There has been a lot of talk about what a great opportunity a paid survey is. However, many of us do not know what a paid survey actually is. So before reading about how great it is, let me explain thoroughly what the renowned surveys actually are.

Basically, a paid survey is simply a questionnaire conducted by certain companies to help them in their marketing research. The respondents preferred are the common people and they are rewarded with either a preset sum of money or prizes. The surveys can be anything and everything that helps the company in their progress and increasing their operations in order to receive more net profit. Although it may seem impossible for a corporate to offer money or prizes to the masses, it really does exist because the information they receive from the masses is valuable and are willing to pay for it. These surveys do not always comprise of information about a company’s own product but it can also ask around about the competitors’ to know in what ways they can improve their own product and make them excel.

The survey industry is growing every day. The questionnaires are conducted through various methods namely manual and online. The manual method is where the company sends its trained researchers who encourage people to fill out their surveys and give them their feedback. This is widely observed in shopping malls and other market places. The online system is actually much more extensive. Nowadays, it is common to see websites that are totally dedicated to the whole paid survey business. These websites require you to register or sign up, make a profile and answer surveys. The website in turn rewards the participants of every survey. These are usually referred to as survey panels.

Between the process of signing up on a survey panel and actually answering a questionnaire, there is a process of filling out a profile survey. This is actually to create a user profile for yourself so that the panelists can stay on track and have information about you. This is closely related to getting qualified or disqualified from participating in the surveys. Sometimes there are surveys that are designed for specific category of people and if you are not in the category, you will be disqualified from the questionnaire. It is essential for the user to give out accurate and only correct information about oneself. It is to be noted that no survey panel will require you to give out your credit card number.

Next is the matter of filling out the survey. Usually the panel will send you surveys that you are eligible for nevertheless you can apply for any questionnaire that suits your liking and qualifications. The questionnaire will usually inform you beforehand what your reward will be- either a cash prize or some other sort of reward. When you see a low or small cash prize, do not be alarmed not disheartened. Generally, the sum of money offered is low so it is not something to worry about. As far as filling out the survey is concerned, be honest because honest opinions are what companies are looking for. These genuine answers are what they want so give it to them with sincerity.

Now that you know everything about what paid surveys are, why and how they work, you need to understand that not all survey websites out there are the genuine ones. You have to keep your senses active to recognize a fake website from a genuine one because the differences between them are difficult to spot. There are scammers everywhere especially on the internet where there is a lot of anonymity. Therefore to spot a scam survey website, look for either one or all of the following;

1. A poor and poorly designed website: Usually the fake websites are not designed by expert web developers and designers. There will be tiny traces of scam in the layout and the appearance of the website. The look and feel will just be out of place. These will have errors such as spelling mistakes and/or unimpressive website layout.
2. A little too personal information: As mentioned before, profile surveys do not obligate you to give out your credit card information. Real survey websites do indeed ask for personal information such as income, occupation etc. but only the fake ones will ask you your credit card information so stay away from this.
3. Requiring your input rather than output: Usually real websites do not ask you to donate your money while signing up. Some genuine websites ask for membership fee but usually these are just one time only fee and are relatively low. Every fake website will ask for a larger amount of money and is probably a good idea to avoid completely.
4. Claims to make you rich beyond your dreams: As stated above, surveys pay only a small amount of cash so if you see a survey website offering a huge sum or claiming to make you rich by their rewards, it is a trap; do not fall for it. When you tour such websites, you observe false facts and figures to make you believe that this is the answer to all your financial problems.

Now that you have sufficient knowledge, go ahead and participate in this wonderful opportunity but with all your senses fully awake.