Are you ready to enhance the communication capabilities of your WordPress site? This guide will take you step-by-step through optimizing Contact Form 7, one of the most popular and flexible plugins for creating and managing contact forms on WordPress. Whether you’re new to WordPress or looking to improve your site’s user experience, this comprehensive guide is designed to simplify the process for you.
Contact Form 7 allows you to easily build versatile forms tailored to your website’s specific needs. In this guide, we’ll cover everything from the basics of installation to advanced customization, including:
- Creating custom forms: Learn how to build forms from scratch using simple tools like text fields, checkboxes, and radio buttons.
- Configuring email settings: Set up how and where form submissions will be sent, allowing you to receive form data directly to your preferred email.
- Adding spam protection: Prevent unwanted submissions by integrating tools like CAPTCHA and Akismet to keep your forms secure.
- Styling your forms: Use CSS to customize the appearance of your forms, ensuring they match your website’s design perfectly.
- Inserting forms with shortcodes: Add forms to your posts, pages, or widgets using simple shortcodes for quick integration.
- Extending functionality: Take advantage of various add-ons and extensions that offer features like file uploads, additional spam protection, and more advanced form capabilities.
By the end of this guide, you’ll have a fully optimized contact form that enhances user interaction on your WordPress site. Each section is broken down into simple steps, accompanied by detailed images, to ensure you can follow along easily.
Let’s get started on creating a seamless contact form that delivers a smooth and professional experience for your visitors.
It’s widely used because it’s straightforward to set up and highly customizable, making it a good choice for both beginners and advanced users.
Managed WordPress Hosting with Seamless Contact Form Integration
Now that you’ve explored the capabilities of Contact Form 7, it’s time to pair it with a hosting solution that ensures optimal performance for your website. Our managed WordPress hosting is designed to simplify the setup and management of your contact forms, allowing you to integrate them with a single click using our intuitive hosting control panel. Not only can you set up your forms with ease, but our platform also supports smooth installation of other essential plugins, enhancing the overall user experience.
With our hosting plans, you get flexibility, scalability, and dedicated support from WordPress experts, ensuring that your site runs efficiently without the need for technical know-how.
Additionally, our VPS services offer long-term hosting solutions tailored specifically for your growing business needs. Whether you’re aiming to improve your site’s performance or streamline management, our advanced hosting options enable you to focus on expansion without getting weighed down by technical complexities.
To explore the right hosting solutions for your website, we invite you to visit our WordPress Hosting and Concept pages, where you’ll find detailed information about our services and the best plan to match your requirements. This is your opportunity to optimize your WordPress site with expert support, powerful tools, and a reliable hosting partner dedicated to your success.
Logging into WordPress
To begin managing your WordPress site, open your browser and navigate to your WordPress admin dashboard by entering: example.com/wp-admin. Replace “example.com” with your actual website address. This will take you to the login page, where you’ll need to input your username and password to access your dashboard.
Once logged in, you’ll have access to all the tools and settings needed to customize your website, manage plugins, and edit content. The WordPress admin dashboard provides a user-friendly interface, ensuring that even beginners can easily manage their site’s functionality and design.
Search for Contact Form 7 and Install the Plugin
On the left-hand side menu, click on Plugins and then select Add New Plugin.
This will take you to the plugin search page, where you can find and install plugins that will enhance your website’s functionality. In this case, we’re looking for Contact Form 7, a versatile and easy-to-use plugin for creating contact forms.
Installing Contact Form 7
In the search bar at the top right, type “Contact Form 7.” Once the plugin appears in the search results, click the Install Now button. Contact Form 7 is a free and highly popular plugin, with over 10+ million active installations.
Once installed, you can activate the plugin and begin using it to create and manage contact forms on your WordPress site.
Activate the Plugin
After the plugin is installed, the Activate button will replace the Install button. Click on it to activate the plugin. Activating the plugin ensures that it is ready for use, allowing you to begin creating and managing contact forms on your WordPress site.
Form Successfully Added
After activating the plugin, you will see Contact Form 7 added to your WordPress dashboard. Under the Contact tab, you’ll find a section called Contact Forms, where you can create, manage, and customize your forms. This ensures that the plugin is now fully operational and ready to use on your website.
