If your business is to withstand today’s competitive environment, you must do more than deliver a great product. For businesses to succeed, building a loyal customer base through exceptional customer service is paramount.
Going above and beyond for customers is crucial, considering 64% of people say they prioritize customer service over price when assessing a company.
A knowledge base can create an excellent source of information for customers. Often companies host these online as a library of information about a business’s products or services, with self-service options to help resolve any queries or issues they may have.
Knowledge base articles are a great way to build your library of information, giving your customers expert insights into how your products and services work.
Knowledge base systems can be crucial in rapidly improving your customer support as an “external” self-service channel. And they can also be an invaluable tool for employees, providing vital resources to help them work efficiently and minimize mistakes.
This comprehensive guide will deep-dive into what knowledge base articles are and why your business needs them. It will also give you top tips on creating high-quality knowledge base articles with examples of businesses already delivering best practices.
Read on to optimize your customer service department and internal processes to strengthen customer loyalty and enhance employee satisfaction.
What are knowledge base articles?
When we say “knowledge base article” this refers to a compilation of information about a product or service, functioning as either a user guide or a solution provider for common issues.
While typically referred to as an “article” it is not confined to written form alone. Some companies use videos, images, infographics, and animations to convey their message effectively.
Developing this content isn’t as easy as it might seem. With a lot of information to incorporate and share, many businesses underestimate how much planning, time, and effort is required to create high-value knowledge base articles.
There is a lot of information to cover, but a well-crafted knowledge base article must be simple to understand while catering to a diverse audience ranging from beginners to technical experts.
It needs to cover numerous topics, from anything your customers want to discover about a product to any queries or problems they may encounter. And, of course - it needs to be interesting and engaging - to ensure your efforts are not wasted.
Types of articles to consider
The purpose of a knowledge base is to give users the ability to find the information they need and resolve issues independently. While these articles can take many forms, the two main types are internal and external.
When referring to internal knowledge base articles, we are talking about the pools of information that support the company and its employees, helping them streamline processes and tasks. In contrast, external knowledge bases are designed to serve your customers' needs and provide them with better service.
To better understand what knowledge base articles might look like, here’s an overview of some of the most common types:
Informational
These articles cover various topics specific to a business and its products or services. You’ll find comprehensive information about the features and functionalities of specific products or services, often in the form of written user guides, step-by-step tutorials, videos, or diagrams. These articles could be created to support internal and external users
Troubleshooting
When an external user is experiencing a specific issue, troubleshooting articles offer a step-by-step approach to help them solve the problem. The key to this content is clarity; each point should be focused on a specific issue and named appropriately.
You can also consider incorporating troubleshooting flowcharts, error code explanations, and answers to common issues to help customers engage with the content better.
By proactively addressing customer concerns and providing troubleshooting steps, businesses can reduce support requests to contact centers and empower their customers to resolve issues independently. These types of documents can also be useful in helping staff troubleshoot any issues they are experiencing.
How-tos
How-tos are typically created for the end users, but they can also be useful tools for internal guides for staff. They usually offer a step-by-step guide structured as a numbered list to give an overview of the function of a single feature, such as logging in to a system or changing your password.
Very generalized versions of these (such as ‘how to clear your cache’) can also attract users that aren’t already your customers, and they help to position you as an authority in your field.
Technical support documentation
Businesses can create knowledge base articles that address technical issues, providing easy-to-understand solutions for external and internal users.
These articles delve into more technical aspects of the product or service, helping businesses cater to novice and tech-savvy customers and staff members. This type of article may include in-depth explanations, diagnostic procedures, and advanced problem-solving techniques.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) also work as knowledge base articles and address common queries and concerns that customers may have, helping customers find quick solutions to common issues.
By compiling a list of frequently asked questions and providing concise answers, businesses can proactively address customer inquiries and save time for the customers and the support team.
Product descriptions
Offering detailed information about the features, specifications, and benefits of specific products or services, these articles help potential customers make informed purchasing decisions. By highlighting key selling points and explaining how a specific product or service can meet their needs, excellent product descriptions have the power to turn a potential customer into a loyal brand advocate.
