How to Create an Online Survey
Choose a free survey site if you only plan on simple, small surveys., Purchase a subscription to a survey site to get analytics, custom questions, and greater outreach., Sign-up for an account with the host that you choose., Choose to create a new...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Choose a free survey site if you only plan on simple
There are many free survey sites, and though they come with limitations, they will work well for the majority of surveys.
SurveyMonkey, TypeForm, Survey Gizmo, and many other sites offer free surveys.
However, they do have restrictions, including:
Limited number of questions, usually 10-15.
Limited number of respondents allowed, usually 100-200.
Simple customization options or question types.
Google Forms is entirely free, and has none of the prior restrictions.
It is, however, a bit more difficult to use for the uninitiated. -
Step 2: small surveys.
If you plan on reaching a wide audience, sending out a ton surveys, or asking more than 15 questions, you should get professional survey programs.
Luckily, they are cheap and easy to use .
You'll need to purchase a subscription (usually $20-25/month) to a site like SurveyMonkey, Client Heartbeat, and Survey Planet.
Almost all these sites have free versions as well, so you can test them out beforehand.
While features vary from service to service, paid sites generally allow:
Unlimited questions and respondents.
Statistical breakdowns of answers, often exportable to programs like Excel.
Ability to add pictures and logos to questions., You will need to create a username and password as well as fill in the pertinent information.
Many of these companies allow you to make "business accounts" as well.
If you need to share the information and surveys with coworkers, choose a generic username and password. , Almost all survey sites allow you use a template, designed specifically for "customer service," "feedback," "academic survey," or many other easy options.
If you've never made a survey before, these could be good choices to get a hang of the structure and language. , Let the reader know why you are asking questions, and what you plan on doing with the information.
Assure them that their answers will be anonymous.
People are much more likely to provide information if they know what their input will be helping fix or improve.
Be sure to thank them for helping.
This may seem small, but it is a nice touch., These sites are made to make your work as easy as possible.
Choose your theme.
Start adding questions by clicking the "Add Question" button. , Generally, you can choose "single answer closed end," "multiple answer closed end," or "open-ended comment boxes." You may have even more options with a paid service.
Single Answer means that, based on a range of options, the user picks one thing.
Multiple Answer means that the user ranks all the options, showing you their preferences.
Open-ended is a text box allowing the user to respond with any wording they want., If it is not an open-ended question, be sure to give all the possible options to your readers.
You don't want people to quit or give inaccurate answers because they didn't find their exact choice.
In the answer box, type out your answers on separate lines, which helps the software sort your answers. , This lets you "take" the survey just as it looks to your respondents.
When done, hit "Exit This Survey" to return to your editing page. , When you're done, hit "Publish Survey." This brings up links to share the survey, usually a link or email button that lets you send it to other people.
Send the survey to as many people as possible, and attach a short paragraph asking them politely to take the survey.
The more people take the survey, the more accurate your data will be. , Now that survey information is starting to flow in you have some data to work with, and you can check it on the site at any time.
You don't want to make any assumptions until you have a lot of data already collected, as surveys with only 5-6 respondents are generally inaccurate.
While the number of respondents needed to call the survey successful depends on the situation, you shouldn't make any guesses until you have most of your expected replies in. -
Step 3: Purchase a subscription to a survey site to get analytics
-
Step 4: custom questions
-
Step 5: and greater outreach.
-
Step 6: Sign-up for an account with the host that you choose.
-
Step 7: Choose to create a new survey from scratch
-
Step 8: or select one of the many template options available.
-
Step 9: Write out a brief introduction to your survey.
-
Step 10: Use the on-screen prompts to design your survey.
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Step 11: Use the drop-down menu to select a question type.
-
Step 12: Type out all possible answers to your question.
-
Step 13: Select the "Preview Survey" button to see what your survey will look like.
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Step 14: Put your survey into the world.
-
Step 15: Review your data as it comes it.
Detailed Guide
There are many free survey sites, and though they come with limitations, they will work well for the majority of surveys.
SurveyMonkey, TypeForm, Survey Gizmo, and many other sites offer free surveys.
However, they do have restrictions, including:
Limited number of questions, usually 10-15.
Limited number of respondents allowed, usually 100-200.
Simple customization options or question types.
Google Forms is entirely free, and has none of the prior restrictions.
It is, however, a bit more difficult to use for the uninitiated.
If you plan on reaching a wide audience, sending out a ton surveys, or asking more than 15 questions, you should get professional survey programs.
Luckily, they are cheap and easy to use .
You'll need to purchase a subscription (usually $20-25/month) to a site like SurveyMonkey, Client Heartbeat, and Survey Planet.
Almost all these sites have free versions as well, so you can test them out beforehand.
While features vary from service to service, paid sites generally allow:
Unlimited questions and respondents.
Statistical breakdowns of answers, often exportable to programs like Excel.
Ability to add pictures and logos to questions., You will need to create a username and password as well as fill in the pertinent information.
Many of these companies allow you to make "business accounts" as well.
If you need to share the information and surveys with coworkers, choose a generic username and password. , Almost all survey sites allow you use a template, designed specifically for "customer service," "feedback," "academic survey," or many other easy options.
If you've never made a survey before, these could be good choices to get a hang of the structure and language. , Let the reader know why you are asking questions, and what you plan on doing with the information.
Assure them that their answers will be anonymous.
People are much more likely to provide information if they know what their input will be helping fix or improve.
Be sure to thank them for helping.
This may seem small, but it is a nice touch., These sites are made to make your work as easy as possible.
Choose your theme.
Start adding questions by clicking the "Add Question" button. , Generally, you can choose "single answer closed end," "multiple answer closed end," or "open-ended comment boxes." You may have even more options with a paid service.
Single Answer means that, based on a range of options, the user picks one thing.
Multiple Answer means that the user ranks all the options, showing you their preferences.
Open-ended is a text box allowing the user to respond with any wording they want., If it is not an open-ended question, be sure to give all the possible options to your readers.
You don't want people to quit or give inaccurate answers because they didn't find their exact choice.
In the answer box, type out your answers on separate lines, which helps the software sort your answers. , This lets you "take" the survey just as it looks to your respondents.
When done, hit "Exit This Survey" to return to your editing page. , When you're done, hit "Publish Survey." This brings up links to share the survey, usually a link or email button that lets you send it to other people.
Send the survey to as many people as possible, and attach a short paragraph asking them politely to take the survey.
The more people take the survey, the more accurate your data will be. , Now that survey information is starting to flow in you have some data to work with, and you can check it on the site at any time.
You don't want to make any assumptions until you have a lot of data already collected, as surveys with only 5-6 respondents are generally inaccurate.
While the number of respondents needed to call the survey successful depends on the situation, you shouldn't make any guesses until you have most of your expected replies in.
About the Author
Henry Kim
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in creative arts and beyond.
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