Navigating to Contact Forms
In your WordPress dashboard, move your mouse over the Contact tab in the left-hand menu and click on Contact Forms. This will take you to the main page where you can view a list of any existing forms and add new ones. This is where you’ll manage all contact forms for your website.
Edit Your Contact Form
When you see the list of contact forms, click the Edit button next to the form you want to customize. Editing your form allows you to modify form fields such as name, email, or any other information you want to collect from users. You can easily adjust the form to suit your needs.
Removing or Adding Form Elements
Once in the form editor, you’ll notice that the fields are displayed using a combination of HTML and WordPress shortcode. Don’t worry if this looks complex. You can use the buttons above the text editor to easily add common form elements like text fields or checkboxes, without needing to write any code. This step also allows you to rename your contact form according to your preferences.
Creating or Editing a Form
In the Contact Forms section, you’ll find an option to either create a new form or edit an existing one. If you’re creating a new form, click on Add New. If you want to customize the default form, click the Edit button next to the form.
You will now see the code and structure of the form, with each field (such as name, email, subject, message) displayed in both HTML and WordPress shortcode. From here, you can adjust the fields as needed to match the information you want to collect from your users.
Save the Form
After adding or editing form elements, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the Save button. This action will save all changes and ensure your contact form is ready for use. It’s important to remember to save every time you make changes to avoid losing any work.
Go to the Pages Section
Now that your contact form is ready, navigate to the Pages section in your WordPress dashboard. Click on All Pages to view the list of pages on your website. You will add the form to a specific page, typically the Contact Us page.
Edit the Contact Us Page
Find the Contact Us page in your list of pages and click on Edit. This will open the page editor, where you can add your contact form. By editing this page, you ensure that visitors can easily use the form to get in touch with you.
Adding a New Block:
In the page editor, follow these steps to add the Contact Form 7 block to your page:
- Open the Block Selector:
- At the top left corner of the page editor, you will see a + icon. This is the block selector, which allows you to insert various types of content blocks into your page, such as text, images, or in this case, a form.
- Click on the + icon to open the block menu.
Browse or Search for a Block:
- Once the block menu opens, you will see several categories and options to choose from. You can either scroll through the list to find the Contact Form 7 block or use the search bar for a quicker method.
- The search bar is located at the top of the block menu. This is a faster way to find the specific block you want to use, especially if you have many plugins or blocks installed.
Insert the Contact Form
- Select the Contact Form Block: After finding the Contact Form 7 block in the previous step, you now need to select the specific form you want to add to your page. In the dropdown menu that appears, choose the form you previously created (e.g., “Contact Form 1”).
- Embed the Form: By selecting the form from the dropdown, it will be immediately embedded into the page, allowing visitors to fill out the form. This ensures the form will appear on the Contact Us page for anyone who visits the site.
Save the Page
- Saving Changes: After adding the contact form, it’s essential to save your changes. Scroll to the top right corner of the page editor and click on Save or Update, depending on your WordPress version. This will ensure that the changes you’ve made are applied and the form is visible to your site’s visitors.
- Confirming the Changes: Once saved, you can view the page to confirm that the form is properly embedded and functioning. This step is crucial to ensure that everything looks and works as expected.
View the Contact Us Page
Once the changes are saved, follow these steps to preview the page:
- Click on View Page: After saving the changes to your page, a confirmation message will appear at the bottom of the screen with a button labeled View Page. Click on this button to view the Contact Us page with the newly added contact form.
- Verify the Form Display: Viewing the live page allows you to see exactly how the contact form will appear to your visitors. Make sure all form fields are visible and properly formatted, and test the functionality by filling out the form if necessary.
- Confirm Functionality: Check that the form works as expected, including any required fields, spam protection (if enabled), and the email notifications for form submissions. This step ensures that the contact form is fully operational for your users.
Contact Us Page
On the Contact Us page, you will see all the fields that you created in the form. These fields include labels such as:
- Your Name: This is where users will input their name.
- Your Email: This field requires the user’s email address.
- Subject: The user can input the subject of their message here.
- Your Message (optional): This field allows the user to enter a message. Note that this field is optional, meaning users can submit the form without filling this in.
- Submit: The final button that users click to send their message to you.
Most fields in this form are mandatory, except for the Your Message field, which is optional. The labels you assigned during the form creation process will appear next to each field, guiding users through what information is required.
