28. Creating contact forms

Creating Contact Forms in WordPress

Creating contact forms is an essential step in website development, as it allows visitors to contact you easily and directly. In WordPress, this can be done simply and effectively using a variety of plugins or even custom coding. Here, we'll explore how to create a contact form from basic to advanced.

Choosing a Contact Form Plugin

For first-time users, the easiest way to add a contact form to your WordPress site is through a plugin. Some of the most popular plugins include:

• Contact Form 7: One of the oldest and most downloaded WordPress contact form plugins. It is free and offers flexibility for customization.
• WPForms: This plugin is beginner-friendly and comes with a drag-and-drop form builder, making form creation a simple task.
• Gravity Forms: A premium plugin that offers advanced functionality and integrations with other services.
• Ninja Forms: Another powerful form builder plugin that offers an intuitive interface and is extensible with add-ons.

When choosing a plugin, consider the features you need, such as customization, integration with email marketing tools, sending files, among others.

Installing and Configuring the Plugin

After choosing a plugin, you must install it. Go to the 'Plugins' section in your WordPress dashboard, click 'Add New' and search for the name of your chosen plugin. Once you find it, click 'Install' and then 'Activate'.

With the plugin activated, you will usually find a new section in your dashboard dedicated to the plugin, where you can start creating your form.

Creating Your First Contact Form

Let's use Contact Form 7 as an example for this guide:

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to 'Contact' > 'Add New' to create a new form.
2. A standard form will be generated with basic fields such as name, email, subject and message. You can edit these fields or add new ones.
3. To add a new field, use the form generator tags available in the plugin. For example, to add a phone field, you can use the [tel] tag.
4. After customizing the form, save it.
5. The plugin will generate a shortcode that you can copy and paste into any page or post to display the form.

Customizing the Contact Form

Customizing the style of your form is important to ensure it integrates well with your website design. This can be done by adding custom CSS. Some plugins also offer customization options within the form builder itself.

Configuring Email Notifications

After creating the form, it's crucial to set up email notifications so that you receive a message whenever someone submits the form. In Contact Form 7, this is done in the 'Mail' section of the form, where you define which email the messages will be sent to and customize the email content.

Preventing Spam

Contact forms can be spam targets. To prevent this, you can use solutions like CAPTCHA or Akismet. Contact Form 7 allows integration with Google reCAPTCHA and Akismet to help filter unwanted submissions.

Advanced Features

For advanced users who want more than the standard features offered by plugins, you can extend the functionality of your contact form with custom programming or using add-ons available for some plugins. This may include:

• Integration with CRM tools.
• Multi-step contact forms.
• Conditional fields that appear based on user responses.
• Sending files and upload management.

Conclusion

Creating an efficient and functional contact form is a vital part of any website. In WordPress, with the help of plugins and proper customization, you can create forms that not only look good but also offer excellent user experience. Remember to test your form after setup to ensure everything is working as expected.

With a little practice and experimentation, you can create contact forms that meet your specific needs and improve communication with your visitors or customers.