How to Capture Leads with a Webform

 

Every visitor on your website is a potential lead, but without a structured process to capture, track, and follow up, those opportunities can easily slip away. A well-integrated webform automates lead capture, eliminates manual data entry, and ensures every inquiry responds promptly.


Yet many businesses struggle with low form completion rates, duplicate entries, and missed follow-ups. These issues slow down the sales process and directly impact conversion rates and revenue.
 

Here’s how BigContacts Webform Connector solves these challenges:

 

 


With an optimized webform, every lead is captured, assigned, and nurtured without extra manual work. Let’s walk through the exact steps to setting up and integrating a conversion webform.
 

 

 

1) Activate a new webform in your BigContacts account:

 

Setting up a webform in BigContacts allows you to automatically store leads in your CRM, assign follow-up tasks, and track form submissions.

 

Steps to Activate a Webform

 

1. Go to the Admin Panel – Click the Admin tab in the left-side menu of your BigContacts dashboard.

 

2. Open Webform Settings – Under Manage Templates, select Webforms and click Add Webform.
 

 

3. Scroll down and click the "Add Webform" (3) button.

 

 

4. Configure your webform:

 

 

  1. Name: Enter a name for your web form. For example, you might name it "Free Trial Form."

  2. Assigned to: Use the dropdown menu to select the team member who should be assigned to the new contact when it's created.

  3. Assign Task: Check the "Assign Task" box if you want a task to be created with each new web form submission. Although optional, this is often a good practice.

  4. Task Name: Enter a subject line for the task that will be created when a contact submits this web form. For example, you might use "New Web Lead" as the task subject line. This subject line will appear in your task list.

  5. Assign Task to: Use the dropdown menu to select the team member to whom you want this task to be assigned.

  6. Create Opportunity: If you want a sales opportunity to be automatically created, check the "Create Opportunity" box. This option will add contacts who submit this web form to your sales pipeline.

  7. Opportunity Stage: If you checked the "Create Opportunity" box, use the dropdown menu labeled "Opportunity Stage" to select the stage the opportunity should be in when the contact is created.

  8. Opportunity Product: If you checked the "Create Opportunity" box, use the dropdown menu labeled "Opportunity Product" to select the primary product for the opportunity when the contact is created.

  9. Check Referrer: If you want to track where your web form submissions are coming from, check the "Referrer" box. This option helps you identify the source of your leads.

  10. Referrer URL: Enter the URL of the page where the form was filled out. This helps you track and analyze the effectiveness of different web pages in generating leads.

  11. Save Your Web Form: After reviewing your web form settings, click the orange "Add WebForm" button to save your changes and generate your unique form code.

  12. Connect to Your Website: Note the unique form code and merge fields (refer to the image below for merge values). Provide this information to your web developer, or if you are the web developer, add these to the appropriate places in your HTML to connect the web form to your website.

 

IMPORTANT: If you choose the option label "Check referrer," you will want to make sure that the URL matches exactly the URL of your web form. You must have an exact match, including any "www" or "/" in the URL, or this will not allow the form to be submitted.

 

Here's what the new webform you added will look like. You can modify it anytime you want by clicking the Edit icon. If you wish to remove it, click the Delete icon.

 

New webform added to the account

 _______________________________________________________________________________

 

2) Build your web form

Here is an example of HTML code for a basic form:

 

<form action="https://app.bigcontacts.com/webforms/process" method="POST"> <p>
<input name="form_code" type="hidden" value="exxxxxxxxxxxxxxx76ecd2f5" /></p>
<p> <input name="lead_type" type="hidden" value="Web Site" /> </p>
<p> <input name="lead_source" type="hidden" value="Information Inquiry" /></p>
<p> <input name="contact_type" type="hidden" value="Prospect" /></p>
<p> <input name="return_url" type="hidden" value="http://www.mywebsite.com/process_form.html" /></p>
<p> First Name <input style="width:10em;" type="text" name="first_name" value="" /></p>
<p> Last Name <input name="last_name" style="width:10em;" type="text" value="" /></p>
<p> Email <input name="email" style="width:10em;" type="text" value="" /></p>
<p><button type="submit">Submit</button></p>
<p> </p>
</form>


 First Name

 Last Name

 Email

 

_________________________________________________________________________________

 

3) Choose the data fields on your form that you wish to pass into your BigContacts account

 

Standard Data Fields and their merge values

 
PLEASE NOTE: You must put double brackets on each side when using these merge values.  Example: {{first_name}}

Merge fields for the personal information in a Contact record located under the Personal Info tab)

 

The field name in the contact record Webform HTML code snippet
First Name
Last Name
Address

Address 2
City
State
Postal Code
Home phone
Email

 

Merge fields for the business information in a Contact record (located under the Office Info tab:

 

The field name in the contact record Webform HTML code snippet
Business Name
Address
City
State
Postal Code
Country

 

Note:  While Merge fields will appear with brackets before you send the email, they will display the actual data in that particular field of the contact record when your contact receives the email.  For example:  {{first_name}} will appear as before you send the email, but if "John" is in the "first name" field, then "John" will display when your contact sees the email. 
 

Custom Data Fields and their merge values

 

Custom data fields - To obtain the correct form names you will need to merge the data from the webform into your custom fields:

 
 
 
Custom fields form name
 

FAQs on Capturing Leads with Webforms

 

1. How do I track the effectiveness of my webform?


To measure how well your webform is converting visitors into leads, you can track the following:

Regularly reviewing these insights can help optimize your form for better performance.

 

2. Can I use automation to follow up with leads after form submission?


Yes! Automation ensures leads don’t go cold while waiting for a manual response. In BigContacts, you can:

This reduces response time and increases conversion rates.

 

3. How can I prevent duplicate entries from the same lead?


Duplicate leads clutter your CRM and create confusion. To prevent this:

These steps ensure clean, organized data without redundant leads.

 

4. What’s the best way to improve webform completion rates?


If visitors abandon your form before submitting it, consider the following:

Small changes can significantly improve conversion rates.

 
 
And that's it! If you encounter any issues or have any questions, don't hesitate to contact our support team. 
 
 

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