Services
TAYA

They Ask, You Answer Mastery

A coaching & training program that drives unmatched sales & marketing results.

Sales

Sales Performance Mastery

Improve the competencies and close rates of your sales organization.

Web design

Website Mastery

Web design, development & training for your team.

HubSpot

HubSpot Mastery

Everything you need to get the most from HubSpot.

AI Mastery

AI Enablement Mastery

Unlock the power of AI in all aspects of your revenue operations.

Discover how IMPACT’s services can help take your business to the next level. Book a free 30-minute coaching session Book a free 30-minute coaching session
Learning Center
Learning Center

Learning Center

Free resources to help you improve the way you market, sell and grow your business.

Discover how IMPACT’s services can help take your business to the next level. Book a free 30-minute coaching session Book a free 30-minute coaching session

Free: Assessment Does your website build trust with buyers and bring in revenue?

Score My Website
Close

Free: Assessment

Does your website build trust with buyers and bring in revenue?
Take this free 6 question assessment and learn how your website can start living up to its potential.
Score My Website
Justine Timoteo Thomas

By Justine Timoteo Thomas

Mar 21, 2019

Topics:

Search Engine Optimization News
Subscribe
Join 40,000+ sales and marketing pros who receive our weekly newsletter.

Get the most relevant, actionable digital sales and marketing insights you need to make smarter decisions faster... all in under five minutes.

Thanks, stay tuned for our upcoming edition.
Search Engine Optimization  |   News

Google to Allow Q&A Directly in Search Results

Justine Timoteo Thomas

By Justine Timoteo Thomas

Mar 21, 2019

Google to Allow Q&A Directly in Search Results

Google may be rolling out a new interface that allows web users to ask questions directly on the search engine results page (SERP) and answer the questions posed by other searchers.

q-and-a-on-google-1552910096

What does this mean for marketers? Will your traffic take a nose-dive if users are finding answers directly on the search results page instead of clicking through to your site?

Or will it open the door to better engage with your target audience?

Why Marketers Shouldn’t Be Too Surprised

“People come to Google seeking information about all kinds of questions.”

This was the message included when Google announced last December that it “developed a new rich result type for question-and-answer sites…[where]search results for eligible Q&A pages display a preview of the top answers.”

Google is essentially allowing searchers to pose questions and then also answer asked questions directly in the search results.

Think of it like a forum or support/help message board directly in your search results.

google-update-question-answer

Google’s algorithm for the results page has changed dramatically over the years, all to better cater to the searcher. At the end of the day, Google wants to see content that answers what searches are directly looking for and this is the next incarnation of that.

When it comes to creating content, the method we proudly preach (and follow) here at IMPACT is the core message of They Ask, You Answer -- you need to create content that answers your audience’s questions.

Now, I know many of you are already doing this with blog articles, videos, podcasts, and more, but extending the option for people to answer questions directly in Google may be a game changer.

Though you won’t be able to “control” the conversation, you will be able to be a part of it and educate searchers well enough to provide the best answers.

What Could It Mean for Marketers?

Of course we all want to better serve our audience and customers, but as marketers, we also aim to drive real results for our business. A super simplification of digital marketing is more traffic means more leads, which means more sales opportunities.

But what happens if we start losing traffic? What happens if users are getting the answers to their questions without actually going to our site to find them?

Marketers will need to learn to pivot… again.

via GIPHY

Like we saw after the introduction of position zero or Featured Snippets in Google, it wouldn't be far-fetched to think that if people are getting their answers directly in the search results, they're less likely to click through and organic traffic may take a hit. 

Don't be too distraught though! If we’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that we must be ready to adapt to how people are buying. 

If the future means buyers are remaining more on Google and less on our sites, then that may lead to us investing some of our team’s time in answering questions there.

How Can You Leverage This New Format?

The answer is simple -- continue to answer your buyer’s questions.

Your brand content should already be doing this by answering questions related to the top five topics that we’ve shown to be the biggest drivers of traffic.

