Proper Website Design - Why Every Website Needs an HTML Form

[Rex Curtis]

If you have an e-commerce or business website and are looking for ways
of getting new customers, and ensuring your existing ones keep buying
from you, consider the importance of having at least one html form on
your site.
Why? Because having html forms on your website enables you to keep in
touch with your customers, gather contact information, and let them
know when you have special products or services available.
One such html form on your website should be a form that enables
visitors and customers alike to sign up for a newsletter. This could
be a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly mailing. Try not to make it too
often, as this will just annoy people and you will have a lot of
unsubscribe notices. Your newsletter should contain information about
your product or service, the benefits, press release information,
articles, etc. This sign up form can be fairly basic - just ask for
their first name and email address. If they are interested in the
information they get from your website, they will be more apt to sign
up for your newsletter. You should also have a disclaimer on your form
that says you respect their privacy, and will not give or sell their
email address to a third party. You can write the newsletter yourself,
or hire someone to do it for you.
Another form to have on your website is an order form, so your
visitors and past customers can purchase from you. This form will be
more detailed and will require more information. You will want their
first and last name, their full mailing address, the address they want
the item shipped to if it is different from their address, and credit
card information. You must ensure that when you collect their payment
information you convey that you are using a secure, encrypted site and
that their credit card will not be subject to theft. This is extremely
important! If a customer does not feel comfortable giving their
information, they will not purchase the product. You may also want to
consider taking other forms of payment, like a money order, PayPal, or
Clickbank.
You may also want to have a form that enables visitors to be notified
when special products or packages are available for purchase. Again,
this can be a simple form that asks for name and email address. You
may have special packages that you put together during the holidays,
or if you want to get rid of some inventory. Keep these mailings
infrequent; no more than two a month.
Having html forms on your website is a critical part of your business
success. Unless you a technical or programming genius, look for a
company that you can purchase the forms from, rather than trying to
create them yourself; you do not want to make a mistake and lose
pertinent customer data. This could be detrimental to your business.
No matter what your budget, there is a package that should fit your
needs. Do your homework and ask for online demonstrations and support
services.