HubSpot forms: capturing CRM data and automating follow-up

HubSpot forms collect information from visitors and store it in your CRM.

A form submission can create or update records, notify users, trigger automation, route enquiries and contribute to reporting. Forms should therefore be designed as part of your wider CRM and follow-up process, rather than treated only as website components.

How HubSpot forms work

Each standard form field is connected to a HubSpot property.

When somebody submits a form, HubSpot can use the submitted information to create or update CRM records. Depending on the fields and configuration, this can include contact and company information.

For example:

• An email field can identify or create a contact.
• A company-name field can capture company information.
• An enquiry-type field can support routing and reporting.
• A hidden field can record a known source, campaign or service.
• A consent element can record the visitor’s communication choice.

The properties used by the form determine how the information can subsequently be segmented, automated and reported on.

HubSpot guide:
Create and customise forms

Embedded forms

HubSpot forms can be embedded in:

• HubSpot website pages
• HubSpot landing pages
• HubSpot CTAs
• Externally hosted websites

Embedded forms are commonly used for:

• Contact and enquiry forms
• Content downloads
• Newsletter registrations
• Event registrations
• Demo or consultation requests
• Customer service requests
• Recruitment or application forms

For externally hosted pages, HubSpot provides embed code that can be added to the website. Installing the HubSpot tracking code is also important where website and form analytics need to be recorded.

Styling options and behaviour differ between the current form editor and legacy forms. Test the form on the actual destination page rather than relying only on its appearance inside HubSpot.

HubSpot guide:
Style and embed HubSpot forms on an external site

Standalone form pages

HubSpot forms can also be shared through a direct link to a standalone form page.

A standalone page can be useful when:

• A full website page is not available
• You need a quick, shareable form
• The form will be linked from social media or another platform
• You need to collect information during an early project stage

A form cannot normally be embedded directly inside an email because most email clients do not support embedded forms reliably. Instead, link the recipient to a landing page or the form’s standalone page.

Standalone pages provide less control over the surrounding page experience than a designed website or landing page. Use a dedicated page where branding, supporting information, analytics or conversion experience is important.

Pop-ups, banners and slide-ins

Pop-ups, fixed banners and slide-ins are now created using HubSpot’s CTAs tool.

A form built in the current Forms editor can be added to a CTA. The CTA can then be configured to appear according to triggers such as:

• A button click
• Page scroll
• Exit intent
• Time spent on the page
• Visitor inactivity

Targeting rules can control where the CTA appears and which visitors see it.

Use these formats carefully. A poorly timed or frequently repeated pop-up can disrupt the visitor experience, particularly on smaller screens.

Consider:

• Whether the CTA supports a clear visitor need
• How often it should appear
• Whether it should be hidden on mobile devices
• Which pages should include or exclude it
• Whether consent and tracking choices affect its operation
• Whether an embedded page form would provide a better experience

HubSpot guide:
Create calls-to-action

Plan the form’s purpose

Before building or migrating a form, define what it needs to achieve.

Clarify:

• Who should complete the form
• What information is genuinely required
• Which CRM records and properties should be updated
• What the submission represents in the customer journey
• Who should receive or own the enquiry
• What confirmation the visitor should receive
• Which follow-up actions should happen
• How the form will be measured
• What consent or privacy information is required

Avoid recreating an existing form field for field without reviewing its purpose. Migration provides an opportunity to remove unnecessary questions, improve data structure and standardise similar forms.

Select the right fields and properties

Every field should have a clear operational or reporting purpose.

Before creating a new property, check whether a suitable property already exists. Duplicate properties can fragment data and make segmentation, automation and reporting less reliable.

When choosing fields:

• Ask only for information needed at that stage.
• Use structured options where consistent reporting is important.
• Make a field required only when the submission cannot be handled without it.
• Use clear labels and supporting help text.
• Avoid collecting sensitive information unless the account and process are configured appropriately.
• Confirm how existing property values should be treated when a known contact submits the form again.

Dropdowns, radio buttons and checkboxes normally provide more consistent reporting than free-text fields. Free text remains useful where the visitor needs to describe an enquiry in their own words.

Hidden fields

Hidden fields submit a value without displaying the field to the visitor.

They can support information such as:

• Enquiry source
• Product or service interest
• Campaign
• Form location
• Region
• Internal classification

Use hidden fields only where the value is known from the form’s context.

Document them carefully. A hidden field can overwrite an existing CRM value when the form is submitted, so its effect on existing contacts should be reviewed before publication.

Do not use hidden fields to imply that a visitor has provided consent they did not actively give.

Contact creation and existing records

By default, an email address helps HubSpot identify the contact associated with a submission.

