Design the Best Contact Us Page

OK, so users land on your contact page. What will they find? What should they find?

After users have browsed through your pages, they’ll find a contact page that reinforces positivity or negativity in their perceiving the website.

 

After all, the contact page might be the reason why a whole website has been created. In most cases, the contact page itself is a call-to-action and the website is built around it. The aim of a contact page is to maximize leads and turn visitors into clients, so the goal of the page is, shortly, to convert. Contact us pages, if well designed, shall improve conversions.

Therefore, there’s more in a contact page than providing basic contact information. It has to encourage interaction.

 

Considering the above, let’s dive deeper into what a contact page should include:

 

What to include in a contact us page?

 

There are multiple elements that make up a good contact page. Here they are:

 

• Some copy indicating why users should contact you.

Before placing any contact data in the page, think about dropping a few lines that get the conversation going.

It’s recommended that you use a friendly, conversational tone for this line of text preceding the actual contact data.

• Email address

This might be the most commonly used way of contacting a company. People might find it the best way to use a real email address and send a customized message. Anyway, it’s one of the several contact methods you should provide details for.

• Phone number

Besides the email address, you should include a phone number for direct calls and inquiries. If you go internationally, you should also provide the correct prefix for the phone number.

• Hours of operation

To limit the number of messages and calls, and also to make communication more efficient, a company should specify the hours of operation on the contact page.

• Geolocation

If your company is click-and-mortar, and it has a physical location, don’t hesitate to include a map into the contact page. Maybe there’ll be people that want to pay a visit to your headquarters, and see it in-person. Also, parking indications or orientation tips will be welcome.

In case geolocation is included, it serves as a sign of trust in your company, as the company is real and has a physical address.

 

See how Gechic integrated all their contact information in the dedicated page:

 

Source

 

 

• Contact form

The contact form might be the handiest solution for asking a question or sending a message to a company.

It has the role to make the business know who’s contacting them.

For a contact form to be highly useful, it has to be optimized:

1. You can provide instant feedback after a form is filled in, telling users in what amount of time you’ll be back with an answer to their question/message. Ensure users you’ll answer in the shortest amount of time that’s possible.
2. It might be of use to include ghost text in the form fields, so to make it easy for users to instantly spot the type of information they have to enter for those fields
3. Tips: according to studies, left-aligned forms outperform right-aligned ones. So, consider placing your contact form to the left of the page.
4. After a contact form is filled in and the SEND button is hit, consider redirecting users to a thank you page, where you signal that you’re ready to continue the discussion.

 

Example of contact form:

 

 

 

• Redirect to a thank you page

After people fill in the form and click SEND, it’s recommended that you redirect them to a thank you page. Thus, you signal that you’re ready to continue the discussion. Users are not left waiting, rather they’re assured you’ll get back to them as soon as possible, with a helpful answer.

 

• Provide a link to a feedback channel

After you placed all contact details into the page, you might also insert a link to a feedback channel. It’s worth profiting from the fact people are on this page and inclined to contact you, so direct them towards a feedback channel where they can give an objective assessment as to their experience with the company and the website.

For the most part, those who land on the contact page are future clients of the company. You might take into account adding a link into the page, to a feedback channel where your future customers share their experience with the website, the company, the products.

 

• Provide a Call-to-Action, in case none of the above applies.

If users don’t feel like filling in a form, or giving a phone call, or sending a message, you might consider including a call-to-action button, that pushes them towards taking action.

 

Here’s how Pixpa included an invitation to get started:

 

 

One recommendation goes for making the CTA button the same color as the logo, which is a clear signal that contact is the main purpose of the brand.

 

• Consider including a secondary CTA

People are lazy. They don’t want to contact a company unless they feel it’s imperative to solve their problem. That’s why any of the contact details in the contact page might be useless. However, with a secondary CTA, you’ll have a secondary chance. People are likely to get in touch with you in some form, if you push them further down the path to conversion.

A secondary CTA might be to subscribe to your blog, or keep up to date with the latest trends in the industry.

 

Example from Infinum:

 

 

 

• Transparency and openness are key to making people contact you.

If they can trust the company, and know exactly who they are contacting, they’ll be more inclined to contact you. This way, you should think of adding photos of the contact persons (for different departments). Adding some photos or illustrations add personality to the brand.

 

• Links to active social media accounts

Directing people towards your social media accounts serves 2 purposes: it helps them get in touch with real persons from your team, and helps building a community of users who support the website and company as well.

