Creating The Perfect Contact Us Page For Your Website

Creating an amazing contact page & form can be a crucial component of any website. Not only does it provide a convenient way for clients & candidates to reach out to you, but it also gives them a sense of engagement and can even improve the overall user experience.

Now I've trawled through an absolute tonne of recruitment websites in the aid of helping to improve your Contact Page. It's an easily underestimated part of your website… 

"Yeah I'll just whack a contact form on there and we're done.". 

Let’s not over complicate things but here's a few key points you need to consider in order to ensure that candidates & clients actually fill out their details and hit the 'Send' button.

1. First and foremost, it’s important to make sure that your contact form is easy to find and access. This means placing the link to your contact page prominently on your website, such as in the header or footer or ideally both, and making sure it’s clearly labelled. You should also provide clear instructions on how to use the form, such as what information is required and how long it will take to receive a response. People shouldn’t have to wait longer than 2 working days for a response - this not only shows that you value your visitors’ time, but it also helps to build trust and establish a rapport with them.

1. In terms of design, it’s important to keep your contact form simple and uncluttered. This means using a clean, modern layout and avoiding any unnecessary distractions. You should also make sure that the form is easy to read and navigate, with clear labels for each field and a logical flow from one field to the next. You should also ask your developer to ensure it is screen reader compatible allowing for greater accessibility. 

1. Also on the note of website accessibility, your developer will need to ensure that users can use the Tab key to move between fields and use the Enter key to submit the form. 

1. Another key consideration is the information you ask for in your contact form. You want to make sure that you’re only asking for information that is truly necessary, such as the visitor’s name (first & last/ full name), email address, telephone, subject and message body. Avoid asking for too much personal information, as this can be off-putting to some visitors. Also you will need functionality (a file upload) to allow users to add attachments, such as CVs or job briefs. 

1. Form validation is important! I may get a little granular here but it's all very simple. You want to make sure that the information sent is the correct information and there's a few ways we can protect against incorrect information. We can make sure certain fields such as email, telephone, etc. are required, as in the user can't send the form without filling these in. We can ensure the inputted email address is in the correct format (e.g. name@emailprovider.co.uk), that the telephone number has a minimum and maximum number of digits, names have a minimum of 2 and maximum of say 30 characters, etc. 

1. I'd also recommend carrying an embedded Google Map of your office location. Don't bother with Bing, it's awful. For a fair few things it's better to stick with Google (such as Angular and Firebase - how we make your website). I realise it's rarer and rarer to meet candidates in person but best to show them where you’re located just in case. It also adds a degree of trust and professionalism. You can also style your map with tools such as https://mapstyle.withgoogle.com/ to make it stand out from the usual maps you see. 

1. Always show your address (all locations), general email address and company telephone number and make sure these are clickable links. As a user I don't want the hassle of having to copy your address and then manually open Google Maps and paste it in or copying your email address and manually opening Gmail, new email and then once again pasting it in. Keep it simple for the user! 

1. List your social media pages, LinkedIn, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, etc. with easily clickable icons. Clients may want to get an idea of your company culture and values before engaging with you and social media is a great way to showcase this. 

1. I’d also include a Trustpilot profile and your Google reviews, in a discrete manner here. It will help with the call to action for clients & candidates and hopefully persuade anyone who was in two minds about contacting you. 

1. You may want to add check boxes for the user to sign up to newsletters and/or agreeing to the website terms & conditions/ agreeing to the processing of their information. Personally I find these a little intrusive and less important for small - medium sized recruitment firms. It can help to combat spam bots and does ensure users explicitly agree to your processing their information - this links to your privacy page, which is a legal requirement.  

1. Finally, it’s important to keep your contact form secure. This means using a secure server to collect and store the information, and implementing measures such as captchas to prevent spam and other forms of abuse. By taking these steps, you can help to protect your visitors’ information and ensure that your contact form is safe and secure to use.

In conclusion, creating an amazing contact form can be a great way to improve the user experience on your website and provide a convenient way for visitors to reach out to you. By following the best practices outlined in this article, you can create a contact form that is easy to use, informative, and secure. And of course check out our contact page here - https://abstractionlabs.co.uk/contact-us