In this podcast episode, Bill Scully and Bill Hunt dive into why every organization needs an Answers Management Program to deliver accurate, reliable responses across all digital channels.
They discuss the idea of a VP of Answers, a dedicated expert, championing answer management. Through real-life examples, they explore how AI is shaking up search results and share proven strategies to create an in-house answers program.
Plus, they reveal insider tips on picking the perfect candidate for the role and boosting teamwork across departments. Tune in for practical insights that’ll help your business stand out online!
Key Takeaways
- Answers management ensures organizations provide accurate, consistent, and accessible information.
- A VP of Answers can oversee and optimize how organizations handle customer inquiries.
- Real-world examples show how missing or inaccurate answers impact customer decisions.
- AI and search engines are reshaping how information is surfaced and prioritized. A VP of Answers is a great source of content for brand satisfaction.
- A successful answers program requires cross-functional collaboration.
- Understanding customer questions is essential for structuring effective responses.
- Well-managed answers reduce customer support burdens and enhance user experience.
- Companies can leverage internal data sources to identify common questions.
- AI-driven tools will play a growing role in delivering precise answers.
- Analytics provide insights into search behavior and content effectiveness.
- Integrating answer management into digital strategies strengthens overall marketing efforts.
- Proper digital asset planning improves efficiency and visibility.
Catch the Full Episode
Youtube: https://youtu.be/FlPe0QvtoBM
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1t4SrkxN3wTqBExplzQYrz?si=UVVF1KZeTkywF4LauvN7CA
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-29-implementing-an-answers-program-for-users/id1755789311?i=1000700917426
Show Note Links
In the new Answer Economy do you need a VP of Answers? by Bill Hunt
https://www.back-azimuth.com/in-the-new-answer-economy-do-you-need-a-vp-of-answers/
Implementing your Answers Management Strategy by Bill Hunt
https://www.back-azimuth.com/implementing-your-answers-management-strategy/
What is an Answers Management Program
https://www.back-azimuth.com/what-is-an-answers-management-program/
Monitizing Site Search Queries for the new Answer Economy
https://www.back-azimuth.com/monitizing-site-search-queries/
They Ask, You Answer by Marcus Sheridan
https://marcussheridan.com/they-ask-you-answer/
Pete Blackshaw’s article on how AI is transforming search and powering an Answer Economy
https://answereconomy.substack.com/p/search-is-dead-long-live-search
Transcript
Bill Scully (00:08)
Welcome to Episode 29 of the International Web Effectiveness Podcast, where Bill Hunt and I, Bill Scully, focus on strategies and techniques to improve your web presence and manage global websites.
In Episode 28, we discussed how engaging digital teams is essential for marketing campaign effectiveness and how online research, SEO, and analytics play a role. In this episode, we’ll explore the concept of an answers management strategy.
Wait—did I write that, or did you?
OK, so you want to call it “implementing an answers management program.”
Bill Hunt (00:44)
I wrote that.
Yeah, program and strategy.
Bill Scully (00:53)
All right, let me start again.
In this episode, we’ll discuss the idea of an answers management program and strategy.
OK, let’s get into it. Bill, you’ve written a couple of articles about this, including one introducing the role of a VP of Answers. I love that idea. Walk us through it.
Bill Hunt (01:33)
Yeah, this has been my obsession lately—answers management.
The first article came after a trip to Japan, where I had several experiences where my questions were either unanswered or poorly answered. That got me thinking—we need a VP of Answers.
People have questions, and companies aren’t addressing them. I envisioned this role as a senior-level position, similar to revenue or growth managers, but empowered by the C-suite to solve this issue across multiple departments. The core question is: Are we actually answering what people need to know?
When I posted the article on LinkedIn, I got mixed reactions. There was little interest in the U.S., but in Italy, the discussion took off. I even had to use translation tools to follow it. Eventually, someone asked about the strategy behind it, which led me to write a second article outlining a framework for answers management.
To put it simply, an answers management program ensures that we provide the most accurate, relevant answers to user questions—wherever they’re asking.
I even wrote a third article defining this further. Ultimately, it all comes down to one thing: Are we the answer?
Right now, there’s debate over search strategy. Some argue that Google is dead and that we should focus on answer engines instead. Others say answer engines use the same principles as Google SEO. There’s also confusion around schema—does it still matter? Some SEOs even suggest removing schema because they see no value in it for answer engines.
