Why this matters now
Search has changed, but the fundamentals haven’t: people reward helpful, reliable, people‑first content. Google’s documentation explicitly allows AI‑assisted content as long as it adds value and doesn’t drift into “scaled content abuse”. Their earlier “helpful content system” is now part of core ranking systems, so the bar for quality is higher than ever. In June 2025 Google also simplified certain rich results, reducing the payoff from chasing niche markup. The takeaway for UK SMEs and charities: publish fewer, better pages that answer real questions from customers and supporters. developers.google.com
Meanwhile, customer expectations are unforgiving. Recent Zendesk data shows more than half of customers will switch after a single bad experience, and a significant majority prefer self‑service when it’s available. Well‑designed help and comparison pages both deflect tickets and generate qualified leads. zendesk.co.uk
This playbook turns genuine FAQs and inbox threads into five on‑brand pages in 10 days, using AI where it speeds you up and guardrails where it matters.
The “FAQ‑to‑Funnel” model (in 60 seconds)
- Start with reality: mine support emails, live‑chat transcripts and sales call notes for the 20 questions that repeatedly cause friction or delay.
- Cluster by intent: buying, switching, eligibility, pricing/ROI, risk/compliance, configuration, and after‑sales.
- Create five page types: comparison, pricing explainer, eligibility/fit, implementation steps, and troubleshooting/returns.
- Use AI to draft options and tighten wording; use humans to check facts, tone and brand voice.
- Measure two outcomes: fewer tickets on those topics, and more qualified enquiries from those pages.
The 10‑day plan (non‑technical)
Day 0–1: Gather proof
- Export last 3–6 months of support and sales conversations. Redact personal data where needed.
- Tag each question as: pre‑purchase, during purchase, or post‑purchase; and add the product/service name.
- List the top 20 repeated questions with one‑line answers from your actual responses.
Tip: if you have a help centre, filter by the most‑viewed or most‑searched articles—these are gold for deflection and for content ideas. zendesk.co.uk
Day 2: Cluster by intent
- Group similar questions into 5–7 intents (for example: “Is it compatible with X?”, “How much does it cost for 20 users?”, “How do we switch from provider Y?”).
- Draft one sentence per intent that states the visitor’s goal in plain English.
Day 3: Choose five pages to ship
Pick pages with high impact and low dependency:
- Comparison page (you vs. top alternative)
- Pricing & ROI explainer (transparent scenarios)
- Eligibility/fit checker (who it’s for, who it’s not)
- Implementation/first‑30‑days plan
- Troubleshooting or returns/warranty for the biggest pain point
Day 4–5: Draft with AI, finish with humans
- Ask your AI tool for two or three alternative outlines per page type. Keep the winning outline and discard the rest.
- Feed the tool only approved facts (product sheets, price bands, policies). Keep prompts short; paste relevant facts inline.
- Write to scan: short paragraphs, meaningful sub‑headings, bullets for key decisions, and neutral tone. mmcis.com
- Add a single, specific call to action per page and a secondary “learn more” action.
Day 6: Quality, risk and brand checks
- People‑first test: does this page clearly help a real person achieve a goal? If unsure, cut or rewrite. developers.google.com
- Accuracy sweep: verify any claims, prices, delivery times, and integrations against source docs.
- Search safety: remove fluff, avoid mass templating, and ensure each page adds unique value. developers.google.com
- House style and voice: check against your brand style guide.
Day 7: Publish with page experience basics
- Clear title and meta description written for people, not keywords. developers.google.com
- Add internal links to relevant help or case‑study pages.
- Compress images; keep pages fast and uncluttered.
Day 8–10: Instrument and learn
- Set page‑level goals: enquiry form views, demo clicks, download starts, or help‑centre “was this helpful?” votes.
- Tag support tickets by topic to track deflection from each page over the next 30–60 days. zendesk.co.uk
- Review search queries in Search Console and add one missing answer per page.
What to publish (5 proven page types)
1) You vs. the alternative
Be objective and specific: who should pick you, who should not. Use a simple table of differences and a short “which one is for me?” decision list. B2B buyers compare multiple brands and do substantial independent research before contacting sales, so clarity wins. thinkwithgoogle.com
2) Pricing & ROI explainer
Show two to three common scenarios with total monthly/annual cost bands, what’s included, and a mini‑calculator logic in prose (no code). Link to your terms.
3) Eligibility/fit checker
State prerequisites plainly (industry, data volumes, integrations, minimum seats). This reduces “bad fit” enquiries and builds trust.
4) Implementation/first‑30‑days
Outline roles, steps and timeboxes. Add the “what could go wrong” column with your mitigations. Buyers value practical guidance that shortens time‑to‑value. thinkwithgoogle.com
5) Troubleshooting/returns for the top pain
Publish the fix. If you run support, you already know the issue that drives volume. Helpful self‑service improves experience and deflects tickets. zendesk.co.uk
Guardrails so AI content stays safe and useful
- People‑first, not search‑first. If a page exists mainly to chase rankings, don’t publish it. developers.google.com
- Avoid scaled content abuse. Don’t mass‑generate near‑identical pages. Each page must add unique value. developers.google.com
- Be transparent where reasonable about automation—especially for reviews or summaries compiled from multiple sources. developers.google.com
- Don’t rely on deprecated visual features in search. Google has phased out some lesser‑used rich results; focus on fundamentals. developers.google.com
- If you host third‑party content, be cautious. Google’s “site reputation abuse” policy targets piggy‑backed pages that ride on your domain’s reputation. developers.google.com
For a deeper quality regime, see our 7‑day KPI setup guide in The AI Quality Scoreboard and the evaluation tests in The 10 Tests that Predict AI Quality.
