New Q&As Feature for Google Maps and search
Google has recently announced and started to roll out Questions & Answers, a business sourced Q&A product for local Knowledge Panels places listings. The Q&A feature might not be live for everyone at this point, but you will eventually be able to find it in the new Questions&answers section of a given location in Google Maps and search.
This might not appeal to everyone, but I am sure it can find an audience. After all, the ability to ask questions about a location could be handy as there are so many details about a restaurant for example that might not be part of the official description. Even more, users have various place-specific questions that are going unanswered right now.
Therefore, Questions and Answers allow business owners to answer questions directly from potential customers. And even more, merchants have the chance to anticipate FAQ’s by adding commonly asked questions and their answers, so you get the point. If you need to plan something around uncommon accessibility requirements, or if you just want some time-saving tips, this becomes ideal.
Up to now, when you open up a business listing in Maps or search, there’ll be this special Q&A section waiting for you where you’ll be able to see questions that other people have asked, ask your own queries about the location, and upvote information with the help of the thumbs-up button. Business owners will also be able to add frequently asked questions, and directly respond to queries, too.
Even better, if the question is a common one, and the answer a good one, the conversation can stick around to help others. “Is there space to park a baby stroller?”, “What dishes should I try?”, “Do I need reservations for a Friday night?”, “Which credit cards are accepted there?”, “Are service animals allowed?”, “Can I also bring my kids?” and more – these are all questions that can finally get the long waited answers. And as you’d expect, upvoted comments are more likely to appear near the top of the section.
After all, this is an effort to create ever more granular content that will keep consumers happy and it makes sense that Google is adding a Q&A feature to results in Maps and search to make such questions much easier to answer.
If for some reason you don’t have Maps installed on your phone, download the app and let us know your experience of using the app in the comments section down below.
