Your WordPress website needs a contact form. It's how customers get in touch, ask questions, and ultimately buy from you.
Without one, you're making it harder for people to contact you. With a poorly designed one, you might lose enquiries entirely.
This guide shows you exactly how to add a professional contact form to your WordPress site. No coding required. Takes about 10 minutes.
What You'll Learn
By the end of this tutorial, you'll have:
- A working contact form on your WordPress site
- Spam protection enabled
- Form submissions delivered to your email
- A professional contact page that builds trust
Why Contact Forms Matter More Than Just Displaying Your Email
Sure, you could just list your email address. But contact forms are better for several reasons:
They reduce spam. Email addresses on websites get harvested by bots. Contact forms hide your email from spammers.
They look more professional. A proper contact form shows you take your business seriously.
They capture more information. You can ask for phone numbers, company details, or project requirements upfront.
They work on mobile. Clicking an email link on mobile often opens the wrong app or doesn't work at all.
Step 1: Choose Your Contact Form Plugin
WordPress doesn't include contact forms by default. You need a plugin.
We recommend WPForms for most businesses. It's reliable, spam-protected, and works with all themes. The free version handles basic contact forms perfectly.
Alternative options:
- Contact Form 7 (free but more technical)
- Ninja Forms (good free version)
- Gravity Forms (powerful but paid only)
When choosing plugins, avoid anything with poor reviews or no recent updates. Our guide on how to choose WordPress plugins covers the warning signs to watch for.
Step 2: Install WPForms
- Go to your WordPress admin area
- Click Plugins > Add New
- Search for "WPForms"
- Install and activate WPForms Lite
The plugin will appear in your WordPress menu as "WPForms".
Step 3: Create Your First Contact Form
- Click WPForms in your WordPress menu
- Click "Add New"
- Choose "Simple Contact Form" template
- Give your form a name (like "Main Contact Form")
You'll see the form builder. The default form includes:
- Name field
- Email address field
- Comment/message field
- Submit button
This covers most business needs. Don't overthink it.
Step 4: Customise Your Form Fields
To add fields: Drag them from the left panel into your form.
To edit fields: Click on any field to change its label, make it required, or add help text.
Common additions for business sites:
- Phone number field
- Company/organisation field
- Dropdown for enquiry type
- File upload (for quotes or specifications)
Keep it simple. Every extra field reduces form submissions. Only ask for information you actually need.
Step 5: Configure Form Settings
Click the Settings tab at the top of the form builder.
General settings:
- Form name: Keep it descriptive for your reference
- Form description: Optional, appears above the form
Notifications:
- Send to: Add your business email address
- Reply-to: Use {field_id="1"} to reply to the person who submitted
- Subject line: Make it clear it's from your website
Confirmations:
- Message: "Thanks for your message. We'll get back to you within 24 hours."
- Keep it friendly and set expectations
Step 6: Add the Form to Your Contact Page
Most businesses need a dedicated contact page.
Create a new page:
- Go to Pages > Add New
- Title it "Contact" or "Get in Touch"
- Add some introductory text about how people can reach you
Add your contact form:
- Click the "+" button to add a block
- Search for "WPForms"
- Select your contact form from the dropdown
Pro tip: Add your phone number, address, and business hours to the same page. People like options.
Step 7: Test Your Contact Form
Before going live, test everything:
- Visit your contact page
- Fill out the form with test information
- Submit it
- Check your email for the notification
If the email doesn't arrive, check your spam folder first. WordPress email delivery can be tricky.
Step 8: Enable Spam Protection
WPForms includes basic spam protection, but you might want more.
Enable reCAPTCHA:
- Go to WPForms > Settings
- Click the reCAPTCHA tab
- Follow the instructions to connect Google reCAPTCHA
This adds the "I'm not a robot" checkbox to your forms.
Alternative: Enable smart CAPTCHA in WPForms settings. It's less intrusive than reCAPTCHA.
Common Issues and How to Fix Them
"Form doesn't send emails" WordPress email delivery is unreliable. Install the WP Mail SMTP plugin and configure it with your email provider.
"Form looks weird on mobile" Your theme might have CSS conflicts. Try switching to a default WordPress theme temporarily to test.
"Getting spam submissions" Enable reCAPTCHA or try the honeypot anti-spam feature in WPForms settings.
"Form won't submit" Could be a plugin conflict. Deactivate other plugins one by one to find the culprit.
"Styling doesn't match my website" WPForms inherits your theme's styling. For custom styling, you'll need CSS knowledge or a developer.
Adding Your Contact Form to Other Pages
You don't have to limit contact forms to your contact page.
Good places for contact forms:
- Footer of every page (short version)
- Service pages ("Get a quote" form)
- About page ("Work with us" form)
- Blog sidebar
Use shorter forms for these locations. Just name, email, and message.
Making Your Contact Page Work Harder
A contact form is just the start. A good contact page includes:
Multiple contact options: Phone, email, social media, physical address if relevant.
Clear expectations: "We respond within 24 hours" or "Call for urgent enquiries".
Business information: Opening hours, location, company registration details.
Social proof: Customer reviews, testimonials, or trust badges.
For professional service businesses like accountants or solicitors, the contact page is crucial for building trust. Our guides on accountant website design and solicitor website design cover industry-specific contact page best practices.
Regular Maintenance Tasks
Contact forms need occasional attention:
Monthly: Check form submissions are still arriving in your email.
Quarterly: Review spam levels and adjust protection if needed.
When you change email addresses: Update notification settings in WPForms.
During website updates: Test the form still works after WordPress or plugin updates.
Add these to your website maintenance checklist to avoid missing enquiries.
What's Next?
You've got a working contact form. Nice work.
Next steps to consider:
- Set up email autoresponders for common enquiries
- Create specific forms for different services
- Add forms to high-traffic pages beyond your contact page
- Monitor which pages generate the most enquiries
Want to improve your website further? Our free website audit identifies other areas that might be losing you customers.
A good contact form is just one piece of a successful WordPress website. Combined with clear messaging, good design, and regular maintenance, it helps turn visitors into customers.