The optimum length of a survey varies greatly depending on the survey type, purpose and compensation. A Net Promoter Score survey should ideally consist of only two questions, whilst a market segmentation study may require 15+. A good rule of thumb is that the shorter the survey, the better. Research shows that data quality declines severely if a survey takes more than 20 minutes to complete.

We recommend that in most instances, surveys should take 5 minutes to complete (10 at the absolute maximum) and consist of no more than 20 questions. If you are collecting video vox-pops throughout the survey, we recommend a maximum of three video questions that require no more than two minutes per question.

Lastly, consider how the survey incentive impacts completion time as well. Generally, a longer survey will require a larger incentive in order to make the time investment worthwhile to the participant. However, even a larger incentive cannot completely remove the risk of satisficing, where participants spend less time per question and speed through longer surveys.

In short, keep surveys as short as possible.

The question types available to you will depend on what the research software or platform you are using supports. InsightHub supports a large variety of question types. Some of our most popular question types include:

Single and Multiple Choice Questions - in which participants are asked to select either one option, or multiple applicable options from a pre-determined list. Commonly used for collecting basic demographic data, purchase information or information that relies on set categories.

Ranking and Scale Questions - ranking questions ask participants to order a set of items by their preference, whilst scale questions provide an individual scale to rate items based on various factors. Scale questions can be used to create industry standard question types such as Likert scales or grid questions.

Open Ended Questions - these are text fields that enable participants to free type responses. These question types are ideal for gathering verbatim quotes, qualitative data or miscellaneous information such as ZIP codes.

Video Booth Questions - enable participants to record video responses to questions for engaging, emotive qualitative data. Limits can be set on video length and clips can be edited through the integrated VideoMR analysis tool built into InsightHub.

Incentives are a staple of the market research experience. They reward participants for their time and provide compensation for their data. Typically, incentive rates for online surveys are lower than qualitative research methods, but that does not mean incentive decisions are straightforward. A large number of factors influence the choice of incentive structure and value.

Common incentive structures include: entries into prize draws, direct financial compensation, community or panel points, and access to results. In order to determine the most appropriate incentive structure, it is important to consider the length of the survey, the method for delivering the incentive, the sample source, your budget and participant expectations.

There may also be situations in which no incentive is required. This is often the case in micro-surveys which are less than five questions long, or when there are other factors such as a vested interest at play.

The main draw of online surveys for many is the speed at which they can be sent to field and their relatively low cost. However, the benefits of online surveys extend far beyond just speed and cost. Well-designed online surveys also offer a superior participant experience and provide the capacity for real-time analysis of results.

There are also distribution advantages. Although hosted on the internet, online survey links can be printed onto marketing materials, translated into QR codes, shared through digital and social channels - and generally find a wider audience. That's before integration into third-party panel providers, in-house CRM systems or the support of specialist market research recruiters.

Finally, the convenience of online surveys helps researchers tap into a greater pool of willing participants. There is even a case to be made that online surveys are more accurate - as the potential anonymity can help participants feel more comfortable in providing honest feedback reflective of their true thoughts and feelings.