GUIDE 2024

Best Knowledge Base Examples 2024

Are you looking for the best knowledge base examples?

Helping your users learn about your product is an important yet tricky job. Knowledge bases act as one of the most effective tools to answer your customers’ questions, which reduces pressure on your support team and enhances the user experience as a result. But many find creating a comprehensive knowledge base challenging since it demands significant research and planning.

In this post, we will study the seven great knowledge base examples for you to get a head start. But before that, let’s understand what a knowledge base is and what makes it an effective one.

What is a Knowledge Base?

The knowledge base is a digital repository of entire organizational information. It acts as a central location that holds a collection of information where customers can go to teach themselves on a company’s products, services, or industry.  A knowledge base includes a collection of user guides, help center articles, and tutorial videos that provide customers with everything they need for getting started with new products, in-depth information about using the latest features, and answers to common issues and problems.

Depending on their functionalities, there are external and internal knowledge bases. An external knowledge base is public and helps customers get insight into a product or service. This includes FAQs, release notes, or instructions on how a particular feature works, troubleshooting methods, and anything valuable for clients. As for an internal knowledge base, it is for employees’ use and has everything, from onboarding materials and guidelines to corporate rules.

Knowledge bases are great for companies to provide helpful information in the knowledge management format that makes it easy for customers to seek what they are looking for on their own. The primary purpose of a knowledge base is to enable customers to get help without reaching out to the company for support.

What Makes a Good Example of a Knowledge Base?

Each knowledge base is different from the other. Some act a lot like a FAQ, whereas other knowledge bases aim to lift the customer experience. However, there are a few highlights that help create a great knowledge base. A good knowledge base example is the one that puts users first. It has simple navigation, smart hyperlinks, and excellent accessibility. They have all the resources like how-to articles and popular articles categorized into top-level categories and subcategories, making it simpler for many users to find a knowledge base article by a topic.

A good knowledge base also has search functionality. Search is an accessible mechanism for your customers to find the support they need in your knowledge base, so many of them feature a prominent search bar. Besides, they include a tagging system to enable readers to find quick and efficient answers.

Good knowledge bases also use images and videos with text to give users a complete picture, making it easier for them to resolve or troubleshoot issues without opening a support ticket. Also, it uses clear and concise language since no one wants to go through heaps of text to get the information they want. They cover important information in bullet points than in paragraphs and in clear language than using technical jargon.

In addition, every page of the help center articles contains important information and links to relevant articles, giving users a defined path to find additional information. In addition, there are many knowledge base software for companies to use to help launch a new knowledge base for offerings.

7 Best Knowledge Base Examples

You need a great knowledge base to assist your users in using your product or service and reduce the need for human support. To help you with that objective, we share a list of the seven amazing knowledge base examples in this section. Let’s go over some of the best knowledge bases around and see what you can learn from them.

Asana

Asana knowledge base

Asana is a SaaS (software-as-a-service) platform that helps streamline communication across companies and teams. Using this tool, teams can create projects, assign tasks to teammates, set deadlines, and communicate about tasks. To get the maximum advantage from it, both managers and other users need to understand the ins and outs of this project management software.

Asana introduces an unconventional knowledge base design, naming the resource center Guide, which speaks for itself. Instead of regular articles, Asana funnels users into the following four buckets: 

  • Asana provides its users an option to join a live webinar to get direct customer support without struggling to discipline themselves on learning.
  • Another option it offers is to get tips, including comprehensive articles with GIFs and tips to skim through the product’s basics. 
  • Users can also watch video tutorials on their YouTube channel, having a compilation of quick tips and examples to see Asana in action. Video content works great for visual learners to walk them through how to use the product.
  • The last option is to complete an online course to get profound knowledge about the product and learn frameworks and features.

Asana holds the first position in this list because of its sharability. All of its resources are accessible to its customers and others. Also, Asana offers quick links to help users skip ahead to sections they want. It saves the time users otherwise spend scanning the page to find the right content. In addition, Asana has all the sections linked in its knowledge base on a sidebar, so you can find other resources without visiting the homepage.

