How to Write an Effective FAQ Page | Improve Support

Most website owners add the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section to their sites. An ideal FAQ page helps visitors use the website without any external support. It allows users to find the answers to their most fundamental questions by themselves.

If the answer to a user’s question was given correctly, it can motivate the person to submit an application form or make a call. FAQ's success depends on how well this page is designed and what is included with it.

A good FAQ page can greatly ease the load placed on the website support staff, so you should give the utmost attention to it and develop this block properly. Here are some tips and clues which will help you make your FAQ page the most useful and effective for your visitors:

The FAQ page should reflect the issues that really make troubles for users. If you've just launched a new website there’s no need to add the FAQ page to it immediately. Why? Because in fact, you don’t even have visitors yet, so how do you know what questions will they ask most frequently? Do not invent the questions by your own. FAQ should be formed on the basis of the real issues received, that is, on the feedback basis. Only in this case this section will be really useful for your visitors. Regularly update the FAQ page with newly coming questions / answers.
Add the FAQ section only if you really need it. Some websites don’t need the FAQ page, however, they have it for some reason. Often users find the information they need on the website without any additional clues or help. It means that the website structure is very good. Do not make the FAQ page only just to have it.
To be, or not to be for FAQ page? That is the question. The FAQ section should supplement the main information given on the website pages, but not duplicate it. To understand if this section is necessary for you or not just keep your eyes open to what your visitors write in comments and to support service, add a feedback form, etc.
Gather questions. You don’t have to wait until the questions will start to come. If your website is new you may arrange a questionnaire for your visitors / customers and discover the issues which cause troubles to them and require further explanations. This method is very effective, because the users take an active part in the FAQ page development.
Place the links to the FAQ page on your website. Users can get to the FAQ section in different ways: by using the main navigation menu or separately by keywords in the text. The main thing is the link should be visible and well-marked as well as have the correct name. Highlight the link to the FAQ page in the text with an appropriate font or icon.
FAQ should be easily readable. Questions / answers section is text-based, so the text, in its turn, should be comfortable to read. Mark apart the questions from the answers just not to grasp the meaning of the text. This is achieved with different techniques, for example, you may highlight the questions with contrasting colors or indents.
Group the related questions / answers into categories. Thus, you will greatly simplify the search and navigation process for your visitors if you have a lot of questions. Give the categories simple names to avoid confusion. You can also use the thematic icons, highlight the section with the most popular questions / answers in the FAQ section.
Add the search bar to the FAQ page. If your FAQ section is big, has several categories and long pages, provide the ability to search there. Do not forget that the search should be limited with the FAQ area only and differ from the global search which covers all pages on the website.
Use images if they are relevant. Often one picture tells more than thousand words, so use images, screenshots, etc. if it makes sense. For example, some cases like the password recovery are clearly explained with pictures.
Do not turn the FAQ page into an endless story. Do not force the user to scroll through the FAQ page endlessly to find the right question / answer. Create a convenient website structure and provide the proper means for a friendly use. To achieve this divide the section into pages, group the categories, add a script to show / hide an answer, provide the link to the list of all questions on the top of the page, etc.

As you see, there are many different variants of the FAQ page arrangement. The most important thing is that it should be comfortable and user-friendly. Remember that the Internet surfer comes here to get the answers to all questions he/she has. Thus, your website design and page structure should help your visitor do so.

Last updated on July 18th, 2023