Lengthy WordPress forms can be frustrating for visitors, leading to potential lead loss when they abandon the process halfway.
Implementing a Save & Continue feature addresses this issue by allowing users to save their progress and return later to complete the form at their own convenience. This enhances user experience and results in a higher completion rate and better-quality submissions.
After evaluating the leading form plugins, we discovered that WPForms makes it easy to incorporate this feature. Its Save and Resume option is just a simple toggle away.
In this guide, we will provide step-by-step instructions on how to activate the Save & Continue functionality in your WordPress forms, ensuring you never miss out on valuable leads or customers. ✅
When Should You Use Save & Continue in WordPress Forms?
If a form takes too long to fill out, many users tend to abandon it. The Save & Continue feature mitigates this issue by allowing users to save their progress and resume later.
This offers your visitors the flexibility to complete the WordPress form at their own pace, minimizing abandonment rates and boosting submissions.
The Save & Continue feature is particularly beneficial for lengthy or intricate forms, such as:
- Surveys or questionnaires – Users can pause and resume without losing their responses.
- Job applicationsApplicants have the option to save their drafts and return later to finish all sections.
- Multi-step registration forms allow for a streamlined process.Users can complete each step individually without needing to start over.
In this guide, we will explain how to implement the save and continue feature in WordPress forms. Here’s a brief overview of the steps we will discuss in the upcoming sections:
- Install a WordPress Form Plugin to Enable Save & Continue Functionality
- Create a WordPress Form with Save & Continue Capability
- Embed Your New Form into Your WordPress Website
- View Entries Submitted Through Your WordPress Form
- Bonus Tip: Configure Conversion Tracking for Your WordPress Forms
- Frequently Asked Questions: Implementing Save and Continue in WordPress Forms
- Additional Beginner-Friendly Resources for Using WordPress Forms
Let’s get started on this journey.
Install a WordPress Form Plugin to Enable Save & Continue Functionality
The simplest method to incorporate save and resume functionality in WordPress is by using WPForms. It is the leading contact form plugin for WordPress, trusted by over 6 million website owners.
At CanadaCreate, WPForms is our preferred form builder. We use it daily for everything from contact forms to our annual user survey, and it has consistently met our needs. For further details, check out our comprehensive WPForms review.
WPForms enables you to design various types of WordPress forms, such as contact forms, payment forms, online order forms, newsletter sign-up forms, and much more.
This plugin features a user-friendly drag-and-drop form builder along with over 2,000 ready-made form templates, making it accessible for beginners. Additionally, with the introduction of WPForms AI, you can effortlessly create custom forms from scratch using a simple prompt.
You will also have access to a wide range of customizable form fields and seamless integration with popular email marketing platforms and payment services like PayPal.
The highlight of WPForms is the Save and Resume addon, which allows your visitors to save their progress on forms and return to complete them later.
To get started, create your WPForms account by visiting the WPForms website and clicking on the ‘Get WPForms Now’ button. Choose a plan and follow the on-screen instructions to finalize your registration.
📝 Important Note: For this tutorial, we will be using the WPForms Pro version, as it includes the Save and Resume addon and provides access to form entries. However, you can also begin with the WPForms Lite version.
Once you complete the registration, you will have access to your own WPForms account dashboard, where you can download the WPForms Pro zip file and your license key.
Begin by installing and activating the WPForms plugin on your website.
In your WordPress admin dashboard, navigate to Plugins »Add New Plugin.
Next, use the search bar to quickly locate the WPForms plugin.
In the search results, click the ‘Install Now’ button, followed by ‘Activate.’
If you need assistance, please refer to our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
After activation, go to WPForms » Settings in your WordPress dashboard to enter your license key, which you can find in your WPForms account.
Then, activate the ‘Save and Resume Addon.’
Next, navigate to WPForms » Addons in your WordPress admin area and click the ‘Install Addon’ button.
Once the addon is activated, you can add the save and continue feature to an existing form or create a new WordPress form.
Create a WordPress Form with Save & Continue Functionality
To begin, simply go to the WPForms » Add New page.
On the following screen, you’ll find a variety of pre-designed templates for your form. You can name your form and choose a template to begin.
In this tutorial, we will choose the Suggestion Form template to gather client feedback. Simply hover over the template and click the ‘Use Template’ button.
Next, you can customize your form using the intuitive drag-and-drop builder.
Just drag any form field you wish to include and drop it onto the template.
WPForms also allows you to modify each field within the form.
For instance, you can change the label, add a description, reorder the options, mark a field as required, and more.
