Latest / The Local Marketing Podcast with Fexingo: Small Business, Google Maps, and Local SEO / How a Plumber Uses Google Maps Question and Answer to Close More Jobs
Transcript
- Lucas: So, Luna — quick question. When was the last time you looked at the question and answer section on a Google Maps listing? Luna: Honestly? Probably never. I mean, I scroll through reviews, look at photos, check hours. But Q and A? That feels like the forgotten corner of the profile. Lucas: Exactly. And that's exactly why it's such a huge opportunity right now. Most business owners completely ignore it. But customers are using it. Google Maps data shows that listings with at least five questions and answers get something like 40 percent more clicks to the website. Luna: Forty percent? That's wild for something that costs zero dollars and maybe twenty minutes of work. Lucas: Right. So today I want to walk through a specific case — a plumber in Austin, Texas, called Cooper's Plumbing. They started proactively managing their Q and A section about six months ago, and they say it's been one of the highest roi moves they've made. And I think the lessons apply to almost any local service business. Luna: Okay, I'm listening. What did they actually do? Because I've seen some listings where the questions are just — crickets. Or worse, the owner answered once and never checked again. Lucas: So the owner, a guy named Mark Cooper, told me he noticed that people were searching for things like 'do you charge for estimates?' or 'how fast can you get here on a weekend?' — basic trust-building questions — but his listing had none of that answered. So he sat down and wrote out the twenty most common questions he gets on the phone. Luna: And he just posted them himself? I thought customers had to ask the questions. Lucas: That's the clever part. You can ask your own questions. You just need someone else with a Google account — a friend, a family member, a past customer who's willing — to post the questions. Then you answer them under your business profile. There's no rule that says the customer has to be the one to initiate. Luna: Huh. So you're essentially seeding the Q and A with exactly the information you want prospects to see. That feels almost like a FAQ page, but embedded right in the map listing. Lucas: Exactly. And the beauty is, Google surfaces those Q and As in search results. If someone searches 'plumber Austin free estimate', your answer can show up right there. Mark told me that within two weeks of adding answers to the first ten questions, he started getting calls where the customer said 'I saw you answer the estimate question on Google Maps.' Luna: That's a direct conversion. So what kinds of questions did he prioritize? Lucas: He focused on three buckets. First, price and trust questions — 'Do you charge for estimates?', 'Are you licensed and insured?', 'Do you offer a warranty on labor?' Second, availability — 'Do you do emergency calls on Sunday?', 'How quickly can you get here?', 'Do you serve the entire Austin metro?' And third, process — 'What does a typical water heater replacement cost?', 'Do you clean up after the job?' Luna: All of which are exactly what I'd want to know before I let a stranger into my house with a wrench. So it's basically pre-empting objections. Lucas: Exactly. And here's the part I found most interesting. He also started monitoring his competitors' Q and A sections. He'd look at what questions were being asked on their profiles but not answered, or answered poorly. Then he'd seed those same questions on his own profile with a better answer. Luna: So competitor keyword research, but using their own customer questions against them. That's — actually kind of brilliant. What did he find? Lucas: He found a competitor who had a question sitting unanswered for eight months: 'Do you have a satisfaction guarantee?' The competitor never replied. Mark put that on his own listing and answered with a clear 100 percent satisfaction guarantee policy. He said he got at least three customers who mentioned that specifically. Luna: Wow. So the competitor's neglect became his lead-generation tool. And the cost? Just a few minutes of typing. Lucas: Right. And I want to emphasize — this isn't about gaming the system. It's about providing genuinely useful information where people are already looking. Google wants to show answers. The business that provides them wins. Luna: Before we go deeper, I want to mention something. You know, these podcast episodes take a fair bit of research and editing to put together. And they stay ad-free because of listeners who chip in a couple of dollars on Buy Me a Coffee. It's at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. If this kind of practical marketing advice has ever helped you land a client or fix a problem, that's the place to say thanks. It's genuinely what keeps these going. Lucas: Yeah, and we appreciate every single one. It makes a real difference. So — back to the Q and A strategy. Another thing Mark did was set up Google alerts for his own business name plus the word 'question.' That way, if a real customer posts a question, he gets notified instantly and can answer within hours. Speed matters a lot. Luna: Because if a customer sees a question sitting there for days, it signals that nobody's monitoring the listing. That hurts trust. Lucas: Exactly. And Google also factors recency into ranking. A profile that's actively being updated — new photos, new reviews, new Q and As — tends to rank higher in the local pack. So answering quickly gives you a double benefit: better customer experience and a slight SEO boost. Luna: So let's talk about the actual mechanics. If I'm a business owner listening, what's the step-by-step? How do I get started today? Lucas: First, open your Google Business Profile and go to the Q and A section. See what's already there. If there are unanswered questions, answer them immediately. Use complete sentences, include keywords naturally, and be specific. For example, instead of 'Yes, we do estimates,' say 'Yes, we offer free written estimates for all plumbing repairs, typically within 24 hours.' Luna: So you're also using the answer as a mini landing page. That's smart. Lucas: Right. Second, brainstorm the top ten questions you get on the phone or via email. Write them down. Then ask a friend or a past customer to post them on your listing. Third, answer each one with a detailed, helpful response. And fourth, set a recurring reminder — once a month — to check for new questions and to review your competitors' Q and A. Luna: What about questions that are negative or critical? Like, 'Do you charge extra for weekends?' — if the answer is yes, do you still answer? Lucas: Absolutely answer. But frame it positively. Instead of 'Yes, we charge more,' say 'We offer weekend service at a small surcharge because our technicians are on call. Many customers find it worth it for the peace of mind.' You're being honest, but you're also explaining the value. Ignoring a question makes it look like you're hiding something. Luna: That's solid advice. And I think the key takeaway here is that Q and A is one of the few places on Google Maps where you can control the narrative. Reviews are mostly out of your hands. Photos — you control. But Q and A is a hybrid: customers ask, but you get to write the answer. And if you seed the questions yourself, you essentially control the whole conversation. Lucas: Exactly. And the results can be dramatic. Mark said his call volume from Google Maps went up about 30 percent in the first three months. And he attributes most of that to the Q and A section because he didn't change anything else — same photos, same review volume, same ad spend. Luna: Thirty percent is huge for a local business. That could be the difference between a slow month and a profitable one. Lucas: Absolutely. And the best part is, it's nearly zero cost. Just time. For a business owner who's already spending money on Google Ads or SEO agencies, this is a freebie that most competitors are ignoring. That gap won't last forever, but right now it's wide open. Luna: So for anyone listening who runs a service business — plumber, electrician, landscaper, cleaner, even a doctor or dentist — this is your homework for this week. Write down ten questions, get them posted, and answer them. See what happens in thirty days. Lucas: And if you want to take it a step further, track your calls. Use a unique phone number or ask every caller how they found you. Mark did that and found that 'Google Maps Q and A' was becoming a top-three source. It's real, measurable, and it's sitting right there in your Google profile. Luna: Alright, I'm convinced. I'm actually going to go check my own business listing after this. I bet I've got some orphaned questions. Lucas: Do it. And if you find something interesting, let us know. We might do a follow-up episode on Q and A for different industries. Thanks for listening, everyone.