Most people do not read help articles. They scan them, looking for the one sentence that answers their question. If they cannot find it in a few seconds, they give up and contact support. Writing for that reader is the whole skill.

Title it the way people ask

Customers search with questions, so use questions or clear tasks as titles.

Good: "How do I return an item?"
Good: "Change your delivery address"
Weak: "Returns policy overview"
Weak: "Address management"

Use the words customers use. If they say "refund", do not title the article "reimbursement".

Put the answer in the first sentence

Start with the answer, then explain. "You can return most items within 30 days of delivery. Here is how." The reader who only needed the 30 days can stop there. The reader who needs the steps keeps going.

Write steps as numbered lists

Start each step with an action: "Open", "Tap", "Choose".
Keep one action per step.
Name buttons exactly as they appear on screen.
Say what should happen after the last step, so readers know it worked.

One topic per article

An article called "Orders" that covers tracking, cancelling, changing and returning is hard to scan and hard to find. Split it. Short articles on one task each are easier to search, easier to link to, and easier to keep accurate.

Keep the language plain

Short sentences. One idea each.
No internal jargon or product codenames.
Say "you" and talk to the reader directly.
Explain any term a new customer might not know.

Cover the "what if"

After the main steps, answer the questions that usually follow. "What if I missed the 30 days?" "What if the item was a gift?" A short section at the end saves a follow-up message.

Use images only when they help

A screenshot can make a confusing screen clear. But images go out of date when your product changes, and they do not help people who search. Use them for the tricky step, not for every step.

Keep articles current

Update articles the same day a policy or price changes.
Review the most viewed articles every few months.
Rewrite articles that many readers mark as not helpful.
Delete or merge articles that cover the same thing.

Write for chatbots too

If a chatbot answers from your help center, clear articles make for clear answers. The same rules apply: one topic, answer first, plain words. Avoid saying "see the table above", because a chatbot quoting one part of the article may not include the table.

Writing faster with IotaBot

IotaBot's help center editor can draft an article from what your knowledge base already says. Anything it cannot find comes back as a visible placeholder for you to fill in, rather than a guess. Published articles appear in your help center and the widget's Help tab, and the assistant answers from them. See the help center software page.