The most underestimated page on your website.

I don't like FAQs.

Perhaps because, as an author, I lean towards longer, descriptive comms rather than the drive-through style of gathering facts that FAQs have become. And then there’s the endless debate about whether it needs an apostrophe and an ‘s’.

Anyway, things have changed.

Traditionally, FAQs lived in the unglamorous, unsexy corner of a website, but in a world increasingly influenced by AI, they are not just making a comeback, they are fundamentally essential.

The early internet era of “please stop emailing us”.

FAQs were invented in the early 1980s on Usenet, the decentralised text-based network that predates the World Wide Web. In short, there was a need to stop internet veterans from repeatedly answering the same basic questions from newcomers.

It was a NASA researcher who helped formalise the concept, and the first official lists of Frequently Asked Questions were really just an attempt to reduce online hostility. Not so much a marketing tool as a form of please read this before contacting – and irritating – us.

Ironically, all we want today is to hear from online visitors, collect a few cookies, and perhaps get their permission to send them our newsletter.

As websites became slicker, FAQs somehow got left behind. They evolved when web design introduced accordions, drop-down menus and cleaner layouts, but they still often felt forced, formal and strangely robotic. Somewhere between a legal disclaimer and an HR policy.

Then AI pitched up.

Traditional search engines relied heavily on keywords, backlinks and technical SEO signals, but AI needs more. It is looking for natural questions and natural answers. The sort of language real people use when they are trying to solve a problem at midnight from a phone in bed.

AI tools, search engines and conversational interfaces are now searching for intent, context and clarity. They want to understand not only what a business does, but how people think about what that business does.

That's where FAQs suddenly become powerful.

Consider:

• "web design pricing Cape Town"

versus

• "how much does a website cost and why is every website different?"

Or:

• "pool cover savings"

versus

• "will a pool cover actually save me money during winter?"

The second option in both examples sits squarely in the sweet spot between structured content and natural human speech. It bridges the gap between how businesses talk and how people actually think.

And that makes FAQs incredibly valuable for being found, understood and acted on.

Nobody lands on a website thinking "Ooh, I can't wait to read the FAQs." But people do go looking for answers they didn't realise they needed until they can't find them.

When done well, FAQs don't just help visitors. They reduce repetitive, mind-numbing enquiries, save staff time and improve the quality of the conversations that do make it through.

Great FAQs

• answer the questions people are slightly embarrassed to ask
• calm hesitation before it becomes a bounce
• remove reasons not to buy
• sound like one human talking to another, not a committee all talking at once

Importantly, FAQs have come out of the dark corner of the website. They no longer belong on a lonely support page hidden in the footer. They have also earned a place on every core service page.

If a question feels slightly too honest or slightly too specific, you're probably doing it right.

How can TwentyThree help?

Writing useful FAQs is harder than it sounds. Most businesses answer the questions they wish customers would ask.

At TwentyThree, we don't just write FAQs. We take the messy, honest, slightly irrational, help-me-decide questions people ask at 2 am and turn them into content that works for both humans and the systems trying to understand them.

Final Thoughts

I still don't love FAQs but I can’t ignore what they have become. They remain one of the least glamorous sections on any website but if AI is now reading them, interpreting them and using them to understand your business, perhaps it's time we all stopped treating them like the spare room of the internet.

I'll leave you with some real-world FAQ winners. And yes, they are real.

Liquid Death

Q: Will drinking Liquid Death turn me into a gorgeous, immortal heavy metal demon?

A: Yes. Scientific tests have shown that after drinking 12 cases of Liquid Death, your skin will begin to look like a freshly waxed Ferrari, and you will instantly be able to shred a 15-minute guitar solo even if you don't know how to play the guitar.

Cards Against Humanity

Q: I'm having a problem with my order or shipping. Can I call you?

A: Absolutely not. We do not have a customer service phone number. If you have an issue, please write down your question on a piece of paper, crumple it into a ball, and throw it at a wall. Then email us.

Cards Against Humanity

Q: Can I marry the game?

A: Legally, no. While we are flattered, the game is not a person. However, if you would like to have a small ceremony in your backyard with some folding chairs and punch, we won't stop you.

Woot

Q: Why was my order cancelled?

A: Probably because the universe is a cruel, unfeeling void. Or, more likely, we ran out of stock before our website updated. Let's go with the void option. It sounds more dramatic.

Saddleback Leather Co.

Q: Do your bags require any special care?

A: Not really. Just don't let a bear chew on it. If a bear does chew on it, please send us a video because that sounds awesome. (Note: Bear attacks are not covered by the warranty.)

Thanks for reading.

Claire