Create an email opt-in form for your website (pop-up or inline)

You can build a form like this in under 30 minutes — no coding required. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process using Getsitecontrol, an email marketing tool designed for small businesses.

Feel free to jump to the format you want to use:

1. How to create a pop-up email opt-in form
2. How to create an inline opt-in form

How to create a pop-up email opt-in form

To get started, create a Getsitecontrol account. The free plan lets you publish opt-in forms on your website without targeting settings.

Once ready, log into your account and follow these simple steps.

Step 1. Select a template

To get started quickly, choose a pre-designed template. Click Create widget, go to Premade widgets, and select an email opt-in form from the gallery.

In the following steps, we’ll show you how to customize this template to your needs.

Step 2. Adjust the text and add new fields

To edit text, click on it and use the editor on the right-hand side.

To add new fields, click on the + sign and select the desired format from the right-side menu.

For example, a common practice for email opt-in forms is to ask subscribers about their email preferences or product interests. To do that, you can add radio buttons, checkboxes, or a dropdown menu. Then use the right-side menu to go through the field settings.

In a moment, we’ll show you how to use the information captured through the preference fields to automatically tag subscribers and send targeted email campaigns.

Step 3. Adjust the design and image

On the same screen, you can adjust the appearance of the form. To replace the image, click on it and choose a new one. You can pick a relevant photo from the built-in library or upload your own visual 👇

Use the Theme menu at the top to adjust the font, color theme, and field style.

For best results, match the form’s style to your website so it feels like a natural extension — not a separate element.

Step 4. Review display conditions

By default, the form you’ve created will appear instantly when a visitor arrives at your website, regardless of the page. If this works for you, you can skip this step and move to the next tab.

If you want to review display settings and tweak things up, you can do it in the Targeting tab.

The targeting settings allow you to choose:

1. pages where the form should or should not be displayed
2. visitors who will see the form (new or returning, specific locations, etc.)
3. display triggers for when to start showing the form to your visitors
4. conditions when you want to stop displaying the form to the same visitor

Targeting settings are intuitive to work with, but if you need guidance, feel free to read this detailed tutorial.

Step 5. Set up contact tagging (optional)

In the Contacts tab, you can set up automatic contact tagging, based on what they selected in the preferences field. To get started, find the Tags menu and select the field you’ll be using for tagging. In our example, it’s the dropdown menu, and product collections.

Next, you want to create a rule: if a contact has selected option A, add a corresponding tag. If you have no previously created tags, you can create a new tag right there and assign it.

This way, you’ll have a set of rules for each preference option on your form.

Once you've configured these settings, click Continue → , then save and close the editor.

Step 6. Create an automated welcome email (optional)

When someone joins your list, it’s a good practice to send a follow-up email where you thank them for subscribing and let them know what happens next. In Getsitecontrol, this is called a form submission automation.

You can create a new automation right from the widget card.

On the next screen, select Send email from the menu to create the email that will be automatically sent to the new subscribers.

You can build an email from scratch, but it’s easier to start with a follow-up template.

At the next step, you’ll be able to align it with your brand’s visual identity and customize it by adding buttons, coupons, product cards, and other engagement elements.

When your email is ready, save and close the editor. Your automation will start running as soon as the form goes live on the website, and people start joining your list.

Activate the opt-in form on your website

Finally, activate the form on your website to make it live.

After the form goes live on your website, you can review its click-through rate right on the widget’s card on the main screen – and access a more detailed report in the Statistics section.

You can also update the form or run an A/B test after it’s published.

How to create an inline email opt-in form

Inline forms are embedded directly into the page, making them a more subtle and unobtrusive option compared to popups. Let’s walk through the process of creating one, step by step.

Step 1. Select a template

Log into your Getsitecontrol dashboard and click Create widget. Proceed to Premade widgets, scroll down, and select an inline form layout you want.

In the following steps, we’ll adjust the text, image, and style of the form. Then we’ll show you how to embed it on your website.

Step 2. Edit the text and adjust the fields

Customize the call to action to match your offer and your brand voice. For example, if you’re offering an incentive in exchange for a signup, mention it in the title.

If you’d like to add another field, click on the + sign and select the desired field format on the right.

For instance, you can easily add a mandatory consent checkbox to make the form compliant with GDPR.

Step 3. Adjust the design and image

To change the image on the form, just click on it and proceed to the right-side menu to either upload a new picture or select one from the built-in gallery.

Try to match the form’s design to your website so it feels consistent and seamless. To achieve that, go to the Theme menu and select the font, color theme, and field style that matches your brand.

Step 4. Adjust targeting (optional)

For animated forms, targeting settings define the moment when the form pops up on a page.

For inline forms, you can leave the default settings “as is” – and the form will be visible on every page of your website.

If you would like to display the form on selected pages only, include their URLs in the first field of the Targeting tab.

At this point, your form is ready to go live. Follow the next steps to activate it and publish it on your website.

Step 5. Activate and embed the email opt-in form

Once you click through all the steps and save the form, you’ll be prompted to activate it and copy its code.

From there, depending on the website platform you’re using, you have several ways to add the form to your website.

If you’re using WordPress, you’ll need to add a custom HTML block and paste the code of the widget there. Read a detailed guide →

If you’re using Shopify (Online Store 2.0 theme editor), you’ll need to create a new section, add an Inline widget, and paste the code in the widget ID field. Read a detailed guide →

If you’re using any other website platform, you’ll need to add the code of the widget to the code of your website, or a page where you want the form to appear. Read a detailed guide →

As soon as you’re done embedding the form, it will go live on your website right away, and you can track its performance under the Statistics report.

Start building your email list today

Growing an email list takes time — but you’ll start seeing results faster with a prominent opt-in form on your website. You don’t have to stop at just one opt-in form. For example, it’s a common practice to add an email opt-in sticky bar or an inline form to the website and still display a pop-up form to make sure website visitors haven’t missed your call to action.