Have you opened your Google Business Profile and can no longer see the Q&A section as before? It isn't your fault: Google withdrew the API that let other software manage it, then changed how this feature works on Business Profiles. Your customers still need the same information before they call you. Here is what has changed and what to do on your profile and your website.
In short
- Google withdrew the Q&A API, then changed the public section: people now get an instant reply drawn from your answers and customer feedback.
- You can still reply in the Q&A section of your profile, and what was published may stay visible.
- Google's guidance says the section exists only in some regions and for some types of business.
- Your part: complete your Business Profile, keep it updated and cover the usual customer questions on your site.
What happened to Google Business Profile Q&A?
Google is changing the feature: it first shut down the API that other software used to manage Q&A, then changed how people get a reply. Here is the sequence.
How the Q&A section worked
In this part of Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business), any user could post a public question about a business and anyone could reply, not just the owner, so many businesses published their own frequently asked questions and posted the answers themselves.
First, the API was withdrawn
The first step was the withdrawal of the Q&A API, through which other software, such as the management tools some agencies use, could read and reply to that content. Its official change log, which gives the exact date, says Google was updating this feature. If your agency used such a tool for profile management, that route no longer exists.
The API worked location by location: a tool could list the entries on each business location, view the latest replies and add new ones. The change log records the shutdown announcement in mid-September and then the end of the API in early November: reading and publishing Q&A content through the API no longer works, and the matching notifications are deprecated. To keep track of the other Business Profile APIs (often shortened to GBP), the developers' site keeps a Latest updates page covering all of them.
What Google announced for the public section
Google then explained in its official Business Profile community that people struggled to spot an up-to-date reply among so many entries. So they can now type their question directly in Google Maps and get an instant reply based on your answers and relevant reviews. Rather than have businesses reply to dozens of one-off enquiries, Google lets you reply once to a question many people share.
What was already published
According to the same announcement, your published Q&A keeps feeding Google's understanding of the real world and may be shown in the app, and you can still reply to existing entries in the Q&A section of your Business Profile. If your previous replies covered useful content (summer opening hours, home visits, where to park), move that key information to your site and profile fields too.
What Google's guidance says today
Google's support page Edit your Business Profile still describes Q&A, with a note: on Business Profiles, this functionality is available only for select business categories and regions, and its appearance might change. So, depending on your category and region, the section may or may not be showing on your profile.
Why does the Q&A change matter for your business?
Because your customers still want answers before they get in touch. What changes is where they look for the answer: on your Google Business Profile, on your site and, where it has arrived, in content generated by artificial intelligence.
Your customers still want to know the same things
Before calling a plumber in Elche or booking a hairdresser in Alicante, customers check:
- whether you work in their area;
- what time you open;
- whether they need an appointment;
- how long a service takes.
If they can't find that quickly, they move on to other search results without ever contacting you.
What people see when they search for you
For a local search like "electrician in Valencia", Google shows business profiles in Google Search results and on its map, with opening hours, services, photos and customer reviews. It's often the first thing customers see of your company, so your Business Profile is a key part of your marketing and should be complete and relevant.
What it means for your local SEO
According to Google's help pages, local search results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence: a complete Business Profile signals what services you offer and where, while reviews and mentions of your business across the internet count towards prominence. Your local SEO strategy and your visibility rest on information you control.
What is replacing the old Q&A list on Google?
Instant replies built from what you and your customers have written and, where available, a tool based on artificial intelligence that replies to searchers. If you have a shop, Google may also send you questions about what you sell.
A new tool built with Gemini
Google is rolling out a new tool built with its Gemini models, Ask Maps, which gives recommendations and replies about places (see its support page). For a question about a business, such as whether your garage in Elda opens on Saturdays, Google says the instant reply draws on:
- the replies the business itself has posted;
- feedback from its customers that fits the question.
Not available everywhere
According to Google's announcement, this tool rolled out first in the United States and India and has not reached every country. To check, open Google's map app on your phone and run a search; button names may vary, as Google updates its features from time to time. Even if you don't see it, prepare your Business Profile anyway: any customer who comes across you online can read it.
What you control and what you don't
You don't decide what the AI says, but you decide what content you publish: your own replies, a complete profile and a clear site provide it with accurate material. Good service and inviting all your customers to leave a review also shape what they say. Google warns that replies from its artificial intelligence can be incorrect and recommends checking important information in more than one place, so make sure Google and your site match.
Yes-or-no questions about your products
If you have a shop, Google may ask you directly, as the owner, to confirm with a quick yes or no whether you stock a specific product. These questions appear in the Products section of your profile, as Google explains on its official help page. Only reply with what is true, or customers will come in for something you don't sell.
What to do now on your Google Business Profile
Adapt your strategy and use the features of your profile to cover what people used to look up in Q&A: complete every relevant field, respond to reviews, keep posting and check regularly what Google shows about your company.
Complete your categories, services and products
Your primary category tells Google what you do and secondary ones what else you do; see how to choose from the categories Google offers. Then add each service with a name customers understand ("boiler repair" rather than trade jargon) and, if you sell products, add them with a photo and price. In local search, a complete profile can help your visibility for the services you actually offer.
Check your attributes, opening hours and description
Attributes provide quick replies to what customers used to find out by asking; the options depend on your category and industry, for example:
- accessibility, such as a wheelchair-accessible entrance;
- the payment methods you accept;
- amenities such as Wi-Fi.
