Contact Form
A web form that collects visitor information—typically name, email, phone, and a message. The traditional default for law firm websites.
The contact form has been the standard law firm website element since websites existed. Nearly every legal website has one.
But "standard" doesn't mean "optimal."
What Contact Forms Do
A basic contact form collects:
- Name
- Phone
- Message/description
The visitor fills it out, hits submit, and waits for someone to call.
More sophisticated forms add fields: case type selection, date of incident, how they found you, preferred callback time.
The Fundamental Problem
Contact forms require commitment before providing value.
The visitor has to decide: is this worth my time? They don't know if you can help. They don't know if you'll respond. They're being asked to put effort in before receiving anything back.
Many visitors decide it's not worth it. They leave. You never know they existed.
Form Conversion Reality
Typical contact form performance:
- 2-5% of visitors start filling out the form
- 40-60% of starters complete and submit
- Net: maybe 2% of visitors become form submissions
That means 98% of your traffic leaves without engaging. Some weren't viable leads, but many were—they just weren't ready to commit to a form.
Forms vs Conversation
The alternative is conversation. Chat starts with low-commitment interaction:
"Hey, what's going on?"
One question. Easy to answer. Then another question. By the time someone realizes it, they've shared their whole situation.
This incremental approach captures people who wouldn't fill out a form.
When Forms Still Make Sense
Forms work for:
- Highly motivated visitors (strong referrals, urgent needs)
- People who prefer writing to chatting
- Situations where a detailed written explanation is valuable
- Follow-up after initial conversation
Keep forms as an option. Just don't make them the only option.