Learn 1 of the Best Kept SEO Secrets - FAQs

Who isn't looking for ways to:

1. Increase traffic to their site
2. Increase sales
3. Beat their competition

That is the trifecta of all website owners. What if we can help with one of the best kept SEO secrets to help you with all three? Guess what? We can, and it's not creepy or nefarious in anyway. In fact you know about it, but might not be using it to its full potential - FAQs.

One of the Best Kept SEO Secrets - FAQs

Of course we all know about FAQs, but did you know it's easier to rank for and sends ~75% more qualified traffic to your site? Who doesn't want to be seen at the top of search engine result pages AND get more qualified traffic?

The section of the search engine result page FAQs appear in is called "Rich Snippets." Here's what they look like:

Example 1:

Example 2: 

Look at the second example. AZTechApplicance.com is going to win a good portion of the traffic from Home Depot, because their FAQ was written well and coded correctly. Have I got your attention now?

SEO Secrets: Why Do FAQs Work?

They work because 75% of the content typed into a search engine is a question looking for an answer. Everyone uses Google like an Encyclopedia. How many times a day do you search for an answer? Myself - probably 10-15 times.

So, why not capitalize on this treasure trove of traffic? It's simple, easy, and a very cost effective way to build trust with new customers and get them to your site. That is all gravy where I come from.

How Can I Make FAQs Work for My Site?

Let's get into the nitty gritty of how to do it. Regardless of platform (Wordpress, Shopify, Magento, etc.) this is an easy SEO tactic to execute.

Here's where to start:

1. Brainstorm the most common questions you get:
   • What do I have to educate people the most about?
   • What questions do I get asked that people are afraid to?
   • What are the common misconceptions?
   • Can I explain a process people don't know about?
2. Do some keyword research from your brainstorming ideas to get the phrasing correct
3. Check out the content that is ranking for those terms and make sure you cover what they do, correct what is wrong, and add 1-2 extra bits of information to your answer.

Let's talk a little more about each of these steps.

Keyword Research:

Once you have a giant list of ideas/questions it's time to find out IF there is actual search volume behind it, and what the exact phrasing being used is. That way when you write the FAQs you have a built in audience guaranteed to be looking for the answers to these questions.

When if comes to keyword research it's ideal to use a third-party reputable service like SEMRush, Moz or Ahrefs. Not everyone wants to pay for a subscription or can afford it. That's OK, I can help you semi-hack it.

NEVER however, use Google AdWords Keyword Planner. The algorithm and volume for paid keywords is 100% different from the organic keywords algorithm and volume. You will waste your time and have very limited/no success.

So, what to do if you don't have a subscription to a third-party reputable service? Here's a hack that works relatively well. Google.

Utilize the Google search box. Start to type in your question and wait for it to auto-populate. A series of options will appear. Click on the ones most relevant and see what fits best.

By fitting best I mean - what is most appropriate for your genre. Also, take a look at what sites are ranking for it. Are they like sites? If so, then you are on to something, if they aren't in the same ballpark as yours move on.

Writing the FAQ

OK, you have the 5-10 questions researched and ready to write the answers to. Don't reinvent the wheel. See what others are saying. Make sure you cover the same highlights, but make yours more relevant and useful. How? Either write the content in a way that is easier to read/understand and/or add more relevant and useful info to the answer. The more helpful you are, the better you will rank.

Once you have that all complete you can move on to implementation.

How to Properly Implement Your FAQs

The actual execution will be 100% dependent upon your CMS. Wordpress, Shopify and Magento all have apps that you can install to help you add the schema code either automatically or with minimal work. Previously, you used to have to hand code schema, which is why people never used it.

Now, it's easy and quick. You just have to add it. Otherwise you will not appear in the Rich Snippets section of the search results section. By adding it, you are just assigning the FAQ specfic schema label. By that I mean if you owned a t-shirt shop - you are placing the sizing tag that labels it as a men's large, instead of a girl's 5-6.

This is one of the most lucrative SEO secrets out there. Good luck!