Why do I need an FAQ page?
Having a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page is an excellent way to promote customer confidence and improve the conversion rate on your website. In fact, some analysts place the importance of an FAQ page as equal to your Homepage and Order Now page. Why?
The Benefits of an FAQ Page
- The Obvious – The FAQ page allows you to address all the questions you already hear from current customers. It calms those same worries potential customers are also likely to have as well.
- Be an Authority – It is a way to show off your professional chops by getting a bit technical in your answers. You don’t have to get so detailed you confuse people, but you can throw in enough professional terminology to demonstrate your knowledge and authority in the field.
- Helps Efficiency – In addition to calming and impressing potential customers, you also cut down on calls and emails asking the same questions over and over. This way, when a customer calls from having seen your website, they are well informed and ready to buy.
- Questions as Search Terms – When well optimized, an FAQ page can come up in search results when people Google the questions listed on your site. If someone Googles “How do I know when I need new tires?” and that is a match to a question on your FAQ page, your FAQ page may very well rank for the answer. When a potential customer gets the answer from you, that person is more likely to trust you when he or she is ready to buy.
- Internal Links – The FAQ page can also be an opportunity to create internal links on your website which point to product and service pages related to appropriate questions. This improves ranking and drives conversion.
What should go on an FAQ page?
Because a good FAQ page requires the insider knowledge that only the professionals at a business can know, it is important that it either be written by the company or written in close collaboration between a content writer and the company.
10 (plus 1) Tips for writing a great FAQ Page
- A good FAQ page should start with the most common questions first, then working down to the more technical, less frequently asked questions.
- Word the questions in the most natural and concise way someone would type them into Google. This increased the chance of coming up in search results for that question. (You can also consult your SEO company to research questions with the highest search rates.)
- The information should be just that—informative. While you can link to service pages, do not write the FAQs as if they were each a sales pitch. In fact, it can even be a good idea to include overall industry information that may not particularly pertain to your products or services. You gain trust by offering straight-forward, honest insights, not by trying to hook people.
- Do not shy away from “negative questions.” If people often ask why you are more expensive and the answer is that you offer more services for the price or you are certified, where competitors are not, address that in the FAQs. You very well may save a person from moving on to the next website over the price tag alone. Find the reasons why people may not select your business and give insightful answers to objections, whatever they may be.
- Keep ’em coming. If you come across an interesting or new question that is not addressed on your FAQ page, add it. Also update the information. You want the page to stay relevant and current.
- More than any page, short of your About Us page, this page should be conversational and fun to read. Inject personality and even humor. You will lose people if the writing is dull or tedious. On the flip side, you gain trust when you sound like a friend.
- Only write actual FAQs. Do not use this page as a place to vent or a dumping ground for information you, as an industry insider, think people should know. Yes, you want to be authoritative but you do not want to turn people off with a lot of unappealing technical-speak or a list of questions that do not relate to customer concerns. Think of yourself at a dinner party. At what point do you see eyes start to gloss over when discussing your business? That’s the point when it’s best to stop.
- For the same reason described above, get to the point quickly. Internet users are scanners, not readers. You want to highlight the pertinent information by bolding or making bullet points. Keep it short and on point.
- Having your questions listed at the top of the page with links to the answers below. That way users can easily find what they need. This is a great way to improve navigation while increasing engagement. Don’t forget to add a link at the end of each answer to navigate back to the top of the page.
- Consider writing landing pages for the answers. Do you have all the landing pages written out for your products and services? Having trouble coming up with relevant new ones? Using the same menu discussed above, have the answers go to a landing page. Same rules apply for these pages; they should be easy to skim and highlight the important information—don’t forget that link back to the FAQ page. This will go a step further in helping your site rank for the question, rather than just the service term. For example, if a person types in “How do I locate a leaking pipe?” your FAQ Answer page may have a better chance at ranking for that question than your Leak Detection page will.
- (Bonus suggestion) – Make sure the information is original. Do not reuse the same content from your product or About Us pages. Also strike a balance of going into detail without getting too technical. You do not want your answers to be shallow and unhelpful, then it is not a Q and A, but just a list of Qs.
Set up a well-planned FAQ page and you gain consumer confidence in your authority. When those people finding their questions well answered on your site go to make a purchase, they are much more likely to buy from the trustworthy company who offered insightful, free information without a sales pitch.
If you would like help setting up an FAQ page for your website or have any other questions about web design or SEO practices, contact us to learn more.