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Google Surveys vs Market Research Agencies – Shorter Read

A summary of our exploration of Google Surveys at each stage of the research process, to help you decide which service is a better fit for your needs.

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If you’re looking to conduct a consumer survey to gather quick opinions or a better understanding of your target audience using an online method, it may be difficult to know where to start. An internet search on ‘consumer surveys’ will rapidly pull up results displaying a variety of options, with Google Surveys coming up near the top; a familiar, well known brand may feel like the safest option as a starting point for your research, particularly if on the surface it does a similar job to any market research agency.

Before you decide, however, we thought it would be helpful to briefly summarise the (rather large) difference in offerings between Google surveys and a traditional market research agencies to see which is a better fit for you.

Market research agencies vs Google Surveys

Market research agenciesGoogle Surveys
Consultancy and advice offered on questionnaire design & research objectivesExample questionnaires to look at & no consultancy
20-25 question limitStrict 10 question limit
Higher cost optionLower cost option
As many screener questions as requiredLimit of 4 screener questions
Able to route questions depending on answers of previous questionsNo question routing
A big variety of question types can be usedQuestion types limited to multiple choice, image choice and 5-point scales
Sophisticated targeting e.g. the pet the respondent owns, hobbies etc.Targeting limited to age, gender, android use and region
Restricted to respondents on panelsWider reach beyond just panels – target through web pages
Quality check conducted on every surveyNo obvious quality check
Sampling done for youOwn control over sampling
Tables and PPT report – explained in context of the aims and objectives with analysisAutomated charts – limited analysis and explanations
Option to have results presented and explained to you by a real personNo presentation option
Alternative perspective from researcherPerspective of survey owner only
Analysis of open-ended questionsNo analysis on open-ended questions

For a more in-depth comparison between the two options, please see our longer read here.

On the whole, if you’re looking for rapid answers at a low cost then Google Surveys is the most likely option for you, but this is most suited to researchers who know who their audience is and know exactly what they want to ask them, with little assistance with results analysis and understanding.

Although a Market Research agency is often thought to be the more expensive option, here at Opinipoll we pride ourselves on being budget aware and delivering quick and clean results. Our costs include expert advice on both the research and questionnaire design, having the faff of sampling taken off your hands and options for extra analysis with a more in-depth explanation of the results – check out our free quote calculator today.

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