Don't blow your conversions with irrelevant form questions

I recently clicked on an ad on SearchEngineLand for a search webcast called “10 Lessons Learned About Paid Search”. The description of the webcast said, “No matter how much you’re currently spending on paid search - large budget or small, you’re bound to learn from his experience.”

“Great!” I thought. I’m always interested in increasing my knowledge about paid search, so I decided to register.

Then I saw the form. And changed my mind.

The required information was:

Prefix*
First Name*
Last Name*
Company*
Email*
Title*
Street Address Line 1*
City*
State*
Zip*
Work Phone*
Company annual revenue:*
How are you currently managing your paid search efforts?*
What is your average month paid search spend across Google, Yahoo and MSN?*

Why do I need to tell the webinar sponsor my company’s annual revenue? Or how much I spend on paid search? I wasn’t requesting a proposal—I was registering for a webinar.

It is understandable that companies advertise webinars to generate leads and/or promote a product or service. But annual revenue questions cross the line.

Think of your form questions in the same way you would treat a first date. It is natural to ask your date about themselves, but I would never say, “So where do you work?” and  follow up with, “Great! How much money do you make?” I’m sure if I did, my date would walk out on me, just as I ended up not registering for the webinar.

Word to the wise: keep your form questions relevant and only include what is necessary. Engage your respondents—don’t turn them off.