Why nobody fills in your enquiry form

You’ve got a website. People visit it. But the enquiry form sits there, and hardly anyone fills it in.

It’s tempting to think the answer is more visitors. Often it isn’t. The people are already there. Something about the page is putting them off at the last step. The good news is that the reasons are usually simple, and so are the fixes.

First, check the form actually works

This sounds obvious, but it catches out a lot of businesses. Forms break quietly. A setting changes, an email address stops working, or messages start landing in a spam folder that nobody checks.

Fill in your own form today, from your phone. Then check:

• Did the message arrive?
• Did it land in your inbox, or in spam or junk?
• Did the page tell you clearly that it had been sent?

Do this every month or so. A form that’s been broken for six months looks exactly like a form nobody wants to fill in.

Reason 1: it asks for too much

Every box you add is another reason to stop. The Nielsen Norman Group, who research how people use websites, put it simply in their advice on forms: keep it short, because cutting unnecessary fields reduces effort and increases completion.

The UK government’s own design guidance says the same thing: “only ask users for information you really need” (GOV.UK Design System).

For most local businesses, you need three things to reply: a name, a way to contact them, and what they need. Everything else, such as their address, budget or how they found you, can usually wait for the conversation.

If you do need something extra, say why. “Your postcode, so we can check we cover your area” feels reasonable. A box marked “Postcode” on its own feels like admin.

Reason 2: it’s hard to use on a phone

Most time online in the UK is spent on a smartphone, according to Ofcom. A form that’s fine on a computer can be fiddly with a thumb.

Try yours on a phone and look for:

• Boxes that are too small to tap.
• Labels that disappear when you start typing. Some forms put the label inside the box as grey text, which vanishes as soon as you type. The Nielsen Norman Group advise against this, because people forget what the box was for.
• Two columns of boxes side by side, which get squashed on a small screen. One column is easier.
• Error messages that don’t say what’s wrong, or only show in red, which some people can’t see.

Reason 3: people don’t know what happens next

Sending a message to a business you’ve never met is a small leap of faith. People hesitate when they don’t know what they’re signing up for.

A sentence or two near the button makes a real difference:

• When you’ll reply. “We reply within one working day.”
• What happens then. “We’ll call to talk it through. There’s no obligation.”
• That you won’t pester them. “We’ll only use your details to reply.”

Only promise what you can keep. If you say one working day, reply in one working day.

Reason 4: the form isn’t the only door

Some people would rather call. Some want to send a quick message. Some are on site with muddy hands and just want to tap a number.

Make your phone number easy to find on every page, and make it tappable on a phone so it dials straight away. If you use WhatsApp for work, a link to that can help too. A form should be one way to get in touch, not the only one.

Reason 5: the page doesn’t give them a reason to trust you

People rarely fill in a form on a page that tells them nothing. Before they reach out, most want to know:

• That you do what they need, in their area.
• That other people have used you and been happy. A couple of real reviews near the form help, and our guide to getting more reviews shows how to collect them.
• Roughly what it might cost, or at least that you’ll be straight with them about it.

If your contact page is just a form and an address, add a few lines about what you do and who for, and a short review or two.

Reason 6: the replies are too slow

This one happens after the form, but it decides whether the form was worth it. In a study published in the Harvard Business Review, US companies that tried to contact people within an hour of an online enquiry were nearly seven times as likely to have a real conversation with them as those that waited even an hour longer.

You don’t need to answer instantly. But an enquiry that sits for three days has often gone to someone else. If you can’t reply properly straight away, a quick “Thanks, we’ve got your message and we’ll call you tomorrow” keeps the door open.

A quick checklist

• The form works, and messages reach your inbox, not spam.
• It asks only for what you need to reply.
• It’s easy to fill in on a phone, with labels that stay visible.
• It says when you’ll reply and what happens next.
• Your phone number is on every page, and tappable on a phone.
• There’s a reason to trust you on or near the page.
• You reply quickly, even if it’s just to say you’ll be in touch.

Not sure what’s putting people off?

It’s hard to see your own website the way a stranger does. The free website health check takes a couple of minutes and tells you in plain English what might be stopping people getting in touch. If you’d like an expert to go through it and tell you what to change first, a website review does exactly that, and we can make the changes for you if you’d like.