5 Questions to ask yourself when developing a superb FAQ page
1. Can customers find your FAQ section?
A simple place to start, yes. But an important question nonetheless. Is the hyperlink to your FAQ section buried in a wall of text? Do they have to navigate from your “Contact Us” section just to get access to it?
Don’t make your prospects search around for such a critical part of your site. The button to your FAQ section should be very obvious to site visitors, preferably at the very top of the home page in your site menu and in the footer of the site.
2. Will consumers be able to find their specific questions easily?
This sounds similar to the first question but what’s being asked here is whether you’ve made your FAQs scannable.
Scannability is so important when it comes to online content. Especially when it comes to potentially ornery prospects who’ve been searching the web for a suitable product or service, but none of the sites they’ve been to thus far have provided quick answers to their burning questions.
Be the bucket of water that douses the fire of your prospects’ frustrations. It’ll be much appreciated.
Do this by using these simple techniques:
Divide your questions into sections by topic
Put questions and/or the most important part of your answers in bold
Infographics can deliver a quick snapshot answer and also help break the monotony of text
Consider drop down menus so questions are easier to scan
3. What are your customers/web visitors already asking?
One of the best ways to guarantee a helpful FAQ page is to see what questions people are likely to ask. Design surveys to ask current visitors/customers what topics they’re confused or curious about. This information will be invaluable.
Then, give the people what they want!
Prospects will honor you with more of their time and resources if you prioritize theirs.
Put the most straightforward part of the answer first and then expound if need be. For example, start your answers off with a yes, no, or one sentence answer as much as you can. After that, keep it short and sweet if you still need to add more info. Yes, show off some brand personality while you're at it, but no winding, overly clever answers.
4. What kind of search terms could lead prospects to your site?
Make your FAQ section itself searchable. Might as well work on
some SEO while you’re at it. If you put your answers on a separate page rather than just using a handy dandy drop down menu, Google will rank your pages in search results. This gives your website more exposure.
So narrow down the wording of your questions to exactly the kind of long-tail keywords a prospect might use and you can feed two birds with one feeder. Look at your competitors to see what kind of holes in their FAQ pages they have. Then, make your site the savvy one to fill them.
5. Is your FAQ page updated?
Now that you’ve developed a marvelous FAQ page don’t forget to keep it updated. If your business expands to offer a new service or the main function of your website shifts, make sure you update your FAQ section. After all, the last thing your FAQ section should be doing is generating more questions.
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