10 Essential FAQs to Add to Your Graphic Design Website

Building an effective website is the key to success for businesses today. That includes your graphic design firm, and part of that “effective website” is going to be a well-designed and planned FAQ page. Although there are hundreds of options for Q&A that you could provide, some will likely prove to be more useful than others. 

In this guide, we’ll help you learn how to select the best FAQs for your website and how to provide answers that your audience will appreciate and benefit from. We’ll also cover setting up your page and making sure that you create a welcoming self-service portal that allows people to get instant answers without having to invest a lot of effort. 

Fact: 91% of customers in the U.S report that they would happily use an online resource or knowledge base like an FAQ page if it were tailored to the answers they sought. 

Even more startling, as many as 89% of consumers expect businesses to offer online self-service portals. So, if you don’t have any kind of self-service customer or client support, you’re already falling behind. More importantly, if it’s not well-planned and designed, it’s not going to matter. People want easy answers, and they want you to help them along the way. This is where your FAQ page comes in handy. 

Did you know that you should phrase questions like people would search for them? That’s just one example of how this page can boost your SEO efforts—when you use the right keywords and phrases, your page could show up in the search results when someone performs a search for a relevant question or phrase. 

To help you get a good start, we’ll cover a few tips to keep in mind when designing your website’s FAQ page before we dive into the top questions you need to answer. 

Getting started with FAQs: strategy is everything

You can’t just post some basic questions and answers and leave it at that. While basic Q&A has its place, you also need to make sure that you address more detailed questions, including those that are industry-specific and relevant to your clients or other audience members. 

Put yourself in their shoes. What kind of things would you like to know about a graphic design firm? What types of questions or topics are you most unfamiliar with? As a business, what do you want people to know about your graphic design service or company? These are the pressing issues that you’ll want to keep in mind when designing your page. 

Another, and perhaps equally important, topic is the structure of your page. You can’t just slap some questions and answers on a page and call it done. You have to organize things and create a navigation and structure that flows and is easy to follow. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter what questions you answer because people will be too lost or frustrated to find them. 

One option for businesses that have a lot of topics to cover or that feel the need for something more extensive is to create multiple pages. You can group them by topic; or, if you have enough to separate but not into entire pages, divide the FAQ page into separate categories to make it simple for people to navigate and find what they need. 

The setup and strategy are half the battle—even if you answer the best questions and provide useful information, it’s only helpful if people can find it. Now that you’ve got more insight on how to make that happen, it’s time to look at the questions that your audience wants answers to. 

The 10 FAQs every graphic design website needs

1. What kind of graphic design services do you offer?

This is a prime question that needs answering. Most clients already aren’t that familiar with graphic design when they come searching for services. They may also be looking for a specific service, so this is an easy place to spell out exactly what you do. It also allows you to showcase your expertise and ensure that you don’t waste time on leads that don’t actually want the services that your firm offers. 

You can list things here so that they’re easy to find; take it one step further, too, when you link to service pages or other areas of your website to tie everything together. Sure, you do have that list of services or service pages on your website—isn’t that enough? Unfortunately, it’s not. People want easy answers so they’re coming to your FAQ first and if they can’t find it there, they might not bother looking elsewhere. 

2. Do you charge hourly or on spec?

Designers all have different services and rates, as well as policies on how they charge those rates. While it might be “obvious” to you that you charge a project rate for each design, some clients aren’t that familiar with the process. Others have worked with designers in the past that do offer hourly services. Again, people want easy answers. You need to make sure that you use this space to outline exactly:

• How you charge
• What you charge (even if it’s variable or custom, say that)
• What services are included 
• Any other pertinent details

You can also use this space to link to your pricing page or service pages so that people can get a better idea of what you have to offer. They get the easy answer and the link to more in-depth information, which is a double win for them, and it makes your brand look good, too. 

3. How long have you been doing design?

People want to know what kind of expertise and experience you have. It’s not that you have to be decades into your career but be clear about what you’ve done in the past so that people can assess whether you can do what they need. It could be helpful for you to list out the different types of design you do and how much experience you have with each. If you specialize in one particular area, list that here, too. Basically, this is your chance to show off and show people why they can trust you based on your experience.

