Three Ways to Increase Your Form Completion Rates
Crafting the perfect form for your .edu site is an inexact science. While much of the content, such as the information required, seems obvious, there are a multitude of details that go into form design that can encourage (or discourage) a student from completion. Fonts, imagery, language, and more can affect the way a prospective student approaches the form. Today, we’re going to examine a handful of tips that can help your institution improve its completion rate.
1. Find the right words
While the form on your site might be a request for information, the title that is presented can be whatever you choose. Some simple variations like “Learn More” have now become commonplace. Consider exploring some variations that can generate more interest, such as: “Discover More About *University Name*” or “Start Your *University Name* Journey”.
The same goes for the content on the form itself. The text on your submit button should not be “Submit.” Get creative with other options that help bring a student’s dreams of attending your school to life.
2. Simplify your fields
While certain information is required on these forms, do your best to simplify the necessary fields. The shorter a form is, the more likely a student is willing to figure it out. While it is tempting to collect a large amount of data early on, you might end up hampering your success by reducing your conversion rates.
If reducing the amount of fields isn’t an option, consider reducing the amount of required fields. That way, if a student has the time, you can still receive a form with a substantial amount of data, without deterring students in a hurry from completing the forms.
3. Test, test, test
This piece of advice is applicable to almost any higher education marketing strategy. The best way to measure success of a redesigned form is to compare conversion rates to its predecessor.
A/B testing can also be an effective tool to measure the viability of two different form redesigns. Experiment with different titles or layouts and test each on the site for a period of time. When you collect the data, compare conversion rates, and move forward with the more successful form. Certain CMSs, like WordPress, allow you to install plugins that will show you heat maps of where visitors on your site click most frequently. This can lead to insight that help you reorganize the layout of your form.