 

Generally, social media links are provided in the footer of the website pages, so there;s no need to add extra lines into the contact page for them:

 

Source

 

• Profit from the contact page space to include giveaways.

Giveaways like podcasts, newsletter, ebooks, in the contact page, are secondary-level conversions. If users haven’t reached to you yet, you have a second chance to keep them hooked, with some materials that they’re likely to save for later analysis. Your brand has already entered their mind, and their attention will be doubled the next time they enter you contact page. They’ll be more prone to contact you and get an answer to their questions.

 

• Give FAQ answers to limit the number of mails you’ll receive. Use a drop-down menu if necessary.

 

More and more companies are considering including a FAQ section into the contact page. Frequently Asked Questions have answers directly into the page, and you somehow limit the number of inquiries that might otherwise fill your inbox.

 

Example of FAQ section:

 

Another example of successful FAQ section:

 

 

The greater the number of questions you answer online, the smaller the number of inquiries, and you’re filtering out unnecessary questions that might otherwise be solved by online answers.

 

• Ask for help to the business, in the contact page

Besides generic questions, you might want people to help you reach your target. As the contact page is one of the most visited page by qualified leads, you should think of asking for help to the business, from their part: donate a sum to a community, answer a survey, etc.

 

• Provide quick contact information in the same place as the contact tab in the menu

It’s generally best practice to give quick contact details in the top bar or in the footer of your pages, right next to the contact tab in the menu. Thus, every visitors on the website will have a quick means to getting in touch with you, and ask the right questions in the right place.

 

Now that we’ve passed through the different elements that might be included in a well-designed contact us page, let’s see some considerations about the style you should use for the copy of the contact us page:

 

Style of copy for the Contact Us page

 

• Contact details are easy to find. What’s the use of a contact page if contact details are hidden behind other elements, and not obvious enough for people who want to go on speaking with you? These elements should be accessible from the main menu, in a dedicated section titled “Contact”.

 

• Creativeness and memorable design/copy will go a long way, differentiating between a standard contact us page and a well-made contact us page. Go creative with your contact us page, and you won’t regret it. If you go creative, you should think about developing solid story telling that you’ll include in the contact us page of the website. It should match the overall message of the website pages, and complete them with a touch of originality that keeps the brand memorable.

 

• Create concise content for the contact us page, limit copy and other design elements to only what’s really necessary. You have to keep copy short and to the point, and not disturb visitors from necessary elements they need to contact you and get the collaboration going.

 

• We mentioned, among other elements for a contact page, an introductory phrase that explains why users should contact you. Keep it simple, in a conversational tone and colloquial language that gives a sense of familiarity, and approaches the company to its clients.

 

• Provide emotional copy – like in the case of other pages, especially in the case of a B2C business, it’s important to include emotional elements of text and image that connects with visitors at a deeper level than mere contact details. These elements should be enticing enough to generate a maximum of conversions (messages).

 

Other style items to consider for the Contact Us page

 

• Make the contact page sound human. This is valid for contact pages that want to connect a company’s team with real people, real customers. They don’t limit themselves to giving plain contact details, they also wrap them in copy that’s for humans.

 

 

• Design to reflect a brand persona, for audience personas. Hence, contact us pages must fit into the overall design. This equals in part the above-mentioned style technique, only it extends from simple copy to the overall page design.

 

• The contact us page has to be neat and clean, and white space (or negative space) might be the only secret in creating a just too perfect contact us page. The contact information has to be visible enough and easy to read and use for sending a message, giving a call or paying a visit in-person.

 

 

• Don’t confuse contact with support information. Of course, if you need support, you’ll contact the company’s team. But it’s not necessarily the case that if you contact the company, you need support.

 

 

As you can see, contact us pages are important. They have to meet the functionality standards and go beyond them. Only that way, contact pages will increase conversion rates and reach their goals.

 

In designing the contact page of the website, you should start from 2 simple facts:

1. Make the contact form simple to use, keep best practices in mind.
2. Design a contact form as if users are ready to do business with you. Only some details need some adjustment, as new collaborations have already been built.

 

After all, when users visit your contact page, they’re halfway to signing a contract, or purchasing items from your company, right? Don’t let the occasion fly away. Instead, stop and take the time to design your contact page as it is the best chance for you to maximize conversions. And ROI.