- With a bit of effort, your FAQ page can become one of your website’s most valuable assets.
- FAQ pages help search engines understand what your website is about. They also give users the information they need without working for it.
- One of the main ways FAQs help with SEO is by allowing you to use targeted keywords throughout your page. They can also improve your website’s technical SEO.
- You can optimize your FAQ page by including keyword-rich questions and answers.
If you have a website, chances are you have a frequently asked questions page. And if you have an FAQ, you might not be taking full advantage of that FAQ page’s SEO potential. Instead, you might think of your FAQ page as a necessary evil—a place to list off all the common questions you get from customers in the hopes that they’ll find the answer they’re looking for without contacting your company.
But what if we told you that your FAQ page could be so much more? With a little effort, your FAQ page can become one of your website’s most valuable assets—an SEO goldmine that helps you attract more website visitors and rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs).
But that begs the question, “Are FAQs good for SEO?” You might be wondering as much, even if you don’t have a frequently asked question page yet and are still considering setting one up. So, read on as we answer this question.
What is an FAQ page?
An FAQ page, or Frequently Asked Questions page, also called an informational hub in some circles, is a designated space on a website where users can find answers to commonly asked questions. Often, these questions are specific to the product or service the website owner offers.
For example, if you sell shoes online, your FAQ page might answer questions like “What size should I order?” or “How do I know if the shoes will fit?”
Do you need an FAQ page?
If you don’t already have an FAQ, let’s address the elephant in the room before we even begin to touch on SEO: do you need an FAQ page? If you’re comfortable with your current SERP rankings and feel like your brand’s niche is understandable enough for anyone to ‘get’ without the help of a FAQ page, you may think that it’s an unnecessary step.
Consider, though, that even brands that ‘everyone knows’ have FAQ pages. McDonald’s FAQ page is an excellent example of a huge, multinational brand with a ‘simple’ concept that still carves out a spot on its site for frequently asked questions. You know of them, what they sell and what to expect, so why do they need one?
Simple: they have one because these questions are, as the name suggests, frequently asked. These questions might have been drawn up from emails, call center feedback, in-store queries, and online search results to collect the questions people are asking the most. With this, they’re preemptively addressing the customer’s needs, and providing value as they do.
McDonald’s FAQ page is also a great example of one in general: not only does it maintain the brand’s sociable tone, thus cementing brand voice, but it also makes it easy for users to find exactly the answers they’re looking for with a search function and a navigable layout.
We’re not saying you should have a FAQ page because everyone’s doing it, but we hope this shows that a site’s size or vertical shouldn’t keep someone from building an FAQ. Ultimately, the decision is yours, but let’s lay out some of the benefits of SEO FAQ pages in the next section to highlight their importance.
Importance and benefits of SEO FAQ pages
FAQ pages continue to be a high-priority item among SEO professionals – but why? Here are a few reasons we can point to that make FAQ pages important to overall SEO.
Increasing keyword usage
For starters, FAQ pages can help search engines understand what a particular website is about. This is because FAQ pages contain a lot of keywords and key phrases related to your product or service. A well-built page that makes adequate use of heading structure will improve crawlability, thus helping Google get a read on a page’s “purpose,” which will then lend itself to better search rankings and, in turn, organic traffic.
By carefully selecting the questions you include on your page and crafting keyword-rich answers, you can ensure that your FAQ page is optimized for the search terms your potential customers are using.
Additionally, this is the perfect opportunity to tackle questions too short for a dedicated blog post – while being a place to intuitively tie together content that is at least semantically related through internal linking.
Besides, a FAQ page doesn’t have to just tackle keywords with informational intent – transactional and commercial intent has a place here, too. How long does shipping take? How long should someone expect to hear back from your brand? Where do they log in? What payment types do you accept?
SERP feature potential
Let us also not forget the value of Google’s SERP features. We’re a big fan of the featured snippet around here – a FAQ is a great way to bring concise, quick answers to the forefront, which the search engine favors for its snippets.
There’s also the ever-crucial “People also ask” feature, where Google displays commonly searched questions related to the query. If properly optimized, your FAQ page’s answers could be displayed in either of these features, showcasing your website’s authority and expertise in its niche.
Providing value
It’s not just the search engine that will appreciate this type of webpage; it’s also a benefit to the user, which is even more critical to a site’s success. FAQ pages give users the necessary information without making them work for it. These pages should be an ever-growing source of value to an audience, where they reflect their common concerns and respond to them.
