Lately it has occurred to me that many of the websites I have managed content for do not have one page that seemed to be standard on the World Wide Web – the FAQ or Frequently Asked Questions page.
But this may not be a bad thing as long as the content of the website provides the answers your visitors need. Ask yourself if you really need that page – or if the information that is parked there would be better on more relevant pages.
Frequently Asked Questions are not Questions You Wish They Would Ask
This is a common mistake – adding a page full of information about your products and services, in a question-and-answer format, that isn’t what your customers want to know when they click onto a “Common Questions” or “Frequently Asked Questions” page. A genuine Frequently Asked Questions page should support your site by reducing the number of common enquiries submitted to you by e-mail or on your customer service telephone number – and should not replace having quality copywriting and search engine optimisation on your content pages.
If your customers really ask “how do I order this from your site? What payment methods do you take? How much does delivery cost?” your page content should be optimised to include these details on relevant pages to ensure your users do not have to go searching for it instead of completing their purchase.
For example, if your site offers personalised car widgets, and your goal is to have customers contact you for a quote, the individual product pages should answer the questions that you think your customers should ask – or that they might actually ask – about the widget. The fewer clicks they have to make to find out that the A2019 widget they’re interested in is made of chrome-plated steel and takes up to 3 weeks to customise, the better.
Are you writing the right questions?
If you’re building a Common Questions page to reduce the volume of simple enquiry messages or calls, make sure you’re asking and answering the questions in an accessible way your readers will understand. Assume that your customers do not have inside knowledge of your industry and simplify the language – instead of saying “What vehicle manifold will my A2019 fit onto?” phrase the question as “Where can I attach my new widget?”
Your answer should be equally simple – remember that your readers will be skimming the content, and may only read the first couple of words of the answer. Answer the question briefly in the first sentence, and explain it further if necessary:
Q. Where can I attach my new widget?
A. Rear-view mirror or external aerial. The widgets are designed to clip securely, with a rubberised grip to prevent scratching.
What questions should my Common Questions page answer, then?
The best answer to this is “The questions your customers have actually asked.” If you have an enquiries form or a customer service number, note down the questions and topics you are contacted about. When you’ve assembled half a dozen or so questions that have been asked more than once, it may be time to consider adding the questions and their answers to your website.
You can also solicit questions from your readers, to find out whether your content is providing the information a user needs – if multiple people ask the same question, it may be helpful to add that to a FAQ page, or to update the copy on the existing pages in order to answer the questions asked and improve the page’s relevance to your users.
Any questions?
If you visit www.wsiyorkshire.co.uk and look through the site, are there any questions you have that you didn’t see an answer for?
I’d like you to ask them in the comments for this post.
