In a brick and mortar store, it’s easy enough to find an associate or walk up to the customer service desk if you have a question. Online, you may stumble across a chatbot or two. But more often than not, visitors will turn to your Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page for answers.
Before we get into more detail, it’s important to note that your FAQ page is not the same as your About Us page. The About Us page is a place to introduce your company to potential customers, not answer questions about your product. Your FAQ page should answer common questions and concerns. It should help reduce any anxieties your visitors have about purchasing your product or service and any follow-up details after the purchase is complete.
When done properly, it can also help you convert leads.
Are you constantly getting emails with the same questions or concerns? Are other people on your team getting them too? This could be a sign that you need an FAQ page or that your FAQ page isn’t answering the right questions.
In today’s fast-paced world, people want answers quickly. A proper FAQ page can assist your customers in every stage of the buyer’s journey. At first blush, they may wonder about durability, cost, fit, etc. Once they’re closer to converting, but still not sure, they may wonder about your return policy or if there are any warranties. Use your FAQ page as a tool to eliminate any obstacles to purchasing. As you answer common questions, link to other landing pages on your site that further answer questions and help visitors convert to buyers.
An FAQ page can also serve as a time-saver for not only your potential customers but also your employees. Keep track of the top questions or support tickets you receive and build your FAQ list around those topics. Your customers will find answers quickly and you’ll save time by not having to respond to a dozen emails asking the same questions.
A frequently asked questions page with questions no one is asking isn’t helpful. Plus, it makes for a bad user experience. Think about your page from a potential customer’s point of view. What questions would you have about your product? What questions are people already asking you via email, support tickets or in person?
Is there some kind of controversy or buzz around your product or service you want to squelch? Add it to your list of questions and answer with authority, remembering to keep a positive but informative tone to your answer. Remember: You’re here to convince visitors to convert.
Old Navy’s customer page starts with a list of commonly asked questions and then goes more in-depth on additional landing pages. For example, if you’re looking to return or exchange something you bought online, you start with that general topic.
Next, you’re taken to a page that breaks down your return in a series of steps depending on your situation.
It wouldn’t make sense to have a question on these pages about how Old Navy was founded or by whom. Keep it to your product and let your About Us page do the talking about your company.
As you generate your list of FAQ questions, it’s important to list ones that have simple, basic answers. The more you overcommunicate, the greater the chance that someone will have a follow-up question. Again, think about how your customers would ask the question and phrase them as such: How do I... ? What if…? Are they…?
Your answers should demonstrate that you are the authority on your topic, but don’t divulge more info than what the visitor needs. Tattly does a great job of keeping their questions fun and conversational, and their answers are the same way.
Your FAQ section should also be optimized for SEO. Format your questions and answers to include phrases people might search. For example, if you sell orchids, you may list a question like “how do I care for my orchid?” It’s not brand specific, but it is something people are actively Googling. Including questions like this will help you get organic search traffic, which could lead to new customers.
No one likes to scroll endlessly through a page to find the answer to their question. Make your FAQ page easy to navigate with categories that take you to a page with related questions, collapsible menus or answers, or even a search bar function. These options create a pleasant user interface and a good user experience.
For example, Microsoft offers collapsible menus with short answers, making its FAQ page simple and easy to navigate.
Twitter also makes it easy by breaking help sections down into main categories while also including the search bar at the top.
Despite your best efforts, your visitor still can’t find the answer they’re looking for. Make sure you take them all the way through the process and offer extended support. This can come in the form of a search bar, a help ticket or an option to contact someone directly. Another way to offer support is through a chatbot, but it’s important to make sure someone is there to answer those questions in a timely manner. Otherwise, it’s just a bad user experience.
If your organization needs a larger FAQ support system (think dozens of support tickets and help desk inquiries), it’s worth considering a software solution like HubSpot’s Knowledge Base. These software solutions let you build a searchable database for commonly asked questions and provide users with helpful articles and guides.
It’s natural for people to have questions about your product or service, and it’s OK if you can’t possibly answer all of them on your FAQ page (that’s why extra support is so important!). Having an FAQ page in the first place will save you and your customers time and money. Make sure you incorporate these four elements into your brand experience, and you’ll see an uptick in conversions and return customers.
