tweaks may be all you need to boost conversions.

Common Mistake #2: Too Many Form Fields

When using a landing page for lead generation it’s tempting to ask for a lot of customer data.

Don’t.

Even if you use a feature like Conditional Logic, too many form fields will cause visitors to leave out of frustration or become suspicious enough to provide false information.

Remember: Most visitors don’t know you yet. When asking total strangers to trust you with personal data, you should only request info you genuinely need. A one-on-one demo may warrant full names and a phone number. Your email newsletter signup or white paper download probably doesn’t.

How To Fix It: Whittle your forms down to as few fields as possible. Then, as prospects get to know you through email and social media, you can slowly ask for more.

Common Mistake #3: Lack of Form Design

Everyone knows that landing page design affects conversions. But forms are often an afterthought. Marketers will A/B test every last detail of a webpage without ever considering that a lack of form design could be killing conversions.

Forms without even just a little styling may be overlooked. This is especially true if your button is tiny and grey or your fields include hard-to-read fonts—a common mistake for forms that don’t adjust to mobile screens. A lack of branding, header images, and descriptions will keep your forms unnoticed.

How To Fix It: Customize your form buttons, then make sure your fonts are easy to read and your form headers and footers are branded and indicate the type of form they are filling out. And check to ensure it all looks good on PCs and mobile devices of various sizes.

Looking for a form builder that makes it easy to avoid these common mistakes? Sign up for a free trial of Formstack here—no credit card required!

Collecting payments with online forms is easy, but first, you have to choose the right payment gateway. Browse the providers in our gateway credit card processing comparison chart to find the best option for your business. Then sign up for Formstack Forms, customize your payment forms, and start collecting profits in minutes.

Online Payment Gateway Comparison Chart

NOTE: These amounts reflect the monthly subscription for the payment provider. Formstack does not charge a fee to integrate with any of our payment partners.

FEATURES
Authorize.Net
Bambora
Chargify
First Data
PayPal
PayPal Pro
PayPal Payflow
Stripe
WePay
Monthly Fees
$25
$25
$149+
Contact First Data
$0
$25
$0-$25
$0
$0
Transaction Fees
$2.9% + 30¢
$2.9% + 30¢
N/A
Contact First Data
$2.9% + 30¢
$2.9% + 30¢
10¢
$2.9% + 30¢
$2.9% + 30¢
Countries
5
8
Based on payment gateway
50+
203
3
4
25
USA
Currencies
11
2
23
140
25
23
25
135+
1
Card Types
6
13
Based on payment gateway
5
9
9
5
6
4
Limits
None
None
Based on payment gateway
None
$10,000
None
None
None
None
Form Payments
Recurring Billing
Mobile Payments
PSD2 Compliant

Is your landing page converting at a lower rate than expected? If you’ve implemented landing page best practices, it may not be the page design or content that’s killing your conversions.

It could be your web form.

Many marketers don’t realize that one little form flaw can affect an entire landing page. No matter what you’re promoting, you’ll want to avoid these three common mistakes at all costs.

Common Mistake #1: Mismatched Messaging

Have you ever been excited about a special offer only to be let down by the fine print? Or unable to find your deal on a website where it’s buried?

This is how your audience feels when your form doesn’t deliver on a promise you made in digital ads or landing page content. Common examples include:

  • Forms that require credit card info for “free” trials
  • Coupon promotions that lead to full-priced order forms
  • Contest forms that mask pre-checked email opt-in boxes

People fill out your forms because they’re excited about what’s in it for them. Your form needs to deliver on the offers you make in headlines and copy.

How To Fix It: Make sure your forms match every promise you make and don’t take liberties with customer interest. A few form field tweaks may be all you need to boost conversions.

Common Mistake #2: Too Many Form Fields

When using a landing page for lead generation it’s tempting to ask for a lot of customer data.

Don’t.

Even if you use a feature like Conditional Logic, too many form fields will cause visitors to leave out of frustration or become suspicious enough to provide false information.

Remember: Most visitors don’t know you yet. When asking total strangers to trust you with personal data, you should only request info you genuinely need. A one-on-one demo may warrant full names and a phone number. Your email newsletter signup or white paper download probably doesn’t.

How To Fix It: Whittle your forms down to as few fields as possible. Then, as prospects get to know you through email and social media, you can slowly ask for more.

Common Mistake #3: Lack of Form Design

Everyone knows that landing page design affects conversions. But forms are often an afterthought. Marketers will A/B test every last detail of a webpage without ever considering that a lack of form design could be killing conversions.

Forms without even just a little styling may be overlooked. This is especially true if your button is tiny and grey or your fields include hard-to-read fonts—a common mistake for forms that don’t adjust to mobile screens. A lack of branding, header images, and descriptions will keep your forms unnoticed.

How To Fix It: Customize your form buttons, then make sure your fonts are easy to read and your form headers and footers are branded and indicate the type of form they are filling out. And check to ensure it all looks good on PCs and mobile devices of various sizes.

