All forms have fields that we can see and interact with. Usually, a form will ask that users input their names, email addresses, and maybe some comments that can help guide the next steps in the communication process. These are visible fields.
Hidden fields collect information, too, but they don’t require your site visitors to manually provide the data points. They can tell us things like what page a person was on before they got linked to your form, when the form was completed, or even the login information of the person who completed it. It’s helpful for your records and data analysis to know these things, but thanks to hidden fields, you don’t have to burden your users with manually supplying those details to you.
The Hidden field can be used to store information that should not be visible to the user but can be processed and stored with the user submission. It is available under the Standard Fields section within the form editor.
Adding hidden fields to your Gravity Forms is just as simple as adding visible fields. The same way you would drag and drop the field of your choice from the bank of available visible field options, you can select the box that says “hidden” and slot it into place on your form. Once added, the advanced portion of the field settings is where you decide what data will be collected in the hidden field. Not sure what some of the options mean? Here’s a quick rundown of a few important ones:
{referrer} – This allows you to see what source or webpage referred people to your form in the first place. Find out if Google is sending motivated customers your way, or if it’s your social media presence that is making all the difference!
{embed_url} – This setting lets you see what page a visitor was on when they completed the form, which is exceptionally helpful when you use a single contact or signup form on multiple pages of your website. It can inform you which pages are most successful in securing conversions.
{user_agent} – If you want to understand the browser and operating system a submission came from, or you’re interested in how many people complete the form on mobile vs. desktop, this is the right hidden field for you. It can be useful in helping you optimize user experience based on how people are currently using your site and forms.
Keeping track of where your site visitors and form submitters come from can help you better focus your ad spend or content marketing efforts. If you notice that a certain page or platform is leading to a lot of conversions (i.e. form submissions), then it likely worth your while to drive more traffic to that source, or to emulate the content that lives there.
We understand the hesitation when it comes to the idea of collecting user data without it being expressly handed over by the user themselves. The truth is, hidden fields can richly enhance your data and thus your ability to personalize marketing communications with your customers. But they can also be manipulated by malicious agents or curious, tech-savvy visitors.
As a best practice, we advise anyone using hidden fields on Gravity Forms, directly in HTML, or with other form builders to research the security of the practice as it relates to your intended use. If you’re coding hidden fields yourself, trust a professional to handle it for you so you don’t accidentally leave confidential information or vulnerabilities in your fields.
Check out these on-demand sessions to learn more about website marketing, as well as data collection and analysis.
While there are plenty of form builder plugins for WordPress, Gravity Forms is definitely our favorite. It’s a popular choice on many of the top WordPress website, too, and we can see why:
Gravity Forms is as confident as we are that you’ll absolutely love what they’re offering. And with a 30-Day Risk Free Guarantee, you have a whole month to see for yourself! What are you waiting for?
