Just the FAQs

When you consider the time and cost involved, adding a FAQs page may be the next thing you do to increase your website’s value.

As we all know, search engines love fresh content as well as content that serves the needs of the user rather than just the needs of the content author. That’s why current SEO algorithms rank pages higher based on internal semantic criteria combined with external criteria like whether pages are frequently viewed in response to actual questions typed in Google search bars.

Semantic criteria distinguish between “dumb” text like keywords in web page headers and “smart” text that reveals syntactic clues indicating the content is indeed meant to inform or educate rather than simply sell.

So it’s amazing why more websites do not include a FAQs (frequently asked questions) page. Simply list the 10 or so questions that: a) differentiate you in the mind of your audience; b) showcase your expertise in your field; and c) educate your audience about some of the mysteries or popular misconceptions about your area of activity.

A FAQs page may convey exactly the same messages as a marketing web page or a white paper -- but both people and search engine robots will process the information differently. Just listing the right questions goes a long way in helping readers quickly get a grasp of what’s key. It’s also a great exercise in positioning yourself because it forces you to distill your message down to the essentials and in the correct order. And when you consider the time and cost involved -- adding a FAQs page may be the next thing you do to increase your website’s value.

Most websites that do post a FAQs page do so as documentation -- for example, to help customers resolve common technical issues. But the same principles that make FAQs effective in that role also make FAQs great as a marketing tool.