How many times have you visited an eCommerce store only to be stumped and struggle to find what you are looking for, or need additional support when buying products?
This is a common occurrence and the best businesses understand that FAQ pages can help address these issues and provide valuable customer support.
FAQ pages go one step further though and can also contribute to your SEO strategies, content creation, and keyword usage. In this guide, I explain all of the above and show how your business can utilize e-commerce FAQs to your advantage.
What is an FAQ Page?
Let’s start with the basics and understand what FAQ pages are.
FAQ = Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs can either be dedicated pages or articles, product pages, and website pages can have FAQ sections usually after the body text.
Dedicated FAQs are usually found in the customer support or help sections of a website and may be broken into different customer support categories such as payments, products, and deliveries. Alternatively, FAQ sections on existing pages could be something like a list of questions relating to a specific product on a product page.
FAQS are essentially a list of questions and answers that aim to answer common issues and queries customers may have relating to your eCommerce store.
Why are e-commerce FAQs Important for Your Online Business?
E-commerce FAQs have a dual purpose and they can be useful for both SEO and customer experience and they should be a part of your Ecommerce checklist.
E-commerce FAQs can boost SEO
Google loves FAQs and indeed a great practice is to look at Google’s PAA (People Also Ask) section of Google searches to find common FAQ questions. You can use FAQs to enhance your SEO strategies as they increase content, provide real value to customers, and can also include keywords and phrases.
They can also provide valuable customer support
While SEO is fantastic, the primary purpose of e-commerce FAQs is to give value to your customers and act as an additional form of customer support.
Oftentimes if I am struggling to find something on a website, I will head to the help section and look through the FAQs. More often than not, I can find the answer to my issue. This means that I don’t have to waste time trying to contact the customer support team.
FAQs may not solve some complex issues, but they greatly reduce the strain on your customer support team for simple issues, and give customers a more streamlined browsing experience when using your online store.
Useful Tips for Implemented FAQ Pages on Your eCommerce Store
As you can see, your business stands to gain a lot from utilizing FAQ pages and there are some key things you can do to optimize their effectiveness.
1. Research is key to finding the right FAQs
To make effective FAQ pages, you MUST perform research to find the best questions. It’s no good just typing up the first questions that enter your mind – these might not have any relevance to the info customers may need when using your online store.
The first step is to have a brainstorming session with various team members. Everyone can give their input and think of questions customers might ask, or simple issues they may face that could be turned into e-commerce FAQs. An SEO agency for ecommerce can also help with this.
After the brainstorming session, I advise checking Google PAA suggestions to find commonly asked questions relating to your business and products. If the formatting and quality of your FAQs are up to scratch, you can be featured in the PAA block too which can give a huge SEO boost.
2. E-commerce FAQs must be optimized
Creating e-commerce FAQs is an art form and it is not a simple case of writing the questions and answers. The formatting should be correct with the questions formatted as headings, and the answers as regular paragraph/body text.
There is also a specific FAQ schema to follow which helps Google crawlers index your FAQ pages and understand the type of content on your website. Tools like YOAST SEO in WordPress can help with FAQ schema by using things like their FAQ block.
3. Keep the answers straightforward
The worst thing you can do with FAQ answers is to waffle! Don’t pad them with fluff. Instead, answer the question in the first sentence and make your FAQs concise and easy to digest. The reader should be left in no doubt as to the answer.
4. Include keywords and phrases where possible
FAQs are an excellent place to utilize keywords and phrases to bolster your SEO strategy. For example, with standalone FAQ pages, you could use primary keywords that you are targeting site-wide.
Alternatively, for FAQ sections on things like product pages, you can use product-related keywords to be more specific and targeted. The FAQs should always provide value first, and you should never sacrifice the quality of the answers simply to inject keywords though.
Every Online Business Should Utilize FAQ Pages
FAQ pages for eCommerce stores are incredibly simple to implement and with little effort, you can boost your SEO and customer support.
These straightforward questions and answers give customers the info they need, help them make informed decisions, and can also reduce the pressure on your customer support team. Not only that but with the correct formatting and use of keywords, they can enhance your existing SEO strategies.
