WordPress Lead Generation Plugins: How to Choose and Use for Maximum Conversions

When starting their WordPress site, many new businesses think their biggest struggle will be getting traffic to their website. In reality, their biggest challenge is lead generation.

Lead generation is when visitors share their contact information with you. This occurs when they respond to a pop-up, an opt-in form, or another lead capture tool on your website. It is an important sign that they are interested in what you are selling.

There are a number of WordPress lead generation plugins that simplify and optimize this process. This article will explore the top WordPress lead generation plugins, their features, and how they can help you capture more leads and convert more visitors.

Why WordPress Lead Generation Plugins Are Essential

Lead generation plugins are valuable WordPress marketing tools. They streamline and automate the process of lead capture, nurturing, and management. Taking advantage of the marketing tools that plugins provide, including pop-ups, opt-ins, forms, and calls-to-action (CTAs), increases the likelihood of a customer sign-up. For example, you can increase your conversion rate by 33% using pop-ups, according to one source.

Just as important, lead generation plugins allow you to track performance and better understand visitor behavior. They seamlessly integrate with marketing services like MailChimp or HubSpot and customer relationship management (CRM) platforms to deliver valuable customer data. You will not find a more cost-effective tool for organizing and optimizing your lead generation process.

Types of Lead Generation Plugins and Their Features

Different plugins tend to specialize in supporting specific lead generation activities. They fall into six categories:

Form Builders

Examples: WPForms, Gravity Forms

Form builders make it easy to quickly develop and install different types of forms on your site. These plugins are good for contact forms, newsletter sign-ups, survey forms, and quote-request forms. Many form builders are drag-and-drop, providing pre-designed form fields for you to use.

Others support customizable fields and support conditional logic, where a form is responsive to different inputs from the user. Spam prevention, which can save time by blocking unwanted submissions, is another helpful feature. Integration with your email marketing service should be a priority when choosing a form builder plugin.

Pop-up and Opt-in Tools

Examples: OptinMonster, Thrive Leads

Pop-up and opt-in tools help you collect email addresses and contact information. These plugins are useful for email list building, special offers, announcements, and abandoned car recovery. They give you access to a variety of lead capture options including exit-intent, scroll-triggered, and time-delayed pop-ups.

These tools can also you to set up slide-ins, floating bars, and content locking, where access to certain content is restricted until the user performs a desired action. Most pop-up and opt-in plugins allow you to do A/B testing to choose the most effective version of a given tool.

Landing Page Builders

Examples: Elementor, Beaver Builder

Landing page builders help you develop landing pages for lead generation. These plugins are a good fit for supporting dedicated lead magnet pages, webinar registration, and coming-soon pages.

Pre-designed templates and drag-and-drop customization are helpful features common to these plugins. They also give you the ability to add in conversion-focused page features like opt-in forms and pop-ups. Once built, you can easily integrate your landing pages with your lead capture forms.

Live Chat and Chatbots

Examples: LiveChat, HubSpot

Live chat and chatbot plugins allow you to communicate directly with visitors. Good use cases for these plugins are answering pre-sale questions, instant support, and collecting contact information.

Chat features on your site can support real-time customer interaction. You can also provide automated responses to common questions and engage in lead qualification. Some live chat plugins allow you to save transcripts of visitor interactions, which can be analyzed later. Integrating your live chat plugin with your CRM delivers valuable data into your lead generation efforts.

Giveaway and Contest Plugins

Examples: RafflePress, Gratisfaction

Giveaways and contests can be an effective part of your lead generation strategy. These plugins help support rapid email list growth, brand awareness, and social media engagement. 

When looking at these plugins, some valuable features to consider include viral sharing options and easy social media integrations. You should also look for customizable entry methods and leaderboards functions to strengthen your giveaway and contest opportunities.

Social Proof and Notification Plugins

Examples: TrustPulse, WiserNotify

Social Proof and Notification plugins for WordPress sites support lead generation by displaying notifications about the purchase or sign-up activities of other users on the site. These notifications build trust and create fear of missing out (FOMO) among users.

This can help urge users to share contact information and convert to a lead. Some effective features of these plugins are sharing recent sales notifications and other visitor activity pop-ups. Also look for custom messaging and psychological trigger tools.

Key Factors to Consider With WordPress Lead Generation Plugins

There are many WordPress plugins available to assist you with lead generation. As you seek out the best fitting tool for you, keep these considerations top of mind:

• Ease of use: Drag-and-drop interfaces and pre-built templates greatly simplify supporting your WordPress lead generation strategy.
• Features and functionality: Does the tool offer the specific lead capture method that you need?
• Integrations capabilities: Be sure to choose a plugin that easily integrates with your email marketing, CRM, and analytics tools.
• Customization options: Maintain your business’s brand with plugins that support customization.
• Performance and speed: Avoid plugins that greatly impact your website loading times.
• Support and documentation: Access to reliable customer support and helpful resources are a great benefit when problems arise with the plugin.
• Pricing: Choose from among free and premium options, understanding the pros and cons of each.

Best Practices for Maximizing Lead Generation With Plugins

As you implement WordPress plugins on your site, these lead generation best practices will help you gain the most value from them:

• Offer real value: Provide compelling lead magnets, such as e-books, checklists, and discounts to entire visitors.
• Craft clear CTAs: Always be specific in the action you want the visitor to take.
• Strategic placement of lead generation tools: Use inline forms or sidebar widgets to help maintain a strong user experience.
• A/B testing: Continuously test different designs, copy, and triggers to optimize your lead generation.
• Don’t overdo it: Avoid overwhelming visitors with too many pop-ups and forms.
• Follow-up and nurture: Integrate your plugins with your email marketing platform to support lead nurturing.
• Mobile-friendly: Check and make sure that all forms and pop-ups are responsive.

Find the Right Lead Generation Plugin for Your Business Needs

WordPress lead generation plugins are essential tools in the eternal struggle to convert visitors to your site. Doing your research and investing in the right lead generation plugin will significantly boost the growth of your e-commerce. Following the links provided to look at and compare your different options and start improving your lead generation strategy today.

Pressable Support for Your Lead Generation Strategy

Pressable makes it easy for you to add lead generation plugins to your WordPress site and capture visitor contact information. We provide a hosting foundation that delivers unmatched speed, security, and reliability. Your site’s page loads are optimized to deliver an efficient and reliable experience to your visitors. We give you the technical confidence you need to focus your attention on integrating useful plugins that help drive leads and generate more conversions.

Pressable—part of the Automattic family that also includes WordPress.com, WordPress VIP, and WooCommerce—offers experts with the skills and knowledge to effectively manage your WordPress site. If you’re thinking about switching to managed WordPress hosting, schedule a demo to see how Pressable can support your continued optimization and growth.

Zach Wiesman

Zach brings a wealth of knowledge to Pressable with more than 15 years of experience in the WordPress world. His journey in WordPress began with creating and maintaining client websites, fostering a deep understanding of the intricacies and challenges of WordPress. Later, his knack for problem-solving and commitment to service led him to pursue a role at Automattic, where he excelled in providing customer support for WooCommerce. His expertise extends beyond technical proficiency to encompass a deep understanding of the WordPress community and its needs. Outside of work, Zach enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, and working on projects around the house.