Guides
How to Create a Survey Form in WordPress
Surveys reveal what your audience actually thinks — but only when the questions use the right scale fields and stay short enough to finish. Auto Form Builder includes purpose-built NPS, star rating, opinion scale and Likert grid fields free, with per-question charts and trend analytics built in. This guide walks through building a WordPress survey that produces actionable data.
What you'll need
Auto Form Builder installed free from WordPress.org — no account required for the core plugin.
Step 1: Install Auto Form Builder
Install and activate Auto Form Builder from WordPress.org — survey fields and analytics are part of the free core, not a paid add-on. Open the plugin from your admin menu after activation. No external survey SaaS account is required; responses stay in your WordPress database.
Step 2: Create a new survey form
Click Create New Form and name it after the survey topic — Customer Satisfaction Q1 or Post-Event Feedback, for example. Start with a blank canvas so you choose each question type deliberately rather than adapting a contact template. Write your questions in a separate doc first to keep the survey focused and short.
Step 3: Add scale and rating fields
Drag the right field for each question — NPS for loyalty and referral intent, Star Rating for satisfaction, Opinion Scale for agree or disagree questions and Tabular Survey for Likert grids when several statements share the same scale. Click each field to set labels, endpoints and required state. Match the scale type to the question so respondents intuitively know how to answer.
Step 4: Add follow-up questions with conditional logic
Use conditional logic to reveal open follow-ups only when they matter — for example, show "What could we improve?" when someone gives a low NPS or star score. Keep the main path short for satisfied respondents so completion rates stay high. Add an optional Email field if you want to follow up on specific responses without requiring identity for every submission.
Step 5: Configure notifications and success message
Most surveys do not need an admin email on every response — rely on the built-in analytics dashboard instead. Set a thank-you message that confirms submission and tells respondents how their feedback will be used. If certain answers need immediate attention, use conditional email rules to notify a team member when a detractor score or critical option is selected.
Step 6: Embed the survey and review results
Embed the survey on a page with the shortcode or Gutenberg block and share the link with your audience. Open form analytics to read per-question charts and the 30-day trend instead of exporting raw CSV for every review. Export to CSV or JSON when you need to share results with stakeholders or archive a quarterly report.
Tips
- Limit surveys to five to seven questions — every extra question costs completion rate, so cut anything that will not change a decision you plan to make.
- Use NPS for loyalty questions and star ratings for satisfaction on specific touchpoints — mixing scales on the same screen confuses respondents.
- Check the trend chart monthly rather than reacting to individual low scores — patterns over time tell you whether changes actually worked.
Go deeper
FAQ
Does it calculate NPS automatically?
Yes — the NPS field collects 0–10 scores and shows the promoter, passive and detractor breakdown in your analytics dashboard.
Can I see visual results instead of spreadsheets?
Yes — per-question charts and a 30-day trend are built into form analytics. CSV and JSON export are available when you need raw data.