If you’re a business owner, then you know how critical it is for your website to resonate with consumers. Your website is your connection to the customer and the world. You want it to be powerful, memorable, and filled with relevant content. You need your website to generate traffic, drive interest, and result in new leads and sales.

And now more than ever, you need your website to provide existing and potential customers with clarity about what you offer, if and when you're available, and the steps you're taking to be socially responsible.

In order to have a successful website that grows your business, make sure it includes some of the most relevant pages. These include:

• Homepage
• About Us page
• Services page (if this is relevant to your business)
• Products page (if this is relevant to your business)
• Contact page
• Blog page
• Customers/Testimonials/Reviews page
• How It Works page
• FAQ page

You can make modifications to this list depending on your business or industry. For example, if a business sells products, they may not need a 'How It Works' page. All businesses, however, do need an FAQ page because:

• Customers will always have questions.
• When customers find the answers to their questions, they won’t need to call or email the company, which helps save the business time.
• An FAQ page lends a degree of credibility to your website since it shows you’re willing to tackle potential questions and answer them.
• An FAQ page completes your website, ensuring you rank higher with Google.

Understanding the necessity of an FAQ page is one thing, but how do you write a great one? Here are tips on how to create a strong FAQ page. But first, let’s take a look at how to refresh your content and explore the visual components of your FAQ page.

Content tips for FAQs

You would not have an adequate FAQ page if it didn’t cover the basics. Start with the general questions that customers will likely have about your product or service. These will likely vary depending on whether you’re selling products or services.

• If you’re selling products, customers will want to know:
• What age is the product for?
• What is the actual product?
• How does the item work?
• How do you use it?
• Does it come in different colors?
• How large or heavy is the item?
• Is it loud or quiet?
• Is it difficult or easy to use?
• If you’re offering services, customers will want to know:
• What are the services?
• Who can benefit from the services?
• How do the services actually work?
• How is the pricing set up for the services? For example, is there a monthly fee or a one-time payment?
• Is there a money-back guarantee?
• Is there a free trial?

Then, of course, you can include questions about the company as well such as:

• Do you have a warranty?
• What do customers say about [insert product/service name]?

Be thorough

Aside from asking the basic questions, it’s helpful to deep dive into some of the more intricate details of your product or service. One way to come up with some in-depth questions is to think about the differences between your product styles or service levels — if you have multiple similar products or tiered services at varying levels.

More often than not, when customers are shopping for a product or service, they want to understand the difference between two products that appear similar. For example, alarm systems have outdoor cameras that look similar and even have similar names. One may be labeled Elite, and another may be called Pro. Customers want to know the difference between these products. You can construct questions to present this information.

In addition, you want to answer all your customers’ questions about how different levels of service work. A company selling alarm systems may offer different subscription levels. Each level will include different services that you can outline.

Think like a customer

It’s easy to overlook important questions if you don’t get inside the mind of your customers. People who have never used your product or service may have questions that you haven’t considered. Imagine never using the product or service before and brainstorm the questions you’d ask. Jot down the things you would wonder about if you could not see, touch, or experience the product. Or in the case of a service, what questions would you have if you’d never used that type of service before?

Check reviews

You can find a wealth of information by checking the online reviews for a product or service. Reviews shed light on how people are experiencing your product/service, what they think about it, and the problems they have with it. Your FAQ page can highlight some of the positive things people say about your product or deal with any confusion others may have as well. In addition, many times customers who are thinking about buying a product may post questions online.

Troubleshoot

The FAQ page is a great place to deal with problems before they become a big issue. People may have a hard time getting started with a new product or service. Maybe they’re having problems putting something together or figuring out how something works. Even with directions, they may need the FAQ section to find their answers.

You also want to address questions about what to do if something unexpected or troubling happens. This is especially important if the product relies on other products or services to make it work.

Visual tips for FAQs

The first thing a customer will notice when they click on your FAQ page is what it looks like. Here are formats to consider when developing your FAQ page, as well as other visual tips:

Vertical list format

This format is the one most people are familiar with. It consists of the FAQs listed vertically. If you only have a few questions, then just listing them as is will be sufficient. You can number them or use bullet points to make them look more appealing.

However, as you expand your list of questions, you’ll need better organization. Use subheaders to direct customers to the main topic and then use expandable, accordion-style links for each category. From there, you’ll either have a simple one- or two-sentence answer or have a link that takes the customer to a page with a more detailed answer.

Grid format with text only

Instead of a page of vertical FAQs, you could have a grid style page. This would look like a row of boxes aligned across and down the page. You’d want the width and length to be large enough so that people aren’t straining to look at them. Also, you can use plenty of white space within the boxes or around the boxes for contrast with the text. Within the boxes, you’ll put the category of your FAQs. Clicking on the box leads the customer to a page with related questions in that category. At B12, our support articles are arranged in this format.

Here’s another way to do the grid format:

• Divide the page up with one-third for the top section and two-thirds for the bottom section.
• Use the top one-third for the menu, header, and a search bar inviting customers to enter their own question.
• Divide the bottom two-thirds of the page into nine squares with FAQ topics. Then place a few of the subheadings with links under the topic header. If the customer wants to see all the sub-topics in that category, they can click on the box to go to the list.

Grid format with text and images

If you want to get creative and capture your customer’s interest, use images and text in or near the boxes. A small heading at the top of the box tells customers the main topic while a larger image right below it shows them what’s involved with this topic area. You can even go ahead and add several questions beneath the picture. Also, include the option to click to the list of all the questions in that category. This type of layout works great for a business selling insurance or a travel agency.

Rely on chatbots

You could move your FAQ page up to the next level with a virtual assistant otherwise known as a chatbot. Chatbots are quite sophisticated and can simulate human conversation. Once trained, they can assist customers with their questions and free up your time.

Let customers interact with the page

Just because it’s an FAQ page doesn’t mean it has to be dull! Even simple, clean pages can be fun and creative. Use round “buttons” instead of square boxes or try color-coding your categories. Go retro with black and white illustrations.

Make the FAQ page interactive so that it involves the customer. For example, the McDonalds FAQ page allows users to share the answer to their question with others. One question is “How do you make an egg McMuffin — is the egg fried or poached?” The answer is, “Neither, our round eggs used in the tasty McMuffin products are actually steamed.”

Use color

Color psychology is something that marketing researchers use to their advantage.

Research shows that colors do evoke emotions in many people. Some colors make people feel calmer and others make them feel more agitated. While there may not be any magical color to make people buy your product, you do want to use a color scheme that’s attractive and fits your company and brand. You don’t necessarily have to only use your brand colors on your FAQ page, but you’ll want them somewhere on the page. Splashing some color on the page is one way to make it look appealing.

Offer a great user experience

When it's all said and done, you want to make sure customers leave your website feeling like they had a high-quality user experience. Everything should be easy to use, links should work properly, and the design needs to be intuitive.

Designing your FAQ page is harder than you think. It’s one of the most important pages on your website. Having a thorough, organized FAQ page is critical to a great website and can give you the edge over your competition.

Get started with B12 today to give your website the refresh it needs to help your business get more customers and revenue.