Looking for a form builder that makes it easy to avoid these common mistakes? Sign up for a free trial of Formstack here—no credit card required!

Is your landing page converting at a lower rate than expected? If you’ve implemented landing page best practices, it may not be the page design or content that’s killing your conversions.

It could be your web form.

Many marketers don’t realize that one little form flaw can affect an entire landing page. No matter what you’re promoting, you’ll want to avoid these three common mistakes at all costs.

Common Mistake #1: Mismatched Messaging

Have you ever been excited about a special offer only to be let down by the fine print? Or unable to find your deal on a website where it’s buried?

This is how your audience feels when your form doesn’t deliver on a promise you made in digital ads or landing page content. Common examples include:

  • Forms that require credit card info for “free” trials
  • Coupon promotions that lead to full-priced order forms
  • Contest forms that mask pre-checked email opt-in boxes

People fill out your forms because they’re excited about what’s in it for them. Your form needs to deliver on the offers you make in headlines and copy.

How To Fix It: Make sure your forms match every promise you make and don’t take liberties with customer interest. A few form field tweaks may be all you need to boost conversions.

Common Mistake #2: Too Many Form Fields

When using a landing page for lead generation it’s tempting to ask for a lot of customer data.

Don’t.

Even if you use a feature like Conditional Logic, too many form fields will cause visitors to leave out of frustration or become suspicious enough to provide false information.

Remember: Most visitors don’t know you yet. When asking total strangers to trust you with personal data, you should only request info you genuinely need. A one-on-one demo may warrant full names and a phone number. Your email newsletter signup or white paper download probably doesn’t.

How To Fix It: Whittle your forms down to as few fields as possible. Then, as prospects get to know you through email and social media, you can slowly ask for more.

Common Mistake #3: Lack of Form Design

Everyone knows that landing page design affects conversions. But forms are often an afterthought. Marketers will A/B test every last detail of a webpage without ever considering that a lack of form design could be killing conversions.

Forms without even just a little styling may be overlooked. This is especially true if your button is tiny and grey or your fields include hard-to-read fonts—a common mistake for forms that don’t adjust to mobile screens. A lack of branding, header images, and descriptions will keep your forms unnoticed.

How To Fix It: Customize your form buttons, then make sure your fonts are easy to read and your form headers and footers are branded and indicate the type of form they are filling out. And check to ensure it all looks good on PCs and mobile devices of various sizes.

Looking for a form builder that makes it easy to avoid these common mistakes? Sign up for a free trial of Formstack here—no credit card required!

Is your landing page converting at a lower rate than expected? If you’ve implemented landing page best practices, it may not be the page design or content that’s killing your conversions.

It could be your web form.

Many marketers don’t realize that one little form flaw can affect an entire landing page. No matter what you’re promoting, you’ll want to avoid these three common mistakes at all costs.

Common Mistake #1: Mismatched Messaging

Have you ever been excited about a special offer only to be let down by the fine print? Or unable to find your deal on a website where it’s buried?

This is how your audience feels when your form doesn’t deliver on a promise you made in digital ads or landing page content. Common examples include:

  • Forms that require credit card info for “free” trials
  • Coupon promotions that lead to full-priced order forms
  • Contest forms that mask pre-checked email opt-in boxes

People fill out your forms because they’re excited about what’s in it for them. Your form needs to deliver on the offers you make in headlines and copy.

How To Fix It: Make sure your forms match every promise you make and don’t take liberties with customer interest. A few form field tweaks may be all you need to boost conversions.

Common Mistake #2: Too Many Form Fields

When using a landing page for lead generation it’s tempting to ask for a lot of customer data.

Don’t.

Even if you use a feature like Conditional Logic, too many form fields will cause visitors to leave out of frustration or become suspicious enough to provide false information.

Remember: Most visitors don’t know you yet. When asking total strangers to trust you with personal data, you should only request info you genuinely need. A one-on-one demo may warrant full names and a phone number. Your email newsletter signup or white paper download probably doesn’t.

How To Fix It: Whittle your forms down to as few fields as possible. Then, as prospects get to know you through email and social media, you can slowly ask for more.

Common Mistake #3: Lack of Form Design

Everyone knows that landing page design affects conversions. But forms are often an afterthought. Marketers will A/B test every last detail of a webpage without ever considering that a lack of form design could be killing conversions.

Forms without even just a little styling may be overlooked. This is especially true if your button is tiny and grey or your fields include hard-to-read fonts—a common mistake for forms that don’t adjust to mobile screens. A lack of branding, header images, and descriptions will keep your forms unnoticed.

How To Fix It: Customize your form buttons, then make sure your fonts are easy to read and your form headers and footers are branded and indicate the type of form they are filling out. And check to ensure it all looks good on PCs and mobile devices of various sizes.

Looking for a form builder that makes it easy to avoid these common mistakes? Sign up for a free trial of Formstack here—no credit card required!

