FormHQ

Form Naming Conventions & Tips

In our current world of constant “speed to delivery” – it’s easy to forget the basics – or easily glance over something as seemingly “trivial” as how to name things.

Funny enough, one of the HARDEST things to do with anything related to web or content management is how to name things. 

Using consistent naming conventions for your forms not only makes finding things easier inside of your platform of choice (HubSpot, Marketo etc…) – but in the context of FormHQ’s platform – it will make your data cleaner, and unlock some potentially huge time saving automation capabilities.

General Best Practices & Tips

Follow A Naming Template

Sticking to a naming convention/template for your organization is a very good idea. This can be defined however you would like but here’s are a few examples:

{Intent} {Date YYYY-MM (if applicable)}: {Specific Descriptor}

E-Book: B2B Facebook Marketing Strategies That Work
Contact: Demo Request
Webinar [2017-04]: How to Build Dynamic Reports in Google’s Data Studio
Event RSVP [2016-06]: Brew at the Zoo

Keep in mind that every company/organization is different – so standardize conventions that fit your business model.

Be Specific

Having a slew of forms named “Contact Form” or “Contact Form Copy 1” isn’t very helpful. Take the extra time and be specific when naming your forms.

Here are some suggestions:

  • Use full asset names for resource downloads
  • Avoid abbreviations or “internal” lingo – (commonly understood abbreviations are OK).
  • Instead of using “Contact Form” – think of what the CTA or purpose of the form is. Is it a demo request? Consultation inquiry? Support request? Be more specific with your form names.

For businesses that use marketing automation systems like HubSpot or Marketo – being specific with form names gives you better understanding of contact activity history – especially around form submissions.

Here are some good examples:
Ebook: B2B Facebook Marketing Strategies That Work
Live Webinar: How to wrangle thousands of forms in less than 15 minutes
Demo Request

Here are some bad examples:
Contact Form
Prospect Webinar Nov 2022
B2B FB MKTG Strat Ebook

Use Common Keywords

Is the form for a resource download? Or maybe a webinar registration or replay? Use common words or phrases that will help you understand what the form’s broader purpose is.  Try to think of “why” visitors are submitting personal information. What is the form’s general purpose? That will help you figure out what keywords to use.

By using common words or phrases you can create automated sort rules to keep your forms organized automatically inside of FormHQ. Also, put these keywords at the beginning of the form name – it will allow them to sort better alphabetically.

Example:
Event [2016-06]: Brew at the Zoo RSVP

Include Dates for Time-Sensitive Forms

If your form is for a specific event – put the month/year (at the bare minimum) in the form name – this is especially important if you have recurring events that each have a unique form. Having dates will help you differentiate between an event form in January 2020 from June 2018. Date format doesn’t matter too much – but usually numeric values are easiest to sort and filter. For example a good event form name might be: