Contact forms break silently. The form still looks fine on the page, but the messages go nowhere. You will not know unless you test it.
How to test
- Open your website on your phone (not a computer — test what your customers use).
- Fill out the contact form with a real message. Use a different email than the one that receives the submissions.
- Hit send.
- Check where the form messages are supposed to arrive. Did it show up?
- If the form says "we'll reply within 24 hours," wait 24 hours. Did you actually reply?
Common reasons forms break
- The email address it sends to was changed or deleted. You switched email providers and the old address stopped working.
- Messages are landing in spam. Check your spam or junk folder.
- The form service expired. Some form tools stop working after a trial period.
- The form works on desktop but not on a phone. A button might be too small to tap, or the form might be cut off on a narrow screen.
How often to test
Once a month. Set a reminder. It takes two minutes and it is the only way to know.
If the form is broken and you can't fix it
Put your email address and phone number in plain text on the page, right above the form. A visible fallback is better than a silent dead end.