The “Contact Us” page on most websites is overlooked and neglected, yet our research has shown that it is one of the most viewed pages on most commercial sites. Create a really good Contact Us page that is relevant to your audience, and it will boost sales.
The Contact Us page is often the first step in building the relationship between you and a prospect. Most people only bother going to this page and filling out a form if they are genuinely interested in what you do, and they want further clarification on what is described on the website.
Here are the top ten tips for creating an outstanding Contact Us page:
Tip #1 – Ask Yourself, “What is this page for?”
Seems like an obvious question, but the answer will be different for every website. Is it to support sales? Generate leads? Gather information? Be part of the customer support process? Get feedback?
On our website, www.subhub.com, for example, the Contact Us form is for, in order of priority:
• Generating sales leads
• Getting feedback about our website and services
• Market research
Once you know what the Contact Us form is for, you can determine what information you need to ask for.
Tip #2 – Only Ask for Information You Need
The temptation on a form is to ask for all the information you would like to know, such as location, date of birth, how they found you, etc.
Don’t!
The more information you ask for, the more people you will deter from sending questions. Every person who is put off is a lost potential sale.
Ask for the minimum amount of information that will allow you to answer the question. In many instances, this will just be the email address and question. In others, you may need to know the country, date of birth and what product they are inquiring about to give them a correct response.
Tip #3 – Create a Form
Create a form on your Contact Us page that your visitors can fill in and send. This makes it quick, easy and intuitive for them to correspond with you. It also ensures you get the information you need. Make it very clear on the form what information is obligatory and what is optional.
Tip #4 – What Information You Should Have on Your Contact Us Page
Your Contact Us page should have:
• The submission form
• Email address
• Postal address
• Phone number
• Fax number
• In the UK – company number
In many countries, including the UK, it is a legal requirement to have the physical address and telephone number on any revenue-generating website. Apart from this, it is good practice because it gives your clients the impression that there is a real organization behind the site.
Tip #5 – Where the Contact Us Links Should Be Placed
Research has shown that website visitors look for the links to the Contact Us page in three positions (show below) on a webpage.
Place the link in one or more of these positions (I recommend all three) and make sure the link is in the same position on every page.
Tip #6 – Stop Spam
Contact Us pages are often used by spammers to “scrape” email addresses for their spam mailing lists or to auto-fill forms with spam and send them to you. The two things you can do to stop this annoying activity are:
• Make your email address an image that is linked to a “mailto:” link. By making the address an image, the spam robots can’t scrape it from the page. Alternatively you can write the email address as “Email: info (at) subhub.com.”
• Create an extra step in the submit process that can only be completed by a human. You may have seen forms that require you to type in a number or code that is shown as a blurred image to verify that you are a human (and not a computer program). This is called a CAPTCHA form. To understand more about how to do this, go to www.captcha.net
Tip #7 – Have a Picture of a Person
Websites are generally faceless and impersonal. To counter this perception as much as possible, have an image of a person on your Contact Us page. If you want to encourage people to phone, have an image of a smiling person on the phone and the phone number at the top of the page. If you want to encourage people to email, have an image of a smiling person sitting at a computer.
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Tip #8 – Frequently Asked Questions
Very often, questions asked by prospects are already answered on your FAQ page. Therefore, it is worth having a link on the Contact Us page to the FAQs. The link can be accompanied by a simple bit of text such as “Please take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions page. You may find the answer you’re looking for.”
Alternatively, you can actually list the top five frequently asked questions on the Contact Us page.
Finally, on the FAQ page, monitor what questions are being asked by visitors. When a question is repeatedly asked, add it to the FAQs or include the answer in the copy on the relevant website page. The best way to reduce email inquiries is to answer the question before it is asked.
Tip #9 – Privacy is Important
Clearly state on your Contact Us page that you take clients’ privacy very seriously, and you never share, sell or distribute email addresses or personal details to any third-party organizations. This reassurance is very important to many website users.
Tip #10 – Answer All Inquiries Quickly
The best way to build a relationship with prospective clients is to reply quickly and accurately to their questions. The fastest way to alienate prospects is to respond slowly with a vague and unhelpful answer.
Treat people the way you would want to be treated.
Clearly state on the page how long it will be before the person can expect a reply and then stick to your promise. The time should be less than 48 hours.
And one more for luck…
Tip #11 – Record All Queries
You should keep a record of all the queries that are sent in. This is fantastic market research. If lots of people are asking about something you don’t do, maybe you should consider doing it. If they are complaining about your website, maybe you should change it. If they can’t find what they are looking for, you need to address the navigation and site search. Feedback does not get better than this.
Conclusion
Invest time in creating a user-friendly and relevant Contact Us page which makes it quick and easy for prospects to communicate with you. Learn from the questions and use them to improve your website and service. A good Contact Us page is a critical step in your sales process. Getting it right will increase the money you make from your website.
Tip #8 – Frequently Asked Questions
Very often, questions asked by prospects are already answered on your FAQ page. Therefore, it is worth having a link on the Contact Us page to the FAQs. The link can be accompanied by a simple bit of text such as “Please take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions page. You may find the answer you’re looking for.”
Alternatively, you can actually list the top five frequently asked questions on the Contact Us page.
Finally, on the FAQ page, monitor what questions are being asked by visitors. When a question is repeatedly asked, add it to the FAQs or include the answer in the copy on the relevant website page. The best way to reduce email inquiries is to answer the question before it is asked.
Tip #9 – Privacy is Important
Clearly state on your Contact Us page that you take clients’ privacy very seriously, and you never share, sell or distribute email addresses or personal details to any third-party organizations. This reassurance is very important to many website users.
Tip #10 – Answer All Inquiries Quickly
The best way to build a relationship with prospective clients is to reply quickly and accurately to their questions. The fastest way to alienate prospects is to respond slowly with a vague and unhelpful answer.
Treat people the way you would want to be treated.
Clearly state on the page how long it will be before the person can expect a reply and then stick to your promise. The time should be less than 48 hours.
And one more for luck…
Tip #11 – Record All Queries
You should keep a record of all the queries that are sent in. This is fantastic market research. If lots of people are asking about something you don’t do, maybe you should consider doing it. If they are complaining about your website, maybe you should change it. If they can’t find what they are looking for, you need to address the navigation and site search. Feedback does not get better than this.
Conclusion
Invest time in creating a user-friendly and relevant Contact Us page which makes it quick and easy for prospects to communicate with you. Learn from the questions and use them to improve your website and service. A good Contact Us page is a critical step in your sales process. Getting it right will increase the money you make from your website.