Blog @ Formifyr

How to Create a Free Survey on Google Forms in 5 Easy Steps

Google Forms offers a powerful yet user-friendly platform for creating free surveys. This versatile tool allows anyone to design professional-looking questionnaires without any cost or technical expertise. Users can craft surveys with multiple question types, customize the appearance, and easily share them with respondents.

Unlimited forms and submissions for free

At Formifyr, we offer unlimited forms, submissions, and all the tools you need to craft professional forms and surveys.

Start your free trial

A computer screen with a web browser open to Google's survey creation page. A mouse cursor clicks on the "Create Survey" button

Google Forms integrates seamlessly with other Google services, making it simple to collect and analyze data. Surveys can be accessed and completed on various devices, ensuring maximum reach and participation. The platform also provides real-time response tracking and automatic data visualization, streamlining the analysis process.

Creating a survey on Google Forms is straightforward. Users start by selecting a template or beginning from scratch, then add questions, customize the layout, and choose distribution methods. With its intuitive interface and robust features, Google Forms empowers individuals and organizations to gather valuable insights efficiently and effectively.

Setting Up Your Google Form Survey

A person using a laptop to set up a Google Form survey, with a blank form on the screen and various options and tools visible on the interface

Google Forms provides a user-friendly platform to create free surveys quickly and efficiently. The process involves creating your form, designing the survey layout, and customizing it to match your brand.

Creating Your Form

To begin, sign in to your Google account and navigate to Google Forms. Click “Blank” to start a new form or choose from available templates. Give your form a title and add a brief description to inform respondents about the survey’s purpose.

Next, add questions to your form. Google Forms offers various question types:

  • Multiple choice
  • Checkboxes
  • Dropdown
  • Short answer
  • Paragraph
  • Linear scale
  • Date

Select the appropriate question type for each item in your survey. You can also add sections to organize related questions together.

Designing the Survey

Google Forms provides several design options to enhance the visual appeal of your survey. Click the paint palette icon to access the theme menu. Here, you can:

  • Choose a color scheme
  • Select a font style
  • Add a header image

These design elements help create a cohesive look for your survey. You can also preview your form to see how it appears to respondents.

Customization and Branding

To further personalize your survey, explore the customization options. Click the gear icon to access Settings. Here you can:

  • Limit responses to one per person
  • Allow respondents to edit after submission
  • Customize the confirmation message

For branding, add your logo or a relevant image to the header. You can also use custom themes to match your organization’s colors.

Consider using Formifyr for advanced form creation features and additional customization options.

Sharing and Managing Responses

A person sitting at a desk, using a computer to access Google Forms. The screen displays the survey creation interface, with various options and fields to input questions and manage responses

Google Forms provides powerful tools for distributing surveys and analyzing the data collected. These features enable efficient sharing, response management, and result analysis.

Distributing Your Survey

To share your Google Form survey, click the “Send” button in the top right corner. This opens options to distribute via email, link, or embed code. For email sharing, enter recipient addresses and customize the message. Copying the link allows posting on social media or websites. The embed code integrates the form directly into web pages.

Google Forms work seamlessly across devices. Recipients can complete surveys on computers, tablets, or smartphones. This flexibility increases response rates by allowing participants to answer at their convenience.

Collecting and Analyzing Data

Google Forms automatically collects responses in real-time. Access this data by clicking the “Responses” tab. Here, view individual submissions or a summary of all responses. The summary provides charts and graphs for easy visualization of results.

For more detailed analysis, export responses to Google Sheets. This creates a spreadsheet with each response as a row. Use Sheets’ features like filtering, sorting, and formulas to dig deeper into the data.

Google Forms also offers a “Responses” email notification option. Enable this to receive alerts when new submissions arrive.

Restrictions and Additional Settings

Google Forms includes settings to control survey access and behavior. Limit responses to one per person by requiring sign-in. Set a closing date to automatically stop accepting responses. Add a custom confirmation message to display after submission.

For quizzes, enable grading to automate scoring. Set point values for questions and provide answer explanations. Create a progress bar to show respondents how far along they are in the survey.

Customize the order of questions by enabling shuffle. This randomizes the sequence for each respondent, reducing bias. Control which fields are required to ensure you gather essential information from every participant.