Amidst this chaos, I want to simplify things. The key question remains:
- Do we have an answer?
- Is it accurate?
- Is it where people are asking?
Let me share three examples.
The idea for the article struck me while I was on a train in Japan. I visited Uniqlo, a clothing store that’s now in the U.S. as well. They sell high-tech apparel, including HeatTech shirts—moisture-wicking and affordable. With the exchange rate, holiday discounts, and existing markdowns, they were even cheaper, so we stocked up.
But then came the issue—sizing. Japanese sizes differ, and I wasn’t sure which would fit me. I saw other shoppers from South Africa, Germany, the U.S., and France asking clerks about size equivalents.
So I thought—why isn’t there a simple way to answer this?
One of my proudest moments was buying clothes in Japan after losing over 100 pounds. But the real challenge? Finding the right sock size.
Imagine being in a store, surrounded by people asking about size conversions for different countries. It made me realize—brands need to do a better job of answering these basic questions.
Bill Hunt (06:56)
We’re foreigners. So why can’t we have a QR code that we can scan for this information?
Now, with clothing sizes—sure, I could just grab the biggest one available, take it into the fitting room, and try it on. But what about socks? What is a Japanese size 37 compared to an American size?
I thought, why isn’t there a QR code for that? I figured I could check the website, but it detected my IP address, saw that I was in Japan, and redirected me to the Japanese site, which only showed Japanese sizes. Unless I went to their customer service page—where they did have an international size chart—I couldn’t see that an American size 12 is equivalent to a certain size in Japan.
Then I started thinking: who manages this chart? Should Japan handle it because they’re primarily selling to Japanese customers? Or should there be a multi-country size chart in stores located in major parts of Tokyo, where many foreigners shop?
That led me to another thought—what other information do people need but can’t easily access?
Throughout the trip, I kept running into this issue. I had questions about hotels and restaurants, but the information just wasn’t there. It wasn’t that the website developers, restaurant owners, or hotel managers didn’t care; they just hadn’t considered making this information available.
I remember working with Milestone Internet on their FAQ tool…
Bill Scully (08:36)
Hmm.
Bill Hunt (08:50)
Milestone used to focus primarily on hospitality, and the types of questions we were mining were fascinating. One major question was, “Do they have parking?” Not just hotel parking, but parking nearby.
I remember one case where a hotel got a ton of traffic because people were searching for “parking near Miracle Mile in Chicago.”
Bill Scully (09:14)
Yeah, I mean—hotels near convention centers, restaurants near convention centers…
Bill Hunt (09:19)
Exactly. “Near the airport,” “lunch near the convention center”—we’re seeing more of that.
So the question is, how can we leverage this? And who is responsible for it?
Search engines have co-opted this through featured snippets. They want to provide quick answers, so they dig into FAQs and similar resources.
The second example is AI-driven search. You and I were talking about this—I needed to buy a new CO2 detector for travel. We were staying in hotels in Azerbaijan, and I wanted to bring my own because, honestly, who knows what they’re heating with?
So, I tested it. I asked four AI models—ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and I think Gemini or Google—“What’s the best CO2 detector for travel?”
Here’s the issue: When you ask AI that question, you’re letting the algorithm define “best.” Watching Claude was interesting because it essentially wrote a protocol in real-time to determine the best option.
My detector wasn’t on the list. And the AI-generated explanation provided reasons why:
- They couldn’t find information about my model in their data.
- There was no record of it having any certifications.
- No one else was talking about my model.
Every reason boiled down to the same issue—there wasn’t enough publicly available information for AI to rank my detector as the best.
Bill Scully (11:53)
I mean, that’s a perfect exercise for everyone to go through.
Bill Hunt (11:56)
Exactly. The first step is doing this exercise yourself.
If I were a CO2 detector company, I’d test different variations of “best” and see if my product appeared. If not, I’d ask, “Why wasn’t I considered?” That’s where it gets interesting.
Bill Scully (12:29)
And you get insight into how these AI systems make decisions.
Bill Hunt (12:33)
Exactly. And that’s a huge opportunity for companies.
Now, the question is, who should own this process? The PR team? The product team? Or maybe it’s a new “answers team” that focuses on AI-driven search visibility?
There are tools getting close to solving this problem, but the key takeaway is this—are you even part of the conversation?