Return to Contact Forms for Additional Fields
If you need to add more fields to the contact form, follow these steps:
- Navigate to Contact Forms:
- In your WordPress dashboard, move your mouse over the Contact tab on the left-hand menu, then click on Contact Forms. This will bring you to the list of forms you’ve already created.
- Edit the Form:
- Locate the form you want to modify and click on the Edit button next to it. This opens the form editor where you can make adjustments.
- Add New Fields:
- In the form editor, you can add additional fields like Phone Number, Address, or any other information you’d like to collect from users. To do this, use the buttons above the text editor (such as tel for phone numbers) to add the new fields without needing to manually write code.
Edit Your Contact Form details
Click on Edit to make changes to your form. This action will open the form editor, where you can adjust, add, or remove fields and modify the form’s layout. The editor provides you with all the tools needed to update the form according to your preferences and requirements.
By editing the form, you can ensure that it collects the specific information you need from users, giving you full control over the form’s content and appearance.
Copying an Existing Field
To add a new field easily, you can copy the existing Email field and paste it below. This method allows you to duplicate the field’s structure while only changing the necessary details, such as the label or the type of field.
- Copy the Field:
- Highlight the code for the Email field (as shown in the image) and press CTRL + C on your keyboard to copy it.
- Paste the Field:
- Move your cursor to the location where you want to add the new field, then press CTRL + V to paste the copied code.
- Modify the Field:
- After pasting, you can change the label or type of field (e.g., change “Your email” to “Phone Number” and adjust the field type accordingly).
Adding a Phone Number Field
To create a new input field for phone numbers on your form:
- Replace the Label:
- In the section you copied earlier, change the label from “Your email” to “Phone Number”. This will update the field’s label that users will see when filling out the form.
- Ensure It Accepts Phone Numbers:
- To make sure the field is formatted to accept phone numbers, click on the Tel button located above the editor. This will generate the proper shortcode for a telephone input field, ensuring users can enter phone numbers in the correct format.
By following these steps, you will have successfully added a field that specifically accepts phone numbers.
Click on Tel
To include a phone number field in your contact form, click on the ‘tel’ option in the toolbar above the form editor. This option allows you to add a field specifically designed for phone numbers.
By selecting ‘tel’, you ensure that users will be prompted to enter their phone number in the correct format when filling out your form.
This step ensures the field is properly formatted to receive phone number inputs, improving both the form’s functionality and user experience.
Making the Phone Number Field Required
To make the phone number field mandatory for users:
- Check the Required Box:
- In the form editor, when setting up the phone number field, check the box labeled Required Field. This ensures that users cannot submit the form without filling in their phone number.
- Insert the Field:
- Once you have checked the required box, click on the Insert Tag button. This will add the phone number field to your form and mark it as required.
Making fields like phone numbers mandatory is useful for gathering essential information that you don’t want users to skip.
Save the Updated Form
After adding the phone number field and making any other changes to your contact form:
- Click Save:
- Once you’re satisfied with the adjustments, scroll to the right side of the page and click the Save button. This action will ensure that all the changes are stored and the updated form is ready for use on your website.
- Always Save After Changes:
- It’s important to save your form after every edit to avoid losing your work. This ensures that your updates, such as new fields or required settings, are properly implemented and live on your site.
Go to the Pages Section
Now, go to the Pages section in your WordPress dashboard. Follow these steps:
- Go to Pages: In the left-hand menu, click on the Pages option.
- Click on All Pages: This will display a list of all the pages on your website. You will add the contact form to a specific page, typically the Contact Us page.
By following these steps, you’ll be able to locate the page where you want to add your newly created form.
View the Updated Contact Us Page
Once the changes are saved:
- Go back to the Pages section: In your WordPress dashboard, click on the Pages section.
- Click on View: Next to your Contact Us page, click on the View button. This will allow you to see how the page looks with the new form, including any new fields you added, such as the phone number.
This step ensures that the form appears correctly on the live page and functions as expected.
Phone Number Added
After clicking the ‘View’ button, you’ll see a preview of your contact form. In this preview, you should notice that the Phone Number field has been successfully added. This confirms that the phone number field is now a part of your contact form and is ready for users to input their phone number when they submit the form.
