WHAT IS GOOGLE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS (Google Q&A)?
Google Q&A was introduced in August 2017. This new Google feature allows users and businesses to share questions and answers. These questions and answers appear on a business’s Google Knowledge Panel and Maps page.
Appearing in both the Google Knowledge Panel for a brand search and the Local Finder for a keyword search in all browsers and in Google Maps for Android ensures the questions and answers are often presented as soon as a potential customer performs a relevant brand search. This is an important communication channel that should not be neglected.
As user-generated content, Google Q&A can impact your online reputation. It is important for any business to be aware and respond to their Google Q&A. This is true for all business locations whether the company is large or small but becomes problematic for brands and agencies that are monitoring multiple locations.
How Does ORM Leverage Google Q&A?
As part of our Pro and higher plans we offer the ability for small businesses, agencies, brands and multi-location businesses to monitor, report and productively engage with the new Google Questions & Answers that are appearing on your brand page at Google.
Here is how ORM achieves this:
- Automatic setup: If you have a Pro Plan and are already monitoring Google reviews, we will immediately start monitoring your Google Questions & Answers.
- Email alerts: Whenever we find a new question or a new answer on any of your locations we will alert you via an email so that you can stay in front of them. We even notify you if the questions you reported to Google have been removed.
- Google Question and Answer Dashboard: We will provide the ability to see all of your locations’ question and answers in one place, simply, quickly and easily. You will be able to filter in numerous ways, to just focus on the particular locations or questions of concern.
- Multi-location workflow: Staying on top of Questions & Answers is easy with our optimized workflow that allows you to quickly and easily respond to legitimate questions, report those that violate Google’s TOS and indicate to others in your work group that the job has been accomplished.
HOW CAN THE GOOGLE Q&A REPORT BENEFIT ME?
Google Q&A can appear directly on the front page of a Google brand search for every business with at least one question. If the question has at least one thumbs up (an up-vote) then the question can show directly in search. The question with the most up-votes is the one that will show. This can directly enhance your business's reputation with crowd sourced affirmation.
Having questions on the business's Google Knowledge Panel can ease the customer journey. By answering commonly posed questions the business can help potential customers make an informed and immediate decision.