Direct answer: Aggregate your industry’s frequently asked and should-ask questions to build answer engine authority. Answer 15-25 questions thoroughly. Publish them to your website. Create social videos. Over 3-12 months, you become the default place people go for answers in your industry.
Filmed at Waimea Bay, Oahu (North Shore) | GPS 21.6383, -158.0631
Why FAQ Aggregation Is A Business Growth Strategy
As a business owner or entrepreneur, your ability to create frequently asked questions lists — or should-ask questions lists — works absolutely to your advantage. It makes you found. It makes you the expert. And it triggers both answer engine optimization (AEO) and traditional search engine optimization (SEO) at the same time.
Most business owners do not think like this. They hope. They cross their fingers. They hope things are going to work. The owners who systematically aggregate the questions their industry is already asking are the ones who become the default resource in their space.
FAQs Vs Should-Ask Questions — Why Both Matter
There are two distinct question lists worth building for your industry, and the difference matters:
| Question Type | What It Covers | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Frequently asked questions (FAQs) | Questions your customers actually ask. Sourced from social media groups, support tickets, Reddit, Quora, Google’s “People also ask” section, and tools like Answer The Public. | These match existing search intent. Content that answers them gets found by people already looking. |
| Should-ask questions | Questions your customers should ask but usually do not. The questions that separate a good buyer from a naive one. The questions that reveal what an expert would look for. | These position you as the expert who knows what matters even when the buyer does not yet. They also capture search traffic no competitor is targeting. |
If you are going to do this process, do both. Two pages on your website. One aggregated from what people are asking. One aggregated from what they should be asking. Together they cover the full search landscape for your industry.
The Facebook Group Observation — Why This Works
Right now I am at Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu. About two months ago a big boulder fell down on the road and one side of traffic is blocked. I am part of a couple of Facebook groups about traveling to Hawaii, and in those groups, everybody asks questions. These are all questions people could literally go to Google for to get the answer. But instead, they go to the Facebook group looking for the information to be group-sourced.
Your role and responsibility is to aggregate that data inside of your industry, your product, or your service, and become the place people go for those questions. If you can trigger AEO or SEO, all the better. Most owners never do this because it looks like unglamorous work. That is exactly why it works — most competitors will not do it.
The Specific Process — What To Actually Build
Here is the step-by-step for turning industry questions into content authority:
- Aggregate 15-25 questions. That is the sweet spot. Fewer looks thin. More gets diluted. Pull from social media groups, Reddit, Quora, Google auto-complete, “People also ask,” Answer The Public, and your own customer support history.
- Create a working document. Google Doc or Word file. One question per section. This is the master list you will maintain and expand.
- Answer each question thoroughly. Write the answer in a way that makes sense for your consumer — the person who buys your goods, product, or service. Not for other advisors. Not for search engines. For the actual buyer.
- Publish to your website. Two pages: a frequently asked questions page and a should-ask questions page. Both aggregated from what people are actually asking on social media and searching on Google.
- Create social media videos for each question. Post to Instagram, YouTube, TikTok. Insert the videos into the website page. You can also combine everything into one longer video and use that as an anchor asset.
Answer The Public specifically is a tool that surfaces the questions being searched about your industry. It does most of the aggregation work for you. Start there if you are not sure where to begin.
The Reddit And Quora Strategy For Question Mining
Beyond your own website, engage where the questions are being asked. Reddit and Quora are two of the largest question repositories on the internet. When someone asks a question about your product or service:
Reply with something like — “I addressed this fully on my website.” Sometimes Reddit gets funky about you putting links directly in some subreddits, so know the rules of the specific community. When you cannot link, you can blindside it — “just Google my name, you can find all the information you want, I have shot all sorts of videos on this topic.”
The goal is not to spam. The goal is to be the person who consistently provides real answers, so your name gets associated with authoritative content in that space. Over time, other people start recommending your content when the same questions get asked again.
Real-Time Content Creates Real-Time Authority
Here is a real example from this exact filming. I am in Hawaii, and in my Facebook travel groups people constantly ask — how much does a Lyft or Uber cost across the island? Instead of guessing, I open the apps in real time.
