What’s the best way to handle client contact forms?

If you're looking for simplicity, consider using tools like FormSpark, which can capture data and email clients without complex setups. They have a generous free plan, so your client may not need to pay anything upfront. For extensive features, you're better off using something like SendGrid.

Definitely include contact form handling in your hosting fee! This simplifies things for your clients. They appreciate not having to juggle different services, especially for something as core as a contact form.

In my experience, I usually charge a small annual fee that covers the client's domain, hosting, and maintenance. For smaller businesses, this fee is about twice the price of the domain. Larger businesses often pay per use, but it's still cheaper than running their own server. I also include services like Amazon SES for sending emails from the contact forms, plus some email accounts and general newsletter usage. Just make sure to have a clear contract to outline these details!

I prefer to keep things straightforward. If a client isn't tech-savvy, I host their contact form on a simple backend service like Firebase and give them a way to access the data. If they understand the development process better, I might handle everything or let them manage their own account with something like Mailgun.

For most of my clients, I use WPForms along with WP Mail SMTP for sending emails, often through services like Brevo. This approach is great because it includes spam protection features essential for clients looking to generate quality leads.