Explore Multiple Ways to Create Contact Forms in your WordPress Blog

Enhancing user interaction on your WordPress blog is crucial, and integrating a contact form is a fundamental step. A contact form not only facilitates seamless communication between you and your audience but also adds a layer of professionalism to your site. It enables visitors to reach out without exposing your email address, thereby reducing spam and maintaining privacy.

The Importance of Contact Forms for your WordPress Blog

A contact form serves as a bridge between you and your site's visitors, allowing them to send inquiries, feedback, or requests directly through your website. By providing a structured way for users to communicate, you enhance user experience and ensure that all necessary information is collected systematically. Moreover, contact forms help in managing communications efficiently and can be customized to gather specific data pertinent to your needs.

Utilizing WordPress Form Plugins: Contact Form 7 and WPForms

WordPress offers a plethora of plugins to create contact forms, with Contact Form 7 and WPForms being among the most popular.

Contact Form 7 is a straightforward and flexible plugin that allows you to create and manage multiple contact forms. It supports Ajax-powered submitting, CAPTCHA, and Akismet spam filtering.

• Installation: Navigate to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress dashboard, search for "Contact Form 7," install, and activate the plugin.
• Creating a Form: Go to Contact > Add New. A default form template will be provided, which you can customize as per your requirements.
• Customization: Modify the form fields using simple markup. For instance, to add a phone number field:

Copy<label> Phone Number
	[tel* your-phone]
</label>

• Embedding the Form: After saving, a shortcode will be generated. Copy this shortcode and paste it into any post or page where you want the form to appear.

WPForms is a user-friendly, drag-and-drop form builder that caters to both beginners and advanced users. The free version, WPForms Lite, offers essential features, while the premium version provides advanced functionalities like payment integrations and conditional logic.

• Installation: In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New, search for "WPForms," install, and activate the plugin.
• Creating a Form: Navigate to WPForms > Add New. Choose a template, such as the "Simple Contact Form."
• Customization: Use the drag-and-drop builder to add or rearrange fields. For example, to add a dropdown field:

Copy<label> Reason for Contact
	[select* contact-reason "Support" "Sales" "Other"]
</label>

• Embedding the Form: Save the form and use the generated shortcode to embed it into your desired post or page.

Creating Contact Forms Using the WordPress Block Editor (Gutenberg)

With the Gutenberg editor, adding a contact form has become more intuitive, especially if you're using a plugin that offers a dedicated block.

• Ensure Plugin Compatibility: Install a form plugin that provides Gutenberg block support, such as WPForms.
• Adding the Form Block: In the post or page editor, click on the "+" icon to add a new block. Search for "WPForms" and select it.
• Select Your Form: From the WPForms block, choose the form you've created from the dropdown menu.
• Publish: Once added, publish or update your post/page to make the form live.

Building Contact Forms with Page Builder Plugins: Elementor, Divi Builder, Beaver Builder

Page builders offer advanced design capabilities, allowing you to create visually appealing contact forms.

• Installation: Install and activate Elementor and a compatible form plugin like WPForms.
• Creating a Form: Within Elementor, drag the WPForms widget into your desired section.
• Customization: Select the form you've created, and use Elementor's styling options to customize its appearance.

• Installation: Ensure Divi Builder is active on your site.
• Adding a Form Module: In the Divi Builder, add the "Contact Form" module to your layout.
• Customization: Configure the form fields and design settings as per your preferences.

• Installation: Activate Beaver Builder along with a form plugin like WPForms.
• Adding a Form: Use the "HTML" module to insert the shortcode of your form into the desired section.
• Customization: Style the form using Beaver Builder's design tools.

Crafting Custom Contact Forms with Theme Template and HTML/PHP

To create a fully functional contact form using a custom theme template, we need to handle both the front-end form and the back-end PHP processing.

