Quick Tip: Pros and cons of testing a Pardot form using the View Online preview link

by | Last Updated: Feb 1, 2023 | Blog, Pardot | MC Account Engagement, Quick tips

If you want to test a Pardot form but don’t want to (or can’t) test it on your website, you can test the form using the Pardot ‘View Online’ preview link.

Benefits of form testing using the Pardot View Online form preview

There are some instances where you might benefit from testing a Pardot form using the Pardot preview link:

  • If you don’t have access to posting your form code onto your website then using the form preview link can give you at least some testing capabilities.
  • You can test your overall form layout based on your Pardot form layout template, i.e. see any Terms links or images provisioned from your form layout template.
  • You can confirm that any related opt-in automations are functioning properly, i.e. adding form submission prospects to opt-in lists (this is perhaps the biggest benefit).
  • You can test that you have the correct autoresponder and that everything looks good on the autoresponder once sent to your inbox.

Drawbacks of form testing using the Pardot View Online form preview

There are some drawbacks to not testing a Pardot form on your website with your Pardot iframe code embedded within your website:

  • You probably won’t see how your form will be styled since only once it is posted to your website will your form adopt some of your website’s CSS styling.
  • You won’t see if any error messages are causing the form to cut off in the iframe on the website, i.e. if there are any error messages when attempting to submit the form from your website it’s possible your submit button could be hidden if the iframe isn’t tall enough (height parameter).
  • You won’t see any personalization if you have any dynamic content within your form or your web page where the form is to be posted since the dynamic content won’t trigger, and any dynamic content on your form success web page will just show the default content since no cookie was set during form submission.
  • You won’t see any progressive profiling based on already known prospect data, so all form fields will display.

Certified Consultant/Owner | Jeff Kemp

Marketing Automation & CRM Consultant

hire Jeff Kemp | Marketing Automation & CRM Consultant

I help select and optimize your processes & tech stack for improved marketing & sales effectiveness, operations, and ROI.

My superpowers are Knowledge, Experience, and Business acumen. I enjoy the intersection of working with people, processes, and technology where I can provide leadership and add value.

With over 30 years of marketing and sales experience I've been laser targeted on Marketing Automation for 10 years, seven of those as a Salesforce Certified Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (Pardot) Consultant, and also as a Certified Salesforce Administrator and HubSpot Expert. Prior to that I have over 15 years of WordPress development experience and additional roles in sales and marketing management.

Since I've worked with a lot of clients in various industries I've seen several of the same struggles that are common to almost all organizations (as outlined in this article). With each organization and project that I'm involved with I work hard to solve many of those typical problems, plus identifying and solving sometimes unique and complex issues which often involve cleaning up technical debt from legacy systems, and architecting processes and solutions to help organizations set up effective lead management systems and operational efficiencies using best practices and proven methodologies.

I also love dogs :0)

Optimal Business Consulting (OBC) is proud to be a Salesforce Partner. -->More about Jeff & OBC

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