WordPress is considered by many experts as the most popular website builder today. Web designers are taking advantage of this platform because they can easily make a website using its tools. If you are a web designer, using WordPress will make your life easier. The platform offers a lot of themes to choose from, and there are hundreds of plugins that can help you make your website look better.
When it comes to plugins, web designers wanted to use something that will make their website more user-friendly. They also use plugins whenever they need to gather information from the public. One of the best forms plugin today is Ninja Forms, a free contact form plugin for WordPress and you can use it for free. To learn more about Ninja Forms, continue to read below and discover some of its features.
The Importance of Contact Form Plugins for Web Designers
Contact forms are important when it comes creating websites. Many web designers choose to install a contact form plugin to make it easier to communicate with their readers. It also makes them more trustworthy because there is contact information that the readers could use whenever they have questions about a website’s content.
Web designers also said that there are website owners who prefer putting their email address on the homepage banner, but it looks unprofessional. Displaying your email address publicly will also attract a lot of spam emails, and your account can be hacked as well.
What Is Ninja Forms?
Ninja Forms is one of the available contact form plugins for WordPress. It is maintained by WP Ninjas, and it is free to use. It has powerful tools that can help you create contact forms fast, and it delivers beautiful results.
Ninja Forms stands out in the market because they sell add-ons separately. They are the only ones who do it, and their competitors are trying to emulate their strategy to achieve success. This helps web designers who are on a budget, because they are no longer required to buy an expensive bundle.
If you wanted to use a single add-on for Ninja Forms, you will not be required to buy a whole bundle. This can save you a lot of money, especially if you are a struggling web designer. This business model catapulted Ninja Forms to success, and today, more than one million websites use it as a plugin.
You can download the free version of Ninja Forms directly from the repository of WordPress.org. You know that it is trusted when millions of websites use it.
What Are the Benefits of Using Ninja Forms?
Who Is the Main Target Market of Ninja Forms?
The main target of Ninja Forms is web designers who are trying to create a website for online retailers. When contact forms are added to a website, gathering information becomes easier. This is important especially if you are in the e-commerce industry because you need to obtain a lot of information about your clients.
People who are creating studies and surveys can also benefit from Ninja Forms. They can create contact forms and send it to many people, waiting for a response that will help them fill the reports that they are trying to make.
Guide on Setting-Up Your Ninja Form
Setting up Ninja Forms is easy. First, you need to download the plugin straight from the directory of WordPress.org. After downloading the program, open it and then install the plugin. You should also activate Ninja Forms to make it work. Once the installation and activation procedures are completed, you can start making your first contact form.
Build Your Form
This is the first step when creating a contact form. To begin, click on Forms, and then select Add New. A form builder will appear, and you can also select the number of buttons that the visitors can click. The number of buttons corresponds to the fields that you can add to the page.
A simple form can be created using this option. Information like the name, email address, and the message can be supplied to create your first form. You can also customize the label on the field, as well as the placeholder text. A set of advanced options can also be accessed to add custom CSS, validate the field input, and many more.
Another thing that you should remember is checking the required checkbox. This can be found under the restriction settings, and its purpose is to require the users to enter the information asked. If they leave it blank, their forms will not be completed and you will not be able to receive it.
The last important thing that you should add on your forms is the SUBMIT button. This button is not automatically added when you are using Ninja Forms. You should create one yourself and add it to the contact forms. Once you are finished, save your work and add a name for the form that you created.
Adding Notifications
Adding notifications is another feature that is available through Ninja Forms. When someone submits a form, you will receive a notification. To activate the notification feature, you need to click the Email and Actions tab, and then select Add New.
After creating a new action, you need to edit its Action Name, and you also have to leave it as an Email option. Then next step requires you to click the From Name field, which will display all of the form fields. You need to set it correctly so that all contact messages will be coming from the email addresses provided by the users.
Once you’re done with the setup, click Save. After completing the setup, you should start receiving notifications when users complete a form.
Adding User Confirmation
This part will provide your users with a confirmation that the information they provided was successfully sent. To add one, go to the Emails and Actions tab, and then select Add New. Give the action a name (for example: Message for Successful Submission), and then type whatever you wanted on the field to inform the user that the information was successfully sent.
Publishing Your Form
Publishing a form is the final step in creating a new contact form in Ninja Forms. A shortcode is required to publish the form, and you can view it under Forms – All Forms. Copy the shortcode, and visit the page where you wanted to paste it. Test the page to see if the form is displaying correctly.
Pros
Cons
Final Verdict
Ninja Forms continues to be the number one choice for web designers who are looking for a reliable contact forms plugin. It has a lot of add-ons, and you can expand the functionality of the plugin based on your needs. You can create a range of forms – from the simple ones to the more advanced ones.
However, as you begin to discover its functionality, you may notice little flaws that are observed within the plugin. One example is the lack of automatically generated submit buttons.
Another problem with the plugin is the lack of bundles. Buying a single add-on can be useful if you are on a budget and you don’t need a lot of add-ons. However, if you started creating more complex websites, your needs arises, and you could end up spending a lot of money just to obtain the add-ons that you need.
Despite the minimal flaws, Ninja Forms continue to be a solid addition to the plugins that you should use if you are using WordPress for building websites. We still recommend it, especially to those who wanted to create a good-looking website that requires forms.
If you wanted to try using Ninja Forms, head to WordPress.org and look for the plugin. Download it to your computer to start working on websites with contact forms.
