Including frequently asked questions (FAQs) in category copy or blog content is an effective strategy to improve search engine optimization (SEO) for your website. While Google recently stopped the practice of listing FAQs within expanded search engine results page (SERP) listings for most brands, you can still use targeted queries to increase the value of your content and improve your search performance. Follow these tips for why and how to write FAQs for SEO.
Why Are FAQs Important for SEO?
Optimized FAQs help you claim more visual space for your target keywords on the SERP, increasing your reach and minimizing your competitors’ visibility. But they also highlight your brand’s expertise and establish trust and authority—factors that can influence rankings site-wide. Search engines may surface your FAQs through these and other rich results:
FAQs in Featured Snippets
Featured snippets typically appear below sponsored results but before organic results on Google. Answers to common questions may appear here, accompanied by a link through to the exact position the content appears on your optimized page.
People Also Ask FAQs
This rich result aggregates answers to keyword-related queries in a special section on the SERP. Users can click from the answer to your page to learn more.
Voice Search Answers From FAQs
The rise of voice search offers another opportunity for search engines to surface FAQs content. And while ranking in voice search may not drive traffic to your page, it does increase brand awareness. Note that Google pulls voice search answers from already top-ranking pages, so it’s important to optimize all elements of the page.
Two Ways To Optimize FAQs for SEO
Frequently asked questions often appear in the footer on category landing pages or in long-form content posted to a brand’s blog. Let’s compare each option:
- Option 1: Optimize category landing pages with frequently asked questions that address user intent. The best queries for category landing pages answer questions customers ask at the bottom of the funnel, just before they buy your product. Footer copy FAQs content should help them decide what to purchase or provide information that moves them closer to completing the transaction.
- Option 2: Establish brand authority with optimized blog content. Provide in-depth answers to popular purchase-focused queries or illustrate your expertise on a topic related to your brand’s identity or priority products through a long-form, keyword-driven blog post.
Either option can improve your site’s performance, but ranking for featured snippets and PAA with content that lives on landing pages can drive traffic directly to the products customers are looking for. For this reason, we’ll focus the balance of this post on composing optimized FAQs for category landing pages.
3 Steps To Write Effective FAQs for SEO on Category Pages
Writing FAQs for SEO boils down to answering the right questions, the right way. Follow these SEO FAQs best practices to compose accurate, easy-to-understand answers that help your page gain visibility on the SERP and earn greater authority with your customers.
1. Compile a List of Common Questions and Choose the Right Ones
The most effective FAQs content answers queries consumers are already asking. While some questions may seem straightforward, to find the best options to include, you’ll need to do a bit of research. Our favorite resources for finding the most effective product category page FAQs include:
- Product Q&As submitted by customers on your site
- People Also Ask (PAA) results for your target keyword(s)
- Reddit, Quora, and other forums
- SEO tools, using a filter to return results that include question words (why, how, what)
Once you have your list of questions, whittle it down by focusing on the questions that target the final stage of the customer journey—when customers are preparing to make a purchase. Save other queries for potential blog content topics.
2. Provide Succinct, Immediate Answers to Key Queries
The best FAQs responses offer immediate gratification. Answer the query using clear, succinct language and provide the most important information upfront. When possible, mimic the phrasing of the question itself in your answer to clearly demonstrate relevance. Then, expand upon your response with additional information that increases value for the customer.
How long should FAQs answers be? Finding the right length for FAQs answers is a delicate balance. Your response should be short enough to fit within a featured snippet or PAA result, but substantial enough that it is deemed valuable by search engines. As with most optimization goals, let quality be your guide: Your response should be long enough to clearly and adequately answer the question at hand.
3. Format Your FAQs To Optimize Performance
The right FAQs structure will establish a rational hierarchy for your content. Whether you create a standalone section that appears beneath optimized category copy, or you use target queries within the footer content itself, you’ll want to format your FAQs the same way: List the question in whatever header style is most appropriate, and then include your response in normal text. This strategic structure tells algorithms to focus on your featured queries and helps customers easily scan your content to find the most relevant information. Expertly optimized content provides valuable information to the customer, and including FAQs can be a practical, strategic way to structure that content. Eight Oh Two is a proven leader in search engine and performance marketing focused on driving superior results by leveraging best-in-class technology with the very best in human intelligence. Contact us today to learn how we can help optimize your content and boost your blog conversions by answering the questions your customers are asking.