AI and Humans Have Made FAQs Cool Again
Summary: Over the years, the value of frequently asked questions (FAQs) has been debatable. Did they really ever provide meaningful information for potential clients or boost search rankings? Given the shift in how people seek information and their growing reliance on AI to find information, I’ve become a believer in FAQs. Here’s why:
- FAQs deliver the kind of content that both humans and AI want.
- FAQs provide conversational, plain-language answers to conversational, plain-language questions.
- FAQs provide clarity about your brand.
- FAQs help establish authority.
FAQs are making a comeback because they increase the likelihood of showing up in AI Overviews and answers with the information humans want and need.
Full disclosure, I always thought FAQs were overrated. They made sense for a lot of companies, but most seemed to create FAQs to check a box because everyone else was doing it.
Although FAQs were said to be valuable content for traditional SEO beginning around 2019, the average FAQ page or section was a keyword-stuffed mess.
It was 2010 all over again.
In 2023, Google responded by reducing FAQ visibility in search results and removing rich snippets that were cluttered or abused.
Then I saw AI. Now I’m a believer (points if you get the reference).
I believe in FAQs with one simple caveat. They have to be used to answer actual client questions with helpful information.
Not self-promotional, keyword-stuffed drivel.
Why the change of heart?
There’s been a clear shift in how people seek information and the emergence of AI as a research and discovery tool.
FAQs deliver the kind of content that both humans and AI want.
Humans want relevant, useful explanations that are simple and digestible, but also provide enough substance and context to give them confidence in the answer.
Old search primarily used keywords to rank full web pages with a list of blue links.
Modern search and AI generate answers based on relevant chunks of content from credible sources.
Every FAQ is a chunk that could be discovered and cited by AI.
FAQs provide conversational, plain-language answers to conversational, plain-language questions.
When people use search engines and AI, they don’t type keywords. They ask questions.
They ask what something is, where something is, how something works, how to do something, and what’s the difference between this thing and that thing.
They ask for recommendations, options, and solutions to problems.
This is especially true for voice search. I’m not sure if my 12-year-old daughter has ever typed a word into Google. She talks to it and asks questions.
FAQs provide clarity about your brand.
Clarity is the most important characteristic of effective marketing content. You provide clarity and overcome confusion and doubt by answering questions.
FAQs allow you to clearly and concisely answer questions about what you do, who you serve, what your areas of expertise are, how you’re different, how you operate, how much your services cost, what your core values are, and what results and outcomes you deliver.
One question at a time. One answer at a time. No fluff, no distractions, no BS.
If someone asks AI questions about your brand instead of going to your website, there’s a good chance AI will go directly to the source for answers.
If you don’t provide clear answers to these questions, AI will piece together answers based on what’s out there, possibly from other sources.
That’s a risky proposition.
FAQs help establish authority.
Answering questions about issues that matter to your audience in a structured format makes it easier for AI to understand your expertise.
These authority signals build trust and credibility. They reinforce what you do and who you serve. This makes AI more likely to cite your content.
Once you’ve answered someone’s question and demonstrated knowledge and expertise in a way that’s clear and helpful, they’ll be more likely to buy from you or refer you when the time comes.
That’s not revolutionary. That’s marketing 101, but with human and AI alignment.
If you need help identifying and creating FAQs that serve a strategic purpose by appealing to humans and AI, let’s talk.
