8 Best Practice Tips for Writing Knowledge Base Articles

Keeping your knowledge base up to date with relevant, accessible and easy-to-follow knowledge articles is essential for successful knowledge management.

Here are 8 tips for writing effective knowledge base articles.

1. Use simple, action-based titles

Your heading should clearly state what topic or problem your article will cover. Use keywords in your titles to make it easier for users to find articles through the search function.

For example:

• How to (topic detail)
• Setting up (topic detail)
• Configuring (topic detail)
• Using (topic detail)
• Creating (topic detail)
• Installing (topic detail)

2. Make it easy to understand

Clarity is key to writing an effective knowledge article.

You want your users to find the solution to their problem as quickly as possible, so focus on writing straightforward, easy to understand articles.

Focus on logical step-by-step instructions and avoid using jargon, flowery language or adding extraneous details .

3. Focus on readability

Make your knowledge articles more accessible to readers by keeping articles short and scannable.

The longer the article, the more risk of losing your reader’s attention. For complex topics that require long-form content, try breaking your text up with relevant subheadings.

You can also make use of bullet points, numbered lists, bold text, and so on to increase readability.

4. Use visual aids

Make use of screenshots and other visuals to guide your readers through complex processes.

5. Keep it relevant

Stick to a single question or topic per article to avoid confusion and help users get answers to their questions quickly.

You can link to other relevant articles within your text if you feel further reading is required.

6. Don’t forget SEO

Help you readers find your articles easily by using relevant keywords within your article. To avoid keyword stuffing, add keywords where they fit in the text naturally.

7. Encourage feedback

Allow users to rate articles to help you improve your knowledge base. This can be a rating system (for example, rating an article from 1-5) or a simple yes/no question like ‘Did you find this article helpful?’.

8. Keep it up to date

An out of date knowledge base is not helpful to anyone. Put in place an editorial process for reviewing and updating knowledge articles regularly.

Mastering the art of crafting effective knowledge base articles is essential for providing exceptional customer support and empowering users with valuable information.

With these strategies in place, organisations can build a robust knowledge base that fosters customer satisfaction, reduces support requests, and promotes long-term success.

This article covers best practice guidelines for writing effective knowledge base articles. For an in-depth guide on building and maintaining a knowledge base, please see Part 1 of the Knowledge Management series.

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