The Ultimate Guide to Boosting Engagement with WordPress Form Redirects

Hey there, WordPress user! Are you ready to supercharge your form conversions and keep visitors engaged after they click submit? You‘re in the right place.

I‘ve been building WordPress sites for over a decade, and I can confidently say that setting up redirects is one of the most powerful yet underutilized tactics for leveling up your form strategy. By directing users to a targeted page that aligns with their intent, you can deliver a more rewarding experience while also driving your business goals.

In fact, research shows that using post-conversion redirects can boost revenue by 25-40% compared to just showing a thank you message.

Whether you want to increase pageviews, drive sales, grow your email list, or connect on a deeper level with your audience, WordPress form redirects are the key. And the best part? They‘re super easy to implement, even if you‘re not tech savvy.

In this ultimate guide, I‘ll walk you through everything you need to know, including:

• 4 smart ways to use redirects for maximum impact
• Step-by-step tutorials for setting up redirects with popular form and membership plugins
• Pro tips and best practices to optimize your post-submission flows

By the end, you‘ll be an expert at crafting engaging, high-converting user journeys. Let‘s dive in!

4 Smart Ways to Use Form Redirects in WordPress

Not sure how redirects fit into your WordPress strategy? Here are four powerful use cases to get your creative juices flowing.

1. Deliver a Relevant Lead Magnet

Did your visitor just opt in to your email list via a form? Instead of dropping them on a generic thank you page, automatically redirect them to the specific lead magnet they signed up for, whether it‘s a:

• PDF guide
• Video mini-course
• Quiz results
• Webinar registration
• Discount code

Here‘s a real-world example: Online marketing guru Neil Patel found that 54% of visitors who started the quiz on one of his popular posts also opted in to his email list when presented with a quiz-specific lead magnet.[^1]

By delivering instant gratification, you‘ll create a stellar first impression and motivate new subscribers to engage with your email content. Plus, you‘ll save yourself the hassle of manually sending lead magnets.

2. Recommend Personalized Content and Offers

Want to replicate the Netflix or Amazon experience on your WordPress site? Use conditional logic to redirect users to different pages based on their form responses.

For instance, say you have a form asking visitors what topics they‘re interested in learning about. If someone checks "SEO Tips", you could show them a thank you page with:

• Links to your top SEO articles and videos
• An invitation to join your SEO crash course
• Testimonials from your SEO coaching clients
• A special discount on your SEO toolkit

According to Accenture, 91% of consumers are more likely to buy from brands that provide relevant offers and recommendations. Redirect forms help you collect key info about a user‘s preferences and immediately act on those insights.

3. Encourage First-Time Commenters to Subscribe

Do you get a decent amount of comments on your WordPress blog? Convert those engaged readers into email subscribers by redirecting first-time commenters to a newsletter opt-in landing page.

In one case study, the owner of a tech blog used the Comment Redirect plugin to grow his list from 10,697 to 16,767 subscribers (56.7% increase) in just 3 months![^2] The more you can capitalize on a reader‘s momentum, the better.

On your redirect page, remember to:

1. Thank them for their comment and build rapport
2. Explain the value proposition of joining your email list
3. Include a prominent signup form above the fold
4. Provide an alternative way to engage if they‘re not ready to opt in

4. Personalize the Member Onboarding Experience

If you run a WordPress membership site, you know that a new user‘s first few minutes on your site are critical for retention and lifetime value. An underwhelming welcome experience can lead to high churn rates.

Luckily, you can use form redirects to craft unique paths for each type of new member:

A personalized onboarding flow helps new members find value in your site faster, reducing the likelihood of cancellations.

How to Set Up Redirects in WordPress

Now that you‘ve seen the potential of form redirects, I bet you‘re excited to implement them on your own WordPress site. I‘ll show you how, using two of my favorite plugins: Gravity Forms and MemberPress.

Gravity Forms Redirect

With the premium version of Gravity Forms, you can easily configure confirmation redirects for each form:

1. Open your form in the Gravity Forms editor and go to Settings > Confirmations.
2. Click Add New to create a confirmation.
3. Name your confirmation and select Page as the Confirmation Type.
4. Choose the WordPress page you want to redirect to from the dropdown menu, or enter a custom URL:

5. If desired, set up conditional logic rules to show different confirmations based on user responses:

6. Save your form and test it out!

Pro tip: You can use Gravity Forms‘ nifty {embed_post:ID} merge tag to dynamically redirect to a specific post or page ID.

For example, let‘s say you have a form where users can request info about a certain product or service. You could use a hidden field to capture the post ID, then redirect to that post with the appropriate view count merge tag:

/product/{embed_post:product_post_id}/?view={date_mdy}

MemberPress Redirect

MemberPress is my go-to plugin for creating membership sites on WordPress. In addition to protecting content based on a user‘s membership level, it also lets you customize the registration process, including redirects.

Here‘s how to set up registration redirects in MemberPress:

1. Go to MemberPress > Options and scroll down to the Pages section.
2. Next to Registration Page, click the Edit Page link to modify your registration form and success message.
3. Edit the Registration Complete area to customize what users see after submitting the form:

4. To redirect to a specific page, select Redirect and enter the URL. You can insert MemberPress smart tags like {user_id} to personalize the destination based on who is logging in.

5. Repeat this process for your Login Page to redirect users after signing in.

You can also set up rules in MemberPress to automatically redirect non-members who try to access restricted content. For instance, you might redirect the lesson pages in your course to the course sales page.

Best Practices for High-Converting Form Redirects

You‘ve got the technical instructions down pat, but how do you ensure your form redirects are as effective as possible? I‘ve learned a few key principles over the years:

1. Align with User Intent

Think about what your visitor hopes to accomplish by submitting the form, and make sure your redirect page matches that intent.

If they shared their biggest struggle in a survey, point them to your best content on overcoming that challenge. If they bought a product, don‘t redirect to an unrelated upsell offer.

2. Follow Through on Your Promise

Did you mention a special bonus or discount on the form? Keep your word and deliver it on the thank you page. Nothing erodes trust faster than a bait and switch.

3. Remove Distractions and Friction

Once a user submits your form, the last thing you want is for them to get distracted and abandon your site. Remove unnecessary navigation links and CTAs from your redirect pages.

Instead, give clear instructions on what to do next, whether it‘s checking their email, clicking a button, or reading a related article.

4. Use Benefit-Driven Copy

When convincing users to take another action after form submission, focus on the benefits. How will subscribing to your list or starting a free trial make their life easier?

Remind visitors of the transformation your product or content enables. Back up your claims with specific numbers, testimonials, and other forms of social proof.

Level Up Your WordPress Form Strategy

Phew, that was a lot to cover! But I hope you‘re feeling inspired to enhance your WordPress forms with strategic redirects. It‘s such a simple way to guide visitors to the next logical step in their journey.

Remember, whether you‘re using Gravity Forms, MemberPress, or another tool, always put yourself in the user‘s shoes. What will provide the most value based on the information they just entrusted you with?

Equipped with this mindset and the technical know-how from this guide, you‘re ready to boost engagement and conversions like never before. I can‘t wait to hear about the creative redirects you come up with.

For more juicy WordPress tips, check out my other tutorials on collecting payments with forms, building a loyalty program for members, and writing high-converting landing page copy.

Now go redirect some visitors!