Formidable User Flow

Understanding Formidable User Flow

User flow plays a crucial role in understanding how individuals interact with your website before completing a form submission. By gaining insight into the paths taken by users, you can significantly enhance user experience and streamline the conversion process. The method of tracking user interactions helps identify bottlenecks and improves form efficacy.

The Importance of User Flow Data

Tracking user flow is vital for several reasons. First and foremost, it allows website administrators and marketers to grasp the user journey thoroughly. This is akin to tracing the footsteps of a traveler on an unfamiliar route; understanding where they paused, turned back, or finally arrived at their destination. Collecting this data helps inform decisions on layout, content placement, and technical adjustments to maximize user engagement.

For instance, by analyzing which pages users visited before filling out a form, businesses can identify trends or erratic behaviors that lead to drop-offs. You might find that users spend considerable time on certain informational pages before finally deciding to fill out a contact form. This insight can direct you to enhance those pages further or create additional touchpoints to facilitate conversions.

Among the critical metrics gathered through tracking user flows are the timestamps showing time spent on each step. This can provide valuable insights into user engagement. If users are spending a long time on a specific page before submitting, it might indicate that they find the information beneficial or are possibly struggling to make a decision.

Key Features of User Flow Tracking

1. Time Spent on Each Step: Tracking how long users linger on different pages provides crucial insights into user engagement and interest in your content. A longer time may indicate users are digesting information, while a very short time might signal confusion or frustration.

2. Previous Form Submissions: Understanding what forms a user has previously submitted may illuminate patterns that affect their behavior on your site. For example, a user who filled out a newsletter subscription might behave differently than one who previously submitted a contact inquiry.

3. Summary of User Interaction: You can view a concise summary that details the interval between the time user data is recorded and when the form is submitted. This helps paint a clear picture of how quickly or hesitantly users are proceeding through the conversion funnel.

4. Searched Terms: By offering a view into the terms users searched within the site before submission, you can learn more about their needs and adjust content and targeting accordingly.

5. Complete Visitation History: Comprehensive tracking includes a roster of every page visited before form submission. This enables a rich understanding of the customer journey, allowing for targeted adjustments to the flow.

6. Source Tracking: Knowing how users got to your site—whether via a social media link, referral, or direct search—allows webmasters to understand where to focus their marketing efforts for greater effectiveness.

Implementing User Flow Tracking

To make use of these powerful features, proper setup is crucial. First, one must install and activate the Formidable Forms Premium plugin. Once activated, it unlocks a range of functions, including the ability to view detailed user flow data.

The process starts by confirming your Formidable license, which should lead you to the Add-Ons page. Here, the User Tracking plugin needs to be activated to begin tracking user interactions seamlessly.

Viewing User Flow Details

After activating the User Flow add-on, gathering user data becomes automatic. Each form submission will now carry detailed tracking information. To access this data:

• Navigate to the Formidable → Forms section and select the specific form you wish to investigate.
• Post submission, you can head over to the Entries page and hit the View button next to the respective entry.
• Here within the Entry details page, a dedicated User Flow section can be found, showcasing the extensive list of actions users took prior to their submission.

Each action is typically clickable too, allowing for quick navigation back to the visited page.

Utilizing User Flow Information

Adding user flow details to email notifications is a practical way to keep stakeholders or teams informed about user interactions. Within the settings of your form, navigate to the Actions & Notifications tab, where you can opt to append user data such as IP addresses and referring URLs directly into outgoing emails whenever forms are submitted.

For content visibility directly on pages or posts, using shortcodes helps display user information seamlessly. Specific shortcodes such as frm-show-entry id=x user_info=1 will yield data respective to each entry where ‘x’ is substituted with the entry’s unique ID.

Thus, not only can this information be added to communication and confirmation messages, but it can also be displayed openly on the site, enhancing transparency regarding user interactions.

Advanced Customization Options

Beyond the basics, there are further methods to customize how user flow data is displayed. For example, should you want to prevent user flow data from appearing for particular forms, a simple code snippet can be implemented within the WordPress theme’s functions.php file. This allows you to manage visibility on a case-by-case basis, tailoring the flow data that aligns with your business strategy.

php
add_action('frm_show_entry', 'hide_user_flow', 9);
function hide_user_flow($entry) {
$exclude_form_id = 1659; // Change to your target form ID
if ($exclude_form_id !== (int) $entry->form_id) {
return;
}
remove_action('frm_after_show_entry', 'FrmUsrTrkAppController::show_tracking_data');
}

This flexibility allows you to curate the user experience meticulously, fostering an environment that is grounded in data—but presented smoothly and effectively.

Conclusion

Understanding and leveraging the Formidable User Flow can significantly enhance your website’s efficiency and user experience. By exploring individual user paths, acknowledging the time spent on each step, and tailoring forms according to previously interacted content, steps are being taken toward a more formidable user journey. These insights translate into improved conversion rates; by understanding what works and what doesn’t, website managers can fine-tune marketing strategies and operational practices to suit the genuine needs of users. A powerful user flow not only enriches the website operation but also elevates user satisfaction, creating a seamless pathway that transforms casual visitors into loyal customers.