DIRECT ANSWER
Publish questions that help customers recognize a need, evaluate fit, compare options or prepare for the next step. Start with actual conversations and documented service information. Put short service-specific answers on the service page and create a separate guide when the decision needs deeper explanation.
Start with questions customers actually ask
Review inquiry emails, sales notes and recurring phone questions that you are authorized to use. Remove names, private details and confidential project information. Record the customer's question in plain language, the service it concerns and the decision it affects.
Topic ideas generated by AI or brainstorming are suggestions. They are not verified demand, search volume or evidence of what your customers ask.
Sort questions by the decision
| Decision | Question pattern | What the answer needs |
|---|---|---|
| Recognize the need | “How do I know whether I need this?” | Observable signs, limitations and next steps |
| Evaluate fit | “Do you handle my situation?” | Customer types, service boundaries and exclusions |
| Compare options | “Which approach fits?” | Criteria, tradeoffs and a labeled example |
| Understand cost | “What affects the quote?” | Verified pricing or actual cost drivers |
| Prepare | “What do you need from me?” | Required information and the following step |
| Manage ownership | “What happens after delivery?” | Written responsibilities and support boundaries |
This is an SIS editorial framework. A topic belongs in your catalog only when it relates to what you actually provide and you can support the answer.
Prioritize without inventing precision
Start with questions that block a service decision, recur in your own records and can be answered accurately. Record whether recurrence is documented or simply an owner observation. Do not fabricate a numerical demand score.
A question with no reliable answer needs research or an explicit explanation of the missing information. A question unrelated to your services may attract readers without helping them evaluate your business. Publishing it should have a documented purpose.
Google's content guidance emphasizes usefulness for an intended audience and reliable information. It does not prescribe a minimum article count or preferred word count. [1]
Choose where the answer belongs
A short inclusion, exclusion or preparation answer often belongs on the service page. A substantial comparison can justify a separate guide. Keep related questions together when they resolve the same decision. Avoid creating several pages that repeat an identical answer. The full placement test is in what belongs on a service page and what belongs in a Knowledge Catalog.
Illustrative example: “Do you renovate occupied offices?” might need a concise service-page answer with verified boundaries. “How should we plan work while staff remain on site?” could warrant a guide if the business has documented expertise to explain the options. Do not imply that a client provides either service without confirmation.
Brief each article before drafting
Use this compact brief:
- The customer question and decision it resolves.
- A direct answer supported by approved facts.
- Relevant service and material exclusions.
- Source documents, dates and person responsible for factual review.
- A useful comparison or example, clearly labeled if illustrative.
- A practical action the reader can take.
- Related article, service and inquiry links.
Write enough to answer the question. Add a chart only when verified data supports a meaningful comparison. A table of decision criteria is often more useful than a graphic built from invented numbers.
Connect answers into a customer path
Link an article to the relevant service and next decision using descriptive wording. A planning guide might link to rebuild versus content. An inquiry guide might link to choosing an assessment, form or calculator.
Google documents crawlable links and recommends relevant anchor text; there is no ideal universal link count. [2] Links should help the reader move forward, not repeat keywords.
Keep the answer accountable
Identify the publisher, cite factual claims and update the page when the underlying facts change. Preserve the original publication date and use a modification date for substantive revisions. Check changing service details against the approved scope and operating documents.
An article can remain useful without generating an inquiry on the same visit. Reading or engagement signals do not prove comprehension. Treat performance records as evidence to interpret, not a guarantee of rankings or sales.
For cost questions, choose a pricing format your facts support; then assign responsibility for keeping those answers current.
Build the first list
Collect your recurring questions and choose the ones nearest to an actual customer decision. Use what a Knowledge Catalog contains to organize the structure. To group and connect the list, follow how to turn customer questions into a Knowledge Catalog. Request a website review with the questions your current site leaves unanswered.