How to Conduct a Survey: The Only Guide You’ll Need in 2025

Step 1: Define Your Survey's Purpose and Plan

Your first step in learning how to conduct a survey starts with thorough planning. Write down your specific research objectives and what decisions you'll make based on the results. For example, if you're measuring customer satisfaction, define exactly what aspects you want to evaluate - is it about your product features, customer service quality, or both?

Next, determine your target sample size using statistical calculations. For a population of 5,000, aim for 350-400 responses to achieve a 95% confidence level with a ±5% margin of error. Keep in mind that typical response rates for online surveys range from 20-30%, so you'll need to invite considerably more people than your target sample size.

Step 2: Choose Your Survey Method and Population

The procedure of conducting an online survey starts with selecting the right method. Direct email surveys work best for existing customer lists with a 20-30% typical response rate. Web-based surveys using platforms like TheySaid can reach broader audiences but may have lower response rates of 10-15%. Phone surveys get higher response rates (30-40%) but cost more and take longer.

For sampling, you have several options:

• Simple random sampling: Good for homogeneous populations
• Stratified sampling: Better when you need representation from specific subgroups
• Cluster sampling: Useful for geographically dispersed populations
• Quota sampling: Helps ensure representation of key demographics

Your choice of sampling method makes a huge difference in data quality. Pick the wrong one and you'll waste time chasing responses that don't represent your target audience. The right method gets you accurate insights without burning through your budget.

Step 3: Design Your Questions Using Best Practices

Survey design best practices require careful attention to question structure and flow. Start with easier questions to build momentum before asking more complex or sensitive ones.

For Multiple Choice Questions:

• Limit options to 4-7 choices to prevent overwhelming respondents
• Make sure options are mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive
• Include an "Other" option with text entry when you can't list all possibilities
• Test options with a small group to ensure you haven't missed common answers

For Rating Scales:

• Use a consistent scale throughout the survey
• Label every point on the scale, not just endpoints
• Consider whether you need a neutral midpoint
• Use an even-numbered scale to force a choice when appropriate
• Include definitions for subjective terms like "satisfied" or "frequently"

For Open-ended Questions:

• Place them strategically after related closed-ended questions
• Provide enough space for detailed responses
• Make text boxes proportional to expected answer length
• Use prompts that encourage detailed responses

Quick tip: Mix up your question types to keep people engaged. Let's say you're running a product feedback survey. You start with rating scales about features, then add an open text box asking "What made you give those ratings?" Your completion rates could jump 30-40% compared to using just multiple choice questions. 

Step 4: Create Clear Instructions and Layout

Write clear instructions for each section. Explain how to select answers, whether multiple selections are allowed, and if questions can be skipped. Your layout should:

• Group related questions together
• Use white space effectively
• Make text easily readable on all devices
• Include a progress bar
• Allow saving and returning later

Step 5: Test Your Survey Thoroughly

Run a comprehensive pilot test with these steps:

1. Technical testing: Check all functions work across devices. Check your survey on phones, tablets, and computers using different browsers. Watch for broken images, misaligned text boxes, or buttons that don't click properly.
2. Timing test: Get accurate completion times. Time 5-10 people taking your survey at normal speed. Multiply the average completion time by 1.5 to get a realistic estimate for your general audience.
3. Comprehension test: Ensure questions are understood as intended. Ask test participants to explain what each question means in their own words. If their interpretation differs from your intent, rewrite the question until the meaning is crystal clear.
4. Data test: Verify data is recorded correctly. Submit test responses with every possible answer combination. Check that multiple choice selections, text entries, and scale ratings all show up correctly in your data export.
5. Analysis test: Make sure you can analyze responses as planned. Run a mini analysis with your test data. Confirm you can create the charts, cross-tabs, and filters you'll need for your final report without data formatting issues.

Here are a quick checklist of issues to look at before full launch:

• Clarify confusing questions
• Fix technical glitches
• Adjust survey length if needed
• Review skip logic and branching
• Test data export formats

Don't cram 20 questions onto one page or skip instructions thinking people will "figure it out." We've seen surveys lose half their responses because they looked like a wall of text with zero guidance. Bad layouts kill good surveys faster than any other design mistake.

Step 6: Distribute Your Survey Effectively

Launch timing matters significantly. Research shows:

• Business surveys get best response Tuesday-Thursday
• Morning sends (9-11 AM) typically perform best
• Avoid holidays and common vacation periods
• Allow 5-7 days for completion
• Send reminders at 3 days and 5 days

Your distribution plan should include:

• Initial invitation with clear purpose and time estimate
• Reminder sequence (2-3 messages maximum)
• Thank you messages to completers
• Final reminder before closing

To illustrate: You send a customer feedback survey to 1,000 people on Monday at 4 PM, right before a holiday weekend. By Wednesday, you've got 15 responses. Now imagine sending that same survey Tuesday at 10 AM to the same crowd - you could see 200-300 responses by Friday. Smart timing turns survey flops into wins.

Step 7: Monitor and Analyze Responses

Getting responses isn't the end - you need to track how your survey performs in real-time to spot and fix problems fast. A survey that looks perfect in testing can still have hidden issues once real people start taking it.

Track these metrics during data collection:

• Response rate (completed surveys/invitations sent): Shows the percentage of people who finished your survey. A 20-30% response rate is typical for online surveys.
• Completion rate (completed surveys/started surveys): Tells you if people abandon your survey midway. Look for rates above 80% - lower numbers signal problems with length or complexity.
• Average completion time: Helps you spot people rushing through or getting stuck. If the average time is way off from your test times, investigate why.
• Abandonment points: Shows exactly where people quit your survey. High drop-offs on specific questions mean they need revision.
• Question skip patterns: Reveals which optional questions people avoid. Too many skips suggest the question isn't relevant or is too hard to answer.
• Device types used: Tells you if mobile users struggle more than desktop users. Big completion rate differences between devices point to layout problems.

This systematic approach to how to conduct a survey helps ensure quality data collection. Each step builds on the previous one and contributes to the overall success of your research project.

Read - How Do You Analyze Survey Data Like a Pro?

Keep It Short and Sweet

Three short surveys beat one long one. Break big topics into smaller chunks. People will thank you with better answers.

Make Mobile-First Designs

Over 60% of people take surveys on phones. If your survey looks bad on mobile, you'll lose most of your audience before they start.

Use Plain Language

Drop the jargon. Write like you talk. If a 12-year-old would struggle to understand your questions, rewrite them.

Test Different Times

Track when people respond most. Some audiences check email first thing. Others respond better to evening surveys.

Show Progress

Add a progress bar. Tell people upfront how long it'll take. They're more likely to finish if they know what to expect.

Use AI for Dynamic Conversations

Static surveys put people to sleep. AI tools like TheySaid turns your survey into a real conversation, asking smart follow-up questions based on what people say. This approach can boost response rates by 40% and uncover insights you'd miss with regular surveys.

Q: What is an online survey?

A: It's a set of questions distributed digitally to collect feedback from a target group. Modern surveys use AI to adapt questions based on responses.

Q: How many questions should a survey have?

A: Keep it under 10 questions for basic feedback. Longer surveys need strong incentives. The sweet spot is 5-7 questions for most topics.

Q: What are some advantages of online surveys?

A: Online surveys cost less than phone or mail surveys. They also give faster results and let you reach people anywhere in the world.

Q: How do I increase survey response rates?

A: Send personalized invites, offer incentives, and follow up once. Make sure your survey response analysis shows clear value to participants.

Q: When should I close my survey?

A: Close it when responses slow down significantly, usually after 5-7 days. Longer windows rarely bring better data.