Do you really need a FAQ page on your website?
Well, if you’re a solopreneur with a clear message, easy-to-understand services and a website that is well-written and user-friendly, the answer is probably, no, you don’t need a FAQ page.
Unless… you find your clients and prospects keep asking you the same questions over and over again. But even if this is the case, you may be able to solve that issue with a little tweaking to your Services Page or some other page.
But there are some other good reasons to write and include a FAQ Page on your website:
- You offer certain services or products that are multi-layered and complex, or they vary depending on your client’s particular needs.
- You find you regularly need to soothe certain objections or sort out misunderstandings that your clients and prospects have.
- You have certain policies or practices that are unexpected, unusual or downright weird.
If any of the above applies, you may want to include a FAQ page on your website. And I’ll give you some tips for doing just that.
But first… a bit of controversy!
The word on the virtual street is that your FAQ page is not the place to pose and answer questions you wish your prospective clients would ask, but instead, you should only include questions that are, in fact, frequently asked.
To that I say, pish-posh and poppycock!
Why not include certain questions and answers if they would allow your prospects to have a clearer understanding of what you offer and how? As long as you don’t overdo it.
Remember, your FAQ is NOT an interview with you. It is designed to answer specific questions that are, in fact, frequently asked, or to provide information that is of service to your prospects and clients. (But it can be very cool to include an Interview With You somewhere on your website, but that is a completely different animal from your FAQ Page.)
Also, if properly done, your FAQ page can answer people’s questions before they know to ask them and thereby save you and your prospect time and energy.
If you choose to do a FAQ, here are some tips for doing so:
1. Include questions your prospective clients have asked in the past, as well as questions they may need answered in order to make a decision about working with you.
There are questions you get asked all the time. And then there are questions your clients may really want to ask but don’t. Include both types of questions and their answers on your FAQ page.
I know what you’re thinking: “Well, how am I supposed to know what questions my clients want answered if they haven’t ever asked me?” I’m so glad you asked!
You can find our by asking them! This is where creating a FAQ page becomes yet another great way to connect with your clients and prospects and find out what’s going on in their heads. Ask your peeps “what question have you always wanted to ask me about my services or business but, for whatever reason, you haven’t asked me yet?” You may get some throw-away questions but you may get some really surprising ones as well.
2. When writing your questions, use the same wording your prospects use.
You want your prospects to recognize the question as their own, one they would actually like answered. So be sure to write it in their words, not yours.
For instance, a lot of clients don’t use the word “copy” when referring to the writing they need for their website or marketing materials. They use the terms “content” or “material.” So, I wouldn’t pose the question:
“How long will it take you to write the copy for my salespage?”
Instead, I’d ask that question like this:
“How long will it take you to write the material for my salespage?”
If you don’t use the same language or phrasing used by your prospects, your questions will just raise more questions (“What the heck does that mean?”) rather than answer them.
3. Keep your answers short and sweet!
The goal of your FAQ page is to be helpful, anticipate your prospects questions and make it incredibly easy for them to get the information they need to take some kind of action. If your answers are too long-winded or confusing, well, you’ve defeated the purpose of including that question in the first place. Try to keep your answers to 1 to 3 sentences at most.
4. Include links as needed.
It could be that the best way to answer one of your FAQs is to direct your prospect to some other page on your website. If so, give a short answer and then direct them to that other page with an appropriate link.
5. Don’t Make ‘Em Scroll!
Be courteous and list all the frequently asked questions at the top of the page as links to the full question and answer listed below. Don’t make your prospect scroll down through all your FAQs until they find the question they need. Make it easy and quick for them to get the information they want.
6. Address the unexpected, weird and unusual
If you have policies, procedures or practices that are highly unusual or may take your prospect by surprise, be sure to include a FAQ that clarifies those aspects of your business. It could be something as simple as the fact you don’t work on Thursdays. Or as unexpected as your policy to never take on new clients when Mercury is retrograde.
And while the Internet police may come to take me away for this one, I recommend you throw in a question just for fun, one that expresses your personality or uniqueness. Like:
Q: “What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?”
or
Q: “Why is there a sea turtle in your logo?”
It really is okay to have some fun with your FAQs. Don’t take it all so seriously! Give people the information they need, the answers they ask for. And then, give them a smile as well.
So, what do you think? Are you going to include a FAQ page on your website?
Leave a comment below and tell me which questions you get asked most frequently. OR… which questions you wish your prospects would ask.