Definition: Frequently asked questions (FAQ) are collections of the most common questions and brief, easy-to-understand answers about a particular product, service, or topic. They can be presented in various formats, such as a webpage, a PDF file, or an interactive chatbot.
They serve as a self-service tool for customers to easily find the information they need without contacting customer support.
Benefits of having FAQ pages
- Saves customers’ time by letting them find the information they need without contacting customer support, which can take time due to delays.
- Establishes trust by showing customers that the company understands their pain points and is addressing them. It creates transparency about the company’s products/services.
- Reduces the cost of customer support by lowering the number of low-impact tickets in the support queue and making more room for important tickets.
- Improves website navigation by pointing users to the right pages on the website (specific blogs, features, tutorials…). This is done through internal linking.
- Improves SEO traffic by making the website more visible, making it easier for potential customers to find the website by searching for specific questions.
How to craft good FAQs
- Identify common questions customers are asking about the product/service across all channels and create lists of questions that need to be answered.
- Organize the FAQ into categories based on different topics, customer personas, and products/services.
- Answer questions clearly and concisely with only the important information that solves the problem and easy-to-understand language.
- Make answers easy to find by displaying the most common questions on top, internally linking them, and allowing customers to search for questions.
- Include media (images, GIFs, videos) that visually explain what the paragraphs are telling the customer to do.
- Update the FAQ regularly with new questions, remove outdated answers, and improve other aspects of the FAQ.
- Optimize for SEO by using relevant keywords in questions/answers as many customers search for answers for products/services on Google.
- Make the FAQ accessible on every website page and inside the product.
How do you structure frequently asked questions?
There are two ways to structure them:
- A list of questions one after another. This structure works for small FAQs.
- Categorized by topics where questions are grouped, each category has a heading that customers can click to access questions. This structure is best for big FAQs because they are easier to navigate.
Examples of well-designed and written FAQ pages
Airbnb has a search bar allowing users to search for specific questions with suggestions based on their profile, with every FAQ page acting as a mini blog.
YouTube’s FAQ is split into categories and sub-categories, leading to different branches of questions on separate pages.
WhatsApp has an easy navigation system of drop-down categories and questions that follows the user with questions being answered step-by-step.
Wikipedia has every important topic on each page linked to the appropriate page creating a web of pages.
FAQs
07.07.2021. A FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions - is a list of questions and corresponding answers on a specific topic or system. The abbreviation FAQ is the German translation for "fragen-antworten-quelle" or "questions and answers".
What does a FAQ stand for? ›
/fæk/ used in writing to mean ' frequently asked questions. ' (a list of questions and answers about a particular subject, especially one giving basic information for users of a website)
What is frequently asked in an FAQ? ›
It is a collection of common questions and answers not specific to a product, feature, or service. They usually cover payment policies, how to contact customer support, and refund policies.
What are basic FAQ questions? ›
FAQ stands for Frequently Asked Questions. It is a compilation of common questions and their corresponding answers that are often asked by customers or users. Having a FAQ section on a website, after a product description or in any customer support platform is crucial for various reasons.
What are FAQs explained? ›
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are a compilation of frequently asked questions and their answers, which are used to provide users or customers with information on frequently occurring concerns or problems quickly and efficiently. FAQs are often used on websites, in product manuals, or in customer service portals.
What is FAQ and why is it important? ›
Frequently asked questions, or FAQs as they are known, are a great way to improve your customer's experience of your website. It allows you to answer the questions that are most commonly asked surrounding your product or service.
What does the FAQ refer to? ›
FAQ stands for "Frequently Asked Questions". This term is used to summarize a collection of questions and answers that are typically asked by users or customers about a specific topic, product, service or organization.
What should an FAQ look like? ›
An effective FAQ page should include a clear and concise introduction, questions and answers divided by categories, links to additional resources, and a search function to help visitors quickly find the answers they are looking for.
What are the most Frequently Asked Questions? ›
100 Most Asked Questions on Google
| # | Question | Monthly Searches |
|---|
| 1 | What to watch | 964,000 |
| 2 | What is my IP | 800,000 |
| 3 | When is Mother's Day 2024 | 681,000 |
| 4 | How many weeks in a year | 486,000 |
96 more rowsJul 18, 2024
What is another word for FAQ?
| frequently asked questions | common questions |
|---|
| help section | online guide |
| questions and answers | docs |
| documentation | commonly asked questions |
| answers to common questions | |
Use a question-and-answer format: This sounds obvious…but don't forget to write out actual questions with answers. When someone finds an FAQ page they want specific information, not a marketing pitch or a long story. 4. Keep answers short: Getting a straight, quick answer to your question is a relief.
How long should FAQ answers be? ›
Though you want answers to be thorough, it's equally important to keep them short and to the point. Users come to FAQ pages for answers, you don't want to make them work for it. Include enough information to completely answer the question, but try not to exceed 2-3 sentences for each.
What is the full meaning of FAQs? ›
Meaning of FAQ in English
abbreviation for frequently asked question: a question in a list of questions and answers intended to help people understand a particular subject: If you have any problems, consult the FAQs on our website.
How many questions should be on an FAQ? ›
That said, you want to find a nice middle ground. Fewer than five questions might indicate you haven't done your research… or that you didn't need an FAQ to begin with. Fielding dozens of questions isn't good either, but if they're all necessary, consider splitting your FAQ into multiple pages.
Why not to use FAQs? ›
When a FAQ has the same content as other Web pages, it usually means that the FAQ content is redundant and can easily become outdated, especially when content to the website is updated but the FAQs are not. Limit the volume of content. When there are too many questions, searching through them can overwhelm the reader.
