How to create a survey with SurveyMonkey in 7 steps

Eighty-four percent of full-time workers¹ feel more confident in their decision-making when they have data to support their choices. Online surveys are a quick and efficient way to gather this information and validate business-critical decisions.

This guide will take you through the process of creating a survey, from defining your goals to analyzing the results. You will learn how to design, distribute, and analyze surveys by following best practices and expert tips. By the end of this guide, you will be equipped to create effective online surveys.

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.

Surveys with a narrow purpose get higher completion rates because respondents can see the relevance of every question. Without a goal, you risk asking too many unrelated questions and collecting data you cannot act on

I want to understand why customers who signed up in the last 90 days did not upgrade from the free plan to a paid plan, so we can identify the top two or three friction points to address in our onboarding flow.

What makes it strong: it specifies the audience (recent free plan sign-ups), the behavior you're investigating (non-upgrade), and the decision it will inform (onboarding improvements). That specificity will directly shape which questions you ask and whom you send the survey to.

Understanding your target audience helps you tailor your questions to their experience, use language they are familiar with, and ask questions that resonate with them.

The three things worth specifying for any survey audience are who they are, what they've done (or not done), and the time window you care about.

Also, 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.

Users who signed up in the last 90 days have logged in at least three times (indicating they've actually used the product) and remain on the free plan today.

That's more useful than "free plan users" because it filters out people who signed up and never came back. Their non-upgrade has a different cause, like disengagement, than someone who is actively using the product but hasn't converted. Mixing those two groups in the same survey will muddy your results.

Different situations call for different survey structures. Here are the most common survey types and when to use them:

Choosing the right type before you start shapes your question formats and distribution method.

A short customer feedback survey with a mix of multiple-choice and one open-ended question would help us gather data about non-converting customers. Not an NPS survey.

Why: Net Promoter Score tells you how likely someone is to recommend you, which doesn't answer "why haven't you upgraded?" A customer effort or satisfaction score gets closer, but still doesn't get at purchase barriers directly.

What you actually need is a targeted feedback survey that asks about specific friction points: pricing, missing features, unclear value, and competitor alternatives.

Your survey design is critical to 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.

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.

Here is a simple pre-launch checklist:

Related: Learn how to conduct a survey in these simple steps

How you send your survey matters as much as what is in it. The right distribution method depends on your audience and where you can reach them.

SurveyMonkey offers many ways to send your surveys:

What response rate should you expect? Internal surveys sent to employees or existing customers typically see 20 to 30% response rates. For online surveys, a good survey response rate is between 10% and 30%.

When should you send your survey? A good rule of thumb to get people to take your survey is to send it early in the work week—Monday to Wednesday. The caveat is that topical surveys, like a post-event survey, are best sent immediately after an interaction when the experience is still fresh.

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 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.

Related: Why surveys?

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, in rural areas with low internet access, you may conduct phone interviews or attend community gatherings to 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. Try our free survey maker to discover all of the features needed to create an online survey in minutes and collect real insights.

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

¹This SurveyMonkey poll was conducted July 19-30, 2024 among a national sample of 5,876 U.S. full-time workers. Respondents for this survey were selected from the more than 2 million people who take surveys on our platform each day. The modeled error estimate for this survey is plus or minus 1 percentage point. Data were weighted for age, race, sex, education, and geography using the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey to reflect the demographic composition of the United States.

NPS, Net Promoter & Net Promoter Score are registered trademarks of Satmetrix Systems, Inc., Bain & Company and Fred Reichheld.