Google's Question Hub will help publishers answer the unanswered

• Google launched a new tool for publishers to help them identify content gaps.
  
• Google's Question Hub gives writers and journalists insight into questions that haven't been answered like, 'Can I use henna mehendi after Fem bleach on my hands?'.
  
• Currently Question Hub is only available to publishers in India, Indonesia and Nigeria but Google has plans to expand to other countries soon.
  

Google has been testing its new tool since last year but now it has officially launched the beta-version of Question Hub for publishers in India, Indonesia and Nigeria.

The queries presented aren't restricted to English users either. Question hub has been localised to accommodate search questions in Hindi and Bahasa Indonesia as well.

The goal of its new tool is help bridge the gap between writers and readers. Journalists and bloggers can use it to find out what unanswered questions are roaming around the internet and answer them by publishing articles on their site.


It could be anything from science questions like, 'How many revolutions does Chandrayaan 2 make around the Earth?' to more curious requests like 'Do mermaid tears really turn into pearls?' and 'Can I use Mehndi (henna) after Fem bleach on my hands?'.

It upto publishers to apply their editorial judgement to find out which questions would work for sites and have the most impact.

After publishing an article or video that answers a specific query, publishers can then submit it back into the Question Hub to measure its metrics,.

How do I sign up?

In order to access Question Hub, users need to sign up through the Search Console account. If a particular publisher doesn't have a Search Console account, they will still need to ask their webmaster to add them as a user to Search Console in order to gain direct access.

Webmasters need not fear in case they are unsure, access can always be revoked.

Otherwise, publishers or writers can always ask the webmaster to sign up for Question Hub on their own and share a downloaded list of questions with the team.

Questions can be looked up by searching for specific topics or browsing through the already defined categories — and adding the final topic to the Questions tab.

Why only beta?

Through the beta trial, Google is looking for feedback on the experience of using Question Hub to gauge whether or not new features need to be added.

Once the beta trial of the product has ended, Google has plans to expand the product into other markets and in other languages.

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