Bill Hunt (13:01)
Are you in the consideration set? If not, who is—and why are they there while you’re not? Can you identify where they are and replicate their presence?
The third example I want to share before we discuss strategy is about my timeshare. I wanted to know the deadline to convert my week to Marriott points—a simple question. So, I searched, “What is the deadline to convert my timeshare week?” and included the name of the group, Vistana, to Marriott points.
The AI result in Google responded that the deadline was from October 1st to March 31st. I thought, “Great, quick and straightforward answer.”
Bill Scully (13:44)
Everybody has the same date.
Bill Hunt (13:59)
Now, for queries like this, Google provides anchor links. I clicked on one, and it led me to AWS (Amazon Web Services). That was strange—why was it coming from AWS?
I checked the organic results, and there was a link from the company itself. The reason I used Google was to find the official Vistana link. However, that information was gated—I had to log in, navigate through the owner’s manual, and dig around to find the answer. It was frustrating.
Somehow, Google had indexed a direct link to that information, but when I checked the owner’s manual, the relevant section was missing. This was supposed to be one of the four ways to use a timeshare, yet it wasn’t included in the search results.
When I returned to the AI-generated answer, I realized it had pulled an older PDF from Vistana. At the bottom of the result, there was a small callout mentioning the deadline, along with exceptions for certain membership levels. This outdated PDF was still circulating online, and since it had been indexed, Google was surfacing it as the answer.
I tested the same question with other chatbots, and they pulled information from sources like Wikipedia-style forums, Reddit, and timeshare discussion groups. Each one provided a different date.
Bill Scully (15:28)
Yeah.
Bill Hunt (15:52)
So, what do I do? I’m on their website, but I can’t find the information. I keep searching through guides, return to Google, and still come up empty.
I decided to use their chatbot, expecting a simple Q&A experience. Instead, it just gave me a link to the same page that didn’t answer my question. Someone assumed the user guide would have the answer—but it didn’t.
Then, the chatbot asked, “Did we delight you with our answer?” Of course not.
My options were either to call them—something I avoid—or send an email and wait 48 hours. I chose the email option, explained that the guide didn’t have the answer, and got a reply saying the answer was in the guide.
Eventually, they provided the real deadline—August 31st. That’s completely different from anything I found online.
Bill Scully (17:06)
Completely different. Yeah, that’s a really good point. I never thought about checking AI-generated answers, but they could be completely wrong.
Bill Hunt (17:21)
A new study just came out—I don’t remember who did it—but it discussed the issue of AI hallucinations and incorrect answers. AI results can be wrong due to outdated data or unreliable sources.
That brings us back to the question: Are you controlling your own answers? Because if you leave it to someone else…
Bill Scully (17:43)
Right.
Bill Hunt (17:50)
…then the information presented about your company might not be the best—or even correct.
Bill Scully (17:59)
Before we get into your strategy discussion, have you ever heard of the book They Ask, You Answer by Marcus Sheridan? He’s the guy who built his brand around fiberglass pools. You might have seen him at a conference—he’s written a few books, but They Ask, You Answer is one of them.
Bill Hunt (18:11)
No, but I have it.
Bill Scully (18:12)
Okay. Yeah.
Bill Scully (18:28)
I actually went to a workshop because I thought the concept was brilliant. This was before COVID, so maybe five years ago. It was really difficult to come up with good content ideas. The speaker broke it down into questions about cost, problems, and reviews—things like:
- “What’s the difference between X and Y?” (Could be a model, a brand, or a competitor.)
- “What are the specifications for X?”
- “What are the problems with X?”
- “How much does X cost?”
Everyone’s afraid to put pricing online, but when people ask the question, you should be the one providing the answer. Other key formats are “How to install X” and “Top things to know about X.” I don’t remember exactly who said it, but…
Bill Hunt (19:31)
Price, yeah—cost.
Bill Scully (19:56)
Someone researching top SEO companies found that simple bullet lists were being pulled into AI overviews and displayed as answers. You can definitely take advantage of that by listing all your competitors—but putting your name at the top.
Bill Hunt (20:20)
Exactly. It’s about taking action. Step one is to make a list of the questions people are asking—just as you outlined: Who, what, where, when, why, versus B comparisons.