I am filming this on a Monday afternoon in mid-June 2026. Middle of the busy season. From Haleiwa on the North Shore to Waikiki:
- Lyft standard: $139
- Lyft Comfort: $459
- Lyft Extra Large: $569
- Uber standard: $81
- Uber Excel: $238
Last night, the same fare was around $60. Never seen a fare that high. The real-time price capture matters because static content ages. When someone asks this question tomorrow in a Facebook group, my video with actual screenshots and actual timestamps is more valuable than any competitor’s “it depends” answer.
The same principle applies to your industry. If prices, timelines, availability, or conditions change frequently — capture them in real time. That is content nobody else is producing, and it compounds fast.
The Chet Holmes Framework — How This Really Works
I want to give credit where credit is due. I got this idea from Chet Holmes — probably one of the best OGs when it came to sales training. He passed away in 2011 or 2012. Massive credit. The guy had a ton of influence on my life.
Chet Holmes ran a publishing company for Charlie Munger. Specifically, he ran a yacht industry publication. What he did was aggregate all the data for the industry — every event, every calendar entry, every relevant piece of information — whether it came from his own company or from his competition. He published everything.
By default, he became the place everybody went to. Not because his content was better. Because his content was more complete. He aggregated his competitors’ events into his own calendar. The competitors could not out-aggregate him because they would not aggregate each other.
That is the exact strategy applied to FAQs. Aggregate your industry’s questions — including questions your competitors are answering. Answer them better. Answer them more thoroughly. Answer more of them. You become the aggregation point by default, because no single competitor will do the work of aggregating everyone.
The Realistic Timeline — Do Not Expect Results Tomorrow
Here is the honest part most content strategies do not tell you. This work does not pay off tomorrow. It pays off over months and years.
- Today: You publish. Something might happen. Usually does not.
- Three months: Something could happen. Search engines start indexing. Some traffic trickles in.
- Six months: Compounding starts. Your library reaches critical mass.
- One year: Length and durability. Higher probability of consistent traffic. Someone looking at your content sees that you have thought about this — really considered it — which means you are truly an expert.
The competitor who tries this for 30 days and gives up because they saw no results is the competitor you beat over the next 12-24 months. This is a durability game, not a speed game.
Authenticity As A Content Strategy
One thing you cannot fake in this approach: being where you say you are. Right now I am at Haleiwa. Behind me is the World War Two and Vietnam memorial statue. There is a specific palm tree. The location is real, and that specificity signals authenticity. Someone else in a studio recording generic Hawaii travel tips cannot replicate this.
The same principle applies whether you are recording from your office, a job site, a client location, or a conference. The specific details of where you actually are become part of the credibility of what you are saying. Generic content from generic locations produces generic authority. Specific content from specific locations produces specific authority.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the FAQ industry aggregation strategy?
The FAQ industry aggregation strategy is systematically collecting the questions people ask in your industry — from Facebook groups, Reddit, Quora, Google auto-complete, and support channels — and building thorough answers on your website. Over 3-12 months, this positions you as the default resource for those questions, driving both traditional search traffic and AI engine citations.
What is the difference between frequently asked questions and should-ask questions?
Frequently asked questions are what customers actually ask — matching existing search intent. Should-ask questions are what customers should ask but usually do not — the questions that separate expert buyers from naive ones. Publishing both positions you as responsive to what people search for AND authoritative on what they should be considering.
How many questions should you aggregate for your industry?
15 to 25 questions is the sweet spot. Fewer looks thin and does not cover enough search intent. More gets diluted and hard to maintain. Twenty is a good target. Start there, publish, then expand the list as you notice new questions surfacing in your industry communities.
Where do you find the questions people are asking in your industry?
Facebook groups, Reddit communities, Quora, industry forums, Google auto-complete, Google’s “People also ask” section, and tools like Answer The Public. Also mine your own customer support history and sales conversations. The best questions often come from what customers ask during onboarding — those become the FAQs new customers need too.
