Anatomy of the Perfect Contact Page (With Examples)

Make It Easy to Find

There's also a button at the bottom of the page as well as another link in the footer. 

Let's just say that if an online visitor wants to reach out, the Marketo team has made themselves easy targets.

Or maybe it's under the “More” at the bottom right of the page? Nope, not there either.

Help? Oh yes, let’s try the “Help” link. There it is!

The moral of this story? Maybe don’t send your visitors on a scavenger hunt when they need to get in touch with you.

On a related note, don't get too clever with the wording when you're creating a link to your contact page. Remember, it's all about making it as easy as possible for the people who want to give you money to contact you.

Make It User Friendly

But what the hell are you supposed to do? There are no clear text fields and nothing happens when you hover over the words on the page. Scrolling down the page is also confusing as new lines of text slide into view the exact same way. Which text is just text and which is a contact form field? It's hard to tell at first glance.

Even if it only takes a few seconds to figure out— Oh! If I click on the gray words, I can fill in my own information— that's often what makes the difference between a visitor that bounces versus a visitor that stays on your site. 

Make It Match Your Brand Personality

The Mad Libs-like fill in the blank form fields, the irreverent drop-down menu options, and the unique call-to-action all maintain the personality of the site and the owner.

But what about this Bored Panda contact page?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably laughed at, aww-ed at, or gasped at a Bored Panda post or video at some point in the last 20 internet years.

But for some reason, despite the clever and entertaining content, Bored Panda's contact page is super boring. It's a basic form with ZERO personality and leaves you feeling like you're sending your message into a blackhole never to be seen again.

Make It With Options

To show you how this is done, business coach David Brownlee gives users multiple ways to get in touch. They can call, email, fill out a contact form or even send snail mail.

By contrast, Skincare MLM Rodan + Fields has tons of options when it comes to directly emailing different departments. But no contact form for those who would rather not email or call.

Just remember that contact preferences can vary wildly from person to person. Some visitors feel that sending email is more personal where others find the quick and easy convenience of filling out a contact form beats opening up their inbox or pulling their phone out.

Make It So They Don't Need to Contact You

Yes, your contact page is for people to contact you. But you can save yourself and your visitors a lot of time and effort by including the most sought after information about your business on the page.

For instance, a local business showing where you are and what time you're open should cut down on phone calls.

And online businesses can help their visitors with an FAQ or links to online tutorials or blog posts about your products or services.

Here’s a look at a local shop doing their contact page right. Brentwood Social House in Austin, TX includes all the essentials: 

Hours of operations and location:

A contact form: 

And a map. There’s even a small paragraph at the bottom of the page letting you know a little more about them (and that you can bring your dog on the patio – an essential Austin perk!).

This next business doesn’t have a bad contact page. In fact, the Mostly Serious contact page is mostly good. It has all the elements of an effective contact page including the form and different ways to get in touch, but offers very little information otherwise.

The full-stack web design and development company provides an online form that assumes the visitor is ready to do business.

But as with any company, they are sure to have a list of frequently asked questions. Compiling even just a few short Q&As could save them a lot of time in the long run.

You Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Rules... Well, OK. Some Rules

While there’s no right or wrong when it comes to picking a color palette or the page layout, there are certain rules of thumb to follow when crafting an effective contact page.

Remember to make your contact page:

• Easy to find (and maybe don’t get too creative with the wording!)
• Designed with the user in mind (a.k.a. user friendly)
• Add a pinch of personality
• Give your visitors options
• Give them a reason not to contact you by providing answers to common questions and links to helpful resources

If you keep these tips in mind along with your conversion goals, you’ll end up with a contact page that works well for your online business. And don’t forget to test your forms and links to ensure they work and that the page is mobile responsive!

Have you used the new contact form element in Thrive Architect yet or do you have any contact page advice of your own you'd like to share?

Let us know in the comments below!