It’s a typical day, and the fourth customer has just called you asking the exact same super-obvious-answer-is-on-the-website question as the three before her. At this point, you’re probably feeling a bit frustrated. Maybe even bewildered. Is something wrong with your website? Is something wrong with your customers…? The real answer: you might not have a great FAQ page.
These days, it’s not enough to have a robust Google business profile. Every great business needs a legendary FAQ page if they want to demonstrate real commitment to excellent customer service and a top-notch modern customer experience. Read on to learn what makes a world-class FAQ page, how to create one, and which tools you can use to make it fantastic for free.
What is an FAQ page?
A FAQ page (also known as a Frequently Asked Questions page), is a page on your website that provides answers to common questions that your customers may have about your organization, product, or service. It’s typically designed to help people find answers quickly without having to contact customer support or perform extensive research.
Your FAQ section should represent the questions your customers most typically ask and be categorized in an easily navigable way based on relevance, frequency, and importance to your customer base. For example, Twitter’s FAQ page is very easy to use and demonstrates that Twitter understands their target audience, starting out with these three questions: What is Twitter? Do I need anything special to use it? What’s a Tweet?
Benefits of an FAQ Page
There are many obvious benefits to having a FAQ page. For one, if you have a really well-designed FAQ page, you can significantly reduce the load on your customer service team. This allows them more time and resources to focus on more complex and unique issues, saving headaches for you and your customers. A few more benefits include:
Enhanced Customer Experience
With a well-structured and comprehensive FAQ page, customers can find solutions to their queries without having to wait for a response or spend time searching for the information on the web. This significantly increases the convenience of their experience with you, enhancing customer satisfaction and reducing frustration and confusion.
SEO Boost
Don’t sleep on the SEO boost. In creating a thorough FAQ page, you can rank better for local search through careful implementation of key words, phrases, and often-searched questions. You can also include links, images, maps, and videos to charm Google’s algorithms as well as those of any search engine.
Increased Trust and Credibility
By readily disseminating helpful and accurate information and making important answers readily available, you show your customers that you care about them and that they can trust you as an expert and top provider with an expansive knowledge base in the field they’re trying to understand.
How to Create an FAQ Page
Ready to create an effective FAQ page? Let’s start with the basics. Creating a winning FAQ page involves careful planning and consistent consideration of your target audience’s specific needs. In other words, if you want to make an impact, you have to do the work.
1. Identify common questions.
Start by researching and identifying common customer questions and concerns, using online search as well as your own customer data to compile a list of frequently asked questions customers may have related to your product, service, organization, or related topics.
2. Research thoroughly.
As part of your research, analyze customer inquiries, conduct customer surveys, analyze social media engagement (you may even find pages on social media or online where customers are already asking questions about you or how to use your product), analyze reviews (positive and negative–these can be a goldmine), and review support tickets.
3. Prioritize correctly.
Just like no one wants to spend ten minutes reading a family story about ingredients before getting to the actual recipe, no one wants to wade through a number of irrelevant questions before getting to the answer they need. Determine the importance and relevance of each question with your customer support team and place the most commonly asked (and critical) questions at the top to address the majority of user concerns.
4. Organize questions.
Categorize most commonly asked questions into sections and subcategories based on common topics or themes for easy navigation. Use headings, subheading, and bullet points to increase readability.
5. Write clear and concise answers.
You don’t like complication? Neither do your customers. If they’re coming to your FAQ page, chances are they’re probably already feeling stressed or tense. Address the most common questions comprehensively while keeping your answers short and sweet.
6. Improve search functionality.
Implement a search bar at the top of the page to enable users to search for specific phrases or keywords.
7. Update and expand.
A FAQ page is never “one and done.” Keep tabs on new questions and issues as they arise, updating and expanding your page regularly to show your commitment to customer support and reaffirm your position as an industry leader. Pro Tip: You should also keep track of emerging trends in your field as well as changing customer expectations.
8. Use resources.
Use all the resources. Link to relevant posts or pages on your site as well as guides, tutorials, videos, articles, customer stories, etc. Implement images, gifs, reviews, and other forms of media to make your page more interactive and helpful.
9. Monitor feedback.
Actively seek feedback from customers about the helpfulness and clarity of your page. Pro Tip: Don’t just rely on word of mouth; monitor user behavior including metrics such as bounce rates and the time your customers spend on your page.
10.Provide extra support.
The purpose of your FAQ page should be to answer questions. So if your customers can’t find what they’re looking for on your page, you should have other options available. Implement a live chat option at the bottom of your page with a tagline such as, “Didn’t find what you’re looking for?” or “Need more help?” to encourage customers to search first. ProTip: A live chat feature such as Webchat operates via text, providing asynchronous support that increases convenience for your team and your customers.
11. Write from a customer’s POV.
When writing your FAQ page, approach it from the POV of your customers. What examples would help them most? What would they want to see first? What extra resources might make their life easier?
