How to Make Money Online Answering Surveys

If you’ve been online for a little while now, you’ve probably seen pop-ups advertising ways to make money in some form or another. Heck, you might have come to this site via one of those pop-ups. Many times such ads will lead you to various paid survey sites where, in exchange for your time, you can earn points, cash, etc.

Do they actually work? What’s involved in joining one or more of these survey sites? How do you get paid? Can you make a living by answering surveys online? All of these are great questions and ones I plan to answer as we learn How to Make Money Online Answering Surveys.

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Why Online Surveys?

In a nutshell, because there’s plenty of them and they’re easy to sign up for and complete. Let’s face it, many people out there are all wanting to make money, but most want the easy path and don’t want to put forth a massive effort to make a decent income online.

That’s understandable but unrealistic. Still, completing online surveys is a way to make some money online. How much you’ll make and how much effort you’ll need to put forth in order to make what you want is another question.

Let’s take a look at some aspects of earning money online through completing surveys. We’ll take a look at how easy it is to do, if you can really make money doing it and what other options are out there to supplement your survey income or do instead.

Is it Easy to Learn How to Make Money Online Answering Surveys?

Actually it’s quite easy. In most cases, all you have to do is sign up for the program, fill out some basic information, so they can match you to relevant surveys, and wait for them to let you know there’s one you can take.

Some platforms may have you go through a quick training video or course so that you know how they want you to approach the surveys they offer and what tools you have at your disposal to complete them but, in most cases, it’s a pretty straight forward process. They ask questions, you select answers or enter them in the field provided.

There are some more advanced surveys out there that require so many minutes a day over a multi-day period. In those cases, you can bet that, you’ll be asked to provide detailed responses, usually in the form of a paragraph for each question.

One thing to note, many platforms have you fill out a pre-survey to see if you qualify for the survey in question. This pre-survey can actually take a while to fill out and there’s no guarantee that you’ll qualify for the paying survey at the end. I find this practice questionable and annoying. It’s like they’re collecting data they need for some other purpose without having to pay for your time. It’s a catch-22 though. If you don’t take the pre-survey, you’re definitely not going to get the paying one.

Can You Really Make Money with Online Surveys? How Do They Pay Out?

Now this is the big question. Can you really make money with online surveys? Yes. Can you make a living by completing them? No. Online surveys are everywhere. As such, it’s a very competitive market, not only for the people completing them but for the companies offering them (trying to get clients to provide surveys, etc.).

Although companies need such feedback and surveys provide a great way to gather that data, they’ll only pay so much for it. As you can imagine, the survey companies need to take their cut of that money too. What’s left is what you get for completing the survey. Most are somewhere around a few bucks per and that’s assuming you’re filling out a survey that offers a cash payout.

Here’s the real issue. Many survey companies offer points or will enter you in a drawing for your efforts. You might have to accumulate a lot of points before you can redeem them for cash, products or a gift card, etc. Being entered into a drawing means you might not get anything at all for your efforts. This is where you need really choose your survey platforms carefully. I tend to lean towards those that pay actual cash so I know up-front what I’ll actually get for my efforts.

Add to that, the payment methods offered and you can see that it can be difficult to find the right survey company to match your specific needs. Do they mail you a check, pay by PayPal, provide a digital credit card, etc.? These are all things to consider when picking survey sites to work with.

I’ve made about a thousand dollars through online surveys thus far. Not bad but let’s break it down a bit… I choose surveys that pay out a larger dollar amount. This means I take fewer surveys but the ones I do participate in usually take longer to complete.

The plus side to this is I know I’m going to get $100, $250, etc. when I’m done. The downside is I have to give them an hour a day for 3 days, or go on-site to see the product (such as a new truck design) and so on. Another downside is such surveys are far and few between so it may be days or even weeks from one to the next.

In the end, even if you did fill out surveys full-time, you won’t come close to minimum wage. Still, if you don’t need a lot of money and/or you have a social anxiety affliction, staying at home and filling out surveys is a way to earn some money. You might even learn of a new product you didn’t know about before.

What Other Options Are There to Earn a Living Online?

So, as you can imagine, there’s no shortage of online opportunities out there. Online surveys is just one option. Selling on eBay is another. You can offer your products or services using platforms such as fiverr and so on too.

I actually prefer the affiliate marketing route myself. It offers a more long term solution to making a living online and allows you to do so without having to have an inventory or product of your own. Check out my top pick for affiliate marketing online if you really want to be successful online. It’s not a get-rich-quick program but will teach you how to build an online business that will continue to earn income for years to come.

Conclusion

So, can you make money through online surveys, yes. It’s up to you if the time and effort is worth the reward (or possible reward, in the case of platforms that enter you into a drawing for your efforts). You certainly won’t make a living from completing online surveys.

Of all the ways to make money online, filling out surveys is a great way to pass some time and earn a little on the side but, with all the competition out there, it’s not really a steady and reliable source of income. I’d say it’s probably 5 or so down on my list for online opportunities.

Check a couple survey sites out. Give em a try and see for yourself if it’s something that might be of interest to you. If so, great. If not, that’s OK too. Although I appreciate that you may value my opinion, it doesn’t hurt to confirm for yourself.

Do you currently take advantage of or have you used online survey sites? What has your experience been? Did I miss something that should be mentioned here? Do you disagree with what I’ve said? Please let me know by commenting below. I’d love to hear what you have to say.

Thank you,

Scott Hinkle

SmallOnlineBiz.com