• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer, January 5, 2021

Google began offering a feature called Google Question Hub in 2019 as a way for publishers to see the types of questions that go unanswered in Google Search, giving them the ability to create content for those questions to answer them. In a way, it gave publishers an ability to gain expertise in specific topics.

The feature -- initially launched in India, Indonesia, West Africa, and Nigeria to give content creators insight into the types of questions people seek answers to -- is now available in the United States.

While it provides a way to find content ideas for publishers on the web, what if content creators could use this tool to answer questions across all media, such as streaming television?

Question Hub collects unanswered questions from users, allowing content creators and writers to create content that answers them.

Creators must have a Google Account to sign up for Question Hub. Google recommends using a computer to access Question Hub, as it is not optimized for tablets or mobile devices. The hope is that these will be added later.

The user clicks “Add Questions” to find topics, and then searches for topics or uses “category browse.” Once topics are found, they click “Add” to have user questions on that topic added to the Questions tab.

Google notes that submitting a video or article on Question Hub has no bearing on rankings in Search. The person who asked the question is not notified that a publisher has provided an answer.

The feature is designed for content in search, but what about building content for other media? The first thing I thought about was enabling content creators to use this tool to fill the unpurchased TV commercial space on streaming services. I use Roku, for example, and sometimes there are 10-, 20- or 30-second gaps in programming during a commercial break with no ads inserted, just a blue screen indicating a commercial break.

Networks could use this space to create content that answer questions that are asked in Google Search. For example. What is discovery+ and how much does it cost? The television shows moving to discovery+ assume that the consumer already knows about the new choice, how to find it, and the cost for the service.

Just a thought.