GMB Questions & Answers is a great way to engage customers and prospects
GMB Questions and Answers first started appearing on Google my Business back in August 2017. Initially only available on android devices, it later rolled out across all devices in early 2018.
The feature allows consumers to ask questions such as:
- Does this restaurant offer gluten free options?
- How long is a consultation
- How long does x service take
Technically anyone with a Google account can answer these questions, but often the responsibility falls to the business owner. For this reason, many questions to go unanswered for a long time. Probably one of the most common reasons why this happens is the lack of notifications. As of the time of writing there is still no proper notification telling businesses they have a new question.
How does GMB Questions & Answers work?
Anyone can ask a question by searching for a business name in Google, or by searching for a particular phrase e.g. “Fireplace Store” and then clicking on a listing and “Ask a Question”. You need a Google account to post a question.
Businesses can respond to these questions from the same place, by searching their business name and clicking on the appropriate question, (while logged in to GMB).
If a particular question gets “up votes”, it may appear as a snippet in the businesses Google listing. Otherwise consumers need to explicitly click on the link to view any questions and answers.
Creating your own questions (Recommended)
One of the reasons the feature gets underused is because businesses assume they need to wait for customers to ask the questions. This doesn’t have to be the case! You can get much more value from creating and even answering your own questions then having none at all.
Think of it a bit like a FAQ page if you will. If you already have an FAQ on your website you can copy and paste those questions and responses.
These questions and answers can be used to address potential barriers for consumers, their presence is also an indication of trust, particularly over a business which has none.
Does GMB Questions and Answers Benefit SEO?
There is currently no data to support this, however as a general rule, Google loves content, especially on its own platforms.
Writing a few of your own questions and answers is a relatively quick and easy task any business can do; if it benefits SEO great, otherwise it’s still valuable for the consumer, which is no bad thing. It may also help to set your listing apart from competitors.
Some people may be asking, if customers can get all the answers they need from Google, do they need to visit my website? Maybe not, although websites still play a crucial role for many businesses. More often consumers are taking action from within the search results, making a call or asking for directions from their phone. It makes sense to provide as much information as possible, because this is where many people are choosing to take action.
If you have any other questions on Google, SEO, or web marketing in general, check out our blog.
This is a really good feature for business owners and I’m sure it must give a boost to your listing but I guess it’s the sum of all the parts that count!