Are you toying with starting your own website? You’ll need to choose a website platform, decide on a look, and make a whole myriad of branding, marketing, and web design decisions. Getting this right is imperative for driving laser-targeted traffic and scoring those much-needed conversions.
Sound complicated? Not if you follow and stick to some simple tips. We’re sharing some expert advice on creating a highly engaging WordPress.com website using Ninja Forms.
Choosing the Right Platform – WordPress.org vs. WordPress.com
We want to quickly clarify the difference between the two WordPress services available:
WordPress.org is an open-source framework you can download and install for free. You can create your site to your liking and expand it however you see fit. This version of WordPress requires some technical know-how. Plus, you’ll also have to purchase your own web domain and hosting, making WordPress.org less beginner-friendly.
WordPress.com is an entirely managed and hosted service. This means you can use WordPress’ famous website editor to create professional-looking websites without needing any coding or web development smarts. Just sign up for a free account and start building. As your website expands and you outgrow WordPress.com’s free plan, you can upgrade to one of its paid plans, unlocking additional benefits. For instance, with WordPress.com’s Business plan, you can expand your site with plugins and premium themes, which comes in handy for extending WordPress.com’s overall functionality.
There are many other website builders out there. Still, with WordPress powering more than 30% of the web, you can’t go wrong with this robust platform’s perfect compromise on functionality and price.
Throughout the rest of the article, we’ll focus on WordPress.com.
Introducing the WordPress.com Business Plan
All of WordPress.com’s hosted plans are great for beginners. They remove the majority of headaches involved with designing and launching your first ever website.
However, to build an engaging WordPress.com website, you’ll need a few upgrades that aren’t available on its more affordable plans. This is especially true for businesses reaching out to customers to sell products, services, and/or build their email list.
If that’s true for you, WordPress.com’s Business plan will likely be your best choice.
Let’s quickly take a look at what it has to offer:
You can use WordPress.com for free to start building your website. The features you get in this case are basic, and you can’t add your own domain to the site. However, the free version is perfect if you’re on the fence about WordPress.com and want to trial the editor to see if it’s the right platform for you.
To connect your WordPress.com website with your own web domain, you’ll need to upgrade to the Personal Plan for $4 a month. Or, to create a more professional-looking personal website, opt for the Premium Plan at $8 a month. This comes with custom CSS editing, advanced design tools, and Google Analytics support.
That said, the real gems are unlocked with the Business Plan, at $25 a month. This package provides everything you need to expand WordPress.com’s functionality. Most notably, downloading and using custom plugins like Ninja Forms and premium themes. Plus, you gain 200GB worth of storage and 24/7 live chat support.
It’s also worth mentioning that the Business Plan is highly customizable and compatible with most plugins. You also get access to advanced performance and security with automated backups.
In short, it’s a must-have for any business owner wanting to monetize their site. Whether you sell products, services, or simply marketing your own content, you’ll unlock WordPress.com’s full potential with the Business Plan.
How to Use Forms to Make WordPress.com Websites More Engaging
Adding forms to your site is one of the simplest and yet most effective ways of driving traffic and conversions.
How?
Picture a library hosting a book signing session. They’ll need to keep track of bookings, send out information, clarify the day’s practicalities, prepare the space for the right amount of people, etc. This is where online forms come in handy. They’re a quick and easy way of measuring interest, tracking attendance, and keeping attendees abreast of all the latest info.
Alternatively, think of a clinic taking appointments. They might want to streamline their processes by collecting patient information before they come to the clinic. Again, sending an online form is the most practical way of achieving that.
Finally, just think of all the uses an eCommerce store has for online forms. From collecting subscribers to maintaining customer relationships, to even hosting sweepstakes…the potential benefits are endless. Still, one thing is clear: to make the most of your online forms, you’ll need professional, versatile, and stylish templates to catch your visitors’ attention.
Introducing: Ninja Forms
This is where Ninja Forms comes in. With over 20,000,000 downloads, Ninja Forms is one of the most popular form plugins for WordPress.com, and it’s plain to see why. They offer beautiful, user-friendly WordPress forms that require no tech-knowledge whatsoever.
Ninja Forms helps with the following:
- Growing your mailing list
- Accepting donations
- Uploading files
- Lead generation
- Creating beautiful online forms
- Registration (for both online and offline events)
- Converting PDFs
Without writing a single line of code, it’s easy to design stunning and complex forms. Simply drag and drop fields, adjust row and column layouts, and even build multi-page forms with ease. Ninja Forms comes with a wide array of striking templates, so finding the right design is a breeze.
What’s more, you can accept payments via Ninja Forms, which unlocks a host of new possibilities where fundraising and charity websites are concerned. Accepting donations and payments securely via PayPal and credit cards from the convenience of your WordPress forms has never been easier!
Ninja Forms supports various billing methods, including single payments, subscriptions, custom payments, and fixed/variable payments.
Lastly, enhance your customer service quality by enabling consumers to upload files from your contact forms. You can send or export submissions as PDFs, Excel Files, or even Google Sheets. You can also ensure these messages are forwarded to the right people to guarantee a timely and helpful response.
