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Learn MoreThis guide to FAQs by Ecommerce Pro answers why FAQs are important for ecommerce businesses. We’ll also get into what makes a great FAQ page so you can create one that serves your brand’s online customers, improving customer satisfaction overall.
The FAQ page or Frequently Asked Questions page is a page on your ecommerce website for your customers to go and help themselves by finding answers to their most common questions.
Your FAQ page is a great asset that saves you a lot of time in answering repeated customer questions, and in today's digital age where customers expect quick services, customers also expect instant answers for any questions they have about your products and services.
This makes FAQ pages a must-have for any online business, especially if you have limited staff. It’s the secret weapon for providing quick, accurate information without needing a live person on the other end.
Think of your FAQ page as an always-available customer service agent, working 24/7 to answer the most common questions your brand encounters.
You may be wondering if FAQs are necessary for all online businesses. The quick answer is no. Many online businesses continue to operate without an FAQ page.
However, while not strictly mandatory, FAQ pages are still highly recommended for almost every ecommerce business, and here’s why:
Table of Contents
Why FAQs are Important for Ecommerce Businesses
1. Resolves Common Issues
Your FAQ page will save you a lot of time in answering customer questions. FAQs allow you to proactively address all of those repetitive questions, saving you or your support team valuable time and ensuring consistent, organized information for all customers. It’s a form of customer support that works around the clock to resolve customer issues, leading to better customer experience overall.
2. Great for SEO
A great FAQ page optimized for search engines can attract more organic traffic to your site, therefore being great for bringing in new customers for your online business.
FAQ pages should be optimized for relevant keywords, just like any other page on your site.
3. Build Trust and Confidence:
FAQs should address all the common concerns of your customers, providing them with clear explanations for their inquiries and doubts. A great FAQ page alleviates anxieties and establishes yourself as an authority in your niche, leading to increased sales.
4. Improve Customer Satisfaction:
FAQs can have the power to improve customer satisfaction—who doesn’t want that? What’s more is that FAQs empower customers to find answers on their terms, which reduces waiting times and friction.
What Makes a Great FAQ Page? Best Practices and Strategies
1. Gather all Common Questions
FAQ’S aren’t called “frequently asked questions” for nothing. Right off the bat, one of the key best practices to FAQs is to simply note down all the most common questions and concerns customers have come to you with. The everyday dealings you have with customers may have already clued you in as to what these common questions are regarding your products and services.
Your FAQs are going to be unique to your business, and by understanding your customers' pain points, you can tailor your FAQ page to provide relevant answers.
Coregami’s FAQs are a great example of how they’ve tailored their FAQ page to their brand. It’s unique, and playful, and addresses all the questions frequently asked by their customers.
2. Have Clear and Concise Q&As
FAQs are all about getting quick and concise answers to questions. Unlike blog pages or product pages, FAQs should get straight to the point to satisfy customer inquiries. One of the best practices for FAQs is to adopt a conversational Q&A tone from the perspective of the customer.
To do this, use first-person language which mirrors the way that customers would articulate their questions. For example, questions like “How do I find my size?” sound more conversational and personal from the first-person POV.
Additionally, you should avoid complex language that may alienate or confuse readers. Keep your questions as well as your responses clear, concise, and easy to understand.
Chala’s FAQs are a great example of keeping things simple. They also use first-person POV in formulating their questions, lending a conversational as well as personal tone to the page.
3. Organize Questions into Categories
Make things easier for customers by organizing questions into logical categories. Organizing your FAQs into categories also makes them more user-friendly, which is a key characteristic of great ecommerce FAQs.
Categorize questions into logical sections, like Orders & Shipping, Returns & Refunds, Product Information, and Account Management. Organizing into categories such as these helps visitors navigate the page effortlessly and locate answers quickly, enhancing the overall customer experience.
Take Shwood as an example. They have organized their FAQs beautifully into Top Questions, Orders, Shipping, and so on along the upper portion of the page. They have also incorporated a search bar to help customers find answers quickly and efficiently.
4. Make FAQs Easy to Find
If you’re going to have an FAQ page, make sure it’s easy to find on your website so that customers can locate it with no effort or friction. Consider incorporating your FAQ into the main navigation menu or footer.
When it comes to contemporary best practices for FAQs, placing FAQs at the footer under Support or the About section is fairly common with today’s ecommerce website’s. To find out what’s best for your site, you can experiment with different placements and monitor user behavior to determine the most effective location for your audience.
Brooklinen incorporates FAQs at the footer, right underneath their Support section. Whats great about their placement is that their FAQ link is placed in a clearly visible and logical part of their site, making it east for customers to locate and navigate to.
5. Include Relevant Links
Incorporating relevant links into your FAQ page can be a great way to help and guide customers. Redirecting them to relevant blog posts, product pages, or service pages when the occasion calls for it can improve user experience by providing a more comprehensive and efficient way to find the information they need.
For instance, if an FAQ involves information on where or how to get in touch, include a link in the answer section that leads to your contact page. Similarly, if the FAQ is about a specific product feature, include a link to the product page or a blog article or video with a detailed explanation and visuals. This allows users to delve deeper into the topic without needing to spend energy in searching for the information elsewhere.
In this example, Polder incorporates internal links across their FAQ page to help customers redirect to contact information and to other resources on their site.
6. Keep Regular Updates
Just as the entirety of your website needs updates, your FAQ page is a dynamic asset that requires regular maintenance and improvements over time.
FAQs for your ecommerce website shouldn’t be static throughout the course of your business. If something in your business operations changes, like your shipping and delivery process, make sure to update your FAQs to keep customers continuously in the loop.
FAQs should also evolve as you continue to monitor customer feedback, track performance metrics, and adapt your content to reflect the evolving needs and queries of your customers.
By making sure that you keep your FAQ page current and relevant, you ensure it remains an updated and valuable resource for your online customers throughout the entire course of your online business.
The National Portrait Gallery FAQs are a great example of keeping FAQ pages up to date. They list general information about opening hours, new art collections, and even details on how to get there with bus and train information.
Key Takeaway
While having an FAQ page for your ecommerce website is not strictly necessary for all online businesses, a comprehensive and user-friendly FAQ page is an investment that pays off in the long run.
FAQs can be a powerful tool and resource page for your online business that not only helps you build trust and customer satisfaction, you’ll also free up valuable time for other areas of your business—instead of constantly answering the same questions.
By following these best practices, you'll equip your customers with the information they need, streamline customer service, and ultimately foster a positive brand experience.
Just remember to gather up all the most commonly asked questions and answer them clearly and concisely. Organize your FAQs into logical groupings, incorporate relevant links, and make sure your FAQs are easy to locate. Lastly, don’t forget to regularly update your FAQs to keep up with changes in your business, as well as the evolving needs of your customers.
If your online business is operating without FAQs, now is the time to seriously consider incorporating FAQs crafted with adherence to the best practices tailored for ecommerce stores.
To access more valuable resources regarding ecommerce and the latest Shopify news and advice, check out the Ecommerce Pro Blog.
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At Ecommerce Pro, Shopify Migration Agency. we help entrepreneurs and business owners build better and more successful Shopify businesses. Have a question or a project in mind? Get in touch with us today!
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