Start from a real ticket
Write articles for questions you have actually been asked, in the words customers used. Open the last few tickets on the topic and copy their phrasing into the title. Customers search with their problem, not with your feature names.
Put the answer in the first lines
Lead with the fix or the answer, then explain. Someone arriving from search wants to know within seconds that they are in the right place. A short intro that restates the question and then the answer beats a long background section.
Use steps for tasks and short paragraphs for ideas
If the customer has to do something, number the steps and keep one action per step. Name the exact button or menu as it appears on screen. Add a screenshot only where words would be unclear, and keep it current.
Cover the case where it does not work
End with what to check if the steps did not help, and how to reach you. This keeps the customers the article could not help from feeling stuck, and it tells you which articles need work when tickets still arrive.
Keep it current and measure it
An out-of-date article costs more than none. Review the most-viewed ones when the product changes, and watch whether tickets on a topic fall after you publish. If they do not, the article is hard to find or does not answer the question.
- Link the article in your saved reply for that question.
- Put the top five at the top of the help center home page.
- Retire or merge articles that overlap.