If we asked you what the most important page on your website is, you’d probably answer your home page or contact page. If you are an online retailer, you might say the ‘buy now’ or ‘shop’ page. While these pages are all essential to the performance of your website (and the success of your business), there is another page that will help your website rank and encourage your users to purchase from you and/or use your services – the Frequently Asked Question page. Here’s how a well-crafted FAQ page can make a huge difference to your business.
Why Your Website Needs a FAQ Page
Save Time & Earn Trust
A well-thought-out FAQ page will save your business time and allow your customers to quickly find out essential information about your products and services. Trawling through endless pages on your website or having to call or email a customer service department is not appealing to customers, and most will quickly lose interest and head elsewhere. A FAQ page keeps your customers informed and saves your staff having to answer the same questions over and over again. A well-written FAQ page also establishes trust by demonstrating that you are aware of your customer’s needs and are proactive in solving their problems and addressing their concerns.
Make Money
In addition to providing information about the essential aspects of your business, a FAQ page also presents an excellent marketing opportunity. Instead of directly selling to your customers, you can frame your questions and answers to explain how good your products and services are without sounding pushy. For example:
Question: Can You Redesign My Current Website?
Answer: Yes, and if your website hasn’t been updated in the past 2 years, it’s probably time for a refresh. The digital world changes fast, so to keep your website looking current and performing at its best, it needs constant attention. We can advise you on whether you need a major overhaul or a few tweaks to the existing design.
People don’t like being sold to. They want to learn and they want the facts. A FAQ page allows you to show off your business and all its best features while helping your customers to make an informed decision. Information gives customers confidence and that means they are much more likely to buy from you.
Improve SEO
Fact: search engines like FAQ pages. Why? Because you are providing quality answers to common questions. While some FAQs will be specific to your company, others will explain how your products and/or services solve problems. You can also include questions based on trending searches in your industry to bring in visitors who may not know about your company but are searching for the things you sell or the issues you resolve. FAQ pages will often be displayed in Google’s featured snippets (that box of text at the top of the organic results which aims to provide a quick answer to the user’s question), so it’s worth spending some quality time crafting an informative page.
A FAQ page should be looked at as an ongoing content project. Google loves fresh content, so make sure you are continuously updating your FAQ page with the latest customer service issues, changes to company policy and whenever you add new products and/or services. You can also develop more in-depth pieces of content for FAQs that need a lengthier answer in your blog or news sections and link out to these.
How To Write a FAQ Page
The key to constructing a successful FAQ page is to provide meaningful answers to questions with as few words as possible. For example, if the answer is yes, say yes straight away and then provide a brief explanation in a clear and authoritative voice. Write questions in the first person, the way a customer would type it into a search engine.
Question: Can I Migrate My Old Emails Into G Suite?
Answer: Yes, we charge a fee based on the number of accounts that need to be moved across.
Always be honest and straightforward to avoid frustrating the user with ambiguous answers. If you have a lot of FAQs to cover, group them into categories to make the page easier for the user to navigate. You can also use images and videos to supplement your answers.
Finally, try adding some humour or personality. FAQ pages don’t have to be serious. You want your customers to feel like you are speaking to them, so don’t be afraid to take a more casual approach (as long as the tone isn’t completely at odds with your brand’s voice).
Common FAQ Questions for Websites
The questions you include on your FAQ page will depend on the industry you are in. For example, the FAQs for eCommerce sites will usually include all, or most, of the following:
- Shipping information
- Return policy
- Dispatch times
- Descriptions or comparisons of products
- How to choose the right size or model
- How to use the product
- Questions about ingredients/manufacturing process
The best place to start is with your customer service team. They are the ones engaging with your customers on a daily basis and will know what their common queries and concerns are.
You can also use Google’s autocompletion feature to find commonly searched for questions about your industry and/or products.
The best FAQ’s pages are those that include a mix of practical questions (payments, delivery, refunds etc), informative questions (how to use the product etc ) and selling questions (why your products and/or services are the best etc).
If your website doesn’t have a FAQ page, now is the time to implement one. As well as helping your customers find the information they need, a FAQ page can be a powerful selling tool if developed effectively. Don’t neglect this very important piece of content any longer!
