Context

On a freelance portfolio, every contact form submission is a business opportunity. Without automation, the risk is simple: a form submitted in the evening, no immediate notification, and the request gets lost in the inbox.

To demonstrate what I offer my clients — and use it myself — I connected this site’s contact form to a Make workflow.

The Make scenario

The Make scenario: Webhook → Gmail (alert) → Gmail (confirmation) → Google Sheets

What the workflow does

As soon as a visitor submits the form, Make automatically runs:

  1. Data reception via a webhook (instant trigger)
  2. Email alert to me: name, email, requested service, budget, full message
  3. Confirmation email to the visitor: acknowledgement that their request has arrived, announced response time (within 1 business day)
  4. Google Sheets entry: one row per request (reference, date, name, email, service, budget, message, language, status)

The tools

  • Make (formerly Integromat) — no-code / low-code automation platform, free plan (1,000 operations/month)
  • Make Webhook — a public HTTPS URL that receives form data
  • Gmail via Google API — sends both emails from the connected Gmail account
  • Google Sheets — request tracking spreadsheet, accessible from Google Drive

Technical choices

Why Make instead of n8n? n8n is excellent for complex client workflows (I built one — see the n8n case study). For a simple contact form, Make is faster to set up and its free plan is generous. Both tools are complementary.

Why not a simple form service (Formspree, Web3Forms)? Those services send a basic notification. Make allows more: a unique reference per request, structured logging for follow-up, a personalised confirmation email, and the option to add automatic follow-ups later.

The form remains functional without JavaScript: if Make doesn’t respond, the form falls back to mailto mode — the visitor is never blocked.

What the project demonstrates

  • Ability to automate a real business process (not a fictional demo)
  • Proficiency with Make and Gmail + Google Sheets integrations
  • Product attention to detail: polished confirmation email, announced response time, structured tracking
  • Tool complementarity: n8n for clients, Make for lightweight needs

This workflow runs in production on this site. Every form you submit here goes through this Make scenario.