Adjusting Mail Settings
Now that your form has been updated, it’s time to configure the Mail settings. To do this, go to the Mail tab in the form editor. This is where you specify where form submissions will be sent. You can add a single email address or multiple addresses if needed. Make sure to verify that the email addresses entered are correct so that you don’t miss any important submissions from users.
Adding the Phone Number Field to the Mail Template
In the Mail settings, make sure to include the Phone Number field so that it’s included in the email you receive when someone submits the form. Copy the shortcode for the phone number from the form and paste it into the mail template. This ensures that all the necessary information, including the phone number, is sent with each form submission.
Once you’ve made these changes, click Save to apply them.
Go to Settings
To configure the general settings for your WordPress site, first, navigate to the Settings section from your WordPress dashboard. Once you’re there, find the General option and click on it to open. The general settings page allows you to manage basic information for your site, such as the site title, tagline, and other key elements.
Using the WordPress Admin Email for Your Website
Many hosting companies, like ours, offer a dedicated email address for the website admin. This email is important because it saves you from having to open separate accounts or pay for additional email services. You can use this email for notifications, updates, and managing your site more easily.
How to Find and Use Your Admin Email
- Navigate to the Email:
- Go to your WordPress dashboard.
- On the left-hand side, click on Settings.
- Under Settings, click on General.
- Copy the Email:
- You’ll see your Administration Email Address displayed.
- Highlight the email with your mouse, right-click, and select “Copy.”
- Now, you can use this email for other services or in your contact forms without needing a separate email account!
This simple step saves you money by using the email your hosting provides, and it helps keep everything connected to your website.
Using the Admin Email in Your Contact Form
To easily set up your administrator email for receiving submissions from the contact form, follow these steps:
- Go to the Contact Form Email Settings:
- Navigate to the Mail tab under your Contact Form settings in the WordPress dashboard.
- Enter the Admin Email:
- Click inside the empty box labeled “To” where you need to enter the email address that will receive form submissions.
- Now, right-click inside the box and select “Paste” to enter your WordPress admin email address that you’ve previously copied.
- Final Step:
- After entering the email, click on Save to apply the changes. Now, all contact form submissions will be sent to your specified admin email address.
Setting Up the Contact Form Email Notifications
In this section, you can specify the email addresses where you want to receive notifications about form submissions. Here’s a quick breakdown of the fields:
- Admin Email:
- This is the email address where notifications will be sent when someone fills out the form. It usually includes the site’s admin email (_site_admin_email), ensuring that all submissions are sent to the correct inbox.
- Sender Email:
- This field controls the “From” address that will appear when the form sends out notifications. In this case, it’s set to use the website’s domain, ensuring that the emails don’t end up in spam.
This setup ensures all contact form submissions are routed correctly, and you can verify these details before saving the form settings.
Adding a Second Email (Optional)
If you want to receive form submissions at more than one email address, follow these steps:
- Check the “Use Mail (2)” box: This allows the form to send notifications to a second email address.
- Enter another email address: Type the secondary email address in the “To” field where you’d like to receive form submissions. This is especially useful for team collaboration, ensuring multiple people get notified when someone submits the form.
This feature is helpful for ensuring that important submissions reach all relevant parties within your team.
Setting Up File Attachments
If you want users to upload files through the form on your website, follow these steps:
- Go to the form editor and look for the File button. Clicking on this button will allow you to insert a file upload field into the form.
- Customize the file upload field: You can specify limits for file size and restrict the file types to only allow specific formats like images or documents. This is useful if you want to manage the type of content users are allowed to upload.
This feature is ideal for forms that need to accept resumes, images, or other documents from users. By setting limits, you can ensure only the required file types are accepted.
Go to Form
To add a file upload feature to your contact form, follow these steps:
- Navigate to the Form Section: In the form editor, click on the Form tab. This tab controls the structure of your form, where you can manage different input fields, including text boxes, checkboxes, and file upload fields.
- Add File Upload Option: Once you’re in the Form section, look for the option that allows file uploads. This option will enable users to attach files, such as images or documents, when submitting the form. By allowing file attachments, users can provide additional information, such as resumes, photos, or other documents, as part of their form submission.
Click on the File Option
When you click on the File button, it opens up options to set file size limits and specify acceptable file types (e.g., images, documents) for users to upload through your contact form.
