We got an unofficial sneak peek at Google Consumer Insights back in mid-February when Google’s YouTube videos for the survey were accidentally published to the public. Today, the site is launching officially.
Google Consumer Surveys will allow individuals and organizations to poll web audiences easily and affordably. You might start seeing these pop up around the web as Google is offering Publishers the ability to add these prompts to their site as a sort of paywall. Visitors can choose to answer a research question, purchase a subscription, or sign up for a newsletter.
You can create surveys, find out how it works, view the pricing structure, and read case studies of Google Consumer Surveys from its home at http://www.google.com/insights/consumersurveys/home
Surveys cost 10 cents per response or 50 cents per response for targeted audiences.
You can learn how to create surveys…
or how to target custom audiences…
or view your results.
If Google uses the same data it builds on individuals for its own targeted ads, it explains the earlier privacy policy change that allows Google Consumer Surveys to target its audience members relatively accurately.
Will surveys start replacing ads?
Could Google Consumer Surveys be successful enough to replace ads as a revenue stream online? While this may seem related to the ScreenWise program that is once again open, the ScreenWise data seems to be for Google’s benefit while these survey questions can benefit any company obtain real marketing data. Whether it is packaging feedback or opinions on a brand, consumer surveys could be more engaging to customers.
If you are a publisher and are interested in running the microsurveys on your site, Google has a form for you to fill out.
Google promises:
- Easy set up: Add simple prompts to your site with a few lines of code and track your progress with online reports.
- Publisher choice: Visitors choose between answering a research question or completing an action you define, such as purchasing a subscription or signing up for a newsletter.
- Full site control: You control when and where prompts appear and how much content to make available for free.
From the Consumer Surveys help page:
Publishers are paid based on the number of responses their site visitors provide. Completion rates vary by publisher due to content quality, prompt placement, and bounce rate of users visiting the site. Publishers are required to maintain a 10% completion rate to continue to serve microsurveys. This average is calculated every 30 days.
But, it doesn’t say what percentage publishers are paid, though it does explain that surveys work in addition to ads and other revenue streams.
Will adblock block Consumer Surveys? Will this mini-paywall approach have SEO consequences for publishers? Will surveys turn away visitors or block webcrawlers?