Inside your theme directory (wp-content/themes/your-theme/), create a new file named page-contact.php. Add the following code to define the template and display a contact form:

Copy<?php
/*
Template Name: Contact Page
*/
get_header(); ?>

<div id="primary" class="content-area">
	<main id="main" class="site-main">
		<h2>Contact Us</h2>
		<form action="" method="post">
			<label for="name">Name:</label>
			<input type="text" id="name" name="name" required>

			<label for="email">Email:</label>
			<input type="email" id="email" name="email" required>

			<label for="message">Message:</label>
			<textarea id="message" name="message" required></textarea>

			<input type="submit" name="submit" value="Send Message">
		</form>

		<?php
		if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST" && isset($_POST['submit'])) {
			$name = sanitize_text_field($_POST['name']);
			$email = sanitize_email($_POST['email']);
			$message = sanitize_textarea_field($_POST['message']);

			$to = get_option('admin_email');
			$subject = "New Contact Form Submission from " . $name;
			$headers = "From: " . $email;

			wp_mail($to, $subject, $message, $headers);
			echo "<p>Thank you for contacting us! We'll get back to you soon.</p>";
		}
		?>
	</main>
</div>

<?php get_footer(); ?>

• In your WordPress dashboard, go to Pages > Add New.
• Name it “Contact” and under Page Attributes, select the Contact Page template.
• Click Publish to make your custom contact form live.

Using functions.php to Create a Contact Form with Shortcodes

For more flexibility, we can create a contact form and add it anywhere using shortcodes.

Open functions.php in your theme folder and add the following function:

Copyfunction custom_contact_form() {
	ob_start(); ?>

	<form action="<?php echo esc_url($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI']); ?>" method="post">
		<label for="name">Name:</label>
		<input type="text" name="cf-name" required>

		<label for="email">Email:</label>
		<input type="email" name="cf-email" required>

		<label for="message">Message:</label>
		<textarea name="cf-message" required></textarea>

		<input type="submit" name="cf-submit" value="Send">
	</form>

	<?php
	if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST" && isset($_POST['cf-submit'])) {
		$name = sanitize_text_field($_POST['cf-name']);
		$email = sanitize_email($_POST['cf-email']);
		$message = sanitize_textarea_field($_POST['cf-message']);

		$to = get_option('admin_email');
		$subject = "Contact Form: " . $name;
		$headers = "From: " . $email;

		wp_mail($to, $subject, $message, $headers);
		echo "<p>Message sent successfully!</p>";
	}

	return ob_get_clean();
}
add_shortcode('custom_contact_form', 'custom_contact_form');

Simply place [custom_contact_form] in any post, page, or widget to display the contact form.

Essential Tips & Tricks for Contact Forms

Creating a form is not just about functionality; you also need to optimize it for security, usability, and performance.

• Enable Google reCAPTCHA to prevent spam submissions.
• Use Akismet to filter spam messages.
• Implement a honeypot field to detect bots.

• Use JavaScript validation to provide instant feedback before submission.
• Use PHP validation as a backup to ensure only valid data is processed.

• AJAX allows form submissions without reloading the page, improving user experience.
• Example AJAX implementation:

CopyjQuery(document).ready(function($) {
	$("#contact-form").submit(function(event) {
		event.preventDefault();
		var formData = $(this).serialize();

		$.ajax({
			type: "POST",
			url: "<?php echo admin_url('admin-ajax.php'); ?>",
			data: formData,
			success: function(response) {
				$("#form-response").html(response);
			}
		});
	});
});

• Use CSS media queries to ensure the form adapts to all screen sizes.
• Test the form on multiple browsers and devices.

• Keep the form layout simple with proper spacing and clear labels.
• Use placeholders and descriptive error messages.

Conclusion: Choose the Right Method for your WordPress Contact Form

A well-designed contact form enhances user engagement and provides an efficient way for visitors to reach you. Whether you choose a plugin, a page builder, or a custom-coded solution, the right method depends on your skill level and site requirements. By implementing spam protection, validation, AJAX, and responsive design, you ensure your form is both user-friendly and secure.