Build Custom Forms Without Coding

Introduction

Building custom online forms without coding is easier than ever thanks to modern drag and drop form builders. These intuitive platforms allow anyone to quickly create customized contact forms, surveys, event registrations, and more for their website or business needs. The days of needing developer skills or technical expertise to craft online forms are gone.

Form building platforms provide numerous benefits over coding forms from scratch:

• Save significant time by using pre-made templates and a simple drag and drop interface to construct forms visually. No coding required means faster form creation and iteration.
• Adapt forms effortlessly by adding, removing or reordering fields and sections as needed. Make changes on the fly without hassling with code rework.
• Mobile responsive out of the box so forms look great on all devices. Don't worry about complex CSS or media queries to optimize mobile experience.
• Accept payments easily through built-in integration with payment processors like Stripe. Collect one-time fees or recurring subscriptions with customizable checkout flows.
• Get powerful analytics with submission reports, graphs and insights into form performance. Identify areas for optimization and iterate based on data.
• Integrate with other apps like CRMs, email services and more. Automate workflows triggered by form submissions to streamline operations.
• Embed forms anywhere with a simple snippet of code. Seamlessly add forms to websites, blogs, apps and more to boost conversion.

Platforms like DevHunt make building custom online forms easy through its user-friendly drag and drop editor. Users can leverage DevHunt's no-code platform to quickly create tailored forms and embed them across channels.

Choosing a Form Building Platform

With so many form building options out there, it can be tricky to determine the best platform for your needs. Here are some of the most popular no-code form builders to consider:

• Typeform - Offers beautifully designed templates, interactive form elements, and powerful analytics. More limited in advanced logic and integration capabilities.
• JotForm - Feature-rich builder with hundreds of field types and functionality like conditional logic, file uploads, and payment integrations. Lacks some design flexibility.
• Wufoo - Straightforward drag and drop builder that's easy for beginners. Good for simple forms and surveys. Light on advanced features like logic and payments.
• Formstack - Flexible builder with strong workflow automation and integrations. Geared more towards enterprises and advanced use cases.
• DevHunt - Enables quickly building forms through its user-friendly drag and drop editor. Competitive pricing and features for individuals and businesses.

You'll want to consider factors like available templates, third-party integrations, analytics capabilities, and pricing models when choosing a form builder. It's a good idea to try out free trials of a few leading options to determine what works best for your specific use case.

Key Features to Look For

• Drag and drop interface - Easily customize forms visually without coding skills required.
• Customizable templates and themes - Start with pre-made designs tailored to different industries and needs.
• Integration with CRMs, email services, etc - Connect form data with popular business apps for workflow automation.
• Accept payments - Enable collecting payments or fees directly through online forms.
• Analytics and reports - Get insights into form conversions, drop-offs, response times and more.
• Mobile responsiveness - Ensure forms look and work great on all screen sizes.

Pricing Considerations

Form builders typically offer tiered pricing plans:

• Free tier - Very limited in features and number of forms/responses. Good for trying out the platform.
• Freemium tier - Allows more forms and responses, but with restricted capabilities. Upsells additional features.
• Premium tiers - Unlocks full suite of features and higher form/response limits. Various pricing levels based on volume and capabilities.

Pricing is usually a mix of:

• One-time fees - Purchase lifetime access or additional add-ons à la carte.
• Monthly/annual subscriptions - Ongoing access to features and capabilities based on plan.
• Volume discounts - Lower per-form rates for high volume usage accounts.

DevHunt offers competitive pricing options for individuals and businesses looking to easily build online forms at scale.

Designing Your Form

Once you've selected a form building platform, it's time to start designing your actual form. Here are some best practices:

• Leverage templates to quickly get up and running or customize everything from scratch.
• Organize logically with clear section headers and sequencing of questions flowing from general to specific.
• Use a variety of interactive field types - text inputs, multiple choice, checkboxes, dropdowns, sliders, and more.
• Add conditional logic to reveal or hide fields based on previous responses. Create a dynamic flow.
• Make forms visually appealing with colors, fonts, spacing, images and other design elements.

Crafting Effective Questions

• Be clear and concise - Avoid ambiguous, confusing, or overly complicated questions.
• Avoid leading or loaded questions - Don't influence the response. Stay objective.
• Only ask for essential info - Don't overwhelm respondents with too many unnecessary questions.
• Use multiple choice/dropdowns when applicable - Easier for respondents than free text input.
• Provide clear instructions - Offer guidance as needed so users know how to respond.

Optimizing Form Flow

• Funnel from general to specific - Start with high-level questions before diving into details.
• Group related questions into sections - Break up topics into logical segments with descriptive headers.
• Keep page length manageable - Long scrolling forms lead to fatigue and dropoffs. Use pagination if needed.
• Include progress indicator on longer forms so users know how far along they are.
• Offer "Save and Continue" option on complex forms requiring more time to complete.

Configuring Form Options

Forms can be further customized and automated through configuration settings:

• Customize confirmation message upon successful form submission. Thank users or provide next steps.
• Set up email notifications to be alerted upon form submission or other triggers.
• Integrate with CRM, email marketing platform to automatically capture submission data.
• Enable partial submissions with autosave so users can resume later. Reduce abandoned forms.
• Add captcha or other security measures to prevent spam and abuse.

DevHunt makes it easy to configure options through its intuitive editor for a seamless form building experience.

Accepting Payments

If you need to collect payments directly through your online form:

• Integrate a payment processor like Stripe or PayPal to securely accept credit cards and other payment methods.
• Customize checkout fields and confirmation page to capture important customer details upon purchase.
• Enable recurring payments or subscriptions if collecting ongoing fees by setting up automated billing cycles.
• Set up discounts or coupon codes to incentivize purchases by providing percentage or dollar amount savings.
• Offer refunds in case customers need to cancel or reverse payments to ensure a smooth experience.

Leverage DevHunt's built-in payment options to easily collect fees through custom online forms.

Managing Submissions

To organize and utilize the data collected through your form:

• Export submissions into a CSV file for further analysis and sharing.
• View, filter and search submissions from within the form builder platform.
• Set up webhooks to push submission data to external apps in real time.
• Integrate with Zapier to automatically trigger workflows on new submissions.
• Store submissions inside your DevHunt account for easy access and management.

Publishing and Promoting Your Form

Once your form is ready to go live, here are some tips:

• Thoroughly test your form across devices to identify any issues.
• Embed form prominently on website such as home page and key landing pages to increase visibility.
• Share direct form link in emails, social posts and other channels.
• Promote through paid ads like Facebook/Instagram if needed to boost responses.
• Monitor performance in your form builder analytics to optimize and improve over time. Continual testing leads to better conversion.

Key Takeaways

• Modern form builders like DevHunt make creating customized online forms easy for anyone without coding skills required.
• Focus on core design principles - effective questions, clear sequencing, appealing visuals - when building forms.
• Configure settings for notifications, payments, workflows and data management to create a comprehensive system.
• Drive traffic to your form through marketing and promotions for maximum responses.
• Continuously analyze performance data and iterate on your form over time for optimization.

The ability to quickly build custom online forms today using intuitive drag and drop platforms like DevHunt opens up powerful new ways to engage customers and streamline business workflows. Ditch the complex coding and leverage these user-friendly form builders to create tailored lead generation forms, surveys, online registrations and more in minutes.