What is the process for creating a valuable FAQ page?
Aggregate 15-25 questions from your industry. Create a working document. Answer each question thoroughly in language your customer uses. Publish two pages on your website — one for frequently asked questions, one for should-ask questions. Create social media videos for each. Distribute across Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, then embed back into your website.
How long does the FAQ aggregation strategy take to work?
Three to twelve months. Something might happen today. In three months, search engines start indexing and some traffic trickles in. By six months, compounding starts. By one year, the library has length and durability. The competitor who tries it for 30 days and gives up is the competitor you beat over 12-24 months.
Who is Chet Holmes and what did he teach about industry aggregation?
Chet Holmes was one of the top sales trainers, passed away in 2011 or 2012. He ran a publishing company for Charlie Munger that produced a yacht industry publication. He aggregated all industry data — including his competitors’ events — and became the default resource. No single competitor could out-aggregate him because they would not aggregate each other. The strategy applies directly to FAQs.
How can you use Reddit or Quora for the FAQ strategy?
Reddit and Quora are massive question repositories. When your topic comes up, reply with a real answer and reference your website content. Some subreddits get funky about direct links — in those cases, reference by name instead. “Just Google my name for the full write-up.” Over time your name becomes associated with authoritative answers in that space.
Why does real-time content create competitive advantage?
Real-time content — actual screenshots, actual timestamps, actual current prices — cannot be replicated by static competitors. Example: a Lyft fare from Haleiwa to Waikiki showing $139 today, $60 last night, captured with app screenshots. Any competitor trying to answer the same question with “it depends” loses to specific real-time data. Real-time authority compounds.
Can you fake being an industry expert or authority?
Some parts you can. Location specificity, though, cannot be faked. The palm tree behind me, the specific WWII memorial statue, the actual road conditions — these become part of the credibility of what is being said. Same principle applies whether you are filming from your office, a client site, or a specific industry location. Specific content produces specific authority.
Full Transcript
As a business owner, entrepreneur, sometimes your ability to create frequently asked questions lists — or should-ask questions lists — works absolutely to your advantage. So you are found and you are the expert. I am coming to you live from Waimea Bay, Oahu, and you are going to have some questions about that. I am Scott Sylvan Bell, coming to you live from Consulting Secrets on a perfect day to talk about business growth opportunities, frequently asked questions, you being the expert, and a fantastic day to talk about you.
Right now I am in traffic at Waimea Bay Beach Park. About two months ago there was a big boulder that fell down right there. One side of traffic is blocked off and the other side is not. I am part of a couple of Facebook groups, and in those Facebook groups everybody asks questions. These are all questions you could literally go to Google for to get the answer. But instead of going to Google, they literally go to the Facebook group and they are looking for that information to be group-sourced.
Your role and responsibility is to aggregate that data inside of your industry, your product, your service, and become the place people go for those questions. If you can trigger answer engine optimization or search engine optimization, all that much better for you. It absolutely works to your advantage, but most people do not think like this. They hope. They cross their fingers. They hope things are going to work.
Traffic is moving, hold on. Here is the question — how do you make all of this work for you? What you do is aggregate your list of frequently asked questions. Aggregate your list of should-ask questions. It should probably come to about 25-ish questions — 15 to 25 is what you are going to get. You take this list, create a Google Doc, create a Word file, put them somewhere. Then take some time and answer each individual question in a way that makes sense for your consumer — for the person who buys your goods, your product, or your service.
Then create a page on your website. It is going to be a frequently asked questions or a should-ask questions page. If you are going to do this process, it should really be both. You should have a frequently asked questions page and a should-ask questions page, aggregated by what people are asking on social media or what they are asking Google. You can use Answer The Public — that will do this really easy for you.
Next step: create social media videos. You literally create the videos about the topic and put them out on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. You then insert them into your website. You can put them into an entire video, put everything together, and use this to your advantage.