In my PubCon keynote, I showed an example of an HP calculator appearing in an AI overview. The answer was structured in two columns: pros and cons. A brand will never list cons on its own website, so someone else is going to provide that answer. That’s exactly what happened—the AI summary pulled in negative points from external sources. Price was number one.
Bill Scully (21:19)
Yeah. There’s probably only one website in the world listing cons about your product. That’s the source AI will use.
Bill Hunt (21:27)
Exactly. That’s where they get the counterpoint to pros.
Some things you just won’t include on your site—like “Here’s why our product sucks.” But you can control the narrative by addressing criticisms. If you’re comfortable with it, you could create comparison pages that acknowledge common concerns while positioning your product favorably.
Start by gathering questions from various sources. SEOs already know where to find them—tools like People Also Ask scrapers, AnswerThePublic, and others.
But the real gold mine? Site search.
For 25 years, I’ve been telling people this: The most valuable questions come from your own site search. These are visitors already interested in your brand who are struggling to find answers.
Bill Scully (22:44)
Yeah, no one uses site search unless it’s a last resort—when they absolutely can’t find what they need.
Bill Hunt (22:47)
Exactly.
Start by listing the most common questions, no matter where you find them.
My daughter had an interesting career shift. She worked as a social media manager for Babies R Us, promoting events and baby care tips. It was easy—there was always something to share. Then, she got hired by a large insurance company, where every post had to be legally approved.
She had a quota of 20 posts a week, but how do you create that much content in a highly regulated industry? She started using national awareness days—things like Fire Prevention Week or Hurricane Preparedness Day. Legal had no issue with those, so she built a content calendar around them.
Then one day, she asked herself: “Who…”
Bill Scully (24:08)
Yeah, yeah.
Bill Hunt (24:13)
Who gets to answer people’s questions without having to run to legal for approval?
They said, “Well, customer service has a list of vetted questions and answers.”
So, she went to customer service and asked, “Can I get your table of questions and answers?” She then forwarded that to legal, asking, “Which of these can I post if I see this question? Can I include an 800 number or other information?”
She kept building this system by going around the organization, identifying what was pre-approved, and submitting new questions for approval. It was interesting to see that some departments, like customer service, already had these lists.
Another major resource—often overlooked—is chat agents.
It’s surprising how much of this exists in a vacuum. Every company I’ve worked with since chat agents became a thing treated them like isolated projects. No one collaborated. Companies spent huge amounts of money paying third-party providers to create question-and-answer sets without consulting internal teams.
Some companies were more strategic. One recorded and analyzed chat transcripts, extracting common customer questions and agent responses. They built a binary database of Q&A pairs. That data was then organized based on source, product, and solution.
The first step is gathering this information. The second is cataloging it—getting approvals and determining whether responses are fully or conditionally approved.
Once that’s done, we can use even a basic rank-checking tool or an AI search tool to analyze:
A) Is there an existing answer?
B) Is the answer coming from us?
If we centralize this process—like we do with asset management or content management—customer service teams can pull responses from a vetted, pre-approved database. That ensures consistency across platforms.
Bill Scully (27:11)
Yeah.
I think you need to take a big-picture approach, but the business case for this is clear. Companies need to act now. AI-driven search is impacting traffic and customer engagement. If your answer appears in AI-generated results, you know it’s correct.
Hopefully, more brands will get links back to the original source of their content. Companies are under pressure to show up in AI-generated answers, and this is an easy way to start.
So, how would you build the foundation for this?
Bill Hunt (28:07)
In the article, I outlined the first step we always recommend: building the desire to become the go-to answer source.
As you just said, when people start asking, “Why aren’t we showing up in AI-generated answers?”—especially if it’s the CEO asking—it creates urgency. (For context, that’s an internal debate we’ve had based on some LinkedIn discussions.)
First, people need to recognize the value of being the trusted source for answers. I came up with four ways to build this business case, starting with customer experience.
Most business decisions focus on either saving money or making money. On the cost-saving side, improving customer experience can reduce the number of calls to support centers. If a website provides clear, accurate answers, agents can focus on handling more complex issues instead of answering basic questions.
Many companies now implement customer-oriented results and experience (CORE) programs, aiming to shift support traffic from call centers to self-service options like chatbots and website FAQs.
The next step is conducting an answer engine visibility gap analysis. Are we present in search results? If not, why?
Bill Scully (29:44)
Mm-hmm.
