Reasons to Love those Fabulous FAQs

The world’s most thoughtful companies provide “FAQs” on their websites. And if youwant to provide world-class service to your clients and prospects, your site will include one, too.

• Questions first. In an effort to provide the most complete FAQs page possible, you may find your page getting lengthy and/or cluttered. It’s important that your visitor can find what he or she needs as easily as possible. To that end, place all of your questions first on the page. Then, hyperlink each question to its answer. In other words, all of your answers will be listed after the questions. When a visitor clicks on a question, they will be taken immediately down the page to the related answer, bypassing everything else. 
• Simple answers. Keep your answers as clear and precise as possible. Long, rambling answers can confuse the visitor. Resist the urge to address side issues – stick with answering only the question being asked. In a case when you need to provide instructions, break them down step-by-step. 
• Building your list. Where do your FAQs come from? They can originate from a variety of places. When building your list of questions and answers, consult with team members who are on the frontlines in your practice who know what questions your clients and prospects are asking most often. Have team members log inquiries and make additions to your FAQs on a periodic basis as necessary. Another source can be the content of your website itself. What information are you already providing? How can you translate that information into a series of questions and answers? With this approach, the cross-links will be plentiful. Also, consider your services as answers. What questions would lead to talking about them?
• Consider search terms. Remember, the FAQs page provides an opportunity to use SEO terms so those who need you can find you. Intersperse important keywords throughout your FAQs page, but only when they make sense. Most search engines can tell when you’re stuffing a page with keywords unnecessarily, and they will penalize you by knocking down your site’s search rank.
• Cross-link . Create cross-links throughout your FAQs whenever possible. Not only can it increase your search engine ranking, but it provides your visitor with even better service, allowing them to delve deeper into a given topic. Link key terms to other related content on your site.
• Inspire engagement. Where appropriate, feel free to include calls to action within your FAQs. As an example, if contacting your firm can further help the visitor with the information they seek, direct them to reach out to you. After answering the question, provide a link to email you or to request further information, such as a white paper or special report. There are so many reasons to love FAQs, both for clients and prospects and for you. But the biggest question is this one: when will you build or refine your FAQs?