What I built
A multi-question survey form embedded directly in a website. Customers fill it out on your domain — no redirect, no third-party branding, no "Powered by SurveyMonkey" footer. When they hit submit, the responses land in a Google Sheet you own. That's it. No middleware, no monthly invoice, no data sitting on someone else's server.
The form looks however you want it to look because it's your HTML. Match your brand colors, use your logo, put it on whatever page makes sense — after a purchase, on your contact page, embedded in a thank-you email. You're not fighting a template builder to get the spacing right.
What it replaces (and what those tools actually cost)
Every business needs to ask their customers questions eventually. Post-service feedback, event RSVPs, product interest surveys, onboarding forms. The market has decided that's worth charging you monthly for:
| Tool | Typical cost | What you give up |
|---|---|---|
| SurveyMonkey | $25–$75/mo per user $300–$900/year |
Free tier caps responses at 40/survey; branding locked behind paid plans; data lives on their platform |
| Typeform | $25–$83/mo $300–$996/year |
Beautiful, but expensive; response limits on every tier; sends customers off your site |
| Google Forms | Free | Sends people off your site to a Google-branded page; minimal design control; looks like a Google product, not your business |
| JotForm | $34–$99/mo $408–$1,188/year |
Form limits on free tier; JotForm branding; another login to manage |
| Build your own | $0/mo (Google Sheet + Apps Script — both free) |
Nothing. You own the form, the data, and the design. |
For a five-question feedback form you send after a job, you could be paying $300 to over $1,000 a year. That's not a complex enterprise workflow — it's a handful of questions and a spreadsheet of answers.
Why it matters for a local business
- Customer feedback without friction. A survey that lives on your site means customers never leave your domain. No login prompts, no unfamiliar interfaces, no wondering if that link is legit. They answer your questions and stay in your world.
- Post-service follow-ups. "How did the install go? Anything we missed?" Send the link in your follow-up text or email. Responses flow into your Google Sheet automatically — no checking some third-party dashboard.
- Event RSVPs and interest forms. Running a workshop, open house, or seasonal promo? Collect signups in a form you control. Add a question, remove a question, change the deadline — it's your HTML file, not a locked-down form builder.
- Your data stays in your Google account. Not on SurveyMonkey's servers, not behind Typeform's paywall, not in a platform that might change pricing next quarter. Export it, chart it, share the sheet with your team — it's just a spreadsheet.
- Zero monthly cost. Google Sheets is free. Google Apps Script is free. Your website hosting (if you're on Netlify's free tier) is free. The only cost is the time to set it up — which, as the video shows, is an afternoon.
How it actually works
The setup has three pieces, and none of them require being a developer:
- An HTML form on your site. Text inputs, dropdowns, radio buttons, a textarea — whatever questions you need. It lives in your project alongside the rest of your pages.
- A Google Apps Script. A short script attached to a Google Sheet that listens for form submissions. When someone hits "Submit," the script catches the data and writes a new row in the spreadsheet. Google hosts and runs it for free.
- A Google Sheet. One column per question, one row per response. Sort, filter, chart, share with your team — all the normal spreadsheet things.
Once it's wired up, adding or changing a question means editing your HTML — add an input field, update the script to expect it, done. No rebuilding a form in a drag-and-drop editor, no "upgrade to change the question order" upsell.
Want to build it yourself?
The video above walks through the entire process start to finish. If you'd rather have a conversation about whether this makes sense for your business first, book a free 30-minute call and I'll point you in the right direction.
Want me to build it for you?
A built-in survey form is one of the things the Owner Bootcamp covers — along with the rest of your site, your analytics, and your workflow. It can also be an add-on to the 7-Day Liftoff if you already have a site and just need this one piece.
Either way, reach out and we'll figure out what fits.