Thursday, June 26, 2008

3 money making reasons to overhaul your FAQ today

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3 money-making reasons to overhaul your FAQ today!

Hands up if you've given your FAQ page even a second thought since you originally wrote it -- which was probably waaaaay back when you launched your site.

Anybody??

Nah, didn't think so.

After all, your FAQ is of those "admin" pages that just sit there, quietly chugging along. Right?

Nope!

Your FAQ page can actively attract traffic to your site, establish your credibility, and make sales for you. Not bad for a "functional" admin page!

1: Lure traffic to your site with your FAQ page!

Have you optimized your FAQ page with keywords yet?

Think about it. This is the perfect place.

You can use long-tail keyword questions about your product -- the questions people actually type in to the search engines when they have a problem that your item can solve. In fact, you can use those "problem statements" in both the questions AND the answers to make the search engines really sit up and take notice!

Your FAQ page is also a great place for product names and other specifics that people search on when they're ready to buy.

And the more frequently you update your FAQ with your best-performing keywords, the more often the spiders will crawl all over it and boost your search rankings.

2: Make visitors trust you so they'll stick around to buy

Have you ever gone into a store, ready to part with your cash for a product you want... but you couldn't get a salesperson's attention so you decided to take your money elsewhere?

It's the same with visitors who come to your site and can't find any information that will help them with their buying decision.

When you run an online store you can't talk to all the people who stop by your site, but you can show them you understand that everyone has questions and that you can answer them all.

To do this, your FAQ needs to be comprehensive. Don't just slap out a few careless questions and answers. That makes you look as though you're uninterested in the concerns your customer might have... just like that bored salesperson who made you want to leave the store as fast as you could!

High-quality information in your FAQs will show your customers that you're helpful and knowledgeable as well. This is your chance to really sell how well you know your product, so add questions and answers that show off your specialized knowledge.

And it's easy to let your enthusiasm for your product show through with phrases like:
"We're really excited about..."
"I'm thrilled to say..."
"One of the best parts of my job is being able to give customers..."
"We take great pride in..."
And so on!

Take the time to explain your answers, like you would if you were talking to someone in person and visitors will think, "They seem to know about this stuff, so I trust their opinion."

3: Make more sales by overcoming common sticking points

Use your FAQ the way you'd use a salesletter. Show how your product out-performs the competition. Explain why your product would be a good deal at twice the price. Introduce a complementary product.

Ask your own questions -- the ones you WISH people would ask -- and then answer them in the same helpful, informative way you've answered all the others.

The trick is to make the questions sound as if they came from someone else.

NOT: "How superior is your model FQ154 mini-blender to the Waring model BX20?"

INSTEAD: "Why should I buy your mini-blender instead of the Waring one?"

In your answers, quote legitimate product reviews wherever possible. Show quantifiable results. And most important, explain the benefits of each feature you talk about.

And don't forget to include those keywords!

And of course...

A well written FAQ will also save you countless hours answering individual questions!

With so many benefits, isn't it time you took another look at your FAQ?


Visit the Internet Marketing Center to get more great tips!