Frequently Asked Questions

A FAQ is a curated list of questions and answers designed to address aspects of a topic that are important, often unknown or misunderstood. It is an acronym that expands to "frequently asked question" or "frequently asked questions". While either expansion implies that questions are often asked, they generally are not.^[1]

Q&A

Although the term FAQ is relatively recent, its format is the same as the older format Q&A: question and answer. For example, Matthew Hopkins wrote The Discovery of Witches in 1648 as a list of questions and answers, introduced as "Certaine Queries answered ...". Many old catechisms are in a Q&A format.^[1]

On the web

FAQ is included in some websites. As part of web design, FAQ can help achieve customer service and search engine optimization (SEO) goals, including reducing the workload of in-person customer service employees, improving site navigation, increasing the website's visibility by matching/optimizing specific keywords, and linking to or integrating with product pages.^[1]

Non-traditional

In some cases, non-traditional FAQ-style informative documents are billed as FAQs, particularly in the video game field, which often contain detailed descriptions of gameplay, including tips, secrets, and beginning-to-end guidance. Video game FAQs are rarely in a question-and-answer format, although they may include a short question-and-answer section.^[1]

Criticism

Some content providers discourage the use of FAQs in place of restructuring content under logical headings. For example, the UK Government Digital Service does not use FAQs because the service believes that its format primarily serves the needs of writers and creates more work for readers.^[1]