What Is a Web Form?
TL;DR
A web form is a set of input fields on a page that collects information from a visitor and submits it to a system that stores or acts on it. Hosted on its own URL or embedded in an existing page, it is the most common way a website turns an anonymous visitor into a named record.
What are the parts of a web form?
Fields, validation, a submit action and a destination. The fields collect input, validation rejects what cannot be used before the form is sent, the submit action carries the values to a server, and the destination is the system that stores the result and does something with it.
The destination is the part treated as an afterthought most often and the part that matters most. A form that emails submissions to a shared inbox has collected data without creating a record, so everything done with it later starts with a copy and paste.
Should a web form be hosted or embedded?
Hosted when the form is the whole purpose of the visit, which covers a link in an email, a signature or a social profile. Embedded when it belongs inside a page that is doing other persuading, such as a pricing or a contact page.
Both submit to the same destination, so the choice is about context rather than plumbing. A hosted page removes distractions and an embedded form removes a click.
Frequently asked questions
A hosted form lives on its own URL and is opened by following a link. An embedded form is placed inside an existing page on your own site. The fields and the destination are identical, and only where the visitor meets it changes.