Build the Ultimate FAQ Page – Examples
Last update: 19 October 2023 at 02:10 pm
5.00/5For a while, it may have seemed like FAQ pages were on their way to extinction. But in the past few years, they have become a staple addition to certain websites. Some are long, some are short, some are interactive, some are block paragraphs…whatever their characteristic, it is becoming evident that these informative pages have become vital to businesses, especially if they have an online store.
So let’s dive into what an FAQ page is and we’ll take a look at some FAQ page examples to give you all the necessary resources to create your very own.
What is an FAQ page?
A ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ (FAQ) page is a customer support page that acts as an answer book to the most recurrent questions. Customers come here to find responses to queries they may have about certain products, services, or actions they encounter on a website. Obviously, not all questions can be anticipated and answered on an FAQ page, but this is where they can find the solutions to general queries of the most commonly asked questions by previous visitors.
Why are FAQ pages important?
Take a look at these best examples of what make FAQ pages fundamental:
Time-saving
An effective FAQ page is an automatic win-win for a company and its customers. Without it, customers would turn to the customer service team and potentially waste both parties’ time on a chat or on the phone for common questions that could have easily been answered on an FAQ.
This saved time can: a) help the employees focus on other important tasks and more specific customer questions and b) give customers the time to browse other products and services.
Building trust
95% of consumers build their loyalty to a company based on a positive customer service experience. If a company is able to show its customers their availability, customers will most likely continue to come back.
By anticipating questions on the FAQ page, you save a customer the step of having to get in touch with the customer service team. Those who do need to call your help center for a more specific question then won’t have to wait for minutes on end before getting their answer.
Optimisation
With FAQ pages, you can optimise two things: internal page views and voice search results. For the prior, you can create links to multiple pages within your FAQ page to the corresponding pages in the answer. For example: a customer is looking for more information about the company. The answer can include a link to the “about us” page.
To optimise voice search results, more and more searches are being carried out via services such as Siri. These searches are more conversational and resemble questions that are usually found in FAQs. By making your FAQs as conversational as possible, your answers will appear in voice search commands and increase CTR.
Promotion
It is easy to stick a few promotions for products into an FAQ page. If your business is in the market of a highly competitive product, use this page as a way to compare yourself to other brands.
For example: brand X and brand Y both sell protein shakes. Brand X may add an FAQ reading “What’s the difference between our protein and brand Y’s?”. This may not be a commonly asked question, but you can also answer questions that consumers didn’t even think they were finding answers to.
SEO
Similarly to the optimisation, by adding in an FAQ page, you will naturally improve SEO. Your individual questions may appear on a SERP’s (search engine results page) frequently asked questions. Take a look at the example below:
Tip: Don’t treat your FAQ as solely an internal page of your website. Think of it as any other landing page you wish to show up on a SERP.
Building your FAQ page
Now that we have laid out the importance of an FAQ page, here is a guide on how to set one up.
Identify your most common questions
There is no FAQ page without any FAQs…but where to find them? The best way to know your customers’ most frequent questions is in your customer support database. Hopefully, you have a substantial amount of questions you can dig up from these reports and it is very likely that you will have multiple identical or related questions.
From the list of queries, decide on what you would determine as ‘frequent’. Ideally, your FAQ page would have enough questions to cover all broad topics but not be unreasonably long either.
Organisation
Organisation is key. FAQ pages are simple, easy to follow, informative, and straight to the point. At the top, have a search functionality with a search bar where customers can enter keywords to find answers rapidly and avoid having to scroll through all of them.
To make it even simpler, categorise your questions. Some ideas of categories are: payment, my account, shipping, return policy, promotions, where to find us, etc.
The best way to organise these categories (or the FAQs) is using an accordion setting. This keeps the page shorter and less overwhelming for customers. You can have accordions within the accordion as well.
As a last piece of organisation advice, plug in keywords into questions and answers. When customers search for a particular question in the search bar, this will make sure they find the answer they are looking for. Interlink keywords within various questions and answers e.g: if you have a question about shipping, add in some keywords in the answer about a free plan for payment or international taxes as well.
If you require some keyword help, don’t hesitate to get into contact with one of our agencies available to give you keyword management advice
Answers
This task can be quite challenging and requires much thought. Some questions may have straightforward answers. However, take caution when answering questions that may stray away from your business.
For example: if we come back to our protein shake company, ‘Brand X’, someone may ask: “what is my recommended daily intake of protein.” To avoid any legal issues, Brand X’s responses should resemble something like this:
“According to the DRI (Dietary Reference Intake), the average man should consume 56 grams of protein per day. However, this number may vary according to different people. Consult with your doctor if you are unsure of your recommended daily dose”
Unlike the questions, which should mirror a customer mindset, answers should be from a business mindset. It may be challenging to answer these questions and it may be wise to have someone from your PR team to help. If you are in need of a PR expert to work on a project such as this one, for example, have a look at our qualified public relations agencies.
Location
Once you have finished the writing part of your FAQ, decide where you should link to it on your site. Many businesses put it at the bottom of their page with all the additional information, but try and think strategically. At what point on your website do customers usually start asking questions and start reaching for their phone to call your support team? Is it at the check-out? Is it on the promotions page? Make the links to your FAQ page easily accessible and visible.
Effective FAQ pages come from a user friendly site that does not make website visitors wish there was an FAQ to find the FAQ page.
Successful FAQ pages have alternatives
Having an FAQ page does not mean that all of your customers’ questions are answered. Don’t get rid of your support center just yet. If potential customers cannot find the answer to their question, there needs to be an alternative solution.
At the bottom of the page, add your customer support number, e-mail, or chatbot for them to get in touch with you.
Publish and Monitor
Now that your FAQ page is live, make sure to monitor its process and update it from time to time. Every couple of weeks or so, on an ongoing basis, go through the customer service database once again and identify any new questions that you can add to the list. You can also receive some advice from your customers about the FAQ page on what to add or what may still be unclear.
Conclusion: You need an FAQ section
An FAQ page is a great way to save time on both the business’ and customer’s ends. No more endless phone calls with the same questions and hopefully, you will have created a smoother site experience for its users.
Make sure to construct your questions based on the frequency of questions asked and from your customer’s perspective. By pairing them with business-orientated, straightforward answers, you’ll create the winning combo for a great FAQ page.
