Google is adding automated messaging via business profile FAQs

Google has added a new feature to help businesses automate some of the responses to questions submitted through their Google Maps and Google Search business listings. This new feature is part of your Google profile and you can manage it in the FAQ section of your messages section.

Automatic messaging. Google has added a feature where you as a business can suggest questions that people can ask your business when they start a chat and then set up automatic answers to those questions. This is called FAQ.

Where to find it. You can find this on Google Search by typing “my business” or your business name. Then click on the “Customers” button and click on “Messages”. In this section, then click on the three vertical dots and then click on “Message Settings” and then “Manage FAQs”.

How does it look. Here is a screenshot of the FAQ section:

Here is the FAQ form:

More details. Stefan Somborac, who first noticed this and posted about it on Twitter, explained that you can create up to ten FAQs, each question has a 40 character limit and each answer has a 500 character limit. Additionally, you can include links in your answers.

Why do we care? Messaging on Google Maps and Google Search can be great for customers, but many businesses don’t have the resources to respond to such inquiries in a timely manner. FAQs and automated responses can help these companies respond to customers in a much more timely manner, improving customer satisfaction and business resources.

About the author

Barry Schwartz, a contributing editor for Search Engine Land and a member of the programming team for SMX events. He is the owner RustyBrick, an online consulting firm based in New York. It also runs Round table of search engines, a popular search blog on highly advanced SEM topics. Barry can be tracked on Twitter here.