Identifying visitors automatically

How automatic identification works

The RightMessage snippet automatically monitors form submissions across your site to identify visitors. When someone enters their email in a form and submits it, we capture that email, match it to your contact records in your integrated email platform, and store a permanent contact ID for personalization.

This happens automatically after you install the snippet—no additional configuration required for most popular form tools.

Supported form tools

The snippet automatically detects email submissions from these common form tools:

• Standard HTML forms

• Klaviyo

• ConvertKit

• OptinMonster

• MemberSpace

• EmailOctopus

• ClickFunnels

• Wisepops

• Unbounce

• GoHighLevel

• Gravity Forms

• Elementor

• SquareSpace

If you're using a custom form or a tool not listed here, the Email Watcher setting provides more aggressive monitoring.

Enabling Email Watcher

Email Watcher is a more aggressive identification method that monitors any input field across your entire site—not just forms. When enabled, it captures emails as soon as someone types a valid email address and tabs away or presses Enter.

To enable Email Watcher:

1. Go to Settings > Visitor Identification in your dashboard

2. Toggle Email Watcher to ON

3. Click Publish to save your changes

Email Watcher works immediately across your entire site once enabled. You'll see "Identified via Email Watcher" badges in your dashboard's Visitors page when it captures an email.

When to use Email Watcher

Enable Email Watcher if:

• You're using a custom-built form that isn't automatically detected

• Your form tool isn't in the supported list above

• You want to capture emails before form submission (as visitors type)

• You're experiencing missed identifications with your current setup

Leave Email Watcher disabled if:

• Your forms work fine with automatic detection

• Visitors regularly enter other people's email addresses on your site

• You're concerned about accidentally identifying the wrong person

Existing identifications won't be overwritten

Both automatic form monitoring and Email Watcher check whether a visitor is already identified before capturing a new email. If someone is already identified (via a previous visit, login, or manual identification), neither method will overwrite that existing identification.

This protects against misidentification when someone returns to your site and enters a different email address, or when multiple people use the same device.

Testing your setup

To verify automatic identification is working:

1. Open your website in an incognito/private browser window

2. Submit a form with a test email address (or just type one in any field if Email Watcher is enabled)

3. Go to Dashboard > Visitors > Recent Visitors

4. Look for your test email in the visitor list

You should see an identification event showing how the email was captured (form submission or Email Watcher).

Important limitations

Impersonation risk: Anyone can enter any valid email address into a form. If someone enters another person's email (maliciously or accidentally), they'll be identified as that contact and see personalized content intended for them.

Async form processors: If your form uses tools like Zapier or Make to create contacts asynchronously, there may be a delay between form submission and when the contact record exists in your email platform. Identification won't work until that record is synced.

Non-standard forms: Some highly customized forms or AJAX-based forms may not trigger automatic detection. Email Watcher can help with these cases, but test thoroughly to ensure it's working as expected.