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- Update the FAQ regularly with new questions, remove outdated answers, and improve other aspects of the FAQ.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
The purpose of a FAQ is generally to provide information on frequent questions or concerns; however, the format is a useful means of organizing information, and text consisting of questions and their answers may thus be called a FAQ regardless of whether the questions are actually frequently asked.
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 does the FAQ stand for? ›
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.
What is the FAQ summary? ›
An FAQ page (short for Frequently Asked Question page) is a part of your website that provides answers to common questions, assuages concerns, and overcomes objections. It's a space where customers can delve into the finer details of your product or service, away from your sales-focused landing pages and homepage.
What are basic FAQ questions? ›
Frequently asked questions (FAQ) are questions and answers that follow a certain topic – a collection of common questions that tend to be asked repeatedly on issues such as timing, delivery, handling, product information, and return policy. FAQs can be anywhere on the page, most commonly at the top or bottom.
What is the purpose of a FAQ? ›
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. At the same time, there are also many other benefits to having FAQs on your website.
What is FAQ used to represent? ›
A frequently asked questions page—or an FAQ page for short—is a key part of a knowledge base because it addresses your customers' most common questions and is useful at all stages of the customer journey. FAQs start with a question and then provide a concise answer.
What does FAQ mean in technology? ›
abbreviation for
computing frequently asked question or questions: a text file containing basic information on a particular subject.
What is FAQ standard? ›
Fair Average Quality (FAQ) FAQ is used to describe food products that are of good enough quality to be sold. FAQ norms for paddy is laid out by the Centre every year before the start of the procurement season.
What does FAQ mean fondly asked questions? ›
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".
How To Handle FAQs Effectively
- Keep the structure logical, clear, and simple.
- Make sure the answers are straightforward and concise.
- For detailed explanations, provide a link to a guide or article.
- Regularly update questions and answers with new information.
- Organize questions into categories.
- Provide a search bar.
While an FAQ page consists of a humble list of answered questions, a knowledge base is a longer, more exhaustive collection of information. If an FAQ page starts growing in length and diversity of information, it will likely be straying into the knowledge base territory.
How do you write a FAQ description? ›
To ensure that your FAQ page is effectively set up to help your customers, follow these tips:
- Keep it brief. ...
- Consider the customer journey. ...
- Try to answer fully. ...
- Make it easy-to-read. ...
- Add functionality. ...
- Include a 'contact us' option.
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.
What are FAQs explained? ›
A frequently asked questions (FAQ) list is often used in articles, websites, email lists, and online forums where common questions tend to recur, for example through posts or queries by new users related to common knowledge gaps.
What is the meaning of frequently asked questions? ›
a list of questions, especially on the internet, that people often ask about a particular product or service, and the answers to the questions: The Commission has established a page on its website with a list of frequently asked questions regarding the regulation of investment advisers.
What do you write in Frequently Asked Questions? ›
An FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page is a key part of a knowledge base because it addresses the most common questions customers have and is useful to customers at all stages of the customer journey. FAQs start with a question and then answer it concisely.
What are the most Frequently Asked Questions? ›
100 Most Asked Questions on Google in 2024
- what to watch – 9,140,000.
- where's my refund – 7,480,000.
- how you like that- 6,120,000.
- what is my IP address – 4,090,000.
- how many ounces in a cup – 2,740,000.
- What time is it- 1,830,000.
- how I met your mother – 1,830,000.
- how to screenshot on mac – 1,830,000.
Most Common Job Interview Questions:
Tell me something about yourself. How did you hear about this position? Why do you want to work here?
How to make a Frequently Asked Questions page? ›
This will vary based on what you think will help your users, but 10+ is a good range. Provide clear, concise, and easy-to-understand answers to each question. Use simple language and avoid technical jargon. Organize questions into categories to make it easier for users to find the information they're looking for.