Add your real opening hours, with specific hours for public holidays, and a clear description of your services and area. One more tip: in some regions, verified businesses can add a WhatsApp or text messaging option to their profile, under Chat in the profile editor (if you add both messaging options, only the text one is shown). Our tips for optimising your Google Business Profile cover each field.
Respond to feedback when it's useful, and always to criticism
Customers read online reviews before deciding, and Google says its instant replies draw on them too. Review management is part of good customer service, and Google's tips for replying say you don't need to send everyone the same "thank you": reply when you can share useful news or answer a question, and keep it short. Always respond calmly to criticism and stick to the facts (see our guide to replying to negative reviews). When you post a reply that clears up a common query ("Yes, we're also open on Saturday mornings"), future customers reading your reviews will see it too. To keep new reviews coming in, try these strategies for getting more reviews.
Keep your photos, videos and posts up to date
Photos and a short video help customers picture your premises, the entrance and your best work; upload real, recent images to improve first impressions. Use posts (updates, offers and events) to share news, seasonal opening hours or a promotion: this fresh content is a simple form of digital marketing, and regular updates, once a week for example, show that your business is active. Our guides explain which photos and videos to upload and how to publish Google Business Profile posts.
Make sure your NAP matches everywhere
Your company name, address and phone number (known in local SEO as NAP) should be identical on Google, on your website, on your social media profiles and in directory listings; two different phone numbers undermine customer trust. See our guide to local citations and NAP.
Search for your business the way a customer would
Every month or so, search for your business from your phone and look at the search results as a first-time customer would. If the AI option is available where you are, put to it the questions your customers put to you and check its answer. Correct anything wrong at its source. The Performance section of your Business Profile also provides key clues. It shows:
- your views and the searches that found you;
- calls and direction requests;
- clicks to your site.
Those search queries give you ideas for your FAQ page and your posts, and comparing performance month by month helps you see whether your changes are working. For more visibility, related guides explain how to add your business to the map and what the Google Map Pack is.
How to prepare an FAQ page on your website
A clear FAQ page, consistent with your Google Business Profile, is useful marketing: it builds trust, saves you calls and provides something Google doesn't, a space to explain your services as the expert. It also supports your local SEO and your online presence. If you're starting out, first check the elements every small business website should include.
Start from the queries you already receive
- What you're asked every week by phone or through messaging apps like WhatsApp.
- Enquiries that arrive by email or through the form on your site.
- What customers want to know at the counter before buying.
- Comments and reviews that come up again and again.
- What you've published in the Q&A section of your profile: you can reuse those replies.
Ideas by type of business
| Type of business | Questions worth covering |
|---|---|
| Shop | Do you have this product in store? Can I buy online and collect in store? Do you accept exchanges and returns? |
| Hairdresser's or beauty salon | Do you take walk-ins? How long does the treatment take? Can I pay by card? |
| Plumber or electrician | Are you available at weekends? Which areas do you cover? Is the quote free? |
| Restaurant or bar | Do you have a terrace? Are there gluten-free options? Are you open all year? |
How to write each reply
A few rules make your FAQ useful for customers and easy for a search engine to understand:
- Write each question the way a caller would put it ("Do you do emergency repairs in Valencia?").
- Answer in the first sentence with the specific information (times, areas, payment methods) and provide the same details you would give on the phone.
- Use your customers' words rather than trade jargon; our guide to keyword research explains how to choose them.
- Group related questions and put the most important information first.
- End each reply with your contact details: a WhatsApp button, your phone number or a form.
Every reply is also reusable marketing content: in posts, in replies to reviews or as quick replies in a messaging app such as WhatsApp Business. If writing isn't your thing, here are ideas for creating content without being a writer.
Tip
If your site is connected to Google Search Console, its Performance report lists the queries for which your pages appear: another source of real questions.
Keep your site and your profile consistent
When you update your opening hours, a service or your phone number on Google, update your site too, and vice versa. Your site can also include LocalBusiness structured data to help each search engine read your information; to improve your visibility in local search, follow these steps to rank your site.
If you don't have a website yet
At WebAutonomos we build websites for freelancers and small businesses using the real information on your Google Business Profile and your own photos, with a contact form, a WhatsApp button and basic SEO optimisation. You see a demo in less than 24 hours, before you pay; after that it costs €15/month, with no set-up fee and no minimum contract, or €349 as a one-off payment. It includes one change per month, handy when you need to update your opening hours or services. Request your demo.
Mistakes to avoid as Q&A changes
Some habits no longer fit your strategy. Avoid these mistakes, on top of the usual digital marketing mistakes.
On your profile
- Assuming you can still post your own list of FAQs on Google: the feature is changing, and the place for them is your site.
- Paying for a tool to manage the Q&A section: Google discontinued the API it relied on.
- Leaving out useful features: a generic category, no services, no attributes, no holiday hours.
- Saying "yes" to a product question about something you don't sell.
- Ignoring criticism, or requesting reviews only from customers you expect to be happy: Google's policy doesn't allow selective requests.
- Posting news once and then forgetting your profile for months.
On your site
- Having no FAQ page, or filling it with vague phrases such as "it depends, give us a call".
- Displaying opening hours, a phone number or an address that differ from your profile.
- Repeating your trade and your town in every sentence.
Q&A is changing shape, but your customers' questions remain, and your Business Profile is still a free marketing tool for responding to them. Set aside an afternoon to improve your profile and your site, then a few minutes a week for posting, replies and a review of your performance. And if you'd rather hand over this part of your marketing, at WebAutonomos we also manage Google Business Profiles: profile optimisation, 4 posts per month and replies to reviews.