In the wake of Yahoo Answers, once a staple of internet Q&A shutting down, Google Question Hub brings some light to the horizon, especially when it comes to SEO. While a few years ago posts on Yahoo Answers might’ve dominated the top of the search results page, when was the last time you went there to find the answer to your question? Chances are it’s been a while, and there’s more than one reason for that.
Internet Q&A Has Evolved
The first is that Google search has really evolved to answer questions differently. While in the past, Google might’ve matched up your question with the exact text of another question asked in an online forum, which was then (hopefully) answered by a subject on the matter. But now when you ask Google a question, it uses context clues to try and understand what you’re asking, not just matching up text with text.
The second is that as Google continues to develop its algorithm, the SEO industry has exploded and marketers are racing to discover what people are searching for, including the many questions, and answer these questions on their own websites to generate more traffic. This is a win-win for both question askers and business owners who are savvy enough to employ this SEO technique, but there is one problem. Marketers can only answer the questions they think people are asking.
What is Google Question Hub?
So what’s the solution? Enter Google Question Hub, accessible at questionhub.withgoogle.com It’s an elegant combination of Yahoo Answers and SEO content writing. According to Google, “Question Hub is a tool that enables creators to create richer content by leveraging unanswered questions. Question Hub collects these unanswered user questions and surfaces them to bloggers, writers, and content creators like you.” Basically, Google finds unanswered questions and gives marketers a chance to answer them with content from their own website. Not only does this help people find the answers they’re looking for, but it gives marketers a chance to increase their traffic.
How Google Question Hub Will Impact SEO
Someone answers a question and you answer it, sounds simple enough right? But what makes this platform different from a Quora or Yahoo Answers is that rather than answer in plain text on an external account, your answers take the form of a URL that leads to relevant content on your own website. The idea is that because these are unique unanswered questions, in theory your content will be prioritized the next time someone asks it.
Google Question Hub Integration With Search Console
One of the best features of Google Question Hub is its ability to integrate with your Google Search Console Account. After submitting a link to your content as an answer, you can grant access to Search Console data for each activated site on Question Hub. This integration allows you to track how your answer is doing by measuring both impressions and clicks.
It’s Still New (to Us)
While this platform has been available in a few other countries for some time now, namely India and Indonesia, keep in mind that this feature is still in beta mode for the United States. As with any product by Google, beta or not, there’s always room for change, but it will be interesting to keep an eye out for this platform and see how it impacts the future of Internet Q&A.
Contact Boston Web Marketing
Want to maximize your traffic using Google Question Hub, Search Console and content writing? We specialize in web content, optimized to get you found on Google. Let the SEO experts boost your traffic and deliver valuable search insights to your business. Give us a call at 857-526-0096 or contact us here.