AI Summary
Would you like to know how your forms are performing? Entry counts alone don’t show how many people saw your form, where they dropped off, or which fields caused problems.
Form Analytics tracks views, conversions, and field-level activity for every form on your site, right inside your WordPress dashboard. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about using Form Analytics.
Requirements:
- WPForms must be installed and activated on your site, version 2.0 or later.
- The full Form Analytics experience requires a Pro license or higher. Users on the free version, or with a Basic or Plus license, see form view counts only.
Before you get started, there’s nothing you need to turn on. As soon as your site is running WPForms 2.0 or later, Form Analytics begins tracking every published form automatically. In the sections below, we’ll explain what it tracks and how to read the results.
What Is Form Analytics
Form Analytics monitors how visitors use your forms. It tracks 5 core metrics for every form: views, interactions, conversion rate, abandonments, and errors. It also measures how long users spend in each field, so you’ll know exactly which parts of a form slow people down.
All analytics data is stored in your own WordPress database. Form Analytics doesn’t set any cookies, doesn’t record personal information about your visitors, and doesn’t send tracking data to outside services.
Note: Form Analytics only counts real visitors. It ignores form previews, and it doesn’t track logged-in users who help run your site, such as Administrators, Editors, and Authors. That way, your own testing never inflates your numbers.
Viewing Analytics on the Forms Overview Page
To see analytics for all of your forms at once, go to WPForms » All Forms in your WordPress admin area. Next to the Entries column, you’ll find 3 new columns: Views, Interactions, and Conversion.
These columns show each form’s totals so you can compare your forms and spot the ones that need attention, such as a form with many views but a low conversion rate.
If you’re using the free version of WPForms, or you have a Basic or Plus license, the Views column still counts and displays your form views. However, the Interactions and Conversion columns show a lock icon. Clicking a locked column opens a preview of the full analytics experience, along with an option to upgrade to a Pro license.
Opening the Form Analytics Page
Each form has its own analytics page. Form Analytics doesn’t add a separate item to the WPForms menu, so you’ll always reach it from the Forms Overview page. There are 2 ways to get there:
- Click the Views, Interactions, or Conversion number next to any form.
- Hover over a form’s name and click Analytics in the row of links that appears.
Once you’re on the Form Analytics page, use the Select Form dropdown to switch to a different form. You’ll also find arrow buttons in the top right corner of the page that let you step through your forms one at a time.
Understanding Your Form’s Metrics
At the top of the Form Analytics page, you’ll see a card for each of the 5 core metrics. To see a quick definition of any metric, hover over the question mark (?) icon on its card.
Here’s what each metric means:
- Views: How many times the form appeared on a visitor’s screen. A view is only counted when the form enters the visible part of the page, not every time the page loads.
- Interactions: How many times visitors engaged with the form’s fields, like clicking into a field or typing.
- Conversion Rate: The percentage of views that ended in a submission. For example, 14 views and 3 submissions works out to a 21.4% conversion rate.
- Abandonments: How many visitors started filling out the form but left without submitting it. An abandonment is counted after an hour of inactivity. Shown as a count and a percentage.
- Errors: How many times a submission failed validation, like a required field left empty or an email address in the wrong format. Shown as a count and a percentage.
Because views are based on visibility, a form that visitors never scroll to isn’t counted as viewed. For example, if your form is in the footer of a page and a visitor leaves after reading the top of that page, no view is recorded. This way, your view counts and conversion rate only include visitors who actually saw the form.
Setting a Conversion Rate Goal
A conversion rate goal gives you a benchmark to measure your form’s conversion rate against. Each form has its own goal, so you’re able to set a different target for each form on your site.
To set one, click Set Goal on the Conversion Rate card. In the box that opens, enter your target percentage. Then click Save Changes.
After you save your goal, the card compares it to your current conversion rate in real-time. A green arrow pointing up means you’re above your goal. A red arrow pointing down means you’re below it.
Analyzing Individual Fields
Below the metric cards, the Form Fields table breaks your form down field by field. For every field, you’ll see its views, interactions, abandonments, errors, and the average time visitors spend in it. Fields with multiple inputs are tracked separately. For example, a Name field set to show first and last name appears as 2 rows, so you’ll know exactly which input users struggle with.
