What happens if I add filters to my form to reduce the number of results created?

Short Answer: Adding filters to your form reduces the number of results, which helps improve the buying intent of the leads you receive. However, this will also likely cause your conversion rate to drop as fewer results are generated overall.

Full Explanation

When you apply filters to your form to reduce the quantity of results, you are basically lowering the total number of responses or leads you receive. This reduction helps to minimize noise — leads or results that may not have serious intent or value. With fewer but more targeted results, the quality of leads tends to increase because the filters ensure that the respondents are more likely to be interested in buying or taking a concrete action.

However, because the filtering process excludes certain responses, only a subset of potential leads passes through. This naturally decreases the total number of results, which can result in an overall lower conversion rate since fewer participants meet the stricter criteria set by your filters.

Step-by-Step Breakdown

Add filters to your form: Implement criteria that respondents must meet to be included in your results.
Reduce the number of results: With filters, non-qualified or less relevant leads are filtered out, so total results decrease.
Increase lead intent: The leads that remain are more likely to have a genuine interest or buying intent due to stricter qualifications.
Experience lower conversion rate: Since there are fewer results overall, the percentage of conversions may drop compared to a less filtered form.

Real Examples

While specific examples are not provided, the concept implies that by filtering out less serious leads, the remaining results will exhibit stronger buying intent. This focuses your attention on higher quality leads but means you have a smaller pool to convert.

Common Mistakes

Over-filtering: Applying too many filters can excessively limit the number of results and reduce your opportunity for conversions.
Ignoring lead quality: Focusing only on quantity instead of using filters to improve lead intent can result in many uninterested leads.
Not balancing filters and volume: Failing to understand that reducing results will typically lower conversion rates might lead to incorrect conclusions about campaign performance.

FAQs

Will adding filters always reduce conversion rates? Typically, yes, because fewer results are created, even though lead intent improves.
Can filters improve lead quality? Yes, filters help reduce noise by ensuring that the results have higher buying intent.
Should I avoid filters to keep conversion rates high? Not necessarily; using filters helps focus on better quality leads, but you should balance filtering with volume based on your goals.

Key Takeaways

Adding filters reduces the number of form results.
The quality of those results usually improves, showing higher buying intent.
This process typically leads to a drop in overall conversion rate because fewer results are generated.
It’s important to balance the use of filters to optimize both lead quality and conversion metrics.