FAQ pages are an essential part of your business’s website. They make life easier both for you and for your clientele. However, many people don’t know just what their customers’ frequently asked questions are, which leads to wildly unhelpful FAQs that just leave both your customers and you frustrated. With Google’s recent Helpful Content Update, people-centered content is more important than ever before. Fortunately, the guidelines laid out in this update make formulating your site’s FAQs more straightforward, making life easier for you and your customers. 

Here is what you need to know about the importance of a well-put-together FAQ page and how you can use Google’s Helpful Content Update to put yours together. Let’s dive into it!

The Importance Of An FAQ Section

Picture this: you start a business. You’re thrilled to help people and to share your expertise. But… You and your staff find yourselves answering the same questions over and over and over again. Questions like: “Do you do payment plans?” and “What is – insert service here – ?” are far more prominent than you thought they’d be. 

This is where your FAQs come into play. An FAQ page makes life easier for both you and your customers by addressing these commonly asked questions in an easy-to-find, to-the-point manner. That way, your customers can quickly find the answers to their questions themselves and you and your employees can answer more personalized questions when the phone goes off. 

FAQ pages can also boost your site’s SEO ranking by providing relevant information and concise answers to common questions people ask about your business or industry.

How Can Google’s Helpful Content Update Help?

First off, you’ll want to know what Google’s Helpful Content Update is. We touched on this more in-depth in our previous blog post: Everything You Need To Know About Google’s Helpful Content Update. But essentially, this update means creating people-centered content, rather than content that’s made to rank on search engines. The goal of this update is to make the top results more helpful to people searching specific keywords or questions. 

It does this by marking content that is repetitive or that does not fit your site or realm of expertise as unhelpful. The goal of this update is to ensure that the information people are putting on their websites is designed to be helpful – as the name suggests – and to avoid issues like people feeling like your article or your FAQ didn’t answer their questions. 

As you can see, this is ideal for your site’s FAQ page! The entire point of your FAQ page is to be helpful and answer people’s questions. By utilizing Google’s Helpful Content Update, you can ensure that the questions you include and the answers you provide satisfy people’s needs, rather than giving potential customers the run-around. 

How To Make Your Site’s FAQs With This Update In Mind

This update addresses one of the most common problems with FAQ pages: unhelpful content. It’s unfortunately very common for business owners to think that they know what their clientele will want to know – only to completely miss the mark. It’s also very common for people to see a frequently asked question and to launch into a long-winded answer when your customers just want a simple yes or no with a basic why. 

FAQ pages are meant to be simple and straightforward. The more to the point, the better. One of the things that Google’s Helpful Content Update is targeting is content that leaves customers feeling unsatisfied. Your FAQ is the ideal page for this update to target, because if people go to it for an answer to a question only to have to go to another site for the information they need or to have to call you… This won’t reflect well on your site.

So! Let’s look into how you can use this update to make a stellar FAQ page.

#1. Answer People’s Frequently Asked Questions

As previously mentioned, business owners tend to assume that their customers’ frequently asked questions are different than what they actually are. If your business is already up and running, you can ask your employees what questions they get asked all the time to make this page for your site.

You can also use Google’s autofill feature. We’ll use SEO as an example. If you put SEO in Google’s search bar, the autofill brings up keywords that people usually search with it.

As you can see, some of these can work for your site’s FAQ page, such as the 4th result: what is seo and how it works. However, a lot of these aren’t the most helpful.

Fortunately, there’s an easy way to find the questions people are asking. Simply scroll down after searching SEO, and then under the paid ads, you’ll see a section that looks like this.

Now, this is just what we’re looking for! Obviously, if you have an SEO company, you would want to change the wording and grammar to be accurate. Rather than “whats seo means?”, you would put “What does SEO mean?” 

This is an excellent way to find the common questions that people have about what you do.

#2. Actually Answer The Questions

It’s alarming how many FAQ pages there are where people try to redirect you to other pages or simply evade the question instead of just answering it. You don’t want your answers to be long-winded, as this will bore your clientele. But you do want to ensure that the questions actually get answered.

For instance, if you are a chiropractor, and one of the questions on your FAQ page is: “Is Chiropractic Care Safe?”, people don’t want to read an answer like: “Chiropractic was founded after….” They want to see an answer like: “Yes. Chiropractic care is safe when performed by licensed professionals.” 

#3. Update Your FAQ As Needed

One of the things that Google’s Helpful Content Update is watching out for is content that deviates from your site’s purpose. For instance, you wouldn’t look for medical information on a clothing website. As businesses can grow and change, so too do the services they provide. It’s important to keep your site’s FAQ page up to date to reflect these changes.

For instance, if you are a vet and you used to offer care for horses but you no longer do, you wouldn’t want to keep frequently asked questions about horses on your FAQ page. This would lead potential clients to assume that you still provide veterinary services for horses and can leave them feeling misled when they find that that isn’t the case anymore. 

You also want to go back and evaluate the questions and their answers from time to time. The world is ever-changing, and so can people’s questions about your services. You can also update your answers so that they are more concise and clear.

Do You Need Help Putting Together An FAQ Page?

Your FAQ page is one of the most helpful pages on your website – when done correctly. It can be challenging to know how to work with Google’s Helpful Content Update and how to put together a strong FAQ page, especially if you’re trying to meet the demands of your business. Performance Driven Marketing is here to help. We provide exceptional content writing and SEO services to make your website shine. 

To learn more about how we can help you with your website or to receive a free consultation, please do not hesitate to contact us today!

Since the film was first created, people have loved the ability to watch video-based content. The creation of more recent inventions including YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram reels, have caused this modern form of connecting and advertising to go viral, meaning that videos are here to stay. That is why it is important to understand how to use video-based content to build up your business and increase your following. Continue reading to learn more about why video-based content is so important.

