Overview

Taking paid surveys online can be an exciting and fun way to earn a little extra cash. There are literally hundreds of websites that are willing o let you give them your views and opinions by answering their questions, and will pay you for doing so.

Set out below are a few of the most common questions that are asked about taking surveys online, together with some tips and hints that can get you started. Finally, a few additional idea sand thing to bear in mind once you have started taking online surveys, and accumulated some cash.

What exactly are paid online surveys?

Simply put, you answer questions online; you get paid for your opinions. By going to any of the free directories of online survey companies, you can consider a lengthy list of such companies, and decide what kind of survey sites you are interested in.

Beware that there are few survey list sites out there that are "paid for" sites that you have to put money upfront to join. Almost invariably, these are no better than the free listing sites highlighted in the "Links" section of my own website, and often, the paid lists offer exactly the same survey listings! Stick to the freebies, is the best advice.

Once you begin the sign up process, the company will usually need to gather some demographic information about you, such as your home town, age, sex and the like. Again, be aware that more than half the surveys that are available are only on offer to US citizens, and, although in most cases, this is very obvious from outset, sometimes it is necessary to read the small print to make sure that you don't waste your time!

Once that site has a survey that fits the personal profile that you just created, they will then send you an invitation by e-mail. This will tell you how to access the survey, an approximate time that it will take to complete and how much it will be worth to you.

Once the survey is done, the company will then arrange to pay you, by check, or via Paypal. Some will not actually "pay" you in monetary terms, either sending out a gift certificate or allowing you to accumulate "points" or "credits" to apply to get a large reward, gift or prize at a later date.

How much can you make with paid surveys?

The truth is that, whilst many companies offering paid survey "finder" services will suggest that you can earn thousands of dollars a month with paid surveys, you can't, unless you can work 24 hours a day, eleven days each week. You are far more likely to earn in the hundreds than thousands, period.

Of course, how much you actually f=do make depends on several factors, not the least of which is how much effort and work you are wiling to do. Then there is the demographic question to take into account - a suggested earlier, it is much less likely that you will earn good money if you are outside USA (or, to a lesser extent, UK), as well as the type of surveys that you are completing. Some survey types simply pay better than others. Be aware that this is not "regular" wok. Again, dependent on demographics, the type of surveys that you want to complete and so on, you can sometimes wait days, weeks or even months before you receive a request to complete a survey. You'll have months where you make very little and months where you may make considerably more.

How many surveys can you expect to receive?

Probably, at the beginning, not so many. Some sites may send out several survey invitations per month, the overwhelming majority do not. Don't be discouraged if within the first few months you are not receiving a significant amount of survey invites. Just hang in there, and gradually, things will start moving for you.

Should I Consider Paying To Complete a Survey?

Absolutely not. Any genuine, real market research company is prohibited by the Marketing Research Association from charging for participation. You should NEVER pay for information about online surveys. As we've stated previously, there are plenty sites out there that will be more than willing to take your money for a list of survey sites, but stick with the free lists as they are every bit as good (often better) than the paid ones.For Links to the Best Free Lists of Online Paid Surveys, visit here!.