Installation guides
Providing instructions for setting up and installing products, an installation guide should help ensure a smooth and hassle-free process for customers. Installation guides may include diagrams, screenshots, or video tutorials to make the process accessible and understandable to all users.
What to ask when writing a knowledge base article
Before launching into creating your industry-specific knowledge base, there’s some planning to be done to ensure you create the most relevant articles for your products or services.
To help you untangle the complex web of information you’ll need to consider when creating knowledge base articles, here are five of the most important questions to ask before you start creating content.
1. Who is the content for?
The first thing you need to consider is who you’re creating content for and whether it is internally or externally focused. While internal knowledge bases should concentrate on helping employees do their job efficiently as possible and support activities like the staff onboarding process, the external knowledge base is a public-facing tool focused on supporting customers.
These differentiations will determine the specific needs and goals of the knowledge base articles you’ll be creating.
2. Who is my audience?
Once you’ve established whether your knowledge base is internally or externally facing, it's time to consider who you are communicating with.
It’s crucial to identify the needs of your target audience and consider how the information you produce will help future customers, clients, or employees.
Identifying your audience's pain points is crucial because it allows you to detect unresolved issues from customers or employees. If you create content without understanding what your users require, the knowledge base will eventually be obsolete.
Researching your audience before launching into creating knowledge base articles will pay off in the long run. This way, you will be armed with the in-depth knowledge you need to ensure you create the most helpful articles.
For example, suppose you’re addressing your internal team of engineers. In that case, you can keep the language industry-specific, but when breaking down a technical topic for consumers, you’ll need to write in simple and easy-to-understand terms.
3. What are the recurring customer dilemmas?
To answer this question, you need to involve your customer support team when researching to create your knowledge base article.
Ask your team which are the most recurring customer issues and questions, and monitor and measure the metrics, to give real insights into questions that could be easily answered through a knowledge base article.
4. What products are key?
When creating a comprehensive knowledge base article, it’s important to map out all your products and features to establish the specific articles you’ll be creating. A knowledge base is a long-term project, so deciding its core elements is vital to get things up and running.
5. What information is vital for employees?
While knowledge bases should be all-encompassing, you don’t necessarily want everyone accessing all of its facets. Identifying what specific information employees should have access to is a crucial part of building your knowledge base article plan.
Knowledge base software offers flexible access management features, meaning you can choose which employees can view or edit specific articles that have been planned.
You can include various processes in your internal knowledge base for employees. From company-wide information, materials from human resources (HR), training materials, marketing materials, media and press files, design files, legal documents, and customer service documents - from FAQs for staff, call scripts, and email templates. All are designed with the correct permissions to help make life easier for your employees.
Tips to start writing your article
It’s important to remember that a knowledge base is a long-term project, and each article is no small task. However, if done right, an effective knowledge base can massively improve your customer service and knowledge within your teams.
There’s a huge difference between an average knowledge base article and an excellent support resource, and that differentiation lies primarily in the quality of the content. Follow these tips to learn how to create a knowledge base article.
Talk to experts
So, you need to explain a complex product or service, but you’re not an expert in the field? Talking to a subject-matter expert is a great way to extract the essential information and understand why these aspects are crucial for your knowledge base article.
Keep it simple
While your content must cater to a range of knowledge levels, your knowledge base articles should be accessible for all to engage with. Always consider that your audience may not know the subject, so use simple language to ensure all levels of expertise can access the content before delving deeper.
Never assume
You’ll likely know your business inside and out, along with the products or services you offer. The mistaken assumption is that customers hold the same level of knowledge. Only providing the information that you think a customer needs rather than complete information can backfire on a business and cause frustration, likely leading to a negative customer support perception towards your brand.
Avoid technical jargon and unnecessary acronyms that assume knowledge. You might know all the meanings, but it may be the case that your customers are unfamiliar with these terms. It is better to explain any reference to technical terms to ensure understanding and avoid confusion.