Key Takeaways

  • Clutter-free design and simple layout help people stay focused on the topics at hand without overwhelming them.
  • Categorizing knowledge into broad topics lets users teach themselves.
  • Good internal linking helps customers find helpful content with no delay and lowers how much effort they expend on self-service.

Dropbox

Dropbox help center

Operated by an American firm, Dropbox, Inc., Dropbox is a file hosting service that offers cloud storage, personal cloud, file synchronization, and client application. It is among the most famous cloud storage services in use nowadays, with the registered user base of over 700 million. Some of its key features include document editing from anywhere, file backup, and collaboration with others.

From a prominent search bar to live troubleshooting, support team access, and tutorials, the Dropbox knowledge base has interactive opportunities to help people find their solutions quicker. Their knowledge base is clean, with easy access to use cases and workflows. It starts with a series of tabs that users can click to navigate different content areas.

If customers find no option resonating with them at the top of the page, Dropbox also has a search bar to make it easier to find relevant topics. On scrolling down, there are a couple of columns: one with cards for popular topics and the other with a typical FAQ list. In addition, there is a related articles section and a quick way to contact the customer support team if a user fails to find helpful content.

Key Takeaways

  • When making your knowledge base interactive, keep things simple. There is no need to have tons of bells and whistles for effective knowledge bases. The easier it is for users to seek help, the better.
  • Determine which customer complaints are common, and place their solutions somewhere the users find with ease.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp help center

A child company of Intuit, Mailchimp is an all-in-one marketing automation platform and email marketing service designed for businesses to reach out to their target markets. It enables you to manage your mailing lists, build custom email templates, and automate your whole marketing campaign. Mailchimp’s main function is to send automated emails and newsletters to expand your business results.

It is a tool with many features and integrates with over 200 other web applications to help streamline the email marketing process, which indicates its knowledge base is quite extensive. Mailchimp has a great customer-focused knowledge base that goes the extra mile for its users. Their knowledge base lists the most popular guides and tutorials first, with a search bar right above it. Users can find help by topics, register for a live session, or watch on-demand recordings.

Mailchimp provides different visual details to enhance clarity for those who may struggle with technical content. Every article also includes surveys at the bottom to ask its users to rate whether that article was helpful and get qualitative feedback on how to improve the website. They also make it easy to contact the support team by providing a contact form on their knowledge base homepage. It is a great idea when it comes to offering support to customers when they are unable to find what they need in the self-service content.

Key Takeaways

  • For non-technical users, include visuals in your guides as it helps you give as much information as possible.
  • Giving readers a quick summary of the information in your articles help them in knowing they are in the right place.
  • It is best to use small steps in lists to break information for better understanding.
  • Large knowledge bases like Mailchimp’s should have content categorization and optimal linking.

Canva

Canva help

Launched in 2013, Canva is an Australian graphic design platform that combines design, photo-editing, and layout to let users create beautiful visual content. This web application comes with an extensive library of templates and design elements that enables users to create posters, logos, flyers, presentations, documents, and other visual content in a convenient drag-and-drop format.

Canva’s is the perfect knowledge base example of how to tailor a knowledge base towards particular people, depending on different goals. They offer an appealing knowledge base that gives its users quick access to many different top-level categories. It has simple tabs to guide users through categories of help center articles. Also, there is a search bar that auto-fills and suggests searches in line with what people may look for, in case they have no terminology.

People scrolling through Canva’s knowledge base see a Top Articles section, where they can read a lot about the most common questions asked by others. In addition, the knowledge base has links to contact support at the bottom of its homepage for quick help. It also includes a link to Canva’s design school for customers wanting to dive deeper into its platform.

Key Takeaways

  • When your product is related to designing, adding visual content to a useful knowledge base helps a lot.
  • Knowledge bases should cover billing and installation also, along with project tips.
  • Availability of content where users need help increases the probability of self-service.

