If you are afraid to make changes on your web site or if the mere idea of having a web site is enough to send you to the professionals for help with its construction, never fear. It is possible put have forms on a web site without knowing any HTML code. There are a number of free and easy online tools to help you put a form on your web site.
Why Do Web Sites Need Forms?
Web sites need forms because forms make the webmaster’s life a lot easier. While it is great to reply to individual emails, there are many things that do not require an individual email. Signing up for an email list or a newsletter, signing a guestbook, making an appointment, submitting a query, and even registering for a program can all be done through web site forms.
Also, visitors to a web site like to move quickly and easily through the site. They do not want to search for a contact email address or send an email to sign up for a newsletter. Adding forms to the web site makes their lives easier as well.
Free Online Contact, Mailing List and Newsletter Forms
Looking for a single, simple form for a web site? If you want to make an interactive Contact Us page, web sites like Freedback, Response-o-matic, Wufoo and Email Me Form are all up to the task. Input the variables and decide how you want the form to look and the web site will provide you with HTML code. Go to the management area of your web site and go to HTML view, then insert the code into the web site. Check the site to make sure that the form works. It should look like a button on the web site.
Easy Online Registration, Appointment, Job Application and Order Forms
Online registration, job application, appointment, and order forms are more complex than a simple email address form. There are a number of web sites that will provide this service for free or for a very nominal fee that is affordable for small businesses and nonprofit organizations.
Since you are relying on the form to do most of the work of registration, take time to consider what you need to ask people on that form. Ask several people to go through a mock registration process to ensure that it works and that your business or nonprofit has the right information. Always provide a telephone or email option so that customers can contact you if they have questions or get confused when they are filling out the form.
Email Me Form and SuperSAAS are the two web sites of choice for making free online forms that can handle large amounts of data on a customer or site visitor.
Comparing Different Free Online Form Builders
Freedback and Response-o-matic are simple form-creating programs that are ideal for someone who wants one form like an email or contact form. The free package comes with one form. You can also get statistics on the location of your users and you can redirect them back to a specific web site.
Wufoo’s free plan is similar to that of Freedback and Response-o-matic, but you can also get three reports about the data. This is a good choice for those who need to collate data.
Email Me Form is a single source for making many different, large forms. It allows you to create 5 forms with up to 50 fields per form and allows for 200 entries per month. There is an automatic email when a customer completes the form, and you can redirect customers back to the web site. There are no reports with the free package.
SuperSAAS is a good option for those who run a business with a single focus. Its graphic interface looks like a calendar and it looks very professional. You can handle up to 50 registrations per month on the free program. The free program comes with advertising.
Creating a form for a web site does not need to feel intimidating. Using these free programs, you can create forms to fit many of the needs of a simple web site. To develop reports or do mass registration, you will likely need to purchase a basic web site package to develop and analyze even more online forms.
Tricia Edgar - Tricia Edgar is a gardener, environmental educator, and science writer from the Pacific Northwest.
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