FAQs seem to be a a required feature of most sites these days, and at best they provide answers to the questions the site owner wants you to ask, and at worst they are used only as a marketing tool. I stopped looking at them years ago, and looking at my logs, so have my users. Does anyone have any examples of a well done alternative? Is there a better solution? Are sketchy FAQs even a problem to anyone but me?
FAQ's are a poor version of 'context sensitive help', the context is usually a lot better known than the 'FAQ' link would have you believe. Over the years we've collected the questions our users have really asked and we really answered them, that's the basis of our FAQ, and it is being used (even by users from off-site that come in through google).<p>If I would do it again, I'd use a simple 'help' (or ?) button in most places to link directly to the relevant FAQ entry.<p>If your website is very technical in nature (and some are), I don't think there is a way around the FAQ, the people that use their FAQ for stupid marketing speak ought to be shot for misleading the public and devaluing a genuinely useful construct.<p>It seems that with the increase of time the probability of any surface turning into a bill board approaches '1'.<p>Unfortunately FAQs seem to be subject to this law.
I dunno.. When I'm evaluating whether or not a new site is worth my time, I look at: 1. screenshots/examples, 2. FAQ, 3. About Us (in that order).<p>These won't show up in any significant way in your logs, because after the users have digested the information there, they won't go back to those pages again. But I still think those pages are crucial in making the initial impression / conversion, and also to a lesser extent, SEO.
If a website needs a FAQ, it needs a revamp! If you know what your users are asking, simplify your navigation and copy so that users can find these answers easily.<p>The answers to FAQ should be on the front page!<p>If your users stopped looking at them pat yourself at the back and remove them :).