Comparing Google Surveys and SparkToro: Which Platform Reigns Supreme for Market Research?

Google Surveys

Google Surveys is a market research tool developed by Google that allows users to create and distribute online surveys to collect feedback and insights from a targeted audience. It was launched in 2012 as an extension of Google Consumer Surveys and has since become a popular tool for businesses and organizations looking to gain valuable insights from their customers or target market.

SparkToro

SparkToro is a market research and audience intelligence tool founded by marketing guru Rand Fishkin in 2018. It is designed to help marketers and businesses understand their target audience's online behavior and interests, as well as identify platforms and channels to reach them effectively. Its main focus is on providing insights and data about digital audiences, particularly on social media and websites.

Features

Google Surveys:

• Easy to use survey creation interface
• Targeted audience selection based on demographics, geography, and more
• Option for paid responses from a diverse pool of respondents
• Customized reports and charts with real-time data
• Integration with Google Analytics and other Google products

SparkToro:

• Ability to find and analyze digital audience behavior and interests
• Identification of top websites and social media accounts followed by target audience
• Insights on platforms, hashtags, and keywords used by target audience
• Comparison of audience overlap between multiple websites and social media accounts
• Integration with Google Analytics and other analytics platforms

Pricing

Google Surveys:

• Basic Plan: Free for surveys with less than 10 questions and up to 100 responses
• Starting at $0.10 per response for larger surveys and more targeted audiences
• Subscription plans available for businesses with frequent survey needs

SparkToro:

• Basic Plan: $149 per month for up to 1,000 searches
• Premium Plan: $449 per month for up to 5,000 searches
• Custom Enterprise Plans available for larger businesses and agencies

Pros and Cons

Google Surveys:

• Pros:
• Simple and user-friendly interface
• Large pool of respondents for diverse and representative data
• Integration with other Google products
• Low cost for smaller surveys and responses
• Cons:
• Limited customization options for surveys
• Higher costs for larger and more targeted surveys
• Responses may be biased towards Google users

SparkToro:

• Pros:
• Detailed and comprehensive insights on digital audiences
• Ability to compare and analyze multiple websites and social media accounts at once
• Integration with other analytics platforms
• Pricing plans based on number of searches, not responses
• Cons:
• More expensive than Google Surveys for smaller businesses
• Limited to online audiences, may not be suitable for all businesses
• Requires some technical knowledge to fully utilize its features

Conclusion

Both Google Surveys and SparkToro offer valuable market research and audience intelligence features for businesses looking to understand their target audience better. Google Surveys is an affordable and easy-to-use option for smaller surveys and basic insights, while SparkToro provides in-depth and data-driven insights for more advanced market research needs. Ultimately, the choice between the two will depend on a business's budget and specific research objectives.

References

1. Google Surveys. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved May 16, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Consumer_Surveys
2. SparkToro. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved May 16, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SparkToro