What are online surveys and why should you use them?

Last updated: December 31, 2024

Gathering opinions, observations, and information from a target audience is a great way to learn more about them and how they think. Businesses need to know customer sentiments. Teachers need to see whether students are engaged. Political parties need information on how and why the public might vote.

Online surveys are a great way for any organization or institution to gather such data, equipping them to make well-informed decisions for the future. In this article, we look at what online surveys are, what advantages and drawbacks of online surveys you need to be aware of, and how to create a great online survey.

The basics of online surveys

As the name implies, an online survey is a method of collecting opinions and observational data through the internet. Instead of filling out a hard copy form or answering questions in person, a participant responds to a survey online.

Organizations can send the online survey to the target audience through a number of different channels. For example, they can email them, post them on social media, embed them on a website, or distribute them via other media, such as online ads.

The format of online surveys can vary greatly based on what the surveying organization wants to know. Some surveys are short, consisting only of a handful of questions, while others are more comprehensive, requiring a lot of time to fill out. Some are completely anonymous, while others collect some level of personally identifying information. Surveys can contain open-ended questions, closed-ended questions, or a mix of both.

What are online surveys useful for? Different types of online surveys collect different information. Here are a few examples of common survey types:

The success of an online survey depends on the quality of its questions. “As a CMO, I can tell you that one of the best practices for using and creating online surveys is to make sure that the questions are well crafted, clearly written, and easy to understand,” says Noel Griffith, CMO of SupplyGem, a website that offers reviews of digital business platforms.

“You want to make sure that the questions are relevant to the topic and that they aren’t too long or too complicated,” says Griffith. “Additionally, you should use a variety of question types, such as multiple choice, rating scales, open-ended questions, and so on.”

The benefits and drawbacks of online surveys

Online surveys can provide great advantages to organizations that use them. Here are a few of their benefits:

They’re cost-effective. Compared to in-person data collection methods, online surveys are cost efficient and affordable. Many online survey builders offer free or low-cost plans, and they enable organizations to email surveys to large numbers of respondents.
They’re quick to set up. Creating an online survey is fast and easy, especially if you have the right tools. Intuitive software makes the process simple, furthering the cost efficiency.
They’re easy to complete. From the respondents’ standpoint, filling out an online survey is simple and usually only requires a few clicks and minimal text responses. The respondents don’t need to dedicate a lot of time to completing the survey.
They save time. Organizations can gather data relatively quickly — often within a matter of hours. This enables them to collect valuable insights quickly and use them to make timely and important decisions.
They often reap more truthful responses. The online format often provides respondents more freedom to express how they truly feel. They’re likely to give more candid answers online than they would in person.

Keep in mind that online surveys don’t work well in all situations. There are a few drawbacks to be aware of:

The results can be less reliable. When conducting surveys in person, the moderator or organization can verify the identities of people who are filling out the forms. Online, there’s no way to know who’s actually completing the survey and whether or not they’re the person the survey is intended for.
They can’t reach certain audiences. For various reasons, certain audience segments may not have online access, while others may only be online for activities they don’t want anything to distract them from, such as work or school.
They can have low completion rates. It’s difficult to predict how many people will actually fill out a survey. Some respondents may choose not to participate regardless of how easy the survey is to complete.

Best practices for creating an online survey

Want to ensure your online survey is engaging for your target audience so you get the insights you need? Follow these suggestions:

Define a goal. Don’t ask questions for the sake of asking questions. “It’s important to think about the data you’re collecting,” says Griffith. “Make sure that [it] is relevant to your research goals and that it’s being collected in a way that is secure and compliant with privacy laws. Additionally, consider how you’ll be analyzing the data and if there are any ethical considerations involved.”
Keep it short. No one has the time to fill out surveys that go on and on. Online surveys should take your target audience only a few minutes to complete so the survey doesn’t feel like an intrusive interruption in their day.
Make it relevant. The survey should contain questions that are relevant to the target audience. You can make questions even more relevant for respondents by using tools like conditional logic, in which their answers to past questions determine which questions are displayed.
Ensure clarity. Questions should be easy to understand. If a respondent can’t figure out what a question is asking after reading it once, they may abandon the survey.
Write fair questions. Avoid questions that influence respondents to answer a certain way. Make sure your questions are fair and ethical and that you design them to elicit the most objective answers possible.
Vary question types. It can feel monotonous to answer all multiple-choice questions or all open-ended questions. Provide a few different question types to keep your target audience engaged.
Proofread everything. Nothing spoils a survey more than typos or misspellings. Make sure you’ve edited and proofread everything multiple times to ensure your survey looks professional.
Make it visually appealing. The written content is important, but so is the design. Carefully consider the background and font colors as well as the impact of any images you include.
Have a plan for results. Know how you’ll analyze the results when they come in. You’ll also need to know how you’re going to use the results. For example, will you create a report and make action items for your team?
Conduct several test runs. “Test your survey before sending it out,” says Griffith. “This will ensure that it works properly and that the questions are all clear and easy to answer. You should also use a variety of distribution methods, such as email, social media, or even physical mailings.”

Effective and engaging online surveys with Jotform

No matter what kind of survey you need to create, Jotform can help. This survey maker comes with 1800-plus survey templates created for an array of industries, so you’re sure to find one you can use.

You can either build a survey from scratch or customize an existing one using Jotform’s intuitive drag-and-drop Form Builder. Jotform enables you to edit the content, structure, and look of the survey, so you’ll be able to create one that meets your exact needs. You can incorporate features like conditional logic and in-form calculations to tailor the survey experience to individual respondents.

You can embed the survey onto a website or distribute it through email, with a link, or with a QR code. Plus, each Jotform survey is mobile responsive, so respondents can fill it out on the go.

Here’s how to make a survey with Jotform:

In the Jotform My Forms dashboard, click on Create Form.
Choose one of the following options: Start from Scratch, Use Template, or Import Form.
Follow the prompts once you’ve chosen the type of form you want to create.
In the Jotform Form Builder, enter in the content or edit the existing content for your survey. To add questions and other form elements, click Add Form Element on the left to open the menu of options. Drag and drop to add elements to your survey.
To customize the design of your survey, click the paint roller icon on the right to open the Form Designer menu. Change fonts and colors, add images, and more.
Click the Settings tab. Select Thank You page to customize the thank-you message your respondents will see when they complete the survey.
Click the Publish tab. Choose how you want to send the survey to your target audience, whether it’s through email, a link, or a QR code. Click Embed to see options for embedding the survey on your website.

Gathering data of any kind is easy when you have the right tools, and Jotform is here to support all your survey needs. Sign up to give it a try for free.

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Photo by Vitaly Gariev

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AUTHOR

Jotform Editorial Team

Jotform's Editorial Team is a group of dedicated professionals committed to providing valuable insights and practical tips to Jotform blog readers. Our team's expertise spans a wide range of topics, from industry-specific subjects like managing summer camps and educational institutions to essential skills in surveys, data collection methods, and document management. We also provide curated recommendations on the best software tools and resources to help streamline your workflow.