If you're running surveys on your site, you know the pain: too many pop-ups, too little insight, and users closing surveys before you get anything useful. This is for folks who want to actually learn from surveys—not just annoy visitors. Here’s the playbook to segment your survey audiences in Qualaroo so you’re hitting the right people, at the right time, for answers that matter.
Why bother segmenting survey audiences?
Let's be real: spraying the same survey at everyone is a fast way to burn out your audience and get junk responses. Segmentation lets you:
- Target specific user types (new vs. returning, paid vs. free, etc.)
- Time surveys for when they’ll actually be useful (like after a key action)
- Avoid annoying people who’ll never care (or already answered)
- Get cleaner, more actionable data
Good segmentation isn’t hard, but it does require thinking through who you want to hear from. Don't overcomplicate it, but don’t ignore it, either.
Step 1: Know your audience (and goal) before you touch a tool
Before clicking anything in Qualaroo, ask yourself:
- What do I want to learn?
- Who can actually answer this?
- When is the right moment to ask?
Example:
Want to know why new users drop off? Don’t bother bugging your loyal customers. Segment for “first-time visitors” or “users who haven’t signed up yet.”
Pro tip:
Write out a few sentences about your ideal respondent and the perfect moment to ask. Use that as your north star—otherwise, you’ll get lost in the weeds.
Step 2: Build your survey—the right way
Set up your survey in Qualaroo, but don’t rush through this. A few rules of thumb:
- Keep it short. Two or three questions max. No one wants to write an essay mid-browse.
- Use plain language. Ditch the marketing speak.
- Make the first question count. If you lose them there, you lose them for good.
- Use “skip logic” if you need follow-ups based on responses.
What to ignore:
Don’t get hung up on advanced design tweaks or fancy branding. Focus on clarity and relevance—the rest is window dressing.
Step 3: Use Qualaroo’s targeting options
This is where segmentation actually happens. Qualaroo’s targeting is pretty flexible, but don’t expect “AI-powered magic.” You’ll have to set real rules.
Here’s what you can do (and what’s worth your time):
1. Page-based targeting
- Show on specific URLs:
Great for surveys about a certain product, feature, or landing page. - Exclude pages:
Useful to avoid bugging users on sensitive or irrelevant pages (e.g., checkout).
How to do it:
In the “Targeting” tab, set “Show on these URLs” and use wildcards if needed (/pricing/*
, etc.)
What works:
Simple, reliable. If the question is only relevant on a certain page, always start here.
2. Audience-based targeting
- Device type:
Target only mobile or desktop users. Handy if experiences differ a lot. - Location:
Useful if your product/service varies by country or region. - Traffic source (referrer):
Only show to users who came from a certain campaign or partner.
Pro tip:
Don’t get distracted by micro-segmenting unless you have real traffic. If you’re running a campaign in France, sure—target French users. But if you’re just starting out, keep it broad.
3. Behavior-based targeting
This is where things get interesting—and actually useful.
- Visit count:
Only show to first-time visitors, or people who’ve been to your site 3+ times. - Action-based:
Show after someone clicks a certain button, stays for X minutes, or scrolls Y%. - Cookie/user attribute:
Target based on logged-in status, plan type, or anything you can pass via JavaScript.
How to set it up:
- In Qualaroo, go to the “Targeting” section of your survey.
- Set visit count, URL, or referrer rules.
- For custom attributes, you’ll need to set up JavaScript variables. Qualaroo calls these “Custom Properties.” If you have dev help, set
window._kiq.push(['set', {'plan': 'pro'}])
before the survey loads.
What’s actually worth it:
Behavioral triggers (like showing a survey after a key action or visit count) lead to much higher response rates. Custom properties are powerful but don’t go down this road unless you know exactly what you want. Otherwise, you’ll spend hours chasing edge cases.
Step 4: Exclude the wrong people
Don’t forget the anti-targeting. You want to avoid:
- Surveying people who already answered (Qualaroo handles this by default)
- Annoying users on every single visit (set frequency caps)
- Showing to logged-in users when you only care about anonymous visitors—or vice versa
Set exclusion rules:
In the targeting settings, use “Don’t show on these URLs,” set frequency, and (if needed) use custom properties to hide surveys from certain user types.
Mistake to avoid:
Forgetting to exclude customers who already gave feedback. Double-surveying is a fast track to bad data and angry users.
Step 5: Test before going live
Nothing kills a survey faster than a misfire—like popping up a “Why didn’t you buy?” survey on your thank-you page.
How to test:
- Use Qualaroo’s “Preview” mode for quick checks.
- Visit your site in an incognito window to see which users get shown the survey.
- If using custom properties, make sure your variables are set correctly before the survey loads.
- Check on different devices and browsers if that matters to your audience.
What to ignore:
Don’t obsess over pixel-perfect display. Focus on whether the right people see it, at the right time, with the right question.
Step 6: Monitor, tweak, and repeat
Segmentation isn’t “set and forget.” You’ll get it wrong the first time—everyone does.
- Watch your response rates. If you’re getting crickets, your targeting is probably too narrow (or your question stinks).
- If you’re getting junk responses, you might be too broad.
- Tweak your rules, not just your questions. Sometimes moving from “all visitors” to “3+ visits” makes all the difference.
Pro tip:
Look at your completion rate in Qualaroo’s analytics. If it’s below 10%, something’s off.
Things to ignore (unless you’re a power user)
- Over-segmenting: Chasing tiny niches often isn’t worth the effort.
- Super granular timing: “Show after 17 seconds, but only if scrolled 38%” is rarely better than “after 10 seconds.”
- Trying to personalize every survey for every user type. Start simple, get fancy later.
Wrapping up: Keep it simple, get better over time
Segmentation is a tool, not a religion. Start with broad strokes—target the big groups who matter most. Don’t drown in options. Watch what works, cut what doesn’t, and tweak as you go. The best survey is the one real people actually see and answer.
Get the basics right, and you’ll get better data with less hassle. And that’s the whole point.