How-to

How to Get a Client to Sign a Contract Online

To get a client to sign a contract online, put it in a signable format (a template or an upload with a signature field placed), send it to their email as a link rather than a printable attachment, and confirm they can sign without creating an account. In the U.S., an electronic signature collected this way is legally binding under the federal ESIGN Act and state UETA laws — the same as a signature on paper.

Step by step

1. Put the contract in a signable format. Start from a template close to what you need, or upload the contract you already use as a PDF or Word document, and place a signature field where your client needs to sign.
2. Send it to the right email, as a link. Enter your client's email as the signer and send. They should receive a link to open and sign online — not a PDF attachment they're expected to print, sign, scan, and email back.
3. Make sure they don't need an account. A client who has to create a login just to sign one document is a client who puts it off. The best tools let a recipient open the link and sign directly, with no account required on their end.
4. Check whether they've actually opened it before assuming they're stalling. A document sitting unsigned for a few days is more often an unread email than a client having second thoughts — check the document's status first.
5. Follow up once, specifically. "Just checking on this — let me know if anything in it needs adjusting" gets a faster response than a generic "following up!" nudge, especially if you can point to something concrete, like which page they stopped on.

Is it actually legally binding?

Yes. Under the U.S. ESIGN Act and state UETA laws, an electronic signature carries the same legal weight as a handwritten one, as long as the signer consented to sign electronically and the process captures who signed, when, and some record of their intent. See is an electronic signature legally binding?, what makes an e-signature valid in court, and e-signature law by state for the full detail behind that answer.

Common mistakes

• Sending a plain PDF attachment and asking for it "signed and returned." This works, technically, but it's the slowest possible version of this task — it puts the entire burden of finding a way to sign on your client.
• No signature field placed. If your client has to guess where to sign or type "I agree" in a reply email, you have a weaker record than an actual captured signature with attribution behind it.
• Chasing before checking status. A follow-up sent before you've even checked whether the document was opened can come across as impatient — and it's an easy check to make first.