Get it filled in
- Ask for only what you need to reply: name, phone or email, and what they need. Add the town or date only if it changes your answer.
- Real labels above each field, not placeholder text that vanishes.
- A button that says what happens: “Request a quote,” not “Submit.”
- A clear message after sending: when they’ll hear back, and a phone number if it’s urgent.
- Keep a phone number next to the form. Some people would rather call.
Make sure it reaches you
- Send a test every month. Forms break silently when an email setting or plugin changes.
- Send form notifications through a properly authenticated email service, so they don’t land in spam.
- Store entries on the site or in a system as well as emailing them, so nothing is lost.
- Send to an address more than one person reads.
Stop the spam without blocking people
And keep the form secure: HTTPS, no sensitive data emailed around. Our contact form security guide covers that side.
- A hidden “honeypot” field that bots fill in and people don’t.
- Rate limits on submissions.
- Puzzles and CAPTCHAs only if spam is still bad, because they cost real submissions too.
Written by Nikita Huttenlocher, founder and lead engineer at Huttenlocher Technologies, a web design and software company in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.