How to create FAQ for SEO – 5 steps technique

Answering people’s questions

With constant Google algorithm updates and an influx of new content being produced every second, maintaining visibility in this digital ocean requires persistence and strategic thinking.

One such strategy is leveraging FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) to boost your Search Engine Optimization (SEO). But how exactly can FAQs enhance your SEO game? The answer lies in understanding how modern search engines work.

Search engines like Google aim to provide users with the most accurate and helpful answers to their queries. As such, websites that provide clear, concise, and helpful answers to frequently asked questions in their niche often find themselves at the top of search engine results.

Additionally, with the advent of voice search and virtual assistants, the importance of FAQs in SEO is more pronounced than ever. When people ask Siri, Google Assistant, or Alexa questions, the responses often come from well-structured FAQ sections on websites.

Here is an example of how Google present results when you type in a question, for instance: “how can I find 404 pages on my website?” results will look like this

These kinds of search results are known as featured snippets. They’re essentially Google’s way of saying, “Your content is so spot-on, we’re using it as the primary source to answer this question.” You’ll also notice other related questions that people have asked.

Responding to specific questions in your field can be a powerful strategy for boosting your SEO.

There are two main ways to do this:

1. Article: Craft a detailed, compelling article that thoroughly answers a specific question.
    
2. FAQ: Construct an FAQ page, or incorporate an FAQ section into a new or existing article.

In this blog post, we will provide a simple 5-step guide on researching, writing, and structuring your FAQs effectively. We’ll also provide insights into using structured data (Schema Markup) to make your FAQ section more digestible for search engines, enhancing your SEO.

Step 1: Find your niche and expertise, then research

At this point, it’s all about rolling up your sleeves and diving into some research within your field of expertise

If you’re running a business that’s all about solving specific problems for your customers, then you’ve got expertise. Your customers have questions – most often the same ones, over and over again. Use these recurring questions to build a list of potential FAQs.

Next, do a bit of online spying to see how these questions are being answered on Google.

If most answers come from generalist websites like Quora, Reddit, Stack Overflow, and the like… well, you’ve just spotted a golden opportunity to outshine them, as Google seems to favour specific websites with expertise over these generalist websites.

Also, you can use the following tools to check the popularity of a subject:

Answer the Public:https://answerthepublic.com/
Google Trends:https://trends.google.com/trends/

Step 2: Generate your FAQ

This step is pretty easy. All you need to do is jot down the question and its answer. Make sure your answer is detailed, accurate, and, above all, helpful. That’s the key here – being helpful. That’s what Google appreciates.

Remember, your FAQ isn’t a billboard for promotions or a place to drop links to your latest offers. Keep it pure and simple – just the question and its answer.

If you are lazy like me with writing, you can use ChatGPT to generate the FAQ. 

ChatGPT prompt to use
——-
“You are an expert in {expertise}. Please come up with answers to the following questions to build an FAQ page on my website. Use the following format:

Q: Questions?
A: Answer

List of questions:

1. Question 1
2. Question 2
3. Question 3

Remember, I need you to be as accurate and detailed as possible.”
——-

Please make sure to fact-check all the answers if you are using ChatGPT, as it tends to lie occasionally…

Step 3: Publish on your website

Next up, it’s time to get your FAQ out there on your website.

You can either call in the pros (that’s us, your friendly web development agency) or roll up your sleeves and do it yourself using your CMS, like WordPress.

Ensure your FAQ is easy on the eyes – well-spaced and neatly laid out so that people can breeze through it. You could set aside a special corner on your website just for the FAQ. Or, you could get a bit more specific – like creating a page titled “WordPress Development FAQ” if that’s your expertise.

Step 4: (secret weapon) Generate FAQ structure data

Now, here’s the secret weapon that not many people know about.

Using Schema structured data is like giving search engines a VIP tour of your FAQ.

It takes the guesswork out of the equation because every web page can have a different layout. What we’re doing is offering them a one-size-fits-all format to make their job easier.

If you want to know more about structure data, Read this great article about what is Schema Markup ->. I can apply to a lot more than just FAQ.

You can generate the schema markup code in different ways:

1. Do the code manually … (maybe not the best idea)
2. Use WordPress plugins like Rank Match SEO, Yoast SEO
3. Use a schema generator site like this: https://technicalseo.com/tools/schema-markup-generator/
4. Use ChatGPT

Option 2 and option 4 are the best!

ChatGPT Prompt

Here is the prompt I use for generating the schema code from chat gpt:

—-
Can you generate the schema for FAQpage in json-ld format? Please include all the code I will need to insert in my HTML page; here is the FAQ list:

{Question1}?
{Answer1}
—
{Question2}?
{Answer2}
—-

Then, you can insert that code into your pages using your editor. Here is an example of how the code should look like:

Step 5: Test and submit your page to Google and watch for the FAQ structure data

Once you’ve got your page ready, test it out with the schema validator:

https://validator.schema.org/

This will tell you if you’ve made any mistakes. If you have, just fix them and test them again.

Next, use Google Search Console to submit your new or updated page. If you don’t have Google Search Console yet, don’t worry. Just contact us, and we’ll help you set it up.

Then wait a few days and monitor the results. Google should pick up the structure data and show up in the enhancement section:

In summary

Alright, let’s wrap this up. We’ve covered a lot, so here’s the quick and dirty version:

1. Find your niche and research FAQ: Dig into your expertise, find those repetitive questions you’re always answering, and do a bit of Google sleuthing to see how they’re being answered online.
    
2. Generate your FAQ: Write down those questions and answers. Be detailed, precise, and, most importantly, helpful. Remember, Google loves a good helper.
    
3. Publish on your website: Get those FAQs up on your site. Make sure it’s easy on the eyes and simple to navigate. You can do it yourself or get a web development agency (like us) to lend a hand.
    
4. Generate FAQ structure data: This is your secret weapon. Use Schema structured data to make it super easy for search engines to understand your FAQ. You can do it manually, use a WordPress plugin, a schema generator site, or get ChatGPT to do the heavy lifting.
    
5. Test and submit your page to Google: Use the schema validator to check your work and then submit your new or updated page to Google Search Console. If you’re not set up with Google Search Console yet, give us a shout. We’re here to help.

And there you have it! You’re now equipped with the know-how to boost your SEO and website traffic using FAQs. So, what are you waiting for? Get out there, start answering questions and crush the competition! 

Check out our video below about the whole walkthrough:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1chtoDddpc

Feel free to schedule a consultation with us on how we could help implement this technique on your website. 

FAQ