Monthly Archives: May 2018

The post FAQ Pages: What Every New Business Should Include appeared first on HostGator Blog . What Every New Business Should Include on Their FAQ Page One of the most frequently asked questions about frequently asked questions is “What should I include on my FAQ page?” The obvious answer is also the least useful one, because a well-written, properly formatted FAQ page can do much more for a small or new business than provide basic information. Yes, your FAQ page can and should answer the questions your customers ask most often, but there are ways to do so that also boost your business’s visibility in search results, establish your expertise and reliability with current and prospective customers, and help you connect with prospects. How? We’re glad you asked. What Questions Should I Answer On My Business FAQ Page? First , answer any recurring questions from your customers about your specific business. Do shoppers want to know how long it takes you to paint a custom mural? What services are included in your basic bookkeeping package? How many bees you include with hive delivery? Put those Q&As at the top of your page, because they set your business apart, show its unique value, and make visitors want to stick around and learn more. For example, why lead with booking or payment information Q&As when you can lead (or is that llead) with llamas, as this backcountry outfitter does for its pack-animal rental business? Next , go ahead and answer the questions you may have answered elsewhere on your site but which visitors may have overlooked. For example, your location, contact information, shipping fees, and return policies should be on each page of your site, but don’t make visitors to your FAQ page hunt around your site for that information. They’re on the FAQ page because they want to know more about your business. Make it easy for them. Finally , and here’s where you can move beyond the basics, look at the types of searches that lead customers to your site. For example, if your analytics show that your custom cake business gets a lot of traffic from searches for “gluten-free birthday cake” then it’s a good idea to include a Q&A about it. ( “Do you offer gluten-free birthday cakes?” “Yes, we do. Simply request the gluten-free option when you order your cake and we’ll prepare everything in our gluten-free workspace so you can enjoy a cake that’s delicious, beautiful, and worry-free.” ) This type of Q&A shows that you understand what your customers are looking for and why it matters to them. (In this case, because no one with celiac disease wants to get sick from a cake with trace amounts of flour in it.)   How Can a Good FAQ Page Help My SEO? Creating Q&As using the most common search terms for your traffic can also help your site rank better in those searches because your content is now more relevant. If your questions and answers align well with specific searches, your FAQ can end up in the prized “position zero” of Google search results. For example, I searched on desktop, mobile, and with voice to ask “what vaccinations does my dog need to be boarded?” The answer in the featured snippet box comes not from a pet health magazine or veterinary association but from a boarding kennel that provides a clear, concise answer that’s easy to read on desktop and mobile screens. In a voice search , Google reads aloud all but the last sentence of the featured snippet text and mentions the name of the business. Google doesn’t say exactly how it chooses featured snippets, but following best practices for your FAQ page and site formatting will increase the likelihood of your FAQ ranking well. For more tips, check out our blog post with 5 ranking strategies for featured snippets !   How Do I Write a Good FAQ Page? To create an effective FAQ page, answer these questions. 1. What keywords are customers looking for? Use your analytics dashboard to see how people find your site in searches. If you’re starting a new business, you can research keyword phrases in Google Keyword Planner and Soovle. 2. What’s on my competitor’s FAQ page? See what Q&As they include and which keywords they focus on, but remember that they may not have optimized their FAQ page. Use keyword analysis tools (see above) to decide if they’re on the right track. If so, you may want to include similar (but not too similar) content. If not, don’t follow their lead. 3. Are your questions phrased the way customers will write or ask them? Try typing your questions in your browser’s search bar to get a sense of how people key in those questions. Then ask your questions on your mobile device or digital assistant to hear what sounds natural. Next, write your natural-sounding questions and answers in short, clear sentences that will look good on a mobile or desktop screen. Now, read them out loud. If they sound weird or confusing, rewrite them until you can imagine Siri reading them. 4. Is your FAQ page formatted properly? Group your FAQs by category if you have more than one type of question in categories like shipping, services, products, or something else. Use your carefully researched keywords in the page’s meta tags. Include relevant links to the products or services mentioned in your FAQ. Add contact info so people who didn’t find the answer they wanted can ask your directly, and wrap up the FAQ with a call to action like “shop now,” “book now,” or “contact us.”   Want to learn more about putting together a website that helps your new business grow? Make sure your site includes these must-have elements . Find the post on the HostGator Blog Continue reading →