Why contact forms lose requests
And how to test whether it happens to you. A form can look fine and still lose messages, without you or your customer noticing.
Where it can go wrong
The notification goes to the wrong address
The form still sends notifications to an old or unread e-mail address, for example from a previous web developer or an address that no longer exists.
The notification lands in spam
The website sends e-mail on behalf of your address without the right settings. Your e-mail program does not trust it and puts it in spam, or rejects it.
The form does not work (any more)
After an update the form shows an error, or a captcha blocks customers on their phone. This is not always visible on screen.
The customer does not know whether it worked
There is no clear confirmation, on screen or by e-mail. The customer is unsure, does not call and asks someone else.
Too many or too few required fields
With too many required fields a customer gives up. With too few, you first have to ask for the address or phone number.
No fallback route
If the form does not work, there is no clickable phone number or e-mail address as an alternative.
An example
An installation company switches to a new e-mail address. After a while the old address is closed. Nobody thinks of the fact that the contact form on the website still sends to that old address.
Customers fill in the form and see a neat "Thank you, we will contact you". The notifications arrive nowhere. Only when a customer calls after a while and asks why he never heard anything does it come to light. How many requests were lost in the meantime can no longer be traced.
One test message after the switch would have shown this straight away.
Test it yourself, step by step
Find the form on your phone
Open your website on your phone, the way a customer does. Is the form quick to find and easy to fill in, without zooming?
Fill in one clearly marked test message
Put "TEST" in the name and in the message, and use an e-mail address of your own that is not the address the notifications go to. That keeps tests and real requests apart.
First leave a required field empty
Do you get a clear error message at the right field? Then fill it in after all.
Send it and look at the screen
Do you see a clear confirmation? Does it say what happens next, for example when you will reply?
Check that the notification arrives
Look in the mailbox where requests should arrive, including the spam folder. Note how long it took. If nothing arrives, have your web developer or hosting provider check the e-mail address in the form and the sending settings.
Check the confirmation for the customer
Does the form send a confirmation e-mail to the customer? Look in the mailbox of the address you entered in step 2, including spam.
Look at privacy and alternatives
Is there a link to your privacy statement near the form? Are your phone number and e-mail address clickable, in case the form does not work after all?
Repeat after every change
Test again after a website update, different hosting or a new e-mail address. Also put a fixed reminder in your calendar.
Rather have us take a look?
Send us your website address for the free form check. You get short feedback. We change nothing on your website.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know whether my contact form works?
By testing it once yourself, the way a customer would: send it, look at the confirmation and check that the notification really reaches you.
Do this on your phone and check the spam folder too. A form that neatly shows 'Thank you' on screen can still send the notification to a wrong or old e-mail address.
Why do form messages end up in spam?
Often because the website sends e-mail on behalf of an address the server is not allowed to send for.
E-mail programs check whether a sender is really allowed to send, using settings such as SPF, DKIM and DMARC. If that is not right, the notification lands in spam or does not arrive at all. Your web developer or hosting provider can set this up, for example by having the website send through a proper mail server (SMTP).
How often should I test my form?
After every change to your website, hosting or e-mail address, and also at a fixed moment, for example every quarter.
A plugin update, a move to different hosting or a new e-mail address can stop notifications from arriving, without anyone seeing an error message. So put a reminder in your calendar.
What is the free form check?
We look at your contact or quote form the way a customer sees it and send you short feedback. Free and without obligation.
You only send us your website address. We send at most one clearly marked test message and change nothing on your website.
Does this website have a contact form itself?
No. This website deliberately has no form; you can e-mail, call or WhatsApp us.
That way there is no form data to protect here and no notification can get lost. For the request assistant we set up, we use a Google Form in your own account.