Insights · Website Development
Common Reasons Online Forms Stop Working
If enquiry forms are not arriving, the cause is usually one of a few common problems. Here is how to check them.
A contact form that silently fails is one of the most expensive problems a website can have: every lost enquiry is a lost customer, and you never know it happened.
1. Email delivery problems
The form works, but the email never reaches you. This is the most common cause. Messages sent from a website often land in spam, or are rejected, when the sending domain is not set up with the right authentication records.
2. Wrong destination address
The form may be sending to an old or mistyped email address — often after a staff change or domain move.
3. Spam protection that is too strict
Spam filters and verification checks can block genuine messages. If real people cannot pass them, you lose enquiries.
4. A broken plug-in or update
Updating the website, a plug-in or the hosting environment can break a form that previously worked.
5. Hosting restrictions
Some hosts limit or block outgoing email from websites, or have changed how it must be configured.
6. JavaScript errors on the page
If another script on the page crashes, the form’s submit button may stop doing anything.
7. Mobile problems
A form may work on a computer but be difficult or impossible to complete on a phone.
How to check
- Submit the form yourself every month, on a phone and a computer
- Check your spam folder
- Ask a colleague to try from a different device
- Make sure forms store a copy of each submission, not only an email
Fixing it
The right fix depends on the cause. If you suspect your forms are failing, our team can find the cause and repair it — see website and app fixing.