When users can find the answers they’re looking for on your website, they’re more likely to stay longer and interact with more of your content. Ultimately, FAQ pages enhance user experience and increase engagement, signaling to search engines that your website is worth ranking higher in search results.
Conversions
It can even help to drive conversions. Decision-making is an essential aspect of the consumer process, both online and offline. It’s why you read the packaging on a product at the store to see what’s in it, ask your friend if they think this would look good on you, or trawl reviews to ensure you’re getting a good buy. A user with a clear idea about what they’re buying or downloading, who they’re contacting, or where they’re going, is more likely to proceed with that transaction.
Click-through rate
In addition to helping you target specific keywords, FAQs can also help improve your website’s click-through rate (CTR).
A well-written FAQ page anticipates the needs of your website visitors and provides them with the information they’re looking for—ultimately leading them to take action on your website. The better your CTR, the higher you’ll rank in search engine results pages.
Technical SEO
FAQs also play a part in technical SEO. A well-optimized FAQ page makes it easy for search engines to crawl and index your website, which can improve your overall ranking in search results.
Specifically, FAQs add variety to the schema markup – a code added to a website to help search engines understand the content of its pages. FAQs are so crucial that there’s even a schema markup designed explicitly for them, the appropriately named FAQ schema. That’s just further evidence that they’re an SEO must-have!
When you add FAQ schema to your website, you give search engines a roadmap of that FAQ page. This helps them understand the content on your page and makes it easier for them to index your website. As a result, your website is more likely to rank higher in search results.
(Schema markup can be a somewhat confusing subject for newcomers. Read our schema markup crash course to clear up any lingering questions.)
How can I optimize my FAQ page for SEO?
Now that you know why FAQ pages are important for SEO, you might wonder how to ensure yours is up to snuff. Here are a few tips:
Include keyword-rich questions and answers
As we mentioned before, one thing that makes FAQ pages so great for SEO is that they’re chock-full of keywords and key phrases related to your product or service. So, when you’re writing your questions and answers, include these words and phrases liberally throughout.
Not only will this help improve your SEO, but it will also help ensure that users can easily find the information they need on your page.
Break up the text with headings and subheadings
No one likes walls of text—least of all Google. So when you’re writing your FAQ page, make sure to break up the text with plenty of headings and subheadings, while keeping those answers nice and concise. This makes your page more readable (and therefore more engaging) and helps Google understand the hierarchy of your content and better index it for search purposes.
Include links to other relevant pages on your site
Whenever possible, try to include links to other relevant pages on your site within your FAQ page answers. Not only does this help keep users engaged with your content, but it also helps improve the crawlability of your website (which means it’ll be easier for search engine bots to find and index all of your content).
Answer customer questions in your FAQs
The best thing you can do when you’re putting together your frequently asked questions pages is this: think about what your customers ask. Partner with the sales, outreach, or customer service team to find out what they hear the most from customers. While writing for keyword optimization and SEO is important, remember that this page aims to provide a helpful resource.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t do some SEO legwork, too: use keyword and SERP tracking tools like SEMrush to find questions people are asking related to your products, services, and brand. As we stated above, don’t turn your nose up at transactional and navigational keywords.
Other FAQ page quick tips:
- Don’t rush it: a sloppy, poorly put-together FAQ page will only hurt your site, just like any poorly optimized and built page would.
- Avoid jargon: you know what it means, but your readers don’t. Try to avoid jargon unless the question is defining the word. However, if you have a niche that demands it, consider setting up a glossary, too.
- Group your questions: this makes it easier to read and easier to find other, similar questions.
- Consider an ‘accordion’ layout: if you have dozens of frequently asked questions, consider folding them into an accordion or dropdown design to keep the page from being excessively long.
- Add a search function: if you’re able, add a search bar that’s specific to the FAQ, letting users land on what they need even faster.
Get a hand with your FAQ page!
Adding SEO-optimized FAQ pages is essential for any website that wants to rank higher in search results. By including keyword-rich questions and answers, breaking up the text with headings and subheadings, and linking to other relevant pages on your site, you can make sure that your FAQ page is optimized for both users and search engines alike.
Get help implementing these tips with our SEO and content services. Our team can help you create a comprehensive SEO strategy that will help improve your ranking in search results and increase traffic to your website. Contact us today to get started!
