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FAQ: tips
| FAQ: some
handy tips |
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A lot of sites have a 'FAQ' section where they put the answers to
users' most frequently asked questions. That's a great idea but it
takes more than just having a FAQ section to really help users find what they're looking for.
What does FAQ mean?
Silly question? Not really. If all your visitors speak English the
term FAQ isn't a problem. If they don't, it is. In Belgium, a lot of
Dutch and French speakers don't know what the abbreviation FAQ
stands for. Because most people aren't inclined to click something
when they don't know where it'll lead them, we suggest to use
'Veelgestelde vragen' or 'Uw vragen' on Dutch sites and 'Foire aux
questions' on French sites.
Why have a FAQ?
The whole point of having FAQ pages is to give users a quick answer
to a number of frequently asked questions. A good FAQ ensures people
don't have to search your entire site looking for the answer. It
also means they don't have to wait for your reply to the question
they sent you by mail. Good FAQ pages not only save your users time,
they save you time as well because people will call and mail you
less. Do people call or mail you with the same questions all the
time? Put some FAQ pages on your site. If you never or rarely get
asked the same question twice, you don't need a FAQ.
FAQ isn't a dump
You'd think a section called Frequently Asked Questions is pretty
much self-explanatory. You'd be mistaken. A lot of sites don't use
the FAQ pages to answer real questions. Instead, they use it as a
dump for the stuff they don't know where to put on the rest of the site. Or
they abuse the FAQ pages to put questions they wish their users were
asking but aren't. Things like 'What does your wonderful logo
mean?', 'Are your products really the best on the market?'.
(Unsurprisingly, the answer to this last question is invariably
yes.) People who visit the FAQ pages are looking for one thing and
one thing only: an answer to their question. They're not in the mood
for advertising chitchat.
Link to FAQ on every page
Because you never know when someone gets stuck and wants to ask a
question, it's a good idea to put a link to the FAQ pages on every
page. The easiest way to do that is to include a link FAQ (or 'Uw
vragen' or 'Foire aux questions', depending on the language of the
site) in the main menu or toolbar.
Be brief
Most people don't like reading long texts online so keep the answers
on the FAQ pages short and sweet. If a question needs a lengthy
answer, divide your answer into paragraphs and use subtitles if
necessary. Anything that makes the information easier to scan is a
good thing. Don't hesitate to provide links to other pages on your
site or more detailed information. FAQ is a service No matter how
good your FAQ pages are, there's always a chance someone has a
question that isn't included. To help these users as well you should
give them the possibility to ask their question. An email address or
a link to a contact form at the top of the FAQ page is all you need.
If you have a call centre or helpdesk, by all means, put that phone
number on the FAQ page as well.
Els Aerts & Karl Gilis
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