Form settings can affect how submissions create or update records. Review these settings carefully, particularly when:

• Multiple people use the same device
• Returning visitors have pre-populated fields
• Forms are used at events or shared terminals
• An email address is not collected
• Every submission must create a distinct record
• Existing CRM values should not be overwritten

Test both new and existing-contact scenarios before publishing.

Marketing contact status

In accounts that use marketing contacts, a form can be configured to set submitting contacts as marketing contacts.

Marketing contacts can count towards your billable marketing-contact tier and can receive marketing communications where the relevant subscription and legal requirements are met.

Do not automatically mark every form submission as a marketing contact unless there is a defined reason. A service request or operational form may not represent a marketing relationship.

Confirmation and redirects

After submission, a form can display a thank-you message or redirect the visitor to another destination.

Depending on the configuration and subscription, this may include:

• A HubSpot page
• An external URL
• A meeting link
• A payment link
• A conditional destination based on form responses

The confirmation experience should explain what happens next. For example, it might confirm that the enquiry was received, provide an expected response time or direct the visitor to the promised resource.

Avoid exposing confidential submission details in confirmation messages or URL parameters.

Notifications and automation

Form submissions can initiate follow-up actions in HubSpot.

Depending on the subscription and configuration, these may include:

• Notifying selected users or teams
• Notifying the contact owner
• Sending a follow-up email
• Adding the contact to a segment
• Enrolling the record in a workflow
• Assigning or rotating ownership
• Updating CRM properties
• Setting an appropriate lifecycle stage
• Creating a ticket through an inbox or help desk connection

Simple automation can be configured from the form editor. More advanced processes may require HubSpot workflows and an eligible subscription.

HubSpot guide:
Automate form submission actions

Lead and enquiry routing

Where a form begins a sales, marketing or service process, define how the submission will be handled.

Routing may depend on information such as:

• Enquiry type
• Product or service
• Region
• Organisation size
• Existing customer status
• Record owner
• Required response team

Automation should account for incomplete answers and situations where no routing condition matches.

Test the full process from submission to ownership and notification. A successful form submission does not guarantee that the right person has received or acted on it.

Consent and subscriptions

Forms may include data privacy and consent elements to communicate how information will be used and, where appropriate, collect communication consent.

Your organisation should determine:

• The appropriate lawful basis
• The wording displayed to visitors
• Whether communication consent is optional
• Which subscription type is involved
• How preferences should be recorded
• Whether regional differences apply

Consent should be considered when the form is designed, not added only after the data and automation have been configured.

HubSpot provides technical privacy and subscription tools, but your organisation remains responsible for deciding how they should be used. Forbidden does not provide legal advice.

Data quality and security

Forms are an entry point into your CRM and can affect downstream reporting and automation.

Use appropriate controls such as:

• Required fields
• Email validation
• Structured field options
• Blocked email domains where appropriate
• reCAPTCHA
• Clear property definitions
• Duplicate-management processes
• Regular review of spam and invalid submissions

Collect only the information needed for the stated purpose. If a form captures sensitive or confidential information, confirm that your HubSpot subscription, permissions and organisational controls are suitable before publishing it.

Testing before publication

Test every form before making it available to visitors.

Your test should cover:

• Required fields and validation
• Mobile and desktop layouts
• Conditional fields and form steps
• New and existing contact behaviour
• Property updates
• Consent and subscription recording
• Thank-you messages and redirects
• Internal notifications
• Follow-up emails
• Ownership and routing
• Workflow enrolment
• Reporting and campaign associations

Use clearly identifiable test records and remove or exclude them from live reporting where appropriate.

Form governance

Maintain an inventory of active forms and record:

• The form’s purpose
• Where it is published
• Its owner
• The properties it updates
• Associated workflows and segments
• Notification recipients
• Consent configuration
• Review date

Use consistent naming conventions so administrators can identify each form without opening it.

Review forms regularly, especially when website pages, teams, campaigns or business processes change. Removing a form from a page does not necessarily make its standalone URL inaccessible, so check all publishing locations before retiring it.

What can Forbidden help with?

Forbidden can help you:

• Audit and rationalise existing forms
• Design form and property structures
• Rebuild or migrate forms into HubSpot
• Embed forms on HubSpot or external pages
• Configure form-based CTAs
• Set up notifications, routing and workflows
• Configure consent and subscription functionality
• Test record creation and automation
• Establish form naming and governance standards
• Train users to build and manage forms

Your organisation remains responsible for approving the information collected, consent wording, lawful basis, follow-up process and handling of submitted data.

Further information

• Create and customise forms
• Style and embed HubSpot forms on an external site
• Automate form submission actions
• Create calls-to-action