If you sell online or generate enquiries through your website, there’s a simple reason your conversion rate is lower than it should be: your product pages and FAQs answer the questions your team wishes customers asked — not the ones they actually ask.
This article gives UK SMEs and charities a practical, 7‑day, AI‑assisted playbook to turn real customer questions into concise, on‑page answers that reduce hesitation, cut support contacts and lift sales. It includes checklists, procurement questions, risks and costs, plus KPIs to track what’s working.
Why focus on FAQs and product pages now?
- Google is explicit: create “helpful, reliable, people‑first content”. That means clear answers in the language your customers use, visible on the page — not hidden in docs. developers.google.com
- FAQ rich results are now shown only for well‑known government and health sites; for most businesses the visual FAQ “boost” in search is gone. Don’t chase schema tricks — put better answers on the page. developers.google.com
- Misleading claims (especially environmental) are under scrutiny. If you say “sustainable”, “No.1”, or “leading”, be ready with evidence. gov.uk
Bottom line: the quickest January win is to rewrite your answers where they matter most — on your product or service pages — and measure the impact with a tight KPI set. developers.google.com
Your 7‑day FAQ‑to‑sales refresh
Day 1 — Pull the real questions
Gather 3–6 months of actual questions from:
- Helpdesk: resolved tickets’ subjects and first messages.
- Sales calls: summaries or transcripts from call‑recording.
- Website search: top internal searches.
- Search Console: top queries and “people also ask” gaps that bring impressions but few clicks. developers.google.com
Lightly clean the list and deduplicate. You’re looking for patterns, not perfection.
Day 2 — Bucket by intent and score
Group questions into 6 intents: price/fees, delivery/lead time, compatibility/fit, risk/returns, proof/evidence, and compliance/ethics (e.g., environmental claims). Score each question 1–5 for:
- Frequency (how often it’s asked)
- Friction (how much it blocks purchase)
- Fix effort (how hard it is to answer well)
Prioritise high‑frequency, high‑friction, low‑effort items first — these will move conversion fastest.
| Intent | Example question | Why it matters | Placement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price/fees | “Are there setup or hidden fees?” | Hidden costs erode trust and inflate drop‑off. | Pricing block + concise FAQ near CTA |
| Delivery/lead time | “Can we get it by 10 Jan?” | Delivery clarity drives purchase intent. | Above the fold: “Order today, despatch by…” |
| Compatibility/fit | “Does it work with X?” | Prevents returns and buyer’s remorse. | Specs/comparison block, linked from answer |
| Risk/returns | “What if it breaks?” | Reduces perceived risk; improves conversions. | Returns/warranty micro‑panel near price |
| Proof/evidence | “Is there a case study in our sector?” | Social proof and outcomes beat slogans. | Inline evidence links + testimonial with source |
| Compliance/ethics | “How sustainable is this range?” | Regulatory and reputational risk area. | Claims page with evidence; avoid vague terms |
Day 3 — Draft answers with AI (safely)
Use your AI tool to produce a first draft for each priority question, but constrain it with three rules:
- Start with the 1‑sentence gist in plain English.
- Add the specifics customers need: dates, fees, limits, models, steps.
- Show proof or a source link — case study, policy page, data point.
Make sure any objective or comparative claim (“best‑selling”, “No.1”, “leading”, “greener”) is supported by up‑to‑date evidence you hold before publishing. UK ad rules require substantiation of such claims. asa.org.uk
Day 4 — Build a lightweight evidence pack
For each claim, save the source (PDF, dataset, supplier email, policy link) in a shared folder and note the date reviewed. For environmental claims, align with the CMA’s Green Claims Code principles (truthful, clear, full lifecycle, fair comparisons, substantiated) and avoid vague terms like “eco” or “sustainable” without specifics. gov.uk
Recent enforcement and undertakings show UK regulators expect accuracy and clarity — do not publish claims you can’t evidence. gov.uk
Where to place answers on the page
Most buyers skim. Put the most value‑dense answers where eyes go first, and keep them short. Evidence from large‑scale UX research finds that product pages convert better when key anxieties (delivery, returns, compatibility) are answered in‑line — not hidden deep in FAQs. baymard.com
- Above the fold: 1‑line delivery/lead‑time promise and return policy summary.
- Near price and CTA: costs and any fees; warranty in a short line.
- Specs block: compatibility matrices and links to detailed guides.
