In December 2025, Google announced changes to Business Profile Q&A. Customers would get instant responses based on the business’s own answers and relevant reviews, instead of a growing list of public questions. The Q&A was replaced with Google Ask Maps in March 2026, leveraging Gemini to answer user questions directly from the Maps interface. Someone could ask whether a firm handles wrongful termination cases, for example, and they’d get an answer right there in the Maps ecosystem.
Your firm’s website and Google Business Profile are still your own; they can still be changed and updated. But as of right now, you have less control over the AI answers Google Ask Maps provides to users.
Why Old Pages Need Cleanup
Google has not published a complete list of the sources Ask Maps uses or how it weighs them. Business Profile details in general can come from the firm’s website, other public sources, and people who use Maps.
During an April 2026 Near Media panel on Google Ask Maps, local-search specialist Claudia Tomina described one test. She asked whether her jeweler stocked a particular watch brand, and Ask Maps answered yes. When she texted the jeweler, the answer was no.
Looking into it, Tomina found an old page about the brand that wasn’t linked anywhere on the jeweler’s site. Google had never dropped that page from its index. A listicle from around 2015 or 2016 also mentioned the brand. Either could have fed the answer, though the test didn’t show which one Google relied on.
That same logic applies to every profession under the sun: contractors, medical professionals, and law firms. Outdated information and services you may no longer offer can show up in these answers if they haven’t been scrubbed from your website. And just because it’s buried deep in the site doesn’t mean it’s gone from search engines.
Test the Questions Prospects Ask Before Calling
Someone fired last week might open a firm’s Maps listing and ask whether the attorneys handle workplace retaliation. Someone else might want to know if the first meeting costs anything. Others ask about Spanish-speaking staff or how fast someone returns a call.
These are common intake questions, but they belong in different places on a website. Consultation fees and office hours apply across the firm. Whether a case qualifies depends on the practice area, the location, and the facts. The first step is comparing the questions staff hear with what the Business Profile and website say.
An age discrimination page, for instance, should spell out which employment disputes the firm takes and where it practices. A prospect describing months of harassment by a supervisor needs different details. For that prospect, a page on sexual harassment claims can explain what conduct the law covers, which records help, and what the firm needs to review a case.
These are the pages to prioritize for review. Stale data on these pages in particular will frustrate prospects and send them running.
Reviews Can Influence What Maps Google Ask Maps Says About a Firm
Google lists relevant reviews as one input for answering questions about businesses. A star rating shows that someone was happy, while a written review can describe the experience. When a reviewer mentions, unprompted, that an attorney called back within an hour, the next reader learns how fast the office responds.
But it has to be entirely organic; you can’t try to influence the wording in these reviews. It’s against Google’s policies and could constitute a Rules of Professional Conduct violation.
Keep the invitations neutral. “If you’d like to share an honest review of your experience, you’re welcome to do so. There’s no need to discuss confidential details,” is plenty.
What Happens When a Review Makes a Promise the Firm Cannot Make?
Suppose a reviewer writes that an attorney guaranteed a win. Rewriting the review isn’t an option. A reply thanking the reviewer for describing the guarantee would reinforce it, and an AI answer could repeat a claim like that.
Lawyers answering any review also have to protect client confidences. That rules out replies that confirm someone was a client or discuss the case. A firm can check whether the post breaks Google’s content policies and report it if so. Otherwise, staying silent may be wiser than drawing attention to the claim.
Business Owners Can Still Answer Certain Questions
Google’s December announcement described grouped customer questions that owners can answer through their Business Profiles. Google then uses those answers for similar questions later. Whoever manages the firm’s local search presence can check that area on each profile update.
Consultation answers need to be precise. If the first meeting is free, the answer can say so. When fees depend on the type of case, the answer should reflect that.
Google has said older Q&A answers can still inform what it knows about a business. An old answer saying consultations are free could mislead a prospect if the firm now charges for some meetings.
How to Check an Actual Google Ask Maps Answer
On a computer, Google Ask Maps sits in the Maps menu. Phones show it under the search bar, and some business listings include an Ask option directly.
Start small, with something easily verifiable. “Does this firm charge for an initial consultation?” Make sure you know the correct answer from your current intake policy, then compare it to the Google Ask Maps answer.
Record the date, the question word for word, any source links, and whether the answer agrees with the approved policy. Try the question again with different wording, then ask about a specific practice area and callback times. If the firm also tracks AI search results, Ask Maps belongs in its own column. A correct answer in AI Overviews doesn’t mean Maps gets it right.
When an answer is wrong, anyone can report it with the thumbs-down button below it. The firm can then fix the source it controls and contact any outside directory that lists the old details. Screenshots of every answer, including wrong ones, show what the public could have seen before a correction.
Questions Law Firms Ask About Google Ask Maps
Should a law firm still publish FAQs on its website?
Yes. Prospects need those answers wherever they search. A page on workplace retaliation might cover what conduct can count as retaliation, which filing deadlines apply, and whether the firm takes cases on contingency. Those answers need regular legal review, especially where federal and state rules differ.
Do Google Ask Maps answers look the same for everyone?
No. Google Ask Maps can tailor answers using a person’s Maps history and saved places. A firm’s own test may not match what a prospect sees, so checking from a second account gives a better read.
Should lawyers change how they reply to Google reviews?
Mostly by keeping replies short. A response like “Thank you for sharing your feedback” avoids confirming anything about a case. In some situations, no public reply is the safer choice.
Keep a Record of the Question, Answer, and Source
A shared spreadsheet with the date, question, answer, sources, and any fix is enough for the record. That sheet can live with the firm’s digital marketing team, updated alongside normal Business Profile work instead of as a separate project. After the first round, the same sheet can track the questions that most often decide whether someone calls: case fit, fees, languages, and availability.
Sources
Google Business Profile Community, A Heads Up About the Upcoming Changes to the Q&A Feature