Writing Q&As and FAQs
I have been asked recently about using ‘question and answer’ style formats for offering information. I think including ‘frequently asked questions (FAQs)’ is a very useful way to convey lots of information in a reader-friendly way.
FAQs can be included in blogs, websites and emails and divided for social media.
Read on to find out how to write FAQs and how to make the most of them to ensure they are valuable for your customers and clients, as well as for SEO.
Why I like FAQs
I really like FAQs for a few reasons. Firstly, I think it gives you a great chance to put yourself in your customers’ and clients’ shoes – really take the time when you are listing some questions. Consider not only what you think your clients need to know but genuinely what they may ask or have asked in the past
I also think it’s a great way to help people get to know your business – especially if there is a bit of trepidation about buying from you or using your services (for example, if you offer counselling or therapy), or you are encouraging people to part with a lot of money and offering high ticket items. It gives you a great chance to explain and reassure people and to show that you understand the queries and questions they may have.
I think it makes you really look like you have considered your customers’ concerns and needs.
How to write FAQs – 5 top tips
1 – Keep it simple
The first thing is to make sure the topic you are trying to answer in each question isn’t too big. Keep it simple and ‘strategic’. Which essential pieces of information are you trying to convey? If you have lots of areas to cover – such as an FAQs page on your website where you want to answer questions about all of your products and services – then consider breaking this down in to sections so that a reader can locate a ‘topic’, via a clear heading.
2 – Be logical
Secondly, try to be logical. Start with very basic questions and short answers, then get more technical. Also, try to be balanced. If you are including questions and answers about a range of products, for example, try to be consistent with the information given.
3 – Put yourself in your customers/clients’ shoes
Thirdly, put yourself in your customer’s shoes! How often do you really do that?
Remember you know the subject area inside out, but your reader does not…and this is why they have probably sought out a FAQs section.
Try to think about what questions customers and prospective clients ask – even the most basic! Make a note of the questions you get asked when you meet a new client for the first time or what you are sent via email.
4 – Ask for FAQ ideas
Fourthly, ask clients for feedback. There is no harm in finishing a FAQs or Q&A style article with an invitation for further questions or information required. Ask your clients to read your FAQs and check their understanding too.
5 – Link to other pages for further information
Finally (fifthly!!), don’t forget to use FAQs as a way to include links to other pages of your website; whether in a blog, from a newsletter or on the website itself, lots of internal linking is never a bad thing! It will encourage readers to discover more areas of your website and more about you, your products and services. So, for example, if in one of your answers you talk about ‘personal appointments’ then make sure you link to your ‘Contact us’ page or opening hours. Or if you mention a particular product, then link to its product page.
“….Lots of internal linking is never a bad thing!”
– Kate Llewellyn, Content Consultant and Copywriter
Where to put FAQs
Your website is the most obvious place to host your FAQs. Depending on your website design and business needs you may have a specific page with all of your FAQs on, for example, like mine: https://thecontentconsultancy.com/faqs/.
Or you can include specific FAQ sections on relevant pages, for example, a website developer I have worked with, Riweb, use FAQs on each of their services pages – see here: https://riweb.uk/services/support/
Importantly, remember no one will read them if they don’t know they are there. So, advertise you have a FAQs section and where to find them on other marketing platforms, such as in emails and social media.
If you get asked specifically a question via email or in a private/direct message that you already have listed and have answered in your FAQs, then you can link or cut and paste the answer in reply. Simple!
You can also copy the content in to individual social media posts. Or use the questions or a combination of a few for inspiration for longer blog posts. Questions make great blog post titles – really strong for SEO.
Want help with your FAQ page?
It can be super difficult to come up with questions and to answer them succinctly. You know your business and services inside and out. I am very happy to help you – a fresh pair of eyes.
Get in touch if you need some help with your FAQ page: