Traffic to a website is one of the most effective ways to learn about how your visitors understand and interact with your website; however, it’s not the only way.
Surveys have proven to be a very effective tool to gain an understanding of how visitors to websites not only perceive a site, but how they interact with it and whether or not they find a site to be useful. Thanks to online survey software, it is easier than ever for website owners to understand how users view their sites. The feedback that a survey tool provides can not only shed valuable light on why people visit a website, what they hope to gain from by visiting a site, and whether or not a website is delivering on visitor expectations. Survey software also allows website owners to make appropriate changes to make their users’ experience better.
So, how can you properly utilize and make the most of this survey software? Here’s a look at some of the best practices that will allow you to obtain feedback and use that feedback appropriately.
Determine what want to learn
Understanding exactly what you hope to learn is the first and one of the most important practices for effectively using a survey tool. Some of the reasons you may be using a survey tool include:
- Determining what your visitors are hoping to gain from your site.
- Whether or not they are acquiring the information that they hope to obtain.
- The type of users who are visiting your website.
- Whether or not they are satisfied with the overall design and layout.
- For the most effective results, only focus on one particular area of research at a time. This will allow you to gain an accurate understanding of how your visitors view and interact with your site.
- Keep it clear, straightforward and to the point
You may be tempted to include complex questions in your survey, as you may feel that it will provide you with more insightful information, but don’t; the more complex your survey is, the less likely people will want to partake in it.
Make the questions simple, straightforward and to the point. Avoid using jargon that may be difficult for users to understand. You should also keep it short. Include, at most, 3 questions. Any more than that and your visitors could become overwhelmed and/or disinterested. The easier it is for your visitors to understand and respond to, the more likely they will engage with the survey, thus providing you with the information that you hope to acquire.
Promote it
In order to get people to complete your survey, you need to promote it, otherwise you won’t acquire enough responses to make the data useful. How can you promote your survey? Include a clearly visible link to it on your homepage or whatever section you want your visitors to review or publish a blog post to let people know about the survey and invite them to take it.
By putting these practices into effect, your survey will be more effective and you be able to acquire the information that you desire.
|