FAQ page fails that cost you business (and how to write one that converts cruisers into customers)

With their questions answered and their excitement to buy restored, they will rush to hand over their cash. If you’re down with SEO copywriting techniques, some well-placed keywords can yield some Google-love for your site, bringing you even more customers.

If your FAQ page isn’t well written (or if it is non-existent), customers can be left feeling confused and even a little anxious about buying from you, and you’re doing absolutely nothing to stop them walking away.

This post covers some common FAQ page fails that will lose customers (and the money they might give you) and some tips on writing an FAQ page that converts.

Common FAQ page fails

Fail #1 – Your FAQ page isn’t useful

Questions like, “Why are you so awesome?” are not questions anyone actually asks. Readers know that and you look like a schmuck. So don’t . . . just don’t.

Being genuinely useful should be the mantra behind all your content creation, but especially when you’re writing an FAQ page.

Fail #2 – Your FAQ page is too salesy

Your FAQ page is the perfect tool to help overcome barriers and deal with objections (in the form of questions and answers). It’s not the right spot for promoting your product’s features and benefits. That’s for the product pages! Your FAQ page is great for questions about the process of buying.

Fail #3 – Your FAQ page has too much content

Wait, too much content? That’s right. Don’t forget that you have other website pages that should also contain useful information to help customers make their decisions. If you find yourself writing a lot of questions for the FAQ page, your main pages are probably short of essential details. Duplicate information to fill the page out is also a no-no.

Fail #4 – Your FAQ page doesn’t include any keywords

Your FAQ page is going to cover a number of topics, so you aren’t going to shoot up to the number one Google ranking. Why? Because Google prefers that you write pages with one focus. But that doesn’t mean you can’t send Google some signals about your content.

Fail #5 – Your FAQ page is almost impossible to find

If customers are feeling uncertain about taking the next step, having to hunt around for answers to their questions is just going make them feel frustrated, and that’s not a good mood in which to buy!
The best place for your FAQ page is where customers are nearing the point of making a purchase. Maybe it’s your product or services pages or a pricing page or the actual shopping cart if you have one.

So how do you write an FAQ page that converts?

Be useful

• Pay attention to the questions customers are asking. Answer those questions.
• Step through the buying process and imagine what someone would like to know or may be a little worried about. Answer those questions.
• Don’t exclude the obvious or easy ones. Answer those questions.
• Anticipate the questions that might spring up from other questions. Answer those questions.

Show some personality

Like all your website pages, your FAQ page is a chance to connect with potential customers by showing some personality. Don’t be afraid to be friendly and conversational, just as if you were answering the questions over the phone. It’s also a great page to show off your sense of humour (if you have one).

Answering questions in videos is a great way to make the content a bit more personal (because your customer is looking at a real person answering their question).

Write the questions from the customers’ point of view

To help customers feel like their questions are being answered, write the questions using first person pronouns:
“Can I cancel my order?”
“Can you ship my order overseas?

Then, write the answers from a person or people within the company, just like a real conversation.

Make it easy to navigate

If you find yourself writing a lot of questions for an FAQ page, group them together into appropriate topics. A search function is also a good idea. That will help customers find the answers they’re looking for faster, and they’ll thank you for this.

Understand the keywords your customers use

Take some time to research the words and phrases your customers are using online to use in your questions and answers. You might even get ideas for questions customers are typing into Google.

If you really want to boost your SEO, write enough content for each question/answer combo to get Google’s attention (300+ words) and give each question/answer its own page and keyword focus.

Include a call to action

A call to action is one of the bookends of your marketing; the other is your headline. So, each page of marketing you write should have a headline and a call to action, and that includes your FAQ page!

Once your customers have had all their questions answered, it’s important to remind them what to do next, whether it’s start the free trial, subscribe for updates, search the catalogue, or add to their carts.

Tailoring a call to action for each question is a good idea too.

Let them contact you

You’re probably not going to think of all the questions and answers customers have, so let them know that you’re available to answer any other questions they have.

So, there you have it. An FAQ page can help you help your customers to say yes, making them a very handy page on a website—but only if you write it well enough to make it count!

I’d love to know if you have seen any FAQ fails or FAQ pages that have blown you away.

The Copy Detective

Want to see this in pretty slides? of course you do!