How to Create a Custom Newsletter Form with Google Forms Backend

Overview

This guide explains how to create a professional newsletter signup form using Google Forms as the backend, without showing the Google Forms interface.

Step-by-Step Process

1. Google Form Setup

1. Create a Google Form with an email field
2. Get the form ID from the URL (after /e/)
3. Get the entry ID for the email field:
   • Inspect form source code
   • Look for FB_PUBLIC_LOAD_DATA_
   • Entry ID format: entry.XXXXXXXX

2. HTML Form Structure

<form action="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/YOUR_FORM_ID/formResponse" 
      method="post" 
      target="_blank"
      id="subscribe-form"
      onsubmit="return handleSubmit(event);">
    <div class="input-group">
        <input 
            type="email" 
            name="entry.YOUR_ENTRY_ID"
            placeholder="Your email address" 
            required
        >
        <button type="submit">Subscribe</button>
    </div>
    <div id="form-status"></div>
</form>

3. JavaScript Handler

function handleSubmit(event) {
    const form = document.getElementById('subscribe-form');
    const status = document.getElementById('form-status');
    
    // Create hidden iframe for response
    let iframe = document.querySelector('iframe[name="hidden_iframe"]');
    if (!iframe) {
        iframe = document.createElement('iframe');
        iframe.name = 'hidden_iframe';
        document.body.appendChild(iframe);
    }
    
    // Set form target to iframe
    form.target = 'hidden_iframe';
    
    // Show success message
    status.textContent = 'Subscribing...';
    setTimeout(() => {
        status.textContent = 'Thanks for subscribing!';
        form.reset();
        setTimeout(() => {
            status.textContent = '';
        }, 3000);
    }, 1000);
    
    return true;
}

4. CSS Styling

/* Container styles */
.form-container {
    max-width: 500px;
    margin: 0 auto;
}

/* Input group */
.input-group {
    display: flex;
    gap: 10px;
    margin-bottom: 10px;
}

/* Email input */
#email-input {
    flex: 1;
    padding: 10px 15px;
    border: 2px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2);
    border-radius: 4px;
    background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1);
    color: white;
}

/* Submit button */
.submit-btn {
    padding: 10px 20px;
    background: #ffffff;
    border: none;
    border-radius: 4px;
    cursor: pointer;
}

/* Hide Google response */
iframe[name="hidden_iframe"] {
    display: none;
}

/* Mobile responsiveness */
@media (max-width: 768px) {
    .input-group {
        flex-direction: column;
    }
    .submit-btn {
        width: 100%;
    }
}

Important Notes

Common Gotchas

• Wrong entry ID format (must include “entry.” prefix)
• Incorrect form action URL
• Trying to use JavaScript fetch/AJAX (won’t work due to CORS)
• Not handling the response page properly

Best Practices

1. Always use direct form submission
2. Include proper error handling
3. Show clear user feedback
4. Make the form responsive
5. Test on multiple devices
6. Verify submissions in Google Forms

Testing Checklist

• Submit test email
• Check Google Form responses
• Test on mobile devices
• Verify success message
• Check form reset
• Test in different browsers

Benefits

• Professional appearance
• No Google Forms branding
• Reliable submission handling
• Good user experience
• Mobile-friendly
• Free to use
• Easy maintenance

Maintenance

1. Regularly check Google Form responses
2. Monitor submission success rate
3. Update styling as needed
4. Test periodically on new browsers/devices