Populating duplicate Google Business Q&As for multi location - yay or nay?

[ChadH]

With a multi-location, service-based business, what does Google say about populating duplicate Q&As? (i.e. identical questions with identical answers)

We have a client with many locations. They tend to have the same questions asked over and over, which lends to populating those same Q&As for all locations. We want to start with populating the same 3 questions with the same identical answers across the board, but don't want to go against anything Google might consider a "bad practice."

If this is NOT allowed, would simply including the location's name in the question and answer help? Or would that not make enough of a difference?

Thanks in advance!

 

[JeffClevelandTN]

With a multi-location, service-based business, what does Google say about populating duplicate Q&As? (i.e. identical questions with identical answers)

We have a client with many locations. They tend to have the same questions asked over and over, which lends to populating those same Q&As for all locations. We want to start with populating the same 3 questions with the same identical answers across the board, but don't want to go against anything Google might consider a "bad practice."

If this is NOT allowed, would simply including the location's name in the question and answer help? Or would that not make enough of a difference?

Thanks in advance!

Hey Chad, we also have a client with many locations across three states and we routinely Ask and Answer our own questions. Just like you, we see the same questions being asked and feel it is better to be proactive about properly answering these frequent questions than risking some random person providing incorrect info.

Here's a great article at Brightlocal that may be helpful too: How to Use Google My Business Q&A

 

[GMBapi.com]

Hi Chad. We do the same (as Jeff), "asking ad answering our own questions". For example, for a chain of Pet Care Stores we would ask "Do you have anything against fleas for my dog?" and we post the answer simultaneously "about both preventative and treatments we have available".

We have just unlocked this functionality via the API, so we can post this for multi location businesses from one interface in one go. Feel free to reach out (GMBapi.com), we offer free testing.

Greetings from London, Michel

 

[ChadH]

Thank you both so much for your responses! My question is more in relation to the duplicative content portion, rather than the population of the Q&As. We already have it in our strategy to populate both the questions and answers for our client on their behalf

We're worried more about these questions below:

• Is it an issue if dozens of locations (multi-location business) have all the exact same questions with the exact same answers?
• Is this practice considered duplicative content or "spammy" in Google eyes?

Thanks!

 

[JeffClevelandTN]

Thank you both so much for your responses! My question is more in relation to the duplicative content portion, rather than the population of the Q&As. We already have it in our strategy to populate both the questions and answers for our client on their behalf

We're worried more about these questions below:

• Is it an issue if dozens of locations (multi-location business) have all the exact same questions with the exact same answers?
• Is this practice considered duplicative content or "spammy" in Google eyes?

Thanks!

Hey Chad, you should have no worries about it being identified as spam/duplicated content by Google. You can post the exact same Q&A's and it will not have a negative impact.

 

[ChadH]

Hey Chad, you should have no worries about it being identified as spam/duplicated content by Google. You can post the exact same Q&A's and it will not have a negative impact.

Wonderful - Thanks so much for the feedback! Really appreciate the help.