Web Design
HTML Forms: Is Your Site Interactive?
Making your web site interactive with your site visitors' is a "must-do" anymore. It enables your site visitors to get information quickly and it saves you time. Web forms connected to a server side script (CGI/ASP/PHP/etc) can assist you in this automatic interactive feature. Another reason to considering using web forms is to easily, effectively and inexpensively spam-proof your website which is also a necessity these days. There are tons of reasons to utilize web forms just as there are tons of different types of forms that you can use.
We have compiled a list inclusive of the different types of web forms, ideas for their uses with further suggested reading and script resources below. Perhaps this list will help spark an idea to assist you with site automation and web form interactivity with your web site visitors.
Types of Web Forms, Ideas for Uses and Suggested Resources for Further Education/Scripts
- Feedback/Contact form: Give your site visitors a quick way to contact you by simply filling in a web form and submitting it in seconds. Don't make them open their email software to send you a message. It isn't a professional way to do business and using a web form connected to a server side script helps spam-proof your website. This CGI developer has a wonderful form script that will help you spam-proof your contact form
- Subscribe: Offer your visitors the ability to subscribe to your mailing list for further information, helpful tips, courses, special offers, sales announcements, policy changes, new features, etc. A quality list of targeted folks who are interested in specific information is an extremely power asset. If your site has a wide variety of products or services, seriously consider splitting your mailing lists into several signups to target your subscribers even further. You want to be sure that you are delivering exactly what they want to know more about. If you compile all your news into one newsletter, they be more apt to unsubscribe when they receive a couple of newsletters in a row that do not pertain to exactly what they were hoping for.
- Surveys: The best way to find out what your visitors want, enjoy, or would like to see more of is to offer them a survey to complete from time to time. Don't over do it by requiring them to complete a form or spamming them with unwanted "please fill out out survey" emails. Give them the choice to do so when they visit your site, make a purchase or offer them a freebie gift as an incentive.
Polls: People love to answer questionnaires especially when it is about a controversial topic. They also love to see the results of the polls. Offering polls to gather your site visitors' opinions and allowing them to see the tallied results to-date is a very nice interactive way to bring your visitors back.
- Search: Search engines have completely spoiled us. If a large site does not have some type of search capability, it can be frustrating for your visitors. Consider using this FREE Search Service to enable your visitors to search your site. Setup is easy and the spidering service is FREE!
- Ratings:</bOrders: If you sell a product or service, consider utilizing an order form. Note that you should not request sensitive information such as credit card numbers through any unsecure form. Check with your web host on whether they provide a SSL option.
- Register: Stay in touch with your visitors by having them register to gain access to certain sections of your site. Or have them register to download a demo product, get a discount coupon, etc.
- Sign Guestbook: Although guestbooks are not as popular as they used to be and are not considered professional on ecommerce sites, they do have a good use for the right type of sites. It allows people to instantly comment or make suggestions and see it live on your website.
- Jump Menus: If you have a limited amount of space on your page, and you want to offer a large category list menu, consider the use of jump menu which utilizes the HTML web form concept. This gives your visitors a quick way to jump from one section to another and you do not have to use a full navigational menu section. Examples of use for this feature would be product or service categories, list of articles, list of testimonials, download links, list of related resources on your site or on another site.
Additional Perl/PHP Resources:
• Quality CGI scripts for when your site is ready for Interactivity. Very easy to install.
• Huge CGI script membership site with quality service.
• Smart and user-friendly CGI scripts with affordable prices.
• A little pricey but packed with Perl power!
• PHP - Get 25 scripts via a membership.
BasicTemplates.com Members have access to 10 generic HTML form templates in the members area. These forms work well with the 50 custom form buttons in fully layered PSD format we added a few weeks ago. Reference the article, "Custom Form Buttons".
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