This feature allows you to control:
- The formats that users can upload (e.g., .jpg, .pdf, .docx).
- The maximum file size users can attach, ensuring uploads fit within your website’s capabilities and prevent excessive load.
You can add this field to your form if you want users to submit files along with their responses.
Adding File Size and Accepted File Types
When setting up file uploads for your contact form, you can specify two important factors:
- File Size Limit: Define the maximum file size that users can upload, written in bytes. For example, 10 MB equals 10,485,760 bytes. This ensures users don’t upload files that are too large, which could affect your server’s performance.
- Accepted File Types: You can control the type of files users are allowed to submit, like images or documents. Common formats include .jpg, .png, .pdf, etc. By listing these types, you make sure only acceptable formats are uploaded.
Once you’ve filled out the details, click Insert Tag to add the file upload field to your form.
Updating Mail Settings for File Attachments
- Copy the File Shortcode: Once you’ve added the file upload field, you will see the shortcode for the file field (e.g., [file file-145 limit:10485760 filetypes:jpg|png|gif]). Copy this shortcode.
- Go to the Mail Tab: Navigate to the “Mail” tab to configure how form submissions are sent. Find the section labeled File Attachments.
- Paste the File Shortcode: Paste the copied shortcode into the File Attachments field. This ensures that any files uploaded through the form will be sent as attachments in the email notifications you receive.
- Click Save: After updating the form and mail settings, make sure to click Save to apply the changes.
This configuration helps ensure that all uploaded files are delivered with the form submissions.
Configuring Email Settings in Contact Form 7
- Navigate to the Mail Tab: After customizing your contact form, click on the Mail tab located at the top of the form editor. This is where you’ll set where form submissions will be sent.
- Configure Email Fields: The form fields displayed will show sections like Your Name, Your Email, and Your Phone Number. In the Mail tab, you can specify the recipient email address where submissions should be sent.
- Check and Edit Mail Template: Ensure that the correct mail format and necessary details are filled out, including how you want to receive form data.
Click Save to apply your settings once everything is configured.
Adding File Attachments to Form Emails in Contact Form 7
Here, you are still in the Mail tab of the Contact Form 7 settings. The focus here is on adding a file attachment field to your form emails.
Copy the Shortcode: Look for the shortcode [file* your-file] as shown in the image. This represents the file upload field that you added earlier to your contact form.
Paste into File Attachments: Copy this shortcode (using CTRL + C) and paste it into the File Attachments section in the Mail settings. This ensures any files uploaded by users through your contact form will be attached to the email notifications you receive.
Save Your Settings: Once you’ve pasted the shortcode in the appropriate place, remember to click Save to enable file uploads with form submissions.
Pasting Shortcut for File Attachments in Contact Form 7
In this step, you are pasting the previously copied shortcode [file* your-file] into the File Attachments section in the Mail tab. This ensures that the uploaded files submitted through your contact form will be attached to the emails you receive.
Simply use CTRL + V to paste the shortcode into the box labeled File Attachments. After pasting the shortcode, any file that users upload via the form will be sent to you as part of the email notification. This step is essential if you want to allow users to attach documents, images, or other files when submitting the contact form.
Saving Your Data Entry
Once you’ve filled in all the required information for your Contact Form 7, it’s crucial to save your changes. After configuring your form’s fields—like email settings, subject lines, and additional details—make sure to click the Save button on the right-hand side, as shown in the image. This action ensures that your updates are retained and your form is ready to use on the selected page.
By saving your settings, you confirm that your changes are live and functional on your website, offering visitors a seamless way to contact you.
Customizing Form Submission Messages
“Customizing Form Submission Messages” refers to the process of adjusting the messages displayed to users after they submit a form. To do this, click on the Messages tab in the form settings, as shown in the image. This tab allows you to set up specific responses, such as confirmation messages that indicate the submission was successful or error notifications if something went wrong.
These customized messages help improve user experience by providing clear feedback after they interact with your form. Make sure the messages are easy to understand and helpful in guiding the user through the next steps, whether it’s confirming receipt or resolving an error.