Field views work just like form views: a field is only counted as viewed when it enters the visitor’s screen. On a long form, it’s normal to see view counts drop for fields further down the page. This shows you how far visitors scroll before leaving.
To sort the table, click any column heading. For example, sorting by Avg. Time shows you which fields take visitors the longest to complete. To return the table to your form’s field order, click Reset Order.
Filtering by Date Range
By default, the Form Analytics page shows data from the last 30 days. To change the range, click the date dropdown in the top right corner of the page. You’ll find presets for Today, Yesterday, Last 7 days, Last 30 days, Last 90 days, and Last 1 year.
To pick your own start and end dates, select Custom. Then choose your dates on the calendar and click Apply.
Note: Form Analytics starts collecting data when you update to WPForms 2.0. You won’t see any data from before the update, and reports will fill in as new visitor activity comes in.
Exporting and Printing Reports
To use your analytics data outside of WordPress, click Export CSV in the top right corner of the Form Analytics page. This downloads the form’s analytics data as a CSV file that you’re able to open in any spreadsheet app.
To share a report with someone who doesn’t have access to your dashboard, click Print Report. This opens a print-friendly version of the page for printing or saving as a PDF.
Getting Insights With WPForms AI
WPForms AI reads your form’s analytics data and answers questions about it in plain language. It’s useful when you’re not sure what your numbers mean or what to change to improve your form’s performance.
To open it, click the sparkle icon in the bottom right corner of the Form Analytics page.
Then type your own question, or start with one of the suggested ones, such as:
- How does the conversion rate compare to last week?
- Which fields have the most drop-offs?
- Summarize this form’s overall performance
Answers are based on your form’s real data. WPForms AI explains what the numbers mean and suggests specific actions to improve your conversions, like reviewing the fields that produce the most errors. When you ask it to compare time periods or forms, it includes small charts and comparison tables right in the answer.
By default, WPForms AI answers questions about the form you’re currently viewing. To compare several forms, name them in your question, like “Compare submissions for my contact form and my quote request form last month.” Also, keep in mind that a form with only a few views won’t give the AI much to work with. The more data your forms collect, the more useful the insights become.
WPForms AI is the same assistant that powers other AI features in WPForms, like generating forms.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below, we’ve addressed some of the most common questions about Form Analytics.
Why don’t I see an Analytics option in the WPForms menu?
Form Analytics doesn’t have its own menu item. To open it, go to WPForms » All Forms, hover over any form, and click Analytics. Clicking a form’s Views, Interactions, or Conversion number takes you to the same place. If you don’t see the Analytics link at all, your license level doesn’t include the analytics page. It’s available with a Pro license or higher.
Why are my form’s views lower than my page views?
A form view is only counted when the form appears on the visitor’s screen. If your form sits lower on the page and a visitor leaves before scrolling to it, that page view doesn’t count as a form view. This keeps your conversion rate based on people who actually saw the form.
Does Form Analytics track my own visits to my forms?
Not in most cases. Form previews are never tracked, and neither are logged-in Administrators, Editors, or Authors. Visitors and lower-level users like Subscribers are tracked normally.
Does Form Analytics use cookies or collect personal data?
No. Form Analytics doesn’t set any cookies and doesn’t store personal information about your visitors. It only records anonymous, combined counts and timing, and all of that data stays in your own WordPress database.
Why don’t I see any data from before I updated WPForms?
Form Analytics was introduced in WPForms 2.0, so data collection starts the moment you update. There’s no way to see analytics for earlier activity, but entries you received before the update are still available on your Entries pages as usual.
Which license levels include Form Analytics?
The full Form Analytics experience, including the analytics page, field-level tracking, goals, exports, and WPForms AI insights, is included with Pro and Elite licenses. The free version of WPForms and the Basic and Plus licenses include form view tracking on the Forms Overview page.
That’s it! You can now track your forms’ performance with Form Analytics, from quick checks on the Forms Overview page to field-level breakdowns and AI-powered recommendations.
Next, would you like to dig into the submissions behind your conversion numbers? Check out our complete guide to form entries to learn everything about viewing and managing the entries your forms collect.