Why Most Lead Gen Forms Underperform (And How to Fix Them)

Do you have a lead generation (lead gen) landing page that is generating too few leads? It could be because of a lead gen form gone wrong. Your form may be asking for too much information too soon, delivering a poor mobile experience, lacking a clear value proposition, or failing to deliver on what the page promises. The fix? Optimizing the user experience to match the audience's willingness to share data.

This guide explains how to update your lead gen forms so people are more willing to share their personal information.

Why Lead Generation Forms Fail

There are many reasons lead gen forms don’t generate leads. Here are the five most common:

1. Requesting an overwhelming amount of information. Asking for too much information, such as phone number, company size, revenue, or income, before demonstrating value for doing so lowers conversion rates. It's critical to balance the information you request between what prospects are willing to give up versus what you need to qualify them and deliver an optimal marketing and sales experience.

2. Lack of perceived value. Generic prompts like "Submit" or "Download Our Guide" do not provide enough incentive for many users to share their contact information. More specific prompts, such as “Submit to Receive Your Exclusive Discount” or “Download Our Guide to Improve Your Life,” will increase lead rates.

3. Bad form design. What may seem like a simple and obvious form design may not be so for users. Add tracking software like Mouseflow or Hotjar to record individual interactions and see if any design elements are preventing site visitors from completing the form.

4. Poor mobile experience. Tiny form fields, small type, lack of auto-fill integration, or multi-column layouts may make forms difficult to complete on smartphones. Always conduct thorough device testing of lead gen pages and forms across all devices to ensure they are easy to read and use.

5. Low-intent traffic. Driving broad, unqualified traffic to a form will result in high abandonment rates or poor-quality leads. Check your targeting to ensure it is correct and that it delivers the prospects you want to your lead-generating landing page.

Focusing on these issues should help you improve your lead generation and conversion rates.

How to Improve Lead Generation Forms

After you’ve fixed what’s broken with your lead gen forms, you’ll want to take time to optimize them. Here are some proven ways to maximize the potential of your lead generation efforts:

• Reduce the number of fields. People don’t like homework or giving away too much information at once. Only ask for absolutely necessary information. A best practice is to require only a name and an email. You can include more optional fields, of course, but note that every additional required field will reduce completion rates.

• Leverage subsequent (progressive) profiling. If you need more data, such as company size, revenue, or specific pain points, request basic info first that can be autofilled, then ask deeper qualifying questions incrementally, possibly on subsequent touchpoints.

• Test novel calls to action (CTAs). Replace uninspiring "Submit" buttons with action-oriented, value-focused language like "Get My Complimentary Review" or "Start Saving for Tomorrow Today.” Keep it concise and aligned with your actual offer.

• Develop a mobile-first experience. Ensure single-column layouts, large, easily clickable buttons, clearly visible type, and contrasting colors. Enable native browser autofill when possible.

• Include interactive elements. Replace static forms with conversational, interactive experiences. Quizzes, sliders, and survey-style questions often convert higher because they feel like engaging experiences rather than requests for personal information.

• Leverage social sign-ons. Allow visitors to prefill their information from Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, or other sources with a single click, bypassing the need to type or generate new passwords (which is particularly difficult on mobile phones).

• Track user behavior. Use software to record what users are doing on your lead generation landing pages, particularly around your forms. This helps you identify specific issues (and opportunities) you may not be aware of, such as people not being able to find fields or call-to-action buttons.

Doing these things should help you generate more quality leads on your website.

Lead Gen Form Improvements: The Final Word

If you take away one lesson from this guide, it’s this: change how you think about lead generation. Instead of focusing on your business's needs, consider your users’ experience. Make forms easy to view and use (on mobile and desktop), quick to complete, logical, and explain clear benefits for providing contact information. All of these efforts will decrease form abandonment rates and increase both the quantity and quality of your leads.