Has it been a while since you’ve updated your website’s frequently-asked-questions page? FAQs can be like wallpaper: always present in the background but seldom noticed or updated. TJ Peeler, a user experience (UX) designer at Beaconfire RED, says this essential page should be monitored, updated, and tracked for its performance in web analytics.

How often should an FAQ page be updated, and why?

It’s good practice to review your FAQs at least once a year. But don’t think of the page in isolation: FAQs should be part of your broader content strategy. Think about breaking apart these questions and answers so they also appear elsewhere on your site. Help your audience get the information they need when they need it. For example, questions about a conference registration should go on the conference landing page.

What roles does UX strategy play in revamping FAQs?

UX and design can help you rethink how to present information. If you have a lot of questions on your FAQ page, group them under topical headings or use visual icons to differentiate. Think about your audience’s journey too. How, when, and why do they need certain information? Meet them where they are.

How do you know if your FAQ page is effective?

Are people completing tasks that your FAQs describe? You can monitor web analytics to see if that’s the case. For example, if you have an answer about how to register for a conference, check to see that most people start the registration process and complete it.

If you have a problem, maybe people aren’t looking at the FAQs, or they don’t understand the wording of an answer. Make a change, then check the analytics again to see if it made an improvement. Consider a “lean” process: change, measure, and learn, then repeat.