Optimal field count depends on offer. For a free trial, 1-2 fields converts best (email + password, or email + Google OAuth). For a demo request, 3-5 fields converts well (name + email + company + use case). For an enterprise contact-sales form, 7-10 fields is acceptable because the visitor is already committed.
The form's position on the page also matters. Above-the-fold forms convert when the offer is well-known ("Start free trial"); below-the-fold forms work when the offer needs explanation first ("Talk to a sales engineer about your specific use case").
The most common failure: a free-tier signup form asking for company size, industry, and role before the user has seen the product. The friction signals "this is going to be a sales call, not a product trial," and most visitors leave.
How Lytms scores it
Lytms scores form friction under the CTA & Offer dimension via the form-friction module. The module counts form fields, classifies each as necessary (email, password) or speculative (company size, role, timeline), and flags forms with >3 speculative fields on free-tier conversion paths. Each finding ships with the specific field to remove and the predicted impact.
See also
From the blog
See form friction on your own page.
One URL. About 2 minutes.