What “good” looks like: KPIs and targets
| KPI | Definition | Target after 30–60 days |
|---|---|---|
| Ticket deflection rate | Share of tickets on the covered topics that are resolved via the new page without contacting support. | 15–30% reduction in topic‑specific tickets (higher if you add embedded answers in the form). zendesk.co.uk |
| Qualified enquiry rate | Enquiries from the five pages that meet your “fit” criteria. | +20–40% vs. prior month (or vs. control pages). |
| Time‑to‑answer on page | Seconds until the key answer appears clearly above the fold. | < 10 seconds for the primary question. |
| Scroll depth | % of readers reaching the decision section (comparison table, pricing scenarios, or CTA). | ≥ 55% reach decision section. |
| Search Console queries | Number of distinct queries that lead to each page. | Growth month‑on‑month; add one missing answer per page per week. |
Cost, time and risk guardrails
| Area | What to cap | Rule of thumb |
|---|---|---|
| AI drafting time | Iterations per page | Max three AI passes before human edit, or you’re polishing noise. |
| Fact sources | Documents fed to AI | Only approved facts (product sheets, pricing, policies). Keep a short “facts pack”. |
| Review effort | Sign‑offs | One subject‑matter expert and one brand/legal reviewer per page. Timebox to 30 minutes each. |
| Publishing scope | Page count | Ship five pages first. Don’t spin up 50 variations; Google warns against scaled content abuse. developers.google.com |
Worried about costs? See our spend guardrails in Beating AI Bill Shock and our AI Unit Economics Board Pack for a quick finance view.
Page structure that earns attention
Most people scan, not read. Design for scanning: front‑load the conclusion, use descriptive sub‑headings, bullets for decisions, and neutral language. Classic research shows this improves usability dramatically, and government and university style guides still teach this because it works. mmcis.com
- Lead with the answer. Start each page with the two‑sentence summary and who it’s for.
- Put the decision tool early: comparison table, price scenario, or eligibility checklist.
- Use one primary CTA and one “learn more”. Don’t crowd the page.
If you need a deeper content process, pair this with our 14‑Day AI Content Sprint.
Evaluation checklist (print this)
- People‑first: would a customer find this useful even if they arrived directly? developers.google.com
- Original value: does it add something new—data, steps, comparisons—from your operations?
- Accuracy: prices, service levels, and timelines checked against source docs.
- Scan‑friendly: headings say what the paragraph delivers; bullets for key actions; short sentences. mmcis.com
- Search‑safe: no mass templating; each page stands on its own. developers.google.com
- Measurable: goal attached (deflection, demo, or enquiry) and tracking verified.
Who does what (small‑team RACI)
- Owner (marketing or ops): decides the five pages and signs off.
- Support lead: provides FAQs and confirms fixes/steps are accurate.
- Sales lead: sharpens comparison and pricing scenarios.
- Editor: runs AI drafts, enforces style and scannability.
- Legal/DPO: checks claims, fair comparison and any personal data treatment.
If you have 20% more time
- Add two creator‑style videos that talk through a comparison or setup—creator content increasingly influences consideration and loyalty. Keep it practical, under three minutes. business.google.com
- Interview two customers and publish short, specific case snippets on the relevant page.
- Add a “What to expect in week one” email that triggers after form fill.
Procurement questions for agencies or freelancers
- Show two examples of support‑driven pages you shipped and what changed (deflection, enquiries) after 30 and 90 days.
- How do you constrain AI drafting so facts stay accurate? What’s your “facts pack” process?
- What’s your review workflow to keep pages people‑first and avoid scaled content abuse? developers.google.com
- How will you measure success beyond traffic—what page‑level goals will you set and report weekly?
- If Google retires a rich result we planned to rely on, how do you adapt? developers.google.com
Common pitfalls (and quick fixes)
- Wall of text → Break into “decision blocks”: heading that answers a question, 3–5 bullet points, one link.
- Vague superlatives → Replace with numbers, steps, inclusions/exclusions.
- One page trying to do five jobs → Give each decision its own section and CTA.
- Publishing 50 templated city pages → Don’t. Publish five high‑value intents first. developers.google.com
Delivery cadence after launch
- Weekly: add one missing answer per page from Search Console queries; review deflection tags with support. zendesk.co.uk
- Monthly: refresh the comparison table if the competitor changes pricing or features.
- Quarterly: retire or merge low‑performing pages; quality over quantity. developers.google.com
Next steps
If you want hands‑on help to run this 10‑day plan—and tie it to clear deflection and conversion targets—we can co‑write your five pages with your team and set up the measurement so you know it’s working.