Bill Hunt (30:07)
Pete Blackshaw, who coined the term “answer engines” or “answer economy,” argues that big brands focus too much on awareness campaigns and not enough on answering customer questions. That puts them at a disadvantage.
By conducting a gap analysis, you can identify how often your brand is missing from AI-generated answers. I have a great case study on this.
The second key factor is traffic and revenue impact. SEO professionals face increasing challenges as Google and other search engines disintermediate traffic—providing answers directly in search results instead of sending users to websites.
For example, if someone asks, “What’s the deadline to convert this week?” and Google provides an answer, do they need to visit the official website? Probably not. Similarly, if I search “What time is it in New Delhi?” I don’t need to go to a time-tracking website.
This leads to the argument that search engines are “stealing” content. But the real question is: Can we craft answers in a way that encourages users to visit our website for more information?
Bill Scully (31:41)
Right. And think about the unintended consequences of an incorrect answer.
If someone assumes a date shown in AI-generated search results is correct and plans around it—only to realize too late that the deadline has passed—they’ll be frustrated. They won’t blame the search engine; they’ll blame the company that provided the wrong information.
Bill Hunt (31:47)
Exactly.
Right.
Right.
Right.
So, I have an article that I’m going to post. It’s an interesting segue into the question: Do we need authenticated search results?
This ties into the point you made. I can’t tell you how many business owners I’ve spoken to where one or more of their employees have been scammed—especially in Amsterdam.
Now, I’m not trying to single out Amsterdam or that airline, but this is where I’ve heard it the most—particularly with people flying Delta.
They land in Amsterdam, their flight is delayed, and they search Google for “Delta customer service.” A phone number appears, they call it, and it sounds like an official airline representative.
But it’s a scam.
They’re told, “Yes, we’ve rebooked you, but it’s going to cost $600. Please provide your credit card details.” The scammer claims to have rebooked their flight and directs them to the gate, assuring them that their ticket will be waiting there. Since they’re already in the airport, they believe it.
They go to the gate, thinking, This is great! I made the flight!—only to be told, What do you mean? You don’t have a ticket.
It turns out they had called a scam call center because that number was ranking in search results.
Now, there’s another issue—though I should clarify that it’s not technically a scam, because I don’t want to get sued. (Maybe put up a disclaimer here.)
But in the UK, there are legitimate companies ranking in search results that charge fees for services that could be done for free.
For example, to enter the UK, Americans and many others need pre-clearance, which costs around $10 if done through the official UK government website.
But what’s ranking above the official site in multiple paid ads?
Private companies that offer to handle the process for you—for a fee. Instead of paying $10, you might pay $25—or even $250. You don’t realize it until you click the link, fill in your details, and see the inflated cost.
Bill Scully (34:26)
So…
Bill Hunt (34:47)
These companies use similar branding to the official UK government website, so people assume they’re on the correct site. They enter all their information, which could then be exploited.
Again, these are legal businesses that handle the process on your behalf, but many users feel misled.
At some point, people realize the fee is higher than expected. Some abandon the process and look for the official site, but others continue, assuming they have no choice.
This raises two questions:
Why doesn’t the government do a better job making it clear which site is official?
Why don’t search engines—Google and others—do more to prevent this?
I’ve talked about this before regarding visa services.
This falls into the Your Money, Your Life (YMYL) category, where we need verified search results.
Users should know they’re on the official U.S. or UK government website.
Bill Scully (35:26)
Yeah.
Bill Hunt (35:41)
The real challenge is: Who gets to decide what’s the correct answer?
Whenever there’s revenue potential, you’ll see competition—that’s the reality. The best thing businesses can do is provide clear, authoritative information.
Another key factor is competitive differentiation, which is just a fancy way of saying: Our competitor is doing this, they have an answers program, and we don’t. They’re outperforming us. We need to step up.
Companies need to get their teams involved. This isn’t just an SEO or PR issue, nor is it just a web content issue—it’s an organizational issue. The content team may present the information, but they shouldn’t be the ones answering these critical questions. There needs to be a structured approach:
- How do we answer these questions effectively?
- How do we ensure our answers appear in search results?
- How do we guide users to the correct information?
I believe we’re about six months to a year away from a system where vetted answers can be submitted, similar to how product feeds work. Bing’s IndexNow already allows sites