- Short FAQ block: 4–6 truly frequent questions with concise answers; link to policy pages for depth.
If you use accordions, ensure all content is visible on the page when expanded; avoid turning FAQs into a dumping ground. developers.google.com
What about structured data?
It’s fine to keep valid FAQPage markup for your content model, but don’t expect special search snippets. Use Search Console to verify indexing and monitor any rich result eligibility — then move on. developers.google.com
KPIs to watch for 30 days
- Add‑to‑basket or enquiry conversion on updated pages (primary).
- Support contact deflection: fewer tickets on questions you answered.
- Search Console: CTR and clicks on updated pages/queries; watch impressions too to avoid survivorship bias. developers.google.com
- Time to first decision: measure how quickly visitors reach the CTA after landing.
Set baselines the week before you publish. Review weekly in January and keep the winners; revert under‑performers quickly.
The 60‑minute publishing checklist
- Every answer has a date checked and a link to its source (or internal evidence note).
- Numbers are concrete: fees, dates, limits, models, service areas.
- Claims that trigger substantiation rules have evidence attached. asa.org.uk
- Green claims mapped to CMA principles; no vague terms. gov.uk
- Links use descriptive anchor text; avoid “click here”.
- One owner per page for future updates.
For additional QA ideas, see our pragmatic tests in The 9 AI content quality tests UK SMEs can run this week.
Procurement questions for agencies or AI tools
- Evidence workflow: How will you collect and file substantiation for objective and environmental claims? Show a template. asa.org.uk
- Voice control: Can the tool produce drafts constrained to our brand tone and banned‑claims list?
- Measurement plan: Which KPIs will you commit to and how soon will we see uplift?
- Data handling: Will our customer data be used to train external models? If yes, can we opt out?
- Roll‑back: What’s your plan if conversion drops after changes go live?
Time and cost: what a small team should plan
| Task | Owner | Typical effort | Indicative cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extract questions (helpdesk, calls, Search Console) | Ops/CS | Half‑day | £0–£150 | Depends on export access. developers.google.com |
| Prioritise by impact × friction | Ops + Marketing | Half‑day | £0 | Simple scoring in a spreadsheet. |
| AI‑assisted drafting (10–20 answers) | Marketing | 1 day | £0–£200 | Depends on your AI plan. |
| Evidence pack (claims + sources) | Marketing + Legal/DPO | Half‑day | £0 | File links + dates; follow CAP/CMA guidance. asa.org.uk |
| On‑page updates (copy + blocks) | Marketing + Web admin | Half‑day | £0–£300 | CMS updates only — no dev required. |
| Measurement setup + review | Ops/Analytics | Half‑day | £0 | Baseline and weekly review for 30 days. developers.google.com |
Total: two focused days of effort spread across a week; low spend, measurable impact.
Common risks (and how to avoid them)
| Risk | How it shows up | Mitigation | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsubstantiated claims | “Best/No.1/leading/greener” with no data | Attach evidence or change language; follow CAP 3.7 and CMA Green Claims Code. asa.org.uk | High |
| SEO chasing over clarity | Long FAQ pages, thin content | Write people‑first content; keep answers concise and on‑page. developers.google.com | Medium |
| Relying on FAQ rich results | Expecting SERP collapsible FAQs to return | Assume no special treatment; prioritise on‑page UX. developers.google.com | Low |
Roll‑out pattern that keeps you safe
- Ship the top 5 answers on your highest‑traffic product/service page first.
- Annotate the date in your analytics and Search Console. developers.google.com
- Monitor KPIs weekly; if conversion dips, revert or tighten the copy.
- Scale to 3–5 more pages if the first page lifts performance.
For change safety, borrow ideas from Ship AI changes safely and for content rigour, use our AI content quality tests.
Useful extras (optional but effective)
- Turn the best answers into a short “evidence” story for social and sales decks — see The 48‑hour evidence pack.
- Create an internal content engine so Q&As feed newsletters, guides and posts — see Zero‑waste AI content engine.
- If you operate a help centre or widget, integrate your updated answers — our 21‑day walk‑through shows the moving parts: AI answers widget in 21 days.
In summary
Seven days is enough to mine real customer questions, draft safer, clearer answers with AI, publish them where they matter, and prove the uplift. Follow people‑first content guidance, be rigorous with claims, and measure what changes in conversions and support load. developers.google.com