Write clearly and concisely
Knowledge base articles should be skimmable, i.e., easy to read. For a self-serve knowledge base to remain true to its purpose, it should help users get the information they need in a few seconds. Avoid lengthy, large blocks of text that are more likely to confuse the reader than help them. The best content can lack sense if it's not delivered in the correct format.
Keep it relevant and pick one idea per article
This might seem obvious, but it is vital to avoid confusion by only discussing one topic at a time when creating knowledge base articles. Define your topic and stick to it. This approach will help you construct a specific answer to a question or query, making it straightforward and accessible for all users.
Formatting hacks for my knowledge base article
There are many ways to format a knowledge base article, but it can be tricky when doing your first one. Here we will give some formatting tricks to write a useful knowledge base article:
Add keywords for SEO
Once you’ve drafted your article, you need to ensure it can be seen. Creating SEO-friendly content can get your brand noticed by search engines and ensure audiences will find the content you’re creating.
SEO-friendly means adding specific keywords that potential customers are searching for to resolve their issues.
With the help of keyword research tools, you can find out what people are typing into Google or other search engines when seeking information on a specific topic. And with the right keywords, your self-help portal will rank more prominently.
Just remember, don’t get carried away and include too many keywords - keyword “stuffing,” as it is referred to in the industry, is penalized by Google.
Include images and videos
Everyone learns and absorbs knowledge in different ways, meaning for comprehensive understanding, you need to include various types of content when creating knowledge base articles.
Visual learners prefer to see information in a graphic or audiovisual format, so adding videos or images is a great way to enhance the quality and usability of your articles.
Add links to other related articles
Signposting users to other content that might be useful is a great way to direct them to other details they might need.
For longer articles, anchor links that link to key phrases - like on Wikipedia - make it easier for users to skip past the information they don’t need and head directly to the details they’re looking for.
While it is good to guide your users, don’t use links to send them on a journey that leads to nowhere; keep things logical by using an effective linking strategy.
Use callout blocks
These help highlight vital information to make it stand out. Use different colors and frame designs to divide up instructions, crucial links, and call-to-action sections, helping your users find the information they need.
Include tabs and accordions
When you’re addressing complex and lengthy topics - you don’t want the content to look long and arduous to read. Use tabs and accordions to keep your knowledge base help center looking tidy. These tools allow you to hide certain content from a page until the user is ready to see it.
Guide users with scalable icons
Scalable icons can be valuable assets for knowledge base articles. Make your articles more visually appealing, enhancing the user experience - making essential information more accessible and easily recognizable.
Use templates
Want to save time? Use a template. They help writers focus on the content they need to deliver and help your users find what they require quickly. Solving issues fast leads to happier customers. Try using template categories such as Q&A, Instruction, How-to, troubleshooting, and glossaries.
Keep headers and titles simple
As they say, ‘keep it simple, stupid’! Avoid over-creative titles that could mislead your users. Keeping things straightforward will help ensure the information a user seeks is easy to find.
Final thoughts
A well-structured knowledge base is a powerful tool for customer support, but it’s not the only option. AI chatbots offer an innovative alternative, providing instant, conversational assistance without requiring users to sift through long articles.
When creating a knowledge base, it’s essential to plan carefully, research thoroughly, and structure content effectively. Understanding your audience helps tailor information to their needs, preventing confusion and frustration. Clarity is key—concise explanations, well-defined sections, and jargon-free language ensure accessibility for users of all expertise levels.
Enhancing articles with visuals, such as images and videos, improves comprehension, while thoughtful formatting keeps content skimmable and engaging. SEO best practices, including strategic keyword placement, ensure your knowledge base remains discoverable, and regular updates maintain its accuracy over time.
However, AI chatbots can take customer support even further by delivering instant, personalized answers without requiring users to search manually. Unlike static knowledge base articles, AI-powered chatbots dynamically adapt to user queries, providing relevant information in real time. This not only enhances the customer experience but also reduces support ticket volumes and improves efficiency.
Want to see how AI-driven customer support can transform your business? Discover boost.ai.