FAQ section

format & control

[gibbon]

We are creating a FAQ section on our site

There are 3 purposes to this section:

1. Create content for the user

2. To remove workload from our customer care staff answering the same questions

3. Spiderable content to drive traffic

However we are struggling to get the balance right

The way the system works is that we are getting real life questions that customers ask. And then we are publishing this on the site along with an answer

I cannot find a good example of anyone who does a similar thing well

What tips does anyone have for a good FAQ section / advice section?

I personally believe this will be a very powerful addition to our site - but the execution of it must be good or else it will not work.

[bufferzone]

Take a look at Movable Types [movabletype.org...]
This bolg/tagwall/whatever solution is considered SE friendly and should be configurable enough to be used as a FAQ.

[rogerd]

Some FAQ sections are very long pages with all the questions and answers listed on the same page. From a user accessability standpoint that may not be too bad, but from a search engine standpoint one page per question, or per similar topic, is almost certainly the best idea. Each page will have a clear focus and be more easily indexed and found.

This could be done manually, with a blog/CMS system, or with a simple database-to-web-page system.