FAQ Best Practices

When done well, FAQ content can be a useful tool for your audience. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) can be added as a numbered list, with headers, or using an accordion.

FAQs should ideally be limited to 10 questions and answers. If more than 10 questions are needed, group similar questions under headers.

Photography is not needed on FAQ pages. 

Sample FAQ Styles

Numbered List

  1. Should I list my questions in an ordered list?
    Listing questions in a numbered list, while optional, can be an effective way to organize an FAQ page. 
  2. How can I differentiate between questions?
    In addition to using numbers you can bold the questions and have answers in standard paragraph style.
  3. How long should I make the FAQ answers?
    Keep your users attention span in mind. Make your answers as brief as possible to help users scan the page and find answers quickly. 
  4. I understand the principle, but my FAQ answers require a lot of explanation. Is that OK?
    If an answer to an FAQ requires a lot of explanation consider how likely your audience is going to read the answer. If your answer is complex enough to require several paragraphs, it’s possible that your question might not be appropriate for an FAQ page.

Just Headers

Information about FAQ Questions

Should I list my questions in an ordered list?
Listing questions in a numbered list, while optional, can be an effective way to organize an FAQ page. 

How can I differentiate between questions?
In addition to using numbers you can bold the questions and have answers in standard paragraph style.

Information about FAQ Answers

How long should I make the FAQ answers?
Keep your users attention span in mind. Make your answers as brief as possible to help users scan the page and find answers quickly. 

I understand the principle, but my FAQ answers require a lot of explanation. Is that OK?
If an answer to an FAQ requires a lot of explanation consider how likely your audience is going to read the answer. If your answer is complex enough to require several paragraphs, it’s possible that your question might not be appropriate for an FAQ page.

Accordions

Sometimes using an accordion is an appropriate approach to FAQ pages. Something to keep in mind — when users come to your page from a search engine (like Google), they get a preview of the answer. They now have to open every accordion to try to find that answer. Make things easy on your users by making the questions very clearly relate to the answer.

Using an FAQ Accordion

Listing questions in a numbered list, while optional, can be an effective way to organize an FAQ page.

In addition to using numbers you can bold the questions and have answers in standard paragraph style.

Keep your users attention span in mind. Make your answers as brief as possible to help users scan the page and find answers quickly.

If an answer to an FAQ requires a lot of explanation consider how likely your audience is going to read the answer. If your answer is complex enough to require several paragraphs, it’s possible that your question might not be appropriate for an FAQ page.