Material that reduces questions.
WHAT TO WRITE FIRST
Answers to the questions asked most.
HOW TO KNOW
Support records.
WHAT TO STRUCTURE BY
What customers are trying to do.
WHY NOT BY FEATURE
They search by goal, not by your organisation of the product.
WHAT EVERY ARTICLE NEEDS
A title matching what they would search What it covers Steps, numbered What they should see What to do if it fails
WHAT TITLES SHOULD BE
The question, in their words.
WHY THEIR WORDS
Search matches vocabulary, and yours may differ.
WHAT TO AVOID
Describing the interface rather than the task Assuming prior articles were read Screenshots that age badly
WHAT TO DO ABOUT SCREENSHOTS
Use them where the interface is genuinely confusing, and keep them current.
WHAT TO INCLUDE FOR ERRORS
The exact message, so it is searchable.
WHY
Customers search the message text.
WHAT TO LINK
Related articles, at the end.
WHAT TO REVIEW
Whether articles reduced the questions they address.
HOW
Volume, before and after.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT ARTICLES NOBODY READS
Establish whether the problem changed, or the title is wrong.
WHAT TO KEEP CURRENT
Everything, when the product changes.
