# FAQ or documentation is accessible

- **Pattern:** `ab-001736` (`marketing-content-quality.content-completeness.faq-or-docs-accessible`)
- **Severity:** medium
- **Lifecycle:** active
- **Last modified:** 2026-04-18
- **Canonical URL:** https://auditbuffet.com/patterns/ab-001736
- **License:** CC-BY-4.0 — attribute to AuditBuffet Pattern Catalog (https://auditbuffet.com/patterns/ab-001736)

## Why it matters

Visitors who have understood your value proposition and are close to converting often have one or two blocking questions — "how does the trial work?", "can I cancel?", "is my data private?" A FAQ section or documentation link is the fastest way to resolve those questions without requiring a support interaction. Without it, interested visitors who hit an unanswered question leave to search for the answer elsewhere, and many don't come back. The friction of "I have a question and can't find the answer" is responsible for a measurable share of high-intent abandonment. A FAQ section with even 3-5 questions about common objections prevents this drop-off at minimal implementation cost.

## Severity rationale

Medium because missing FAQ or documentation means visitors with blocking questions have no self-service resolution path — a friction point that causes high-intent abandonment right at the conversion moment.

## Remediation

Add a FAQ section to the pricing page or home page with at minimum 3 questions addressing common objections. Standard questions that resolve most high-intent blocking:
```
- How does the free trial work?
- Can I cancel anytime?
- Do I need a credit card to get started?
- What happens to my data if I cancel?
- What does [key feature] include?
```

In Next.js App Router, a minimal FAQ section is a simple accordion or static list:

```tsx
// components/FAQ.tsx
const faqs = [
  { q: 'How does the free trial work?', a: 'You get 14 days of Pro access, no credit card required. After the trial, you can stay on the free tier or upgrade.' },
  { q: 'Can I cancel anytime?', a: 'Yes — cancel from your account settings in one click. No penalties, no emails asking why.' },
]

export function FAQ() {
  return (
    <section>
      <h2>Common questions</h2>
      {faqs.map(({ q, a }) => <details key={q}><summary>{q}</summary><p>{a}</p></details>)}
    </section>
  )
}
```

If documentation exists but is not linked from the navigation or footer, add the link — `<Link href="/docs">Documentation</Link>` in the footer component is sufficient.

## Detection

- **ID:** `faq-or-docs-accessible`
- **Severity:** `medium`
- **What to look for:** Count all relevant instances and enumerate each. Look for a FAQ section (on the home page, pricing page, or a dedicated `/faq` route) or a documentation link (a `/docs` route, a link to external docs, or a help center link in the navigation or footer). The FAQ or docs should be findable from the main navigation or from the pricing page.
- **Pass criteria:** At least one of the following exists and is findable: a FAQ section with at least 3 questions on any marketing page, a link to documentation from the main navigation or footer, or a link to a help center from the pricing page or navigation.
- **Fail criteria:** No FAQ section found anywhere on the site, and no documentation link found in navigation or footer.
- **Skip (N/A) when:** The project is clearly pre-launch with no content beyond a landing page (fewer than 3 pages total). Signal: only a home page and no other routes detected.
- **Detail on fail:** `"No FAQ section found on any marketing page and no documentation link found in navigation or footer"` or `"FAQ section exists on home page but has only 1 question"`
- **Remediation:** Visitors who can't find answers to their questions leave without converting. A FAQ section reduces the "I have a question" friction for common objections.

  If you have no FAQ, add 3-5 questions to your pricing page or home page addressing the most common objections:
  - "How does the free trial work?"
  - "Can I cancel anytime?"
  - "Do I need a credit card to start?"
  - "What happens to my data if I cancel?"

  If you have documentation, ensure it's linked from the footer at minimum, and ideally from the main navigation.

  Review the configuration in `src/` or `app/` directory for implementation patterns.

Taxons: content-integrity, user-experience

HTML version: https://auditbuffet.com/patterns/ab-001736