Form Analytics: Does your form take too long to complete?
Aug 12, 2023
Published by: Sean McCarthy
High-performing landing pages have high-performing forms.
Low-performing landing pages have forms that are overly complex, too long, or even work poorly on mobile.
Forms that take too long to complete can lead to potential customers leaving your business for a competitor even if you have a better product.
According to Wordstream research, an average landing web page across all industries converts at around 2.35%. The best landing pages - the top 10% - convert at a rate of 11.45% and above.
So, how do you break away from having average forms? Here are a few user behaviors (and related tips) to consider when analyzing form field time using Lucky Orange Form Analytics.
What is field time?
Field time is a measure of how long it takes users to complete each field within your form.
Fields the user expects, like “first name” will usually be completed more quickly than something more unique like “annual revenue.” The more difficult each field is, the longer your form takes to complete.
And when it comes to form optimization, more time spent filling out fields is not a good thing.
Question to consider:
Do you need all the information requested in your online forms? If you can remove a field from your form and ask for that information later, you may increase your conversion rate. And, of course, you'll have to leave some fields like an email address or phone number.
How does field time impact my bottom line?
The most obvious connection between field time and revenue is your form completion rate.
Forms that take longer than necessary to complete will convert at a lower rate than a more optimized option.
Beyond increased conversions leading to increased revenue, you should also consider the impact of a bad form on user experience.
Oftentimes, a form will serve as one of the initial touchpoints a website visitor has with your brand. If they struggle to complete this step, they may be less excited about taking any additional steps in your funnel.
How can I improve field time?
After taking a look at your form conversion rate and field time, you may notice specific fields taking longer than you’d like. This is when you need to start viewing overall user behavior as it relates to your forms.
Field order
Users can become fatigued after completing a few fields in a row that are more tedious than they’d like. Consider switching up field order to add space between your more difficult fields.
And remember, the goal is the easiest path to completion. So even if website visitors are doing things in a "strange" way, that may actually be the most natural order to fill out your form.
Labels or placeholder text
Some fields are universally understood.
Others are more unique and require additional context. Testing new placeholder text to increase clarity may help users better understand the required information.
Your form builder may offer form labels above or below each field or text within the field border. If your audience includes mostly digital natives, in-field text is fine. However, if your customers skew older or less digitally savvy, keeping descriptions outside the fields can be very helpful.
This way people will see the description while they enter information.
Multi-step forms
Depending on which form builder you use, you may have the option to turn your form into a multi-step experience.
Whether this experience goes across more than one page or uses natural language, breaking up the experience allows your users to take a breath between steps and potentially increases the overall conversion rate.
Multi-step forms open up a whole new world of form testing and analysis. Sometimes, companies will encourage action by letting people complete a more benign field on their own first—like zip code, for example.
By doing this, visitors feel a more immediate attachment to the form based on the perceived effort and progress they've made towards full completion.
Form header and CTA text
Form header and call-to-action (CTA) text can greatly impact a user’s ability to complete your form.
This language must serve to explain the form’s purpose and reward. Are you clearly describing what happens after a form completion? Sometimes the value of the reward doesn't match the amount of information requested—this can cause quite a gap between customer expectations and reality.
Try to balance your CTA's attraction power with what visitors stand to gain if they choose to act.
Mobile field time
You’ll likely see differences in form performance from mobile to desktop. It’s also possible that form abandonment happens differently mobile.
Some advanced features like dropdowns and date pickers may also be difficult on a mobile device.
Conclusion
The goal of form optimization is not only a higher conversion rate but also better leads and stronger brand loyalty. Top landing pages convert at a high rate while also laying the foundation of a stable business.
Improvements to field time can help you separate your business from the competition.