How to Create an Engaging WordPress.com Website on The Business Plan
Now that we’ve introduced the necessary building blocks for a highly engaging website, here are the specific steps you need to take to get there:
Step 1: Create a WordPress.com account. You can quickly do this for free via their website.
Step 2: Choose a website title/domain name. If you’re using the free plan, you’ll have a WordPress.com subdomain, so your URL will look something like ‘Domainname.wordpress.com.’
Choose a title for your website that reflects your business and is easy to read. Keep in mind that your visitors might want to Google your website in the future, so make it memorable and easy to spell.
Pro Tip: Check whether the domain name you’re considering is available by heading to instantdomainsearch.com and try out your favorite options.
Step 3: Choose your WordPress.com plan. To complete the steps below, you require the Business Plan (or higher) to install custom plugins.
Step 4: Choose a theme and customize its design and content. All WordPress.com themes look sleek and professional, so you can’t go too far wrong, and most are already mobile-optimized. If you decide later to switch themes, that’s totally possible. WordPress.com makes it easy to chop and change between templates whenever you like.
Once you’ve selected a theme, it’s time to add pages and content by navigating your way around the WordPress.com admin dashboard.
Pro Tip: Follow some best practices while building your site. For instance, all your content should be easily readable for a better UX experience. Plus, always include a call to action, images, and/or other media to engage visitors with more than just text.
Step 5: Add engaging web forms by installing Ninja Forms. From your WordPress Dashboard, go to ‘Plugins’ and click “Add new.”Search for Ninja Forms from the plugin marketplace. Then, click “Install,” followed by “Activate.” You should now see Ninja Forms on your dashboard (on the left-hand menu). The core plugin is completely free. You can build a simple form without buying any add-ons or memberships.
However, for its paid-for version you’ll need to enter your license key to unlock the plugin and receive automatic updates.
Step 6: Use Ninja Forms to start engaging visitors by creating and publishing forms for: Lead collection, newsletter signups, customer payments, contact, competition registration, bookings, feedback collection, and much more.
Create Engaging Forms Using These Best Practices
The free version of Ninja Forms will provide you with the basic tools you need to create a simple contact form. You can build an unlimited number of forms and get unlimited responses, all for free! It’s as easy as dragging and dropping the fields you want into the form builder. You don’t need to write even a single line of code.
But, if you want a more advanced form, you can get one of the Ninja Forms add-ons, like:
- Conditional logic: Forms change dynamically as the user fills them out (I.e., showing or hiding fields, sending individual emails, redirecting to other pages, etc.).
- Multi-step forms: Feed users bite-sized questions before leading them onto the next step of the form.
- Layout and styles: Easily modify your form’s background, adjust borders, drag and drop fields, and edit columns.
With these features in mind, let’s quickly review some best practices for online form creation:
Keep it Simple
Forms that ask for too much information quickly lose the visitor’s interest. Just look at ImageScape, which increased their conversion rates by 120% when they went from 11 form fields to only four.
The bottom line: Only ask for crucial information to boost engagement rates.
Use a Single Column
It’s always best to use a single column – especially for long, multi-step forms. This layout makes it easier (and quicker) for visitors to get through.
Use Multi-Step Forms
If you need more information than can be acquired with just a few fields, separate your questions across multiple steps. This makes filling out the form appear more manageable, ensuring more customers fill out its entirety.
Use Field Validation
This reviews your visitor’s field entries and lets them know if something’s incorrect in real-time. This is a pretty nifty feature, should the customer accidentally enter the wrong email or credit card, saving both you and them on time and frustration.
Align Text to The Left
Your western audiences, at least, typically read from left to right. So, any other alignment will feel unnatural and cumbersome to them. Because the eye naturally jumps to the top-left first, place your text on the left above your form fields for a more comfortable read.
Enable Auto-Fill
Many browsers make form-filling much more manageable by automatically filling out info they’ve noted in the past. This is especially useful for email addresses, full names, and addresses. So, prompt browsers to offer auto-filling by using common attributes the system will recognize.
Address Concerns with Summary Boxes
Have you ever filled out a form and found yourself unsure of what was needed or what the information might be used for? This is where summary boxes come in handy.
These open when you hover over a question mark or click on a quick link and answer common concerns. Include this for sensitive questions like “Why do I need to provide my birthday?” or “What is the security number?” etc.
Add Progress Bars for Longer Forms
This is another neat feature Ninja Forms provides. You can add progress bars as users start completing longer forms, helping visitors gauge how much is left to fill.
Are You Ready to Create an Engaging WordPress.com Site Using Ninja Forms?
Creating a website doesn’t have to be complicated. By choosing WordPress.com, you take care of your website’s hosting, management, security, amidst other technical aspects. Upgrade to the Business Plan to access high-quality plugins like Ninja Forms that enable you to boost user engagement.
Stunning web forms on your WordPress.com site make it easier to generate leads, collect customer feedback, and encourage visitors to get in touch- to name a few!
So what are you waiting for? Sign up for a free WordPress.com account today, and start exploring!
