We’re back, with more suggestions and tips for putting together a useful, functional website!
Today’s page, the Frequently Asked Questions page, is one that you may not have thought of including on your website.
Or maybe you have an FAQ page, but your not sure what exactly you should put on it, and it doesn’t seem to help your business anyway.
Or maybe you’re wondering what the heck is the point of an FAQ page in the first place.
An FAQ page should share useful information that sets your products or services apart from your competitors and helps your customers make their purchasing decision.
Do I Need an FAQ Page?
Quite honestly — maybe not. Not everyone does. An FAQ page isn’t essential for a website the same way a contact page is. As you can see, I’ve chosen not to have one because I think it keeps my website more streamlined.
Some websites definitely do need one. And no website will be hurt by having one. It’s a good idea to have an FAQ page if:
- there genuinely are a few questions every customer needs answers to
- there’s important information about your business that you want to share that doesn’t fit neatly onto another page
The most important thing to keep in mind when deciding whether to have an FAQ page is that it should share information that is genuinely useful to your customers and will help them make decisions about your company, products, or brand. If you’re just adding it for filler… maybe don’t bother.
Basic Information on an FAQ Page
What sort of information should go on your FAQ page?
- Questions customers always ask. For example, a wedding photographer will always be asked whether they offer videography. A store will always be asked about returns. Save yourself and your customers time by putting these answers somewhere easy to find.
- Privacy information. If you collect sensitive information from your customers, such as their phone numbers, addresses, or credit card numbers, it’s a good idea to have a privacy policy for them to read.
- Questions that you hate answering. Just keeping it real here. If there’s a question or two that gets asked every so often that annoys the heck out of you, put it on the FAQ page. I can’t promise you’ll never have to answer it again, but you might have to answer it less.
- About information. Was there something that didn’t fit neatly on your About or Services pages? Put it on your FAQ page. The FAQ doesn’t need to flow the same way other pages do, so it can be a great place to put information that didn’t make it onto another page. Just make sure what you include is actually important — as yourself, Would I care about this if it were on someone else’s website?
How to Sell Through an FAQ Page
Of course, the last thing you want on a website it a dead page that goes nowhere. If your customers have nothing to do on your FAQ page but read… you’re actually hurting your business!
The most important part of your FAQ page is not actually the questions. It’s real job is to have answers that set your business apart from the competition and increase your sales.
What makes your business special? What are your selling points? What’s makes you better than other business in your industry?
For example, if you have a business selling wool blankets that are made by hand in New York out of wool from sheep that are humanely raised on sustainable farms… well, you need a few FAQs to emphasize that information! Such as:
- Do you use cruelty-free wool?
- Where are your blankets made?
- How are workers in your factory treated?
- Why do your blankets cost so much?
The answers to these questions set you apart from the competition because your competition is cheap, mass-produced blankets of unknown origin. By including them, you help your customers understand the value of your products and business, which will make them more likely to buy from you instead of your competitors.
And in those answers — you need links, of course! To avoid having a dead page that doesn’t contribute to your sales funnel, make sure you are linking back to the products and pages you talk about.
The goal should be to get customers so excited about your products and business that they want to work with you right away. By including links on your FAQ page, you capitalize on that excitement and make it easy for them to get to a page where they can take action.
