Imagine a customer is ready to buy a product on your website, but has questions about payment methods, delivery times, or return policies. Contacting support might be the best option, but if they don’t find the answer quickly, the customer might end up giving up on the purchase. In this case, providing self-service alternatives, such as FAQ pages, could be a good option, considering that 37% of customers trust this type of service. And to increase this number even further, you need to understand how to create an FAQ that provides the best possible experience for customers.
With a well-structured FAQ page, you can improve the user experience and avoid losing sales due to lack of information. Furthermore, creating a website with FAQs helps reduce the demand for customer service, saving time and resources. In this guide, we will explain what FAQs are, their importance in Digital Marketing and how to create a page that really makes a difference for your business.
What is FAQ?
FAQ stands for “Frequently Asked Questions”. This is a section on the website that lists the most common questions customers have, ideal for those who need quick answers to simple and common questions. Its purpose is to provide quick and clear information to facilitate the user experience.
What is it for?
First of all, a FAQ page, also called a “FAQ site”, serves to answer consumers’ most frequently asked questions, avoiding the need to contact support for basic issues. This improves the usability of the website, making navigation more intuitive and efficient, in addition to keeping the customer on your website for longer. A good FAQ page can optimize internal processes, as it reduces the workload of the support team by minimizing the volume of repeated questions, saving time and money.
What are its benefits for sales?
Now that you know what an FAQ is, it’s important to understand its real impact. With a customer-centric approach, you can determine how to create an FAQ that truly improves your visitors’ navigation. Read on to learn about the biggest benefits of this feature.
1. Improves customer experience
Customers value speed and convenience. A well-designed FAQ page allows consumers to find answers instantly, without having to wait for a response via email or chat, wait in a support queue, or explain the situation from scratch to a customer service representative. This improves visitor satisfaction and prevents frustration.
By enabling customers to self-serve, a FAQ page on your website can provide the specific answers your customers need much more quickly. For example, let’s say a customer wants to know if they can buy products from a retailer at wholesale prices. When they look at the FAQ page, the customer finds a section explaining the minimum quantity required (MOQ) to access wholesale pricing. In this way, the FAQ saves time for both the customer and the company.
Furthermore, the presence of a FAQ page indicates that the business recognizes the visitor’s potential difficulties and is prepared to help. This way, users feel more confident about the company, knowing that they are dealing with a business that has already faced unexpected challenges, found a solution and has the answers at its fingertips.
2. Helps increase your business sales
Unresolved questions can cause a customer to abandon their shopping cart. Remember that online shopping, although extremely common and part of most people’s routine, is still based on trust. Any misunderstanding or sign of uncertainty can make a customer suspicious and uncomfortable about doing business with your company. With a clear and informative FAQ, you increase the chances of conversion by providing the answers the customer needs at the time of the purchase decision.
3. Reduces operating costs
Every customer service call generates a cost for your company. A well-structured FAQ page reduces the need for support, freeing up your team to focus on more complex and urgent cases. In addition, by including an FAQ page, your company takes the first step towards integrating self-service solutions, keeping up with online shopping trends and customer preferences.
4. Improves search engine rankings
When an FAQ is developed with SEO in mind, it can drive more organic traffic to your website. By including frequently asked questions that customers actually search for on search engines like Google, you increase the chances of your website appearing in the top results. For example, if you sell electronics and a common question is about how to change a device’s battery, it’s worth including this question in the FAQ with a clear and detailed answer. In this way, well-structured questions and relevant answers not only improve the user experience, but also increase the visibility and credibility of your business online.
How does it work?
The FAQ page serves as a quick guide for website visitors, providing objective answers organized by categories. To ensure intuitive navigation, it should be clearly structured, preferably with an internal search system to make it easier to find information. The FAQ can be on a dedicated page, embedded in the footer, presented in different formats, such as drop-down menus and tables, or integrated into a chatbot. Highlighting the most relevant information in bold also makes it more efficient to read. For example, if a customer wants to know the opening hours, the answer can include a detailed explanation, but with the opening hours highlighted for quick identification.
How important is the FAQ?
A well-structured FAQ page reduces the time customers spend searching for information, making the experience more fluid and efficient. This not only improves the customer journey, but also increases engagement, strengthens brand trust, and reduces purchase abandonment rates. Plus, no one knows their own needs better than the customer themselves. By providing an effective self-service tool, the customer can quickly find the answers they’re looking for, without having to reach out to support. Contacting customer service directly, even when it resolves the issue, can create friction and frustration, while a comprehensive and accessible FAQ provides an immediate, barrier-free solution.
How to create a FAQ?
Once you understand the theory, it’s time to see how to create a FAQ for your website in practice. Check out the steps below.
1. Research the main questions about the topic
Before creating your FAQ, it is essential to identify the most common questions your customers have. To do this, analyze your business’s main communication channels, such as customer support, social media, and comments on your digital platforms. It is also useful to observe the most searched terms on your website to understand which questions generate the most interest. In addition, knowing the profile of your audience is essential to offer an adequate level of information, avoiding excessive or insufficient details. For example, in a game store, it would not be necessary to explain what an electronic game is, but including instructions on how to preserve physical media, such as CDs and cartridges, can be extremely useful for the customer.
2. Give simpler answers
Clarity is essential in an FAQ. Answers should be direct, objective and easy to understand, but detailed enough to answer the customer’s question. Consider your audience to understand how to create a relevant FAQ for your business and avoid using technical terms or overly complicated language. Whenever necessary, use examples to better illustrate the explanations, making the information more accessible to all audiences.
3. Organize pages into sections
To make your content easier to navigate and more intuitive, group your questions into specific categories. If your site is an e-commerce site, for example, some useful sections might include:
- Payments: information on accepted payment methods, installments and transaction security.
- Shipping: clarifications on delivery times, costs and order tracking.
- Exchanges and returns: procedures for requests, deadlines and refunds.
- Products: technical specifications, instructions for use and warranty.
- Registration and account: password recovery, changing data and communication preferences.
Using drop-down menus can also help keep your page organized, even with multiple sections. This way, you can gather a large amount of information without compromising the design and appearance of your page.
4. Be careful with the structure and quality of the text
The FAQ should be well written and visually organized to ensure a fluid and accessible reading experience. Use subtitles to separate topics, highlight important information in bold, and adopt a format that facilitates the absorption of the content. In addition, periodically review the text to ensure that the information is always correct and up-to-date.
5. Keep the FAQ well located
Your FAQ page should be strategically positioned to ensure easy access for visitors. Best practices include adding links to your website’s main menu, checkout page, and areas such as your help center. Another effective way to do this is to include a dedicated search field at the top of the page, allowing customers to quickly find the information they need. Additionally, using heat maps can help you identify the most visited areas and places where users click the most, informing you of the best position to maximize your FAQ’s visibility and usability.
6. Make periodic updates
While you can’t provide personalized answers in real time like chatbots, your FAQ shouldn’t be static content. It’s essential to review it regularly to include new questions and remove outdated information. As your business grows, new questions may arise, and keeping your page up-to-date ensures that customers find accurate and reliable answers, which positively impacts your company’s reputation.
FAQ: An essential resource to boost your business
A well-designed FAQ page improves customer experience, reduces operational costs, and increases sales. It also helps your website rank in search engines, helping you attract more visitors and ultimately generate more conversions.
Now that you’ve learned what an FAQ is and how to create one, it’s time to put it into practice. By following these tips, you’ll be able to create a valuable resource for your customers and for the growth of your business. Don’t forget to review and update your page regularly to ensure it remains relevant and useful to your audience.
