Having Google Analytics on a website can give your client valuable information about who’s clicking on which pages, but Wufoo can help you gather more in-depth and personal information about website users. Wufoo is an online form creator that lets you set up any type of poll or forms on websites. The great part of this program is that it has full CSS and XHTML integration, meaning that you don’t need to understand any of the programming behind it (this is probably one of the reasons it was voted as one of the top 50 tools for Web Design by Mashable).
There are a few websites that can help you build online forms, but what makes Wufoo helpful is that it automatically creates a database and backend system that gathers the information and presents the data in an understandable way.
Some of the types of forms you can build with this include invitations, classifieds, event calendar, quizzes, tests, surveys, job applications, media collection and more. You can change the settings to make the information (such as survey results) public or password-protected. The company also offers different subscriptions that can get you some serious SSL encryption security (if your clients are particularly concerned about sensitive information or privacy issues). This service isn’t free – the plans range from $14.95 to $199.95 per month.
You may be part of a large corporation that has its own programmers and developers to help you build forms, but if you are a website designer for a smaller company (or a freelancer), you know the challenge of trying to keep on top of all the new website fads. Instead of outsourcing website forms (or telling your client it can’t be done), check out Wufoo. You can sign up and get three forms free before buying anything.