Afterward, navigate to the ‘Settings’ tab in the left menu and select ‘Save and Resume.’
Then, toggle the ‘Enable Save and Resume’ option. This feature allows users to save their progress and return to complete the form later.
By enabling this option, you can access additional settings to personalize the save and resume feature. For example, you can modify the text displayed next to the submit button and allow users to save their progress.
Additionally, you can enable a disclaimer page that users will see before saving their progress. WPForms allows you to customize the confirmation page settings and modify the text displayed on that page.
Scrolling down, you’ll find the option to ‘Enable Resume Link,’ which lets users copy the form link and paste it into their browsers to continue later.
There’s also a feature to ‘Enable Email Notification’ that sends the link to the user’s email address, allowing them to access their form directly from their inbox.
You can customize the email content that your visitors will receive in their inbox, as well as the message displayed on the confirmation page.
WPForms also provides options to adjust the notification settings and the confirmation email that users receive upon form submission.
After making your changes, simply click the ‘Save’ button at the top to exit the form builder.
📝 Important Note:If your form emails are not arriving in your inbox, it is often due to the default email sending method of WordPress. Using WP Mail SMTP can resolve this issue. For detailed guidance, refer to our tutorial on fixing WordPress email delivery problems.
Integrate Your New Form Into Your WordPress Site
Next, you can embed your form into any blog post or page.
Begin by clicking the ‘Embed’ button in the form builder.
Next, you can choose to embed the form on an existing page or create a new one.
For this tutorial, we will select the ‘Create New Page’ option.
In the next popup, you can give your new page a name.
After naming the page, click the ‘Let’s Go!’ button.
Once in the WordPress editor, click the ‘+’ button to add a new block.
Search for the WPForms block and click on it to insert it into the content editor.
Then, choose the form you just created from the dropdown list.
The WPForms block will display a preview of your form.
When you are satisfied with how your form looks, you can publish the page.
Now, visit your page and scroll to the bottom of the form to find the ‘Save and Resume Later’ option next to the ‘Submit’ button.
When a user clicks on ‘Save and Resume Later,’ they will see a link to the form that they can copy.
There will also be an option to enter an email address to receive the form link via email.
📝 Important Note: If you are using the Classic Editor, you can add a WPForms widget to your sidebar or any widget-ready area.
Simply navigate to Appearance » WidgetsTo add a WPForms block to your sidebar, select your survey form from the dropdown menu and click ‘Update’ to save your changes.
Access Your WordPress Form Submissions
To check if someone partially filled out their form using the save and continue feature in WPForms, simply go to WPForms » Entriesin your WordPress dashboard.
Next, select your form to view its submissions.
On the following screen, look for entries marked with a ‘Partial’ status. These indicate users who utilized the Save and Resume feature to save their progress.
The status will automatically update to ‘Completed’ once the user returns to finish the form.
Pro Tip: Implement WordPress Form Conversion Tracking
Integrating the ‘Save & Continue’ feature enhances user experience. But how can you determine if your forms are effectively contributing to your business growth?
That’s why we suggest setting up form tracking. By tracking form submissions, you can:
- Identify which forms yield the best results
- Pinpoint pages where users are more inclined to convert
- Detect drop-off points and minimize form abandonment
- Gain insights into which traffic sources lead to signups or inquiries
Based on our experience, optimizing forms becomes significantly easier when you utilize real data instead of relying on assumptions.
Explore our comprehensive guide on tracking WordPress form conversions in Google Analytics to make informed decisions for your website.
Frequently Asked Questions: Save and Continue Feature in WordPress Forms
If you have questions about saving form progress or how submissions are managed, we have compiled answers to some common inquiries:
Does WordPress automatically save the progress of forms?
No, by default, WordPress does not save form progress. You need to use a plugin like WPForms with the Save & Continue feature enabled to allow users to resume later.
Is it possible to save progress in forms to continue later?
Yes, with the Save & Continue feature in WPForms, users can save their progress and return to complete the form at any time.
Where are WordPress form submissions stored?
Form submissions are saved in your WordPress database. If you are using WPForms, you can access them directly in the Entries section of WPForms.
Additional Beginner-Friendly Guides for Using WordPress Forms
We hope this article has helped you understand how to implement the save and continue functionality in WordPress forms. You may also want to check out our guides on:
- How to Customize and Style Your WordPress Forms
- Creating WordPress Forms with Dropdown Menus
- Enhancing User Interaction in WordPress Forms
- Implementing Conditional Logic in WordPress Forms
- Top Recommended Online Form Builders
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