Buffer

Buffer help

Buffer, or Bufferapp, is a multi-purpose social media management software application for the web and mobile. Its core functionality is to enable users to draft and schedule posts for sharing with their audience across different social networks, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. This powerful marketing tool also offers social media reporting and monitoring functionality.

It helps businesses of any size to build engagement. They use emojis and informal language everywhere to help represent the brand and what they do. The knowledge base of the Buffer platform has three main categories: Buffer Platform, Buffer Publish, and Buffer Analyze.

It has a simple and intuitive layout with a beautiful design. The homepage features a search bar contrasting with the deep blue color, making it easy to catch. There is a Suggested Guides section, followed by another to help users browse by topic. These sections list their promoted articles to help users solve common issues at speed. All articles contain video tutorials, helpful instructions, and a satisfaction survey at the end.

The Video Tutorials section is among the most interesting and distinct features of Buffer’s knowledge base. Customers get easy access to a collection of videos showing them how to maximize its features and troubleshoot any issues.

Key Takeaways

  • It is a good approach to use categories for your articles.
  • Some customers prefer video guides over text-based ones. If visual instructions make sense for some issues, it is ideal to include them in your knowledge base.

Shipt

Shipt help

Founded in 2014, Shipt is an American online delivery service that allows people to order groceries, household items, wellness products, and office supplies from their favorite stores using Shipt’s site or mobile app. It is a curated marketplace of retailers that operates by paying contractors to purchase and deliver items to buyers’ homes within hours.

Shipt has a simple yet effective on-brand knowledge base that offers several distinct categories for their shoppers and customers to pick from. It begins with a search bar to let customers ask any questions. The knowledge base takes the question-based approach, with the questions related to the popular topics are on the left side of the page.

On its right, they present information in a FAQ page style. This makes it a one-stop shop for everyone who uses Shipt. Every article includes a survey, asking Was this article helpful? Users can upvote or downvote that article with a click, helping the company identify which areas need improvement.

The bottom of the page has three different options to choose from. If users have any ideas to share with them, need immediate help, or are unable to find what they want, they can choose any of these options.

Key Takeaways

  • Avoid assuming that your users understand everything about your product or service works. New questions and issues may still arise.
  • Asking for feedback is a good approach to get help in improving your knowledge base.

Fitbit

fitbit help

Fitbit is a popular American consumer electronics and fitness company known for its smartwatch and fitness application. It was the 5th biggest wearable technology company in shipments in 2019, and today, over 30 million people worldwide use Fitbit products to track their steps, heart rates, sleep, and other health metrics.

While some help centers segregate guides based on user segments, Fitbit has sections for its different devices. Following this, any user who needs help can navigate to the segment for their device and find relevant guides quicker. The page has a login link for employee wellness and health plan members to get exclusive customer support.

In addition, its excellent design has the most popular topics covered on the left side, while the right side provides options for customers to contact their support team. In addition, Fitbit lets individuals search the community forum and discuss how to use their products with other customers.

Key Takeaways

  • If your products fall into distinct categories, do the same with your knowledge base guides. It makes the help center intuitive and customized to customers’ needs.
  • Try to build a community where customers interact with each other.
  • Provide different options to your customers for how they would like to receive information about your products.

Final Remarks

A knowledge base includes a short or detailed guide about a specific type of product or service. For creating a knowledge base that your users will find helpful, it is important to put yourself in your readers’ shoes and prioritize their needs. Research what questions and complaints they have about your product or service. You can create a useful knowledge base if you understand your users’ questions and issues to the fullest extent. When you understand your customers’ needs, you can pick from any of the best knowledge base tools available and start creating one to help your business thrive.

 

Josh Fechter
Josh is the founder of Technical Writer HQ and Squibler, a writing software. He had his first job in technical writing for a video editing software company in 2014. Since then, he has written several books on software documentation, personal branding, and computer hacking. You can connect with him on LinkedIn here.