Why forms quietly stop working
A form that breaks rarely gives an error message. These are the usual causes.
Email in spam
The email your site sends lacks the right signature. Gmail requires every sender to have SPF or DKIM set up for the domain.1 Without it, the notification ends up in spam or is rejected.
Typical when: it was never set up at launch.
An update
An update to WordPress, a form plugin or a spam filter changes something, and the form stops sending.
Typical when: automatic updates are on with no check afterwards.
Spam protection too strict
A captcha or filter stops not only robots but also real people, for example on a phone.
Typical when: a new captcha was added recently.
Wrong address
Notifications go to an old address of a former employee or to the web developer.
Typical when: someone has left or a domain has changed.
Error on mobile
The form works on a computer, but a script fails on a phone. So test forms on a computer, with the keyboard only, and on a phone.2
Typical when: nobody has ever filled in the form on a phone.
How to test your form
- Fill in your own form, on your phone, with an email address that is not on your own domain.
- Check that the notification arrives, and check the spam folder too.
- Ask your web developer or hosting provider whether SPF and DKIM are set up for your domain.
- Repeat this after every update, or have it done automatically: a test that submits a form every day and raises an alert if nothing arrives.
Do not forget the privacy statement
A contact form collects personal data, such as a name and email address. Anyone who processes personal data must always have a privacy statement, including the name and contact details of your organisation, why you use the data and how long you keep it.3
Do not ask for more in the form than you need. A name, an email address and a question are usually enough. Every extra field costs you enquiries and is extra data to protect.
How Ekkora handles it
At every handover, every form is actually submitted, all the way to the confirmation. This is one of the eight checks. With maintenance, this happens again every month. And we set up your domain's email settings as part of the launch.
Questions
- I am getting fewer enquiries. Is it the form?
- Possibly. Fill in the form yourself from a different address and check whether the notification arrives, also in your spam folder. That takes two minutes and rules out the most common cause.
- What are SPF and DKIM?
- Settings on your domain that show an email really comes from you. Email providers such as Gmail require them; without these settings, your notifications are likely to end up in spam.1
- Would it be better to show only my email address instead of a form?
- You can, but for many visitors a form is quicker, especially on a phone. The best option is both, with a form that is tested.