This is a technique I’ve been using in the local FAQ at work which, as I’ve been told, makes people find the answers they’re looking pretty fast.

Say we had this simple FAQ about accounts at example.com:

• How do i activate my example.com account?
• What are its limitations?
• What happens after the trial period expires?
• How do i renew my subscription?
• How can i reach technical support?

Users will have to read every question in order to find the answer they’re looking for. Some might even skip it if it had a lot of questions, which is besides the point.

Now let’s see what it would look like after emphasizing the key word(s) for each question:

• How do i activate my example.com account?
• What are its limitations?
• What happens after the trial period expires?
• How do i renew my subscription?
• How can i reach technical support?

Now that key words are emphasized, users will be able to scan this FAQ much faster; all they need to do is search for the words that are relevant to their question. Some will even be able to spot the question they want at first glance. Try not to emphasize too many key words though, as it will only end up confusing readers.

Of course, this also applies to paragraphs, not just lists , as long as you emphasize key words intelligently.