3 Tips to Creating an FAQ Section (That Actually Works)

With consumer behavior developing as it is, customers are willing to look for their answers themselves. In my previous article, I already talked about the importance of self-service portals. Now, it’s time to talk about FAQs.

If you decided to set up an FAQ section on your website, you might just be wondering how challenging this task is.

It is often said that designing an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) site is very difficult, but in reality, perhaps it’s not as tricky as you think. Because after all, an FAQ section only needs to accomplish what its name suggests: answering questions that are frequently asked.

Without further ado, let’s see the basic steps to building an FAQ section that delivers its promises. And I promise you, it’s not rocket science.

Step 1 — Do Your Research!

Undoubtedly, the number one reason you will be considering developing an FAQ page is because you need to answer customer questions you hear the most.

But have you thought about answering questions that were never asked? Chances are you will be able to answer some questions before they are even asked. And it will help fill your new FAQ site with relevant content.

In a nutshell: Add questions your customers asked. But also add questions you think customers might ask. Do the latter with caution: you don’t want it to make too obvious.

Step 2 — Establish a Neatly-Organized Structure

What do your visitors want to achieve? To find answers as soon as possible. So don’t let visitors get lost in endless number of questions. Make sure the content is well organized, so it’s easy to scan and navigate.

Divide questions into sections based on their topics, and be generic when phrasing the questions. You might also want to use a fair amount of relevant keywords and implement a nifty search bar.

In a nutshell: Ensure that finding the relevant information is a piece of cake for your customers.

Step 3 — Make the FAQ Section Concise & Aesthetically Pleasing

Some say that content is more important than design, but I believe in balancing form and function. We simply cannot ignore the fact that humans are hard-coded to instinctively respond to beauty.

So make sure you page has a design that people will enjoy looking at, while still maintaining a look and feel that fits your company identity. And if your business has a unique communication style, the language and tone of the text should reflect that.

In a nutshell: Come up with a design that is visually pleasing, with an overall look and feel (including texts) that blends seamlessly into your company’s vibe.

Is an FAQ Worth The Effort?

Without digging too much into scientific explanations, I may have found some evidence suggesting that an FAQ is good for your website: just about every business website has an FAQ section.

And it’s with good reason: an effectively-designed FAQ page helps reduce the need for your support team to handle repetitive questions, while also increasing website visibility and enriching user experience.

One thing to keep in mind, though: developing an FAQ section is not a “set it and forget it” project. It must be continuously improved and maintained, because as I always say: misleading information is worse than no information at all.