When the Questions Stop Coming: Google’s Q&A Shift and What It Means for Funeral Homes

Written by Welton Hong, Ring Ring Marketing

One spring morning, a funeral director in Ohio logged into her email and found a pleasant surprise. A family had attended her grief support group the night before, and when she asked how they discovered it, the answer was simple: “We saw a question about it on your Google listing.”

That question had been posted weeks earlier by someone browsing the funeral home’s Google Business Profile. The funeral director had answered promptly, and her response wasn’t just seen by the original poster — it became a lasting, public message for anyone searching for comfort and guidance. In a profession built on trust, that digital interaction had a ripple effect, opening the door for more families to connect with her services.

But starting this fall, that kind of online visibility may look very different.

The Announcement That Caught Businesses Off Guard

On Sept. 17, 2025, Google quietly informed developers through its official platform that it will discontinue the My Business Q&A Application Programming Interface as of Nov. 3, 2025.

For years, this tool allowed businesses and agencies to manage their Q&A sections at scale. With it, funeral homes could rely on third-party vendors or marketing partners to monitor and respond to questions automatically, keeping their online storefronts polished and professional.

• Automatically monitor new questions: Vendors could set up alerts that pulled in every new question across one or multiple funeral home locations.
• Centralize management: Instead of logging into each individual Google Business Profile (GBP), questions from all locations appeared in a single dashboard.
• Post answers programmatically: Responses could be written and posted directly from that dashboard, even in bulk if multiple questions were similar.
• Ensure consistency: Standard answers to common questions (e.g., “Do you offer cremation?” or “Do you provide grief support groups?”) could be preloaded and published automatically, ensuring a uniform voice across locations.
• Track activity: Some vendors offered analytics (how many questions asked, how quickly answered) by plugging into the API.

 

 

Now, that streamlined process is going away.

Google has said the change is part of its broader effort to “revamp” the Q&A feature and improve user experience, but details about what will come next remain vague. No replacement timeline, features, or migration guidance has been provided. For many small and mid-sized businesses — including funeral homes — this announcement echoes earlier shifts in 2024 and 2025 when Google quietly sunsetted or overhauled other pieces of its business management ecosystem.

Why This Matters for Funeral Homes

For a family planning a service, the funeral home’s Google profile is often the first point of contact — sometimes even before the website. Reviews, photos, hours, and yes, the Q&A section all shape those crucial first impressions.

Here’s why the loss of the Q&A on your Google Business Profile matters:

• Reputation Is on the Line
  Families searching online are often in vulnerable, emotional states. If they see unanswered questions — or worse, outdated or incorrect information — they may quickly lose trust and move on.
• Efficiency Takes a Hit
  Multi-location funeral home groups or firms working with marketing agencies often depend on automation to manage multiple profiles. Without programmatic tools, monitoring and responding will be more labor-intensive.
• Uncertainty Adds Pressure
  Google hasn’t made clear whether the Q&A feature itself will remain, be redesigned, or disappear altogether. That leaves funeral homes in a holding pattern, forced to prepare for multiple scenarios.

What Funeral Homes Will Have to Do Now

Without the API, here’s what funeral home owners (or their staff) will need to start doing:

1. Manually log in and check profiles – At least weekly, if not daily, depending on how active your Q&A section is.
2. Set up an internal reminder system – Assign a staff member or marketing partner to take responsibility for monitoring new questions.
3. Answer questions directly in Google – Instead of replying through a third-party tool, staff must log in and type the response into GBP.
4. Proactively prepare FAQs – Since automation is gone, it will save time to have pre-written answers to common questions ready to paste manually.
5. Audit more frequently – Because there’s no automated feed of activity, funeral homes need to make a conscious habit of reviewing older questions and updating responses as services or policies change.

In plain terms: Before, software could keep watch on your behalf, post answers at scale, and make life easier. After November 3, you’ll have to do the watching and answering yourself—one location, one question at a time.

 

Lessons From Google’s Broader Strategy

This isn’t an isolated decision. Over the past two years, Google has retired or restructured several features that once gave businesses more direct control, including messaging capabilities, access to call history, and parts of the Insights dashboard. The trend reflects Google’s growing emphasis on automation, AI-powered features, and tighter control over how information is displayed.

For funeral professionals, the lesson is simple but sobering: you cannot build your communication strategy solely on rented land. When a platform changes the rules, your digital presence — and the families who depend on it — can be left in the lurch.

Best Practices: How Funeral Homes Can Adapt

In light of these changes, here are practical steps funeral homes can take to safeguard their reputation and continue serving families effectively online:

1. Audit and Update Existing Q&A Content
   Review every question currently listed on your profile. Update outdated information, refresh service descriptions and ensure your answers reflect today’s pricing, policies and offerings.
2. Appoint a Human Monitor
   Designate a staff member — or partner with a marketing firm — to manually check your Google Business Profile weekly. Make it part of your reputation management routine, just like responding to reviews.
3. Create Ready-Made Answers
   Draft responses to the most common questions families ask: “Do you provide cremation?” “What are your service options?” “Do you have grief support?” Having these answers on hand ensures consistency and saves staff time.
4. Expand FAQs on Your Website
   Build or strengthen a FAQ section on your funeral home’s website. Families should be able to find clear, comprehensive answers without relying solely on Google’s Q&A.
5. Communicate Across Channels
   Share FAQs in multiple formats: social media posts, email newsletters, printed brochures. The more channels you use, the less dependent you are on any single platform.
6. Stay Plugged into Industry Updates
   Follow local search forums, deathcare marketing groups, or trusted agencies for updates. The businesses that adapt fastest to platform changes often see the biggest gains.

A Final Thought

In the deathcare profession, every question is really a call for connection. Families don’t just want logistics — they want reassurance, compassion and guidance. For years, Google’s Q&A has offered funeral homes a public stage to provide those answers.

While the loss of the Q&A on your Google Business Profile may feel like a setback, it’s also a reminder of something more enduring: technology may evolve, but the importance of thoughtful, human responses never fades. Funeral directors who embrace this change — by doubling down on responsiveness, empathy, and clear communication — will continue to build trust in the most important places: the hearts of the families they serve.