5 Reasons Your Knowledge Base Writer Is Your Company’s Best Friend
Say the words “knowledge base writer” out loud and you might get more than a few confused looks. Unlike their counterparts, the content writer and the technical writer, knowledge base writers (also known as KB Writers) tend to go unnoticed because no one really knows what they do.
What is a knowledge base writer?
A knowledge base writer is a skilled wordsmith who creates articles for a Help Center, the hub that users visit when they want to figure out how an online product works. For example, the Wix Help Center covers everything from how to create a website and upgrade your subscription plan, to tips on how to write a blog and mastering SEO.
And knowledge base writers wrote all of these articles. But it’s not just putting words onto paper that’s a KB writer’s raison d’etre. Misunderstood and at times overlooked, knowledge base writers make a huge contribution to any company. Don’t believe us?
Here are just a few of the reasons that knowledge base writers are integral to a company’s success:
1. Their work helps drive organic traffic and can improve a site’s SEO
Great knowledge base writers don’t just write articles that help users with a product. They write articles meant to help sell the product, subtly but successfully. The articles themselves are important product marketing tools.
Why? Knowledge base articles often rank high in Google search results and therefore bring a significant amount of organic traffic to a website. At Wix, we know that our knowledge base is often the very first interaction that a potential user has with us. Because of that, our knowledge base writers use the introduction of an article to showcase product benefits. They aim to inspire users before they delve into the nitty-gritty instructions of how to use our products.
Insider Tip: If you want your KB articles to rank well on Google, make sure to name them carefully. A great article title can make all the difference! If a potential user is searching for how to do X, Y, Z, and you have an article called ‘How to do X, Y, Z,’ there is a good chance this searcher will find your article. If they like what they read, they may well try out your product or service.
In other words, KB articles have the potential to convert.
2. They give readers a broader view of the product
A great knowledge base article breaks down complex ideas into step-by-step instructions. To explain the details of a product at eye level, knowledge base writers do intense research before writing. They talk to product managers, developers, UX writers and designers. They attend usability sessions to see how users interact with the product and they try out the product to put themselves in users’ shoes.
Once research is complete, writers transform this know-how into easy-to-follow text. In the Wix knowledge base, we try to write articles that directly answer users’ questions but also take them to the next level. The articles are meant to expose users to parts of a product or specific features that they may not have known about previously.
For example, an article about how to set up Wix Bookings may also contain information about how to link your Google Calendar to your Wix account. We also offer “Related Content” on the side of each article to help users find more useful information about the product they’re using.
3. They help reduce support calls
To be effective, a Help Center should contain articles that directly address user concerns. At Wix, our knowledge base writers read user comments on social media, listen to support calls and read through tickets and emails. This helps ensure they have a strong grasp of user pain points.
Armed with this knowledge, they create new articles and adapt existing ones to provide users with the answers to their questions and the information they need to get the most out of the product. Best of all, this can have a ripple effect and dramatically decrease support calls.
4. They give you user insights into products
As knowledge base writers review support tickets and calls to learn more about what frustrates users, they gain valuable information about product imperfections and the features that users need the most. In other words, KB writers have access to crucial information that can help a company improve its products. It’s part of their job to take note of common feature requests and then create articles that respond to these pressing issues. It’s also up to knowledge base writers to know what products are about to be released. That way, they can develop articles that explain how each new product works before the product goes live.
5. Writing is just one talent that KB Writers have
The best knowledge base writers are, like most of us, word nerds who love nothing more than having long discussions about the merits of the Oxford comma. But they also have a passion for the products they’re writing about and the users they are trying to help. This is especially true of knowledge base writers who, perhaps more than any other type of writer in tech, have a direct connection with users.
Simply put, KB writers are far too valuable to be overlooked! Their knowledge adds immense value to a company and their insight can and should be used to inform strategic decisions about product and growth. If your KB writer is spending their day sitting at their desk and just writing—not interacting with the product and talking to users—you may not be using them to their full potential.
Want to create a knowledge base for your own business?
Check out our tips for building a professional knowledge base.
By the Writers' Guild
Wix