Is your landing page converting at a lower rate than expected? If you’ve implemented landing page best practices, it may not be the page design or content that’s killing your conversions.

It could be your web form.

Many marketers don’t realize that one little form flaw can affect an entire landing page. No matter what you’re promoting, you’ll want to avoid these three common mistakes at all costs.

Common Mistake #1: Mismatched Messaging

Have you ever been excited about a special offer only to be let down by the fine print? Or unable to find your deal on a website where it’s buried?

This is how your audience feels when your form doesn’t deliver on a promise you made in digital ads or landing page content. Common examples include:

  • Forms that require credit card info for “free” trials
  • Coupon promotions that lead to full-priced order forms
  • Contest forms that mask pre-checked email opt-in boxes

People fill out your forms because they’re excited about what’s in it for them. Your form needs to deliver on the offers you make in headlines and copy.

How To Fix It: Make sure your forms match every promise you make and don’t take liberties with customer interest. A few form field tweaks may be all you need to boost conversions.

Common Mistake #2: Too Many Form Fields

When using a landing page for lead generation it’s tempting to ask for a lot of customer data.

Don’t.

Even if you use a feature like Conditional Logic, too many form fields will cause visitors to leave out of frustration or become suspicious enough to provide false information.

Remember: Most visitors don’t know you yet. When asking total strangers to trust you with personal data, you should only request info you genuinely need. A one-on-one demo may warrant full names and a phone number. Your email newsletter signup or white paper download probably doesn’t.

How To Fix It: Whittle your forms down to as few fields as possible. Then, as prospects get to know you through email and social media, you can slowly ask for more.

Common Mistake #3: Lack of Form Design

Everyone knows that landing page design affects conversions. But forms are often an afterthought. Marketers will A/B test every last detail of a webpage without ever considering that a lack of form design could be killing conversions.

Forms without even just a little styling may be overlooked. This is especially true if your button is tiny and grey or your fields include hard-to-read fonts—a common mistake for forms that don’t adjust to mobile screens. A lack of branding, header images, and descriptions will keep your forms unnoticed.

How To Fix It: Customize your form buttons, then make sure your fonts are easy to read and your form headers and footers are branded and indicate the type of form they are filling out. And check to ensure it all looks good on PCs and mobile devices of various sizes.

Looking for a form builder that makes it easy to avoid these common mistakes? Sign up for a free trial of Formstack here—no credit card required!

Is your landing page converting at a lower rate than expected? If you’ve implemented landing page best practices, it may not be the page design or content that’s killing your conversions.

It could be your web form.

Many marketers don’t realize that one little form flaw can affect an entire landing page. No matter what you’re promoting, you’ll want to avoid these three common mistakes at all costs.

Common Mistake #1: Mismatched Messaging

Have you ever been excited about a special offer only to be let down by the fine print? Or unable to find your deal on a website where it’s buried?

This is how your audience feels when your form doesn’t deliver on a promise you made in digital ads or landing page content. Common examples include:

  • Forms that require credit card info for “free” trials
  • Coupon promotions that lead to full-priced order forms
  • Contest forms that mask pre-checked email opt-in boxes

People fill out your forms because they’re excited about what’s in it for them. Your form needs to deliver on the offers you make in headlines and copy.

How To Fix It: Make sure your forms match every promise you make and don’t take liberties with customer interest. A few form field tweaks may be all you need to boost conversions.

Common Mistake #2: Too Many Form Fields

When using a landing page for lead generation it’s tempting to ask for a lot of customer data.

Don’t.

Even if you use a feature like Conditional Logic, too many form fields will cause visitors to leave out of frustration or become suspicious enough to provide false information.

Remember: Most visitors don’t know you yet. When asking total strangers to trust you with personal data, you should only request info you genuinely need. A one-on-one demo may warrant full names and a phone number. Your email newsletter signup or white paper download probably doesn’t.

How To Fix It: Whittle your forms down to as few fields as possible. Then, as prospects get to know you through email and social media, you can slowly ask for more.

Common Mistake #3: Lack of Form Design

Everyone knows that landing page design affects conversions. But forms are often an afterthought. Marketers will A/B test every last detail of a webpage without ever considering that a lack of form design could be killing conversions.

Forms without even just a little styling may be overlooked. This is especially true if your button is tiny and grey or your fields include hard-to-read fonts—a common mistake for forms that don’t adjust to mobile screens. A lack of branding, header images, and descriptions will keep your forms unnoticed.

How To Fix It: Customize your form buttons, then make sure your fonts are easy to read and your form headers and footers are branded and indicate the type of form they are filling out. And check to ensure it all looks good on PCs and mobile devices of various sizes.

Looking for a form builder that makes it easy to avoid these common mistakes? Sign up for a free trial of Formstack here—no credit card required!

Meet The Host
Content Marketing Manager
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Lindsay is a writer with a background in journalism and loves getting to flex her interview skills as host of Practically Genius. She manages Formstack's blog and long-form reports, like the 2022 State of Digital Maturity: Advancing Workflow Automation.