What are Surveys in Analytics? Examples and Usage

Surveys

Structured questionnaires to collect user feedback and integrate responses with analytics tools for qualitative insights.

Overview of Surveys in Analytics

• Definition

  Surveys are sets of structured questions—multiple choice, rating scales, or open-ended—that gather user opinions, preferences, and feedback.

• Key benefits

  Surveys provide context to numeric analytics by revealing the ‘why’ behind user behavior, helping teams prioritize improvements and measure satisfaction.

• Common survey types

  Surveys can be delivered in various formats depending on the platform and user context.

  • Pop-up surveys:

    Modal or slide-in widgets triggered by user actions like time on page or exit intent.

  • Embedded surveys:

    Inline forms placed within content areas to capture feedback during specific interactions.

  • Email surveys:

    Delayed feedback requests sent via email after key events such as purchase or onboarding.

  • In-app surveys:

    Interactive prompts displayed inside web or mobile applications at strategic moments.

Implementing Surveys with Analytics Tools

• Cookie-free tracking with plainsignal

  Add the following snippet to your page head to enable PlainSignal’s cookie-free analytics and survey event tracking:

  <link rel="preconnect" href="//eu.plainsignal.com/" crossorigin />
  <script defer data-do="yourwebsitedomain.com" data-id="0GQV1xmtzQQ" data-api="//eu.plainsignal.com" src="//cdn.plainsignal.com/PlainSignal-min.js"></script>
  

  Once installed, PlainSignal automatically captures pageviews and custom events like survey submissions without cookies.

  • Privacy compliance:

    Operates without cookies or personal identifiers, simplifying GDPR and CCPA adherence.

  • Event capture:

    Tracks custom events (e.g., survey_start, survey_submit) out of the box.

• Integrating surveys in ga4

  To track survey interactions in GA4, send custom events via gtag.js or Google Tag Manager upon survey start and completion. For example:

  gtag('event', 'survey_submit', {
    'survey_type': 'NPS',
    'response_score': 9
  });
  

  • Custom event setup:

    Define events like survey_start and survey_submit in your GA4 property to capture survey metrics.

  • Parameter tracking:

    Use parameters (e.g., survey_id, question_count, response_score) to enrich analysis.

• Embedding third-party survey tools

  Platforms like SurveyMonkey, Typeform, or Qualtrics can be embedded and tracked by listening for their form submission events and forwarding them to your analytics stack.

  • Event listeners:

    Implement JavaScript listeners to detect survey completions and fire analytics events.

  • Data sync:

    Use available APIs or webhooks to automatically import survey responses into your data warehouse or analytics platform.

Best Practices for Effective Survey Analytics

• Question design

  Craft clear, concise questions that avoid jargon or bias. Use a mix of multiple-choice and open-ended formats to balance structure and depth.

• Targeting and timing

  Trigger surveys based on user behavior (e.g., page scroll depth, time on site) and limit frequency to reduce fatigue.

  • Segmentation:

    Display surveys to specific user cohorts or traffic sources for more relevant feedback.

  • Frequency control:

    Set session or cookie-based limits to avoid over-surveying the same user.

• Analyzing survey data

  Combine survey responses with behavioral metrics to uncover correlations, validate hypotheses, and prioritize improvements.

  • Cross-analysis:

    Compare survey answers against segments (e.g., new vs. returning users) in your analytics reports.

  • Qualitative coding:

    Use tagging or NLP to categorize open-ended feedback for trend analysis.

Related terms