Last on this list — go to somewhere like Reddit or Quora where questions are being asked about your product or your service. If a question is asked, you can say — I addressed this fully on my website. Sometimes Reddit can get funky about you putting links in on some subreddits, they do not let you do it. But you can say — I have addressed this fully on my website, you can blindside it by not telling them where it is at, but literally just Google my name, you can find all the information you want, I have shot all sorts of videos on this topic.
Here is what you are going to find — you do this work today, something might happen. You do this work today, in three months something could happen. You do this work and in a year that means you have length and durability, and the possible higher probability of traffic. When somebody looks a year from now and sees that you took the time to aggregate all this information, they see that you have thought about this — which means you have really considered it, which means you are truly an expert.
Every time I go into these Facebook groups I am in that have to do with how I travel, literally the questions are — why are tickets so expensive? Right now as I am filming this, it is June 2026, the middle of June. It is the busiest season besides Christmas. Tickets are going to be expensive. Then — how much is it to take an Uber or Lyft across the island? You know what I did? I was in Kaneohe, I took some screenshots. How much is it to go to the airport? How much is it to go to the North Shore?
I am going to aggregate this data. I am out here in Haleiwa right now. I moved from Waimea Bay to Haleiwa. I am going to open up my phone and look and see what it costs for a Lyft and what it costs for an Uber to go to Waikiki in Honolulu. This is the level of specificity that you can do when things are questioned.
Let’s do it real time. Let me open up Lyft. We are going to go to Waikiki. Whoa — a little bit more than what I thought it was going to be. This is wild. Wait and save $139. Extra comfort $459. Extra large $569. That information is valid for sure. That is probably the most expensive fare I have ever seen going across the island. You could get a rental car over here for a week for less than that.
Just so you know, when I looked this up last night it was 60 bucks. It was not $559. For real. I have never seen a fare that high. This type of work and this type of effort — it makes me wish I was an Uber or Lyft driver. You typically make about 30 to 40% on a ride. You would make $150 to drive somebody 30 miles. In today’s traffic, 4 pm on a Monday, probably an hour and 15 minutes from here to Waikiki. That is freaking wild.
Let’s open up Uber and see what Uber says. Uber sometimes is a little different. We are going to go to the same spot on Kalakaua Avenue. This is why you look — $81. That is an $81 fare. And the most expensive on an Uber Excel is $238.
If you are like — does this type of work give me any advantage in the marketplace? You are absolutely right that it does. When you know more than your competition — if this was my full-time job, if it was my job to gather this data, I would literally come out here pretty much every day. I would come out here in the morning and afternoon, go to Waikiki in the morning and afternoon, take the same survey. Then I would go to the other side of the island, go to Kaneohe, and say how much does it cost to go from Kaneohe to Waikiki or Kaneohe to Haleiwa. I might even do it to the airport. By creating out this guide, people will find you.
There was a trainer — his name was Chet Holmes. Chet Holmes, probably one of the best OGs when it came to sales training. He passed away in 2011 or 2012. I got to give massive credit. The guy had a ton of influence on my life. Chet Holmes ran a publishing company for Charlie Munger. He ran a yacht publication. What he would do was aggregate all the data for the publications — for all the events for yachts, whether it was his competition or not. By default, he became the place everybody went to.
If you are like — hey Scott, where did this come from? I got this idea from Chet Holmes. I want to give credit where credit is due. You can do the same thing with questions. You can do the same thing with information.
I would have never guessed in a million years that it would be almost $600 to go across the island on a Monday afternoon. I could see it on a Saturday, but this is a Monday afternoon. I bet if somebody waited an hour — I will do it, I will see what the fares are in about an hour. It is 4 pm on a Monday afternoon, middle of June. This is the effort you put in that you are not going to see results on tomorrow. It takes three months, it takes six months, it takes a year for this to work to your advantage.
If you are like — hey Scott, are you real? Am I really — you cannot fake that. This is the main World War Two and Vietnam statue you are going to see mid-drive when you are driving into Haleiwa. You have a point right there, palm tree. You cannot fake 100% you being here. But if you take the time to suss out this information, it is going to work to your advantage. It is just not going to be today.
