How to make an online survey work

What do people really think of your web site ? Do they find easily what they are looking for ? What do they want you to add to the site ? Is the web site easy to use ? Feedback form and guestbook do not give enough qualitative information to these questions. Statistics give us information on the quantity of visits more than on the quality. Although we can estimate the average length of visit, the number of page views or the most popular paths, we still don't know for sure what the people think of the site. The best way to get an answer is to ask the site's users in a direct, simple and convivial way. The online survey give us a precise estimation of the site users opinion that no other tools can match. However a few requirements must be met in order to get valid information: The choice of the questions is essential. List your priorities first. What do you want to get from the survey ? Focus on your priorities. Do not ask questions that won't help to fulfill the goals set. The questions must relate to a significant part of the audience. If the site is about cars do not ask question about trucks unless you want to create a new