How to make a survey: 7-step guide

Creating effective surveys is essential for gathering valuable insights. Online surveys are quick and efficient, making them ideal for collecting data and driving informed decisions. This guide will walk you through how to make a survey, from identifying your goals to analyzing the results.

You'll learn how to design, distribute, and analyze surveys using best practices and expert tips. By the end of this guide, you'll be able to create effective online surveys.

Online surveys gather information from a targeted group via the Internet. These digital surveys offer efficient and quick ways to gain insights and drive business decisions.

Online surveys are efficient, cost-effective, and flexible. They also provide immediate results and broad reach. This makes them ideal for modern data collection—whether for customer feedback, market research, or employee engagement.

Creating an online survey with a clear plan is easy. Follow this simple 7-step framework we've developed over 25 years at SurveyMonkey.

Start by defining clear, specific goals for your survey. Clear goals help focus your questions and ensure you gather relevant data. For example, are you aiming to improve customer service, measure employee satisfaction, or understand market trends?

Specific goals, like "identify top three employee concerns," provide direction. These goals guide your question design, helping you collect actionable insights. Knowing your objectives keeps your survey concise and targeted, making it more effective.

Know who you're surveying to tailor your questions. Understanding your target audience helps you use language and questions that resonate with them. Avoid jargon and use clear, simple language.

Consider demographic factors such as age, location, and interests. If you're surveying employees, use expressions familiar within your organization. If your audience is general consumers, keep the language straightforward and accessible.

Choose the appropriate survey based on your goals. Different surveys serve different purposes; here are three standard online survey types. 

Customer satisfaction surveys gauge customers' feelings about your products, services, and business practices. They provide insights into customer experiences, helping you understand what works and where to improve. These surveys are essential for keeping customers happy, loyal, and engaged with your brand.

Use customer satisfaction surveys to:

Employee engagement surveys reveal how employees feel about workplace experiences. They help you understand the impact of your current systems and highlight areas needing improvement. Engaged employees are happier, more productive, and more likely to stay with your company.

Use employee engagement surveys to:

Market research surveys help businesses understand their target market, informing better decision-making. These surveys are valuable for capturing consumer preferences, testing new ideas, and assessing market trends. They provide data that drives strategic planning and product development.

Use market research surveys to:

Writing your survey is critical to determining the quality and usefulness of the data you collect. Craft straightforward, concise questions to gather the most accurate data. Well-designed questions can improve response rates and provide actionable insights.

Here's how to write effective survey questions:

Group similar questions to maintain a logical flow. Use page breaks, titles, and instructions to guide respondents. Proper formatting helps respondents understand the structure of the survey and reduces confusion. It also makes the survey easier to navigate, improving completion rates.

Keep questions short and to the point to avoid overwhelming respondents. Brevity ensures that respondents remain engaged and are more likely to complete the survey. Long, complex questions can lead to frustration and dropout. Short questions are also easier to understand, leading to more accurate answers.

Focus on one idea per question to ensure clarity. Vague questions lead to ambiguous answers, which can complicate data analysis. Specific questions yield precise responses that are easier to interpret and act upon. This clarity helps you get the exact information you need without any guesswork.

Provide clear options for answers and avoid language that respondents can interpret in multiple ways. Clear answer choices reduce respondent confusion and improve the data quality. By being explicit, you help respondents choose the most accurate option, leading to more reliable results.

Use skip logic to ensure respondents only see questions that apply to them. These conditional controls keep the survey concise and relevant. Irrelevant questions can frustrate respondents and lead to survey abandonment. Relevant questions maintain respondent interest and improve the overall quality of the data.

Use yes/no surveys sparingly, as these questions don't capture nuanced opinions. Yes/no questions are straightforward but often lack depth. Use them for simple, binary information, but rely on more detailed question types to gather comprehensive insights. This approach provides a fuller picture of respondent opinions and experiences.

Use matrix questions to gather detailed feedback efficiently, but don't overuse them, as they can overwhelm respondents. Matrix questions allow you to collect data on multiple items with consistent answer choices. These questions save time and effort for you and the respondent. But be careful, as too many matrix questions can lead to survey fatigue.

Use survey templates and question banks to save time and ensure quality. Templates and question banks provide a solid survey foundation. They help you identify effective questions—including close- and open-ended questions—and streamline the survey creation process. Customizing these resources to fit your needs will result in a well-structured and insightful survey.