12. Be honest.
Transparency is key when it comes to FAQ pages. Be honest about your product and issues people are experiencing with it. Providing consistent support for your customers and reliable information goes a long way in retaining customers for life.
Want more? Check out “How to Build A Better FAQ Page.”
FAQ Template
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s visualize. Here’s a ready-to-use FAQ template with some questions that you can utilize as a starting point. As always, it’s crucial to customize this template to suit your specific business or website requirements and the needs of your customers.
Have a question? We’ve compiled a list of our “most frequently asked” to help you out! 👍
1. Product/Service
- What is [product/service?]
- How do I pick the [product/service] that’s right for me?
- (Answers about the frequency of service or product purchase, how-to-use articles and videos/images, how to make the most of product/service, and links to your product page)
2. Payment
- What payment methods do you accept?
- How do I purchase a gift card?
- How do you keep my payment information secure?
- (Information about your pricing, payments system, checkout process, credit card processing, and ecommerce laws that you abide)
3. Orders
- I changed my mind. Can I change my order?
- I want to add to my order.
- I got an text that something in my order is no longer available.
- (Answers about anything pertaining to ordering and changing orders, including contacting your customer service)
4. Shipping and Delivery
- How long does shipping take?
- How can I sign up for shipping updates?
- Why haven’t I received my order?
- (Pro Tip: In this section, it’s always best to slightly under-promise and over-deliver.)
5. Returns and Refunds
- What is your return window?
- I lost my receipt, can I return without a receipt?
- Can I return after 30 days?
- When can I expect my refund?
- (Carefully outline your return policy and refund policy in order to protect your business from fraud.)
6. Account
- I’m locked out of my account. SOS!
- Why do I need to re-verify my shipping address?
- How do you protect my information?
- (In this section, customers want to know about their privacy–how you’re protecting them and what they should be looking out for.)
7. About Us
- Who is [organization]?
- How did you get started?
- What are you doing to contribute to sustainability?
- Where do you source your goods?
- Who are your employees?
- (This is the section to tell your story. Be consistent with your brand and help customers understand who you are, why you do what you do, and how you’re contributing to community concerns like environmental care or other more localized issues.)
Can’t find what you’re looking for? We’ve got you. Text us here. 💌
Five Elements That an FAQ Page Should Have
We’ll let you in on a little secret: not all FAQ pages are built equally. In fact, some are pretty abysmal. The best FAQ pages have a few characteristics in common, and we’re going to share them with you. Here are five essential elements that every FAQ page should have, regardless of the industry.
Clear and Specific Questions
Every question on your page should be easily understandable and specific to a particular concern or topic. Think about the different ways someone might interpret your questions and plan accordingly.
Friendly Tone
Remember: always use colloquial, friendly language for your online helpdesk. Your tone really affects how your self-service page comes off to customers, especially if they are already stressed or frustrated.
Informative Answers
Offer accurate and informative answers that address the question directly–no beating around the bush, just relevant content. Precision and directness are always appreciated. Pro Tip: Use examples, when helpful.
Friendly Design
Provide a clear navigation menu that allows users to jump to different categories and accordion sections with ease. This includes making sure your page is responsive and optimized for mobile devices.
Contact Information
Always offer contact details for customer support and tips on how to get in touch the fastest (text can be a huge help here.) Be realistic about how quickly someone will be able to respond.
Take Your FAQ’s to the Next Level With Podium
Ready to take your FAQ page to the next level? We’re here to help. Podium offers a one-stop-shop solution to revolutionize your customer support and immediately elevate your customer experience. With world-class customer analysis tools, frequently asked questions templates, review and feedback tracking, survey tools, and automations, Podium can help you engage with customers in real-time at a higher level. With features like,
you can join over 150,000 local businesses that are using the power of text to provide an outstanding customer experience on a daily basis. Try Podium for free today.
FAQ’s About Your FAQ Page
Didn’t find what you were looking for? We’ve included a couple of frequently asked questions to provide some extra support. 😉
What is the best format for a FAQ?
You guessed it: the “best” FAQ format is the one that’s right for your business. As long as you follow the essential rules of clarity, concision, searchability, and transparency, it’s likely that your page will meet the mark. Find your favorite FAQ page examples or a FAQ page template you like and go from there.
How do I choose questions for my FAQ?
Need more help on this front? We’ve got your back. Record your customer calls and analyze them (with permission), text feedback surveys, and even ask close friends or acquaintances to search and order your product from your website and then ask what questions or issues they have. It’s important to be consistently troubleshooting and experimenting, staying up-to-date with the reality of your user experience and offerings. (If you’re really at a loss, you can find a FAQ page design you like and start with their list of questions for your own FAQ page.)
How do I know what my customers want?
The best way, as we mentioned, is just to ask them–in person, online, or via text. However, it’s also helpful to stay up-to-date with the latest reports and trends. You can download free reports from leading organizations in your industry or magazines such as Forbes and the Better Business Bureau.
