Articles are key topics which send and share information with your users. Moderators and Community managers can create and edit all existing articles in the knowledge base. End-users can't write and contribute articles to the knowledge base unless you provide them the right user role- and permission.
You must have at least one knowledge base category before you can start adding articles as each article is assigned to a category. Read create your Knowledge base structure with categories for more information.
Writing New Articles
1. Log in to Control and select Create > New Article
2. Give your article a short title. Use words that your users are likely to search for and recognize.
3. Start writing your article! If you already have content somewhere else (e.g. Google Drive) simply copy and paste. Use the editor functionalities to style your article.
4. Select the category where your article should be published in.
5. When you're happy with your article there are two things you can do:
- Save as draft will save your article or work in progress to publish later
- Publish creates the articles and publishes it in your help center
Optional Additions
You can choose any of the following options:
- To close an article for comments, deselect Allow replies
- To make an article stick to the top, select Sticky topic (this does not apply for articles published in a knowledge base category)
- Under Article Label you can add any label. When you click the input field a list of default labels appear. If you want to have your own label simply type it inside the input field.
- To add a featured image, click the Upload image button. Read Article image: design specs and changes for best practices on uploading featured images.
- Add one or more public tags to your article
Best Practices
Articles & Announcements
When sharing knowledge with your community, ensure you have created a dedicated space for articles spanning different topics. Your category structure should be easy to navigate to ensure your users can easily access your content.
An announcement on the community should be written in an informal tone of voice and be inviting for users. Most announcements are written as an article, however this is only advised if you plan to write a longer article - for a few lines of text a discussion topic can also be just fine.
- Use a title that speaks the voice of your users
- For articles, define an article hero image and an article label that relates to the content
- If the topic is more complex, include a short FAQ at the end that covers the most important questions your users will have after reading
- Invite your users to reply with their feedback on the subject
Tutorials & FAQs
If you are writing a tutorial or an FAQ, you should follow the same guidelines as to writing an announcement or article. But here are some ways to generate a better experience for your users:
- Work with lists to describe steps or tips
- Include clear images (or even better, gifs or videos) that explain each step
- Use headers to structure your content more clear, so that users can find information quicker
- Keep information up to date
- Write in the third person - that is as if you are talking directly to the reader
- Listen to customer requests: their feedback can help inform your next tutorial
What's Next
One your article is published your users can read and interact with it. Now it's time to optimize your article order to make it easier for users to find what they need.