Help Center Rebrand

My Digital Experience team led a strategic rebranding initiative to rename our FAQ section to “Help Center” across all digital platforms, improving discoverability and aligning with customer expectations.

The Problem

Our customer knowledge base was labeled “FAQ” (Frequently Asked Questions) across Southwest.com, the mobile app, and mobile web. Research showed this naming convention had several issues:

• Not intuitive - Many customers don’t immediately understand what “FAQ” means
• Requires mental decoding - Users must translate the initialism before understanding its purpose
• Out of step with industry - Major companies had moved away from FAQ terminology

Industry Research

We studied how leading companies label their self-help content:

The pattern was clear: “Help Center” had become the standard terminology that customers expect.

The Solution

We executed a phased rebranding approach:

Phase 1: Naming Updates

• Updated all visible “FAQ” labels to “Help Center”
• Changed navigation items across desktop, mobile web, and native apps
• Updated marketing and promotional references

Phase 2: Technical Updates

• URL restructuring with proper 301 redirects
• SEO optimization for “Help Center” keywords
• Analytics tracking updates

Results

The rebranding delivered immediate, measurable impact:

• 35% increase in Help Center visit rate
• Improved discoverability through search and navigation
• Better SEO performance with more common terminology
• Reduced cognitive load for customers seeking help

Customer Value

This seemingly simple change demonstrates the power of speaking customers’ language. By aligning our terminology with industry standards and user expectations, we made it easier for customers to find the self-service resources they need—reducing friction and lowering call volume.

Before: The FAQ label was not intuitive for all customers

After: Help Center is more discoverable and aligned with industry standards