January 14, 2022
How to Create a Client Intake Form for Your Web Development Business.


Did you know that by using a multi-step web design client intake form, you can increase your conversions by up to 300%?

That’s not all. As of 2019, forms were still the highest converting lead generation tool for most freelancers and agencies.

That’s the true power of intake forms. If you run a web design business, you should have one for your prospective clients.

Keep reading as we go through what a website intake form is, why you should have one, and three popular digital form builders you can use today.

What Is a Client Intake Form?

Client looking at a form on a tablet.

A web design client intake form is a questionnaire that businesses use to onboard new clients. You can use one to determine whether a client is a good fit for your web design business. If they are, this form helps you get them on board and tailor a unique strategy for their project.

Web design intake forms aren’t a recent phenomenon — they’re quite popular in medical practices and law firms. Other service providers use them for their intake process, including web designers (like yourself).

If you’re starting out and need new clients to kickstart your business, you should still have an intake form. It’s an excellent way to kick off your web design career and make a lasting first impression on your clients.

4 Reasons You Need a Website Development Intake Form

Here’s why you need a web design client intake form:

1. For Planning and Service Delivery

Forms bring structure to your business and make your onboarding process and workflow seamless. You can use forms to collect vital information about your prospects, like their contact information.

If you’re thorough with your web design questionnaires from the beginning, you can start projects faster. No need to collect client information again after the project begins.

2. To Save Time

Intake forms make your clients’ experiences more convenient. A web design questionnaire cuts the time you’d spend on a business phone call.

Your customer will communicate their needs quicker and express themselves better. If they’re a fit, you can begin your client onboarding process as soon as possible.

3. To Build a Relationship With Your Client

Forms make it easier to build a relationship with the right clients. Since they’ve already shown an interest in your services, you can expect a response if you reach out to them. They’ll be open about their problems and you can tailor solutions for them.

4. To Improve Conversions

Anyone who fills in your intake form is a warm lead. That also means your strategy works and you’re targeting the right people. Website intake forms help you attract your ideal customer and turn them into paying clients.

When To Get Your Client To Fill Out an Intake Form

Ideally, new web design clients should complete forms as soon as possible. You can capture their details directly from your landing page. Also, you can embed a link in your contact or membership page for them to fill out.

7 Must-Have Fields on Your Web Design Client Intake Form

A man’s hand gives a woman a blank paper and pen.

Here’s what your website intake form should include:

1. Essential Client Information

Let your new client intake form collect the basic information you need to create and maintain client profiles.

A good questionnaire includes the following client info:

  • Client name.
  • Company name (if applicable).
  • Client's email address, phone number, and preferred contact method.
  • URL for their website (if applicable).
  • Days of operation.

2. Client Occupation Information

Once you’ve collected basic profile information, find out more about your client’s business. All of them will have different backgrounds and levels of experience. From this, you’ll learn more about what products or services their brands offer.

It’s vital to let your clients use their own words. That way, you can learn about their brand voice. Also, it will help you choose the right approach with each client.

3. Challenges Your Client Faces

This form field enables your potential clients to speak out about the challenges they face. Let them express their ideas freely. Since your clients understand their own pain points better, let them tell you what solution they want.

4. Your Client’s Goals

What do your clients see as a successful outcome? What do they want to achieve? Let them talk about their goals.

Also, take the opportunity to see how you can help them achieve those goals. If your prospect has out-of-reach expectations, you can find ways to help them manage their ambitions.

5. Budget Information

A budget shows you just how much your clients value the solution you’re offering. This information is vital to whether a client can afford your services.

If they offer a low budget, you can have an open discussion with them about increasing it. If their budget matches or exceeds yours, you can now streamline your plans for collaboration.

6. Competitor Information

This information gives you a chance to get a feel for your client’s industry. You can learn how business works in that space and what strategies to use with the project.

7. Room for Extra Comments

You can never capture everything in one simple form. Instead, let your clients add any extra information. Is there anything relevant your form missed? What would they like to know about you or your services? Let them fill in those details here.

Digital Form Builders for Your Web Design Client Intake Forms

If you have the time, you can build a website intake form from scratch. But if you want to get started right away, an online form builder is an excellent way to create one.

Most form builders feature website intake form templates you can adapt to your business. You can also create custom form templates using a convenient drag-and-drop builder.

Here are some popular form builders you can try out:

  • Typeform helps you design client questionnaires, forms, and surveys that get responses consistently. It’s easy to use and doesn't require coding knowledge.
  • You can also use IntakeQ to build a web design questionnaire or forms that help you optimize how you capture information from your prospective clients.
  • Besides building forms and surveys, you can use integrations on Wufoo to manage and add e-signatures to documents.

Best Practices for Creating Intake Forms

As you create a new web design client intake form template for your freelance business, here are ways to keep your experience seamless:

  • Keep your forms short and to the point. Make your client intake process as straightforward as possible.
  • Ensure your forms are engaging and user-friendly.
  • Ask the right questions but only ask for relevant information.
  • Always review and improve your website intake forms.
  • Comply with government policy and regulations on data storage and usage. This includes GDPR (Europe) and CCPA (California).

Final Thoughts: How To Create a Client Intake Form for Your Web Dev Business

Once you learn how to create a client intake form for your web design freelance business, you’ll enjoy an exponential increase in your conversion rates. Beyond that, you can use it as a tool to organize your clients, create relationships with them, and work on awesome projects together.

Still hung up on how to build your freelance web development business? Check out the Nexcess guide on how to begin and get clients.

Explore Nexcess’ hosting plans and enjoy outstanding web hosting services for your portfolio.

Check out our fully managed hosting plans to get started today.

Maddy Osman
Maddy Osman

Maddy Osman is a WordPress expert, WordCamp US speaker, bestselling author, and the Founder and SEO Content Strategist at The Blogsmith. She has a B.A. in Marketing from the University of Iowa and is a WordCamp Denver organizer while also operating The Blogsmith, an SEO content agency for B2B tech companies that works with clients like HubSpot, Automattic, and Sprout Social. Learn more about The Blogsmith's process and get in touch to talk content strategy: www.TheBlogsmith.com

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