Paid Surveys. Cash For Surveys. Get Paid To Do Online Surveys.

It will come as little surprise to know that there are literally hundreds of survey companies out there and it is becoming increasingly difficult to source those legitimate paid surveys. Many people are simply looking for ethical ways of making money online and completing paid surveys falls into this category; what they don’t want is some unscrupulous company or site leading them up the wrong path.

The Internet is a wonderful resource and millions of people worldwide now make a living through this ever growing platform. The difference between the Internet world and ‘traditional’ brick and mortar businesses is that with the Internet you have a global audience. However, if something goes wrong, you cant simply go back to the ‘shop’ you bought it from and complain to the store manager (face to face). This also applies to paid surveys: there are plenty of opportunities out there, but if anything goes wrong or you are not satisfied, there are few options. This is why it is greatly important to do some research from the outset and acquaint yourselves with reputable online survey companies.

Online paid survey companies can come in several forms. For example, you can join ‘middle men’ companies that stock paid surveys (ready to be completed by you) and fill out surveys (and earn) through them. Alternatively, you could approach companies seeking completed surveys directly, i.e. some companies will pay you to fill out their surveys through their own sites. Whichever approach you take, make sure you do your homework.

What Should You Look For in Paid Surveys?

1. Look for survey companies that are FREE to join. Steer clear of those sites that ask for a fee to ‘access their database of paid surveys’. This is irrational as YOU are meant to be getting paid for investing your time to complete these surveys. More importantly a reputable survey company will NOT ask you to hand over your credit card details.

2. How long has the company been around? This is another important point and makes common sense. The longer the company has been around the better, as they wouldn’t still be in business if  they weren’t somewhat legitimate. Check the age of the domain and the number of back links, i.e. number of sites pointing to their site.

3. Have they got a proven payment record? In all honesty, we all want  a company that will pay us on time every time. You are in essence a contractor and so when you carry out your ‘work’ you want to be paid. Look for testimonials, reviews of the company or you can even seek opinions from existing members. Check out common related forums as there might be threads on each company.

4. Ignore those companies making ridiculous income claims. Sometimes you have to use your common sense and know that a survey company stating that you can ‘earn 5 figures per month by completing a few surveys a day’ is crap! As I state throughout this blog, treat paid surveys as a means to earn extra money, not to a new career!

5. Legitimate paid survey companies will state UPFRONT how much you’ll earn per completed survey. I have joined companies in the past that state that you’ll earn ‘up to $25′ per survey only to discover that I earned around $1 for a full survey. If the company state the amount first, it will make it easier for you to decide whether its worthwhile.

By now you should have a better idea of what makes a legitimate survey company and what to look out for; hopefully you will be better equipped to sort the real companies from the lemons. This is not to dilute the fact that there are filling out paid surveys is a nice way of earning extra cash online. Make sure, however, you do your due diligence first.