If you've ever tried to make an online survey before, you've probably used a few web-based tools like SurveyMonkey and SurveyLegend. However, there's another awesome tool out there that we think you should use, and that free tool is Google Forms.
Why use Google Forms? It's an app that is simple to operate, quick to complete, and easy for participants to respond to.
Here are nine advantages of Google Forms, and why you should use it for all your survey-making needs.
1. Create Unlimited Free Forms With Google Templates
Most survey tools will offer you a certain amount of free polling before they start to charge you for the service.
Using a subscription-based service is fine if you're a big company. However, if you're a single person running a small business, or if you're part of a non-profit organization, a monthly price tag can cause an issue.
Fortunately, one of the great advantages of using Google Forms is that Google lets you run as many free polls as you'd like, at least on your personal account. Technically, you could keep on creating new surveys until your Google Drive is full, although we don't recommend doing this: we just think there are better ways to utilize your Drive.
To save you time, Google Forms also offers a wide variety of templates that you can choose from to create a poll that is specific to your needs.
2. Google Form Benefits? The Results are Shareable
If you love collaborating on documents and spreadsheets, then one of the benefits of Google Forms is that Google's collaborative capabilities are available through this app, too. You can share a form---along with the results of that form in a spreadsheet---with as many people as you'd like.
When you click on Add collaborators for your form, all collaborators that you add can view it. Give any other team member the permission to edit, and also see the edits that others have made.
Google's document-sharing capabilities have been the best on the market for a while, and they continue to dominate in this program, as well.
3. The Importance of Google Forms Logic Threading
Logic threading is the ability to change a survey based upon the previous answers that the participant has given.
It's an incredibly useful one to use. In Google Forms, follow these steps:
- Click on the three dots in the bottom right-hand corner of a question.
- After that, click on the Go to section based on answer.
Logic threading allows you to avoid the clunky wording of multiple questions. It also ensures that participants are only exposed to the relevant data that they need. For instance, if the first question on a survey asks you if you're a Mac or Windows user, the following questions can be based upon Mac or Windows machines.
With other survey tools, logic threading is sometimes a feature that you have to pay for. On Google Forms, however, it's free.
4. Get Email Notifications for Google Forms Results
Some of the survey making tools that you find online will only let you see the results of that survey by revisiting the app's website. This situation can be less than ideal depending upon which sort of device you're viewing the website on.
Fortunately, one of Google Forms' advantages is the ability to get notifications and responses to your form directly via email.
To get responses in your email inbox:
- Click on the Responses tab at the top of your Google Form.
- Tap on the three dots on the right-hand side of the toolbar, next to the icon of a Google spreadsheet.
- Choose Get email notifications for new responses from the dropdown menu.
5. Google Forms Is Mobile-Friendly
Not all web pages are created equally. Not all survey making tools work great on a mobile browser, either.
Google Forms does.
One vital Google Forms usage is its cross-platform compatibility, ranging from desktop browsers to smartphones. Each template design is responsive, which means that checkboxes, multiple-choice questionnaires, and text fields are easy to use by the participants, no matter which device they use it on.
That mobile-friendly quality is a huge advantage, as a vast percentage of the world's web traffic filters through smartphones. By having that responsive interface, Google Forms can potentially result in a higher-than-expected response rate.
Again, there are fewer barriers to participate for everyone in a survey.
6. The Importance of Google Form Customization
With other online survey tools, you often have to pay a little bit extra to customize your polls, especially if you want those polls to match the branding of your company. Not so with Google Forms.
With the ability to change the look and feel of a survey to your company's branding, Google Forms allows you to adjust the colors in each of its pre-made templates, add images to the headers of those templates, and change the font style.
The idea behind this? You want to convey to the participants of the survey that the survey is part of a unified product: that time and effort were put into the questions being asked.
If you want a more concrete idea on where this customization aspect comes in handy, here's how to create a free website contact form with Google Forms.
7. Google Forms Can Help Teachers and Students
One of the unexpected benefits of Google Forms is that it can help you in the education sector, especially if you're a teacher.
As a component of G Suite for Education, Google Forms is an economical way for educators to collect data and help them stay organized.
Through Google Forms, you can:
- View a student's work to track their progress.
- Track class attendance.
- Use Google Forms for grading.
- Use Google Forms to quiz students on a subject.
8. Use Google Forms for Your Business
On top of being a great tool for educators, Google Forms is a fantastic tool for work. If you've got G Suite for Business, and you're running a simple online shop, you can use Google Forms to gain customer feedback or fill out order forms.
If you have employees, Google Forms can also be used to fill out "time off" requests.
9. Create a Survey With Google Forms Quickly
Lastly, one of the biggest advantages of Google Forms is that it allows you to create polls, forms, and surveys quickly.
There are no complicated bells or whistles that you need to know in order to learn how to use the app; no price point or insider knowledge that makes the tool inaccessible for the average user.
If you want to create a survey in ten minutes or less, then there is no easier way to do it than with Google Forms. Just open the app, pick your template, type your questions in, and go.
This makes it well-suited for casual users when it comes to creating online documents.
Use Google Forms to Create an Awesome Survey
Now, you may wonder if there are any disadvantages of Google Forms. The short answer is "no." Unless you have a special attachment to another survey-making tool, or you're anti-Google, Google Forms is the best way to go considering that you don't have to pay anything.
Looking for other things you can do with this app? Here are some advanced Google Forms tips and tricks you should try out.