Why Is Video-Based Content Important?

The importance of video-based content cannot be overstated. Evidently, more than 50% of web users want to see video content from brands. If more than half of your potential customers wanted something in your brick-and-mortar business, you’d be likely to make a change. It should not be any different with your online business, especially because the web is quickly becoming the best way to sell your products or services and market your business.

Connect With Your Audience

Video-based content is one of the most successful ways to connect with your audience as a business owner online. Videos are more engaging, imaginative, and personal than other types of content, and can really show your personality and the essence of your business. Videos allow you to also create greater trust between you and your audience because they can see you as a living, breathing person and can see what you and your brand are all about. 

Make Interesting Content From Behind The Camera

Even if you do not want to make videos with you in them, you can still create video-based content that will draw in your audience by showing any of the following pieces of information:

Your company’s special processes

• Your products and how they work
• Your team 
• Educational videos about your field
• Testimonials
• And more!

Finding things to video about for about your company or industry is simpler than you may think! Anything about you, your business, or your line of work that the average person would not know is something that you can create video content about! People are curious about you; connect with them!

Don’t Forget To Utilize Search Engine Optimization

While video-based provides an excellent way to connect with, inform, and please your audience, it can be difficult to know whether it will reach the people that you want it to. That is why it is important to utilize search engine optimization. Videos contain a lot of information that can hit a wide variety of different keywords. Google places YouTube videos at the top of the page for many search terms. Make videos about commonly asked questions, and you will begin seeing much more traffic to your website as a whole.

Do You Need Help Marketing Your Product Or Services?

If you need help succeeding in the online world of business and marketing, you may want to consider reaching out to us at Performance Driven Marketing. We provide top-notch online marketing and SEO services to help companies improve their websites and their online presence. Some of our services include, web design and development options, graphic design services, content writing services, marketing management options, and internet marketing services. Our talented team is prepared to help you reach your goals and your target audience. For more information, feel free to reach out to us

today.

Cybersecurity is a major issue. A product of the Information Age, threats to the security of your online presence and the information that crosses your site are rampant. While many companies have designated teams to monitor such threats, preserving your cybersecurity must be a priority for everyone. In honor of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we offer a few suggestions on how to do so.

Know What You’re Up Against

Cybersecurity threats come in many forms, and it’s important to not to be too wrapped up in making sure your site performs well to neglect your cybersecurity. If your website is hacked or compromised in another way, all or parts of the site may become inaccessible to users. Hackers can also alter what users see when they visit your site. Financial losses, reputation damage, and regulatory fines can all follow any security breaches.

To lessen your company’s vulnerability, stay informed about how hackers operate. Attend cybersecurity trainings and keep an eye on the common and uncommon threats that beset the digital world. We’ve included the basics.

Email: The Biggest Threat

At least 91% of hacks start with an email. People naturally expect email to be a more professional platform for communication, and cybercriminals exploit that. There are two major threats that can be delivered with a perky @domainname: improper encryption and phishing.

Improper encryption can occur when employees don’t fully appreciate the sensitive nature of personal information. Personally or commercially sensitive data sent in an insecure format is an open invitation for those with bad intentions. Implement stringent encryption strategies to prevent this problem; there are many simple ones available for all to use.

Phishing is a deliberate strategy employed with malicious intent. Hackers may pose as customers, collaborators, or management to trick your employees into clicking on malicious links or sending sensitive information. Phishing emails can usually be identified by subtle errors in email addresses, false domain names, and a forced sense of urgency. Know what to look for, and encourage your employees to never click on links from sources they do not know.

Safety Features You Can Implement

Cybersecurity measures improve every single year. While you do not always need the newest or the fanciest to get results, it is important to invest in a few security measures:

VPN: A virtual private network may be the most important factor to prevent most cybersecurity issues. A VPN directs all your online traffic through an encrypted tunnel, protecting it from the eyes of hackers and cybercriminals.

Firewall: A firewall blocks unauthorized traffic and only allows in communications that are deemed safe. Firewalls are especially important if you are worried about malware and denial-of-service attacks.

Strong host platform: A host platform is a website or network-based portal that provides storage space for other sites. Choose a strong host platform to defend against cyber attacks.

Password Protection: Choose strong passwords and provide many stops for unauthorized users to lose unintended access. Consider authentication processes that have multiple requirements for added security, especially if your site takes customers’ credit card and other personal information.

Train the Team to Prevent Problems

Cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility. Breaches can happen anywhere, and those who don’t handle security features deliberately every day are susceptible to becoming casual in matters of security. Make training about cybersecurity a common occurrence for all staff. 

Train your employees in the dangers of phishing. Emphasize that they not click on links from unfamiliar sources and that they should scan incoming email addresses thoroughly to catch dummy sites. Encourage your staff to be vigilant when sites ask them to verify personal information, whether their own or customers’. They should be equally careful with company information. Train your employees to report all suspicious activity. It is better to be too wary and catch any cybersecurity breaches or attempted breeches early.

Guard the Information You’re Given

Businesses’ websites are a favorite target of information for hackers. Handle customers’ information with care in social media posts and promotions on your website. It can be tempting for social media to be more casual and approachable, but that should never lead to treating customer information with anything less than the security they deserve. 

Social media accounts are also one of hackers’ favorite targets because they can cause dramatic damage. Not only does personal information seem ripe for the plucking, but they can do a lot of damage to a company’s reputation with very little effort, hijacking posts with offensive material and using that as blackmail until they are paid to stop.

While cybersecurity can seem like a daunting task, you are not in it alone. Stay current and work as a team to prevent mishap. Afterall, in matters of security, prevention is the best medicine.