Have you ever been lost on your way to someplace and wished for some signboard to guide you? That is exactly what a knowledgebase provides for product users!
A signboard not only points you in the right direction but also adds value by suggesting easier routes. The following points are the end goals of creating a knowledgebase:
- Pointing your audience in the right direction.
- Adding value to their information.
- Suggesting a solution to their problem.
In this era of the internet, people have easy access to information on all kinds of things. This bulk of information may not be always useful and sometimes can be downright redundant. In such a situation, businesses and brands need to be more efficient in sharing content that serves the purpose of adding value instead of repeating what’s already known. Therefore, writing a knowledgebase article requires a little something extra.
Let’s explore that idea and see what goes into creating a knowledgebase article.
Before we go into the requirements of writing a knowledgebase article, it is crucial to note that this might be fairly time-consuming and will require extensive research into your relevant industry. It is better to take this process one step at a time and create a roadmap based on topics and issues that demand priority.
Prerequisites for writing knowledgebase articles
Here are the prerequisites for writing a knowledgebase article:
1. Develop technical writing skills
While creating a knowledgebase article, there will come an ultimate point where there will be technical writing involved. Technical writing is different from general article writing as it requires a unique skill set to explain difficult technical concepts by simplifying them for the readers to understand.
2. Pay attention to the titles, headings, and structure of the article
Writing an article is about dividing it into different sections. These different sections will be easier to navigate for your readers if you have headings and subheadings in place. Starting with the title of an article, it needs to convey the message or include something that your reader might be looking for or wants to know about.
In addition to that, the title and headings need to be short and simple. For the readers, who might be skimming through an article; it proves helpful to use to-the-point headings and subheadings.
3. Add images
Some people are visual learners and adding images will be an effective tool to address that. It also provides a much-needed break from an overall wordy article.
Images include screenshots of the software, some gifs playing step-by-step for the audiences’ ease, and even charts and graphs. Lastly, it is a great way to engage people who don’t like reading through lengthy articles.
4. Keep it short and simple
Keeping a knowledgebase article short and simple is the key to an effective support article. It should be simple for people to understand and short so that your readers do not feel lost or overwhelmed by the unnecessary information.
To keep it simple and concise:
- Use bullet points to summarize a long piece of information.
- Add images and infographics to create breaks.
- Divide the article into sections and segments to simplify an idea.
5. Practice SEO
This marks the key factor in building your link authority and getting your article ranked higher on Google search pages. The best SEO practices involve using commonly searched words and phrases in your article. Remain mindful of incorporating these keywords naturally into your article and not going overboard with it. Make your headings and subheadings SEO based and don’t forget to add internal links to relevant articles. These internal links help build site authority and boost SEO rankings as well.
6. Keep a consistent tone of voice
A tone of voice and the use of language in your writing represents and associates your brand with a certain type of content. Make sure to use a consistent tone throughout all the content that you produce.
Follow these tips:
- It should be easily understandable.
- No jargon-filled complicated talk.
- Provide straightforward information.
- Focus on solving the problem quickly.
7. Provide helpful search functions
It is always important to use search tools that will help your readers navigate through the article easily. This includes a search function to locate articles and also find specific headings or sections within an article.
Make it responsive by using tools that predict the next words or show already searched results relevant to their query. This will improve the readers’ experience on your page and will likely result in a positive review. Also, don’t forget to add contact information and offer the services of your customer support team.
3 Tips to Keep in Mind After Creating a Knowledgebase
Once a knowledgebase is set up and articles start coming along, the focus should shift to things that come after that. Because creating a knowledgebase is not enough, it takes a little something extra to maintain it.
Here’s what to do:
1. Look for customer feedback
After publishing knowledgebase articles, be on the lookout for feedback from your customers. It can be determined via click-through rates, search queries, and the overall health of your article. You can also get feedback from the customer support team about daily workload being reduced because of a certain article(s). The feedback helps you improve and refine the content quality and increase its usefulness for the readers.
2. Update and refresh
A knowledgebase is an ongoing operation. You need to constantly revisit, revise, review and update it according to the newest piece of information. It involves adding a new or an additional step into a user guide or introducing new products or features. Also, keep a close eye on internal links and make sure no broken links are added that might negatively affect the authority of your site.
3. Proofread and edit
Last but certainly not least, proofread your articles for grammatical or spelling errors and edit them accordingly. If it falls into your budget, hire professional editors to get this job done.
End word
Creating a knowledgebase takes time, energy and resources, but it is also worth every ounce of effort that you put into it. Once you dive into it, it will continue with newer products, informational articles, revising and updating the old ones and so on.
A well-written knowledgebase provides support to your customers and takes off the burden from the support agents. Therefore, it should be made responsive and adaptive to any changes that your business might go through.
In today’s environment, a knowledgebase can either make your business stand out from the rest or stay hidden within the crowd.
Bring out that X factor.
Create an edge with your content.
Convert readers who want customer support into lifelong customers.
At SlickFlo, we not only brush up your #knowledgebase to meet the modern needs of time but also add valuable information to it. Our revamped knowledgebases are known to convert visitors into leads!
Drop us a line at slickflo.co@gmail.com and let’s start building your knowledgebase today!