4. What is your educational background?

A lot of clients want designers that have an education in graphic design or a related field. They may also want to see where you studied or what kind of degrees you actually hold. Regardless, this is more information that you should provide, readily, so that people can make the best decision about what they need when it comes to hiring a graphic designer. 

If you don’t have any major educational highlights, don’t panic. All you’re doing here is showcasing your expertise and background in design. You can use this area to link to your “about” or bio page, too, creating an interlinking opportunity that will help SEO and more. 

5. How does the design process work?

Helping people understand the process before they even begin can provide you with several benefits. It offers peace of mind, allows you to explain your process and build credibility, and even gives you the chance to allow people to ask about changes or alterations that they may have. Explain here how much involvement clients have throughout the design process, too, so that everyone knows what to expect. Ultimately, you want to make sure that you give everyone reassurance and trust by being transparent and thorough in your explanations. 

6. Do graphic designers build websites or do coding?

Some designers are also website designers, or they can do certain aspects of design or coding. However, it’s not a guaranteed element and it isn’t necessarily part of the job. Therefore, you need to explain this to people and then let them know which services you actually offer so that they know what they’re getting. If you are a traditional graphic designer that doesn’t work with coding, HTML, or other website-related efforts, make sure that you make that clear. 

If you do provide additional services like this, or anything else, this is also a great place to promote them. If you have partners, add them here. Also, use the space to explain the difference between a graphic designer and a web designer, as well as how brands can benefit from a graphic designer. Along with an answer, it’s another great place to promote your services. 

7. Why is branding important?

Another common question of clients is why graphic design and branding are so critical to their business. Even though brands like Coca-Cola have spent years making a strong case for branding, some businesses forget the importance when it comes to their own operations. Branding helps companies stand out and have an identity. It also gives consumers an easy way to remember company names, helping create easy retention and keep brands in the forefront of people’s minds—the benefits go on for days. The point here is that you can use this space to sell them to your audience to drum up business. 

8. How do you send final projects?

People will want to know how their end products will be delivered. Sometimes, it’s a compatibility issue. Make sure that you explain how all project deliverables are handled and whether you can accommodate special requests or make substitutions as needed. Be clear here and take the time to explain all the available options, if there are any, and help people understand exactly what they’re getting by working with you. The design is great, but what is the end product and how will it be sent? This helps further explain the process and also ensures that people have the right software to access their designs once they arrive. 

9. Do you do any last-minute designs or quick-turnaround jobs?

Not all designers will accommodate rush jobs, but if you do, you need to highlight that. You will also want to advise of any additional fees that will be incurred, or if there are parameters on what type of rush jobs you can accommodate. Not only does it give your audience the information that they need, but it allows you to stand above those who don’t work with rush jobs. You can encourage people to reach out to you directly for more information or to see if their job specifically can be handled. 

10. Why do I need a graphic designer for my business?

This is a great place to educate while you’re also selling your services. As you know, graphic design services can provide a lot of solutions for people, including things like logo design and corporate branding, packaging and marketing materials, web and app design, and so much more. Your audience might not be aware of all the ways that working with a graphic design firm could benefit them—this is your chance to explain that. 

There are several business applications for graphic design, depending on the type of firm or designer that people choose to work with. Make sure to also use this space to open yourself up to requests that may be outside of your “typical” offerings; it could expand your business significantly. 

Design a strategy for success by partnering with Smith.ai 

You’re in the business of design, not the business of manning the phones and fielding the website chats. The virtual receptionists at Smith.ai offer 24/7 solutions for live chat, phone answering, Facebook and SMS message answering, and so much more. Our team has the dedication and experience that you need to keep things moving even when you’re busy with designs, clients, and other tasks. 

We can help you create a strategy to manage calls, chats, appointment scheduling, lead intake, and so much more, and manage as much (or as little) as you need, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That way, you can focus on running your design business and making sure that your attention is where it should be. 

To learn more, schedule a consultation to learn how the 24/7 virtual receptionists from Smith.ai can handle after-hours answering, appointment scheduling, live website chat, and so much more. You can also find us at hello@smith.ai or (650) 727-6484.