And now you may have a bigger opportunity by answering searcher’s questions directly on the SERP.

t-q-and-a-on-google-1552910103

Now, we don’t know when this will be rolled out entirely. A similar format was initially seen a year ago in India and “other countries where Google may not have as vast of a web index to provide answers on any and every topic,” but we could be seeing it more broadly soon.

If the Q&A format rolls out internationally, you may need to reconsider your team roles to ensure someone is responsible for directly answering questions you want to provide input and value on.

Since we don’t know when this Q&A format will become a reality for all, I recommend continuing to create your content with the one end goal in mind of answering your audience’s questions.

Because at the end of the day, that’s what we should all aim to do.

Free: Assessment

Does your website build trust with buyers and bring in revenue?
Take this free 6 question assessment and learn how your website can start living up to its potential.

Related Articles

Content Marketing and AI-Powered Generative Search

September 20, 2023
Vin Gaeta Vin Gaeta

9 SEO Best Practices for Stronger Organic Traffic in 2023

November 18, 2022
Justine Timoteo Thomas Justine Timoteo Thomas

Video SEO: How To Optimize Videos To Drive Traffic to Your Website

May 9, 2022
Justine Timoteo Thomas Justine Timoteo Thomas

37 Eye-opening SEO Statistics To Nail Your 2022 Search Strategy

April 28, 2022
Justine Timoteo Thomas Justine Timoteo Thomas

10 Reasons Why Your Website Is Not Ranking In Google

February 10, 2022
Justine Timoteo Thomas Justine Timoteo Thomas

Google Shares New Tools to Audit Website User Experience

August 12, 2021
Justine Timoteo Thomas Justine Timoteo Thomas

Google: Website Content Quality More Important Than Quantity

August 10, 2021
Justine Timoteo Thomas Justine Timoteo Thomas

How Long Tail Keyword Research Can Drive Business

August 9, 2021
Justine Timoteo Thomas Justine Timoteo Thomas

How to Optimize Videos On Your Business Website for Search

July 23, 2021
Justine Timoteo Thomas Justine Timoteo Thomas

Google: 'Here's how to prepare for the future private web'

July 16, 2021
Justine Timoteo Thomas Justine Timoteo Thomas

Too many internal links in content can confuse Google about site structure

July 9, 2021
Justine Timoteo Thomas Justine Timoteo Thomas

Google July 2021 core update rolling out over next 2 weeks

July 2, 2021
Justine Timoteo Thomas Justine Timoteo Thomas

Inbound Marketing Help: My Traffic And Leads Are Down. What Can I Do?

June 28, 2021
John Becker John Becker

Finally, Google page experience core update is rolling out

June 18, 2021
Justine Timoteo Thomas Justine Timoteo Thomas

What is a Featured Snippet? [Definition + Examples]

June 10, 2021
Justine Timoteo Thomas Justine Timoteo Thomas

Google June 2021 core update live, July core update coming

June 4, 2021
Justine Timoteo Thomas Justine Timoteo Thomas

Google's June page experience core update will be mobile first, then desktop

May 21, 2021
Justine Timoteo Thomas Justine Timoteo Thomas

Google confirms demise of Q&A search feature, Question Hub lives on

April 26, 2021
Justine Timoteo Thomas Justine Timoteo Thomas

Big Google algorithm update moved to June with new performance report

April 21, 2021
Justine Timoteo Thomas Justine Timoteo Thomas

No, changing page publish dates won't increase Google search rankings

April 10, 2021
Justine Timoteo Thomas Justine Timoteo Thomas

Google: 'zero-click search' claims and data 'misleading'

April 5, 2021
Justine Timoteo Thomas Justine Timoteo Thomas

3 quick SEO fixes that will increase your website rankings right away

March 30, 2021
Justine Timoteo Thomas Justine Timoteo Thomas

10 Google Analytics metrics you absolutely must track (updated)

March 29, 2021
Justine Timoteo Thomas Justine Timoteo Thomas

Meet the new Google My Business review management view

March 20, 2021
Justine Timoteo Thomas Justine Timoteo Thomas

Google Ads help: Top 10 reasons your Google Ads campaigns are failing

March 10, 2021
Jason Linde Jason Linde