All people want these days is to receive all the answers to their questions as quickly as possible. In the world of moving, this goal comes in the form of receiving moving quotes. That is why modern and successful moving companies today all have some type of online form they use. Whether it’s to book a move or provide people with the perfect moving estimate form, the conclusion is the same. To boost your website value, you need to implement the use of an easy-to-use form. And today, we will get into the details of creating this vital piece of moving company software.
What is the purpose of having a moving estimate form?
As we all know, moving businesses are not something that you might find lacking in the US or any other country for that matter. However, that only makes the job of generating leads and converting them into customers all the more complex. That is why you need that hook to reel them into the warming embrace of your business. Experience and the examples of high-ranking movers show a clear solution – offering the perfect moving estimate form.
For people online, getting fast answers to their queries is the pinnacle of success. Online forms give them that option, so long as you structure them appropriately. Whether or not you are successful in this endeavor will depend on three detrimental factors:
- The functionality of your estimate form
- Design and responsiveness of the form
- General placement of the form on your site
The overall functionality
You can have the best-looking and most advertised form ever – but it will do you little good if it’s unusable. Nothing like bad user experience to sway leads from converting into customers. Instead, you need to make sure to provide them with an optimal solution. That solution comes in the form of a highly functional moving estimate form that is:
- Easy to use. User experience is a factor that can rank sites high up the search engine scale. And boosting user experience for your website is crucial in establishing authority online. Once users realize how simple it is to use your form and get their answers, they will be more inclined to share it with others. In conclusion – the practicality of use opens many other doors for the growth of your business online.
- Covers all or most of their relocation needs. Information is essential in planning a relocation – all professional movers know this. The more input you have from a customer, the better equipped you will be to execute the move in record time. On the other hand, online users want to spend as little time as possible to fill out a form and get an estimate. So, you need to draw a line when it comes to data gathering.
- Functions as an online moving costs calculator form. Having a form by itself is suitable for both sides. However, offering people the option to instantly calculate the price of their move based on the information they provide can be game-changing. That is why more and more companies opt for the implementation of quote calculators to secure more leads and conversions.
The design and responsiveness of the form itself
From the experience of Movers Development, the overall layout of the moving estimate form can make a huge difference when it comes to conversion rates. We’ve had the chance to witness significant changes in the overall number of quotes a site can receive, depending on the form design they have. Most recently, we found that a tremendous success rate comes with multi-step forms.
What are multi-step forms?
Multi-step basically presents a system of having a separate step for each question on your online form. Although this might appear as more of a hassle, our studies showed that online users find them more appealing to fill out. The notion of having only one field per step instead of one step with a dozen info fields has a positive psychological effect on people. As a result, having a multi-step form has demonstrated great success in terms of generating moving leads for companies.
We also recommend the 3-step estimate form
Of course, there are other ways to influence the overall effect that a form can have on your site users. For starters, you should consider how you present specific questions in your form. Once again, our research has shown that potential customers don’t respond well to having to provide personal data on the first step. Instead, you need to lead users into filling out the form from general to personal information. You can accomplish this by formulating your info fields in the following manner:
- Step #1: Moving To/Moving From; Moving Date; Size/Type of the Move.
- Step #2: Items Section – allowing people to provide you with a short inventory list of the property they wish to relocate.
- Step #3: First and Last Name; Email Address; Phone Number.
For a more visual and real-time example of what I explained here, you can check out our instant moving quote calculator. It is a 3-step moving estimate form that offers customers an efficient and accurate way to learn the cost of their relocation. The calculations are based on several variables that each company provides (hourly rates, packing supplies, cubic feet, date & time, etc.)
Making the form stand out
Your end goal is to make the form the target on your homepage and inner pages. That is the message you want to convey to people that come to your website. “Fill out this form and get the best service or product for your needs!” However, to accomplish this, you need to go through several necessary steps:
- Adapting the form to the overall design of your website in terms of colors and shape.
- Giving the form a strong headline to inspire interest in the eyes of consumers.
- Limiting your initial info fields to lead customers to the next step of the moving estimate form.
Another option that you have is to provide a short version of the form, and a separate page with the extended version. That way, people can choose whether or not they want to provide all the necessary information or simply leave the basics and have you call them instead.
The positioning and presentation of your moving estimate form
Last, but definitely not least – how you choose to present your estimate form can prove crucial. Once again, we circle back to the importance of user experience on your site. Once you have the functionality and layout of your form, you need to make sure that is it clearly visible. The first step towards this is to place the form within the hero section of your website. That would be the first screen that people see when they open your homepage or any of your inner pages.
Another place of focus people usually tend to neglect is the footer section of your website. Although not an ample space, it can still serve its purpose by offering a couple of fields and a button to lead users to the separate form page or back to the top of the page.
Don’t forget about the Call to Action (CTA)
Having a well-positioned and strong call to action ties it all together. What you want is a button that is easy to spot and gives people everything they need to know about how to proceed. Your CTA will usually depend on the nature and type of the form you have. For the perfect moving estimate form, the logical call to action would lean towards ‘Get Quote‘ or ‘Receive Estimate‘ etc.
The CTA is a repetitive element that you can use throughout the pages of your website. In the hero section, mid-section banner, footer, or floating (useful for mobile device users). There are a dozen ways to make your CTA pop while wining the attention of site visitors.
You make the rules at the end of the day
Creating the perfect moving estimate form might appear simple enough, but the truth is far from it. It takes weeks of going back and forth and testing the outcomes of how you set up or position everything on your website. And then there is the matter of designing the form in such a way that fits it into the layout of your site.
This is usually where professional web design and SEO come in handy for anyone looking to take the next evolutionary step in the digital world. And that is where the expertise of experienced marketing veterans such as Movers Development comes into play. Help us help you create the ultimate moving estimate form on your site and take your business to the next level!