Before launching your survey, conduct a pilot survey (externally or internally) to identify any design flaws.

A pilot survey, or test run, helps you evaluate instructions, layout, and questions. It's a small-scale test that saves you from costly mistakes later. A few dozen respondents are typically enough and don't have to be from your target audience. Focus on how they interpret the survey rather than their specific answers.

External surveys use respondents outside your primary study group, perfect for testing technical aspects. Internal surveys involve your target audience, providing realistic feedback on expected responses. After completing your pilot, refine your survey based on the feedback to ensure clarity and effectiveness. If necessary, run a second pilot to confirm improvements.

Distribute your survey through multiple channels to reach a broader audience. Email is common, but consider using social media, website links, or direct messages. Ensure your survey is accessible on all devices, including mobile phones. 

SurveyMonkey offers many ways to send your surveys:

Boost response rates by sending reminders to those who haven't completed the survey. A gentle nudge 48-72 hours after the initial invite can significantly increase participation.

Limit reminders to avoid annoyance—no more than four. Always set a deadline for survey completion and stop reminders after this point.

Express appreciation to respondents with thank you emails to reinforce their valued input. With SurveyMonkey, you can automatically trigger thank you emails after the survey is completed.

Online surveys offer numerous advantages over traditional methods. They provide efficiency, cost savings, and immediate access to data, making them essential for modern data collection.

Online surveys typically achieve higher response rates. Respondents can complete surveys on any device, making it convenient and increasing participation.

Creating, distributing, and collecting online surveys is cost-effective. There's no need for large budgets or external agencies. You can manage everything on a single platform, making data accessible across your organization.

Online survey data is available immediately. You can analyze results and gain actionable insights without waiting for manual data entry. This reduces errors and speeds up decision-making.

Online surveys are easy to create and distribute. With templates and sample questions, you can quickly design a survey that meets your needs. Respondents can access surveys on any device, anytime, increasing the likelihood of completion.

Additionally, online platforms simplify collection, analysis, filtering, and reporting. Automated tools provide instant insights, advanced filtering, and crosstab reports, making it easier to interpret data and share findings.

Online survey platforms offer excellent design flexibility, allowing you to customize the layout and questions. Pre-made question banks provide ready-to-use answer choices, saving time while leveraging best practices from survey experts.

Respondents often feel more comfortable providing honest feedback online. The absence of an interviewer eliminates potential survey biases and encourages more candid responses.

Online surveys eliminate the need for printing, mailing, and manual data entry. Automated data collection and analysis save time and reduce costs, making surveys more affordable.

Your online surveys are accessible to everyone. Tools and checklists ensure your surveys are compliant with Section 508 and WCAG 2 standards. This inclusiveness increases your reach and response rates.

While online surveys have many benefits, they also come with challenges. Here are common problems and how to address them.

Online surveys can produce inaccurate data due to rushed responses or confusion. Ensure your questions are clear and specific to minimize confusion. Use logic features to skip irrelevant questions and keep respondents engaged. For example, if asking about product usage, provide options like "daily," "weekly," or "never" to capture precise data.

Not everyone has internet access, which limits your survey reach, particularly for certain demographics or regions. To combat this, try combining online surveys with phone or face-to-face surveys to include these offline respondents. For example, surveying rural areas with low internet access, conducting phone interviews, or attending community gatherings can help collect more comprehensive data.

Emails can end up in spam folders, reducing response rates. Improve email delivery rates by using an identifiable sender name and subject line.

You may need to address technical issues when sending large email batches. Improve email delivery rates by setting up proper DNS records like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

SurveyMonkey works with your Internet Service Provider to automatically validate SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records. You don't have to worry about email servers and other technical matters.

Without a moderator, respondents may misinterpret questions or skip important sections. Pre-test your survey with a small group to identify unclear questions. Provide clear instructions and use validation rules to ensure respondents answer critical questions. For example, make critical fields required or use tooltips to explain complex questions.

By addressing these challenges and testing thoroughly, you can improve the reliability and effectiveness of your online surveys.

SurveyMonkey has a vast library of resources for creating online surveys, including guides, case studies, videos, webinars, and more. You can also visit our Help Center for all product-related information to maximize your research success.

Now that you know how to create an online survey, start using SurveyMonkey today!