You’ve built what you believe is a great Frequently-Asked-Questions page for your website. It addresses the questions you’ve often received from your clients or customers. It has saved you a ton of time, eliminating the need to address excessive calls and emails from those who couldn’t previously find the answers to their questions anywhere on your website.
Indeed, a good FAQ page is a treasure. It’s well-organized and concise, providing easy-to-find, short answers, all located in one spot on your website. It’s also a fluid page, ever-changing as your business evolves, constantly dispensing the latest information your customers require.
But while – in general – your FAQ page should offer the briefest answers possible. Did you know that it can also serve as fodder for further long-form content on your website? Did you ever stop to think that those 2- to 3-sentence answers on your web page could make helpful and interesting blogs that might further meet the needs of your customers?
Choosing the questions for long-form content answers
Chances are there are plenty of answers on your FAQ page that won’t demand a long-form content answer. For example, there’s not much you can expound upon for a question that merely asks about your store hours or return policy. However, if you have a question that includes an answer to which you can add more information, go for it!
Let’s think about that for a moment.
Perhaps you sell computers. Simple enough, right? Maybe one of the questions on your FAQ page asks what kind of computers you sell. If you are exclusively a PC dealer, you can take that answer and write a blog about why you think PCs are better for certain applications or users than Macs.
Or maybe you are a psychologist that specializes in treating children. Perhaps one of the questions you’re most often asked is what kind of issues you specialize in treating, i.e., grief, eating disorders, behavioral issues, etc. You can certainly state that, but then you might link your answer to three blogs focused on children and grief, kids with eating disorders, and children with certain behavioral issues. That’s three pages for your blog that can provide much-needed and quality information for those looking for treatment for their child(ren).
Step 1: Determine what FAQs might make excellent long-form content
So, the first and most important step in creating this kind of long-form content is carefully examining your FAQ page questions to determine which might make excellent blogs or pages on your website. Think about whether those long-form answers will actually benefit your customers or clients or whether they’ll just be crowding your website.
Why create these long-form answers?
Whether you’re building your own website or trusted one of our experts to do it for you, you probably recognize the importance of quality content on your site. Whether trying to sell something or perhaps providing a service, your content provides the information your customers desire while accurately communicating your website’s purpose. In addition, good content allows you to rank higher with search engines like Google or others. Those search engines no longer look for keywords but want varied and quality content.
So, using your FAQs as a guide to creating new content makes sense. After all, you’ll provide more extensive answers to questions that interest your customers. That’s why they’ve appeared on your FAQ page in the first place!
Marcus Sheridan, named one of the world’s most successful network marketing gurus by The New York Times, puts it this way. He proclaims his “golden rule” to be:
“they ask, you answer”.
No matter your industry or the customers you serve, it’s clear that most people who land on your website are looking for answers. Otherwise, they wouldn’t likely spend time searching for guidance on Google.
As such, these long-form answers to what you determine to be the most pressing questions in your industry/profession will be read again and again. That means the time and money spent on creating them – whether writing them yourself or paying a copywriter – will be well worth the cost and will no doubt help you rise through the rankings.
Trust The Experts for Quality Long-Form Content
Do you understand your FAQ page’s importance and the answers accompanying it? Are you struggling with producing quality content for your website? At Watershed9, we employ experts in all facets of website building and content creation and can assist you in crafting a site that will increase your traffic and bottom line. For a no-obligation consultation with one of our experienced professionals, call us at 605-337-1449.