# FAQ Expansion Guide

**Last Updated:** 2026-02-13

When PAA (People Also Ask) questions all map to H2s, or `generate-faq-questions.php` produces fewer than 10 FAQs, use supplemental sources to expand the FAQ pool. This guide provides step-by-step instructions for manual expansion.

## When to Use This Guide

- **PAA–H2 overlap:** All PAA questions are assigned to H2s in the outline; none remain for FAQs
- **GSC empty:** New posts have no historical traffic; `gsc_top_queries` is empty
- **Low FAQ count:** `generate-faq-questions.php` outputs < 10 questions
- **Target:** Lexikon/Ratgeber posts should have 10–15 FAQs

## Supplemental Sources

### 1. Related Searches

Use Serper MCP, Firecrawl, or manual search for:

- Primary keyword + variations: e.g. "Generation Alpha Schule", "Generation Alpha Erziehung", "Generation Alpha Deutschland"
- Primary keyword + HR context: "Generation Alpha HR", "Generation Alpha Personalwesen"
- "People also search for" / related searches from SERP

**Output:** Add questions to `faq-questions-supplemental.json` or merge manually.

### 2. Competitor FAQs

Extract FAQs from top competitor URLs (SERP_ANALYSIS top URLs):

- Parse FAQ schema (JSON-LD) from competitor pages
- Extract FAQ sections (FAQ blocks, accordions)
- Use `collect-supplemental-faq-questions.php` to automate competitor extraction

```bash
php v2/scripts/blog/collect-supplemental-faq-questions.php --post=slug --category=lexikon
```

**Output:** `data/faq-questions-supplemental.json`

### 3. LSI Keywords

From `faq-research.json` `lsi_keywords` (e.g. dienstplan, schichtplan, zeiterfassung):

- Generate questions like: "Wie bereitet man Schichtplanung für [Topic] vor?"
- Use LSI keywords from context: "Wie funktioniert Zeiterfassung für [Topic]?"

`collect-supplemental-faq-questions.php` generates LSI-based questions automatically.

### 4. Secondary PAA

Search for related queries:

- Primary keyword + "HR"
- Primary keyword + "Personalwesen"
- Primary keyword + "Arbeitgeber"

Collect PAA from these SERPs and add questions that don’t overlap with existing H2s.

## Step-by-Step Manual Expansion

### Step 1: Run Supplemental Collection

```bash
php v2/scripts/blog/collect-supplemental-faq-questions.php --post=slug --category=lexikon
```

### Step 2: Create or Merge Supplemental File

If the script doesn’t produce enough questions, create `data/faq-questions-supplemental.json` manually:

```json
{
  "questions": [
    {"question": "Question 1?", "source": "related_search"},
    {"question": "Question 2?", "source": "competitor"}
  ]
}
```

### Step 3: Regenerate FAQ Questions

`generate-faq-questions.php` loads supplemental questions when output < 10. Run:

```bash
php v2/scripts/blog/generate-faq-questions.php --post=slug --category=lexikon
```

Supplemental questions use a lower H2 overlap threshold (0.5) so near-matches can become FAQs.

### Step 4: Generate Answers

```bash
php v2/scripts/blog/generate-faq-answers-optimized.php --post=slug --category=lexikon --use-ai
```

**Tip:** If template mode produces generic answers (< 30 words or placeholder phrases), run with `--use-ai` for better quality.

### Step 5: Merge and Add to Post

```bash
php v2/scripts/blog/add-faqs-to-post.php --post=slug --category=lexikon --replace
```

### Step 6: Verify Overlap

```bash
php v2/scripts/blog/check-h2-faq-overlap.php --post=slug --category=lexikon
```

## FAQ Count Validation

- **Target:** 10–15 FAQs for lexikon/ratgeber
- **Validation:** `validate-faq-quality.php` fails if `--min-faqs=10` (default) and count < 10
- **Override:** Use `--min-faqs=6` for very narrow topics

## Related Documentation

- [FAQ_CREATION_WORKFLOW_2026.md](FAQ_CREATION_WORKFLOW_2026.md) – Full FAQ creation workflow
- [CONTENT_OUTLINE template](posts/_templates/CONTENT_OUTLINE.md) – PAA–FAQ reservation strategy