Customizing Messages
In the Messages tab, you can customize the default messages that users see after submitting the form. For instance, you may want to adjust the message that says “Your message has been sent successfully” to match your website’s tone or branding. Additionally, you can modify error messages, like “There was an error trying to send your message. Please try again later”, to ensure they are more user-friendly or aligned with your site’s messaging.
Go to the Pages Section
Go to the Pages section in your WordPress dashboard. Click on All Pages to view the list of pages on your website. You will add the form to a specific page, typically the Contact Us page.
Click on view
Once you’ve made changes to your form or page, it’s a good practice to preview them before making anything live. To do this, simply click on the View button next to the page or form you want to review (in this case, the Contact Us form). This allows you to see exactly how your form looks and functions on the front end, ensuring everything is in place before you publish or save your updates.
Previewing your form helps you catch any potential issues and ensures that the form’s layout, fields, and settings appear as expected.
Fill Out and Submit the Form
After making the necessary changes to your Contact Form 7, it’s important to test everything on your live site to ensure it functions smoothly. Begin by navigating to the Contact Us page, where you’ll find fields such as Your name, Your email, and the recently added phone number field and file upload option. These new features should work seamlessly alongside the existing fields for a smooth user experience. Fill out each section and, once complete, click Submit to confirm that everything is operating as expected.
This simple test ensures that your contact form is ready for visitors and helps identify any potential issues before it goes live on your site. Testing the functionality of key elements, especially the file upload feature, can prevent future frustrations and ensure your site is running efficiently. Additionally, making sure your WordPress hosting is optimized for such features will help maintain your site’s performance and security.
Add Contact Information
When setting up your Contact Form 7, it’s important to guide users on how to correctly fill out the form fields to ensure smooth communication. In this example, you can see how the Contact Us form is structured, with clear fields for:
- Your name: This field allows users to input their full name for identification.
- Your email address: Ensuring users enter a valid email address is key for follow-up communication.
- Your phone number: A field dedicated to collecting phone numbers for more direct contact.
- Subject: Here, users can specify the topic of their message, helping you categorize inquiries.
- Your message: A text box where users can provide details, ask questions, or make requests.
After the required information is entered, users will click the Submit button to send the form. Testing the functionality of each field, including the new phone number and file upload options, ensures everything is working as intended.
Attaching a File to Your Contact Form
To attach a file to your contact form, click the ‘Browse’ button. This will open a file selection window where you can choose the document or image you want to include. Once selected, the file will be attached to your form, allowing us to review it along with your message.
Upload a File (Optional)
If you’ve enabled the file upload option in your contact form, users can attach a file by following these steps:
- Click on the Browse button in the file upload field.
- A file selection window will open (as shown in the image below). Here, users can navigate through their computer to select an appropriate file, such as an image or document.
- Once they have selected the file, they can click Open to upload it. This action attaches the file to the form submission, ready to be sent along with the user’s message.
Success Message
Once the form is submitted, a success message will appear on the screen, as shown in the image. This message confirms that the form was successfully submitted and that the email has been sent to the website owner. The message typically reads: “Thank you for your message. It has been sent”.
At this point, users can check their inbox to verify that the form submission was received correctly. This success message assures users that their information has been delivered and that further communication is on its way.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Contact Form 7 is a very useful tool for WordPress users who want to improve communication on their websites. It’s easy to set up, has many customization options, and works well with spam protection. Whether you’re new to WordPress or experienced, this plugin is great for creating and managing contact forms. By following the steps in this guide, you can easily set up and optimize your forms for a better experience for your visitors.
This tutorial is designed for both beginners and advanced users, providing a comprehensive and easy guide to Contact Form 7. Whether you’re just starting out with WordPress or have more experience, this guide covers everything you need to know—from basic setup to advanced customization options. The step-by-step instructions make it easy to follow, ensuring that anyone can create, manage, and optimize their contact forms. With full informative content, this guide will help you improve communication on your website efficiently. Additionally, if you’re interested in more tutorials, such as using Elementor, we have other resources available on our website to support your WordPress journey.
About Author
This article was written by Haider Aftab Abbasi, a skilled technical content writer who specializes in crafting detailed and well-researched content. Haider excels at breaking down complex topics into easily digestible pieces, making them accessible to a wide audience while maintaining professional accuracy.
If you’re looking for more insightful content or professional collaborations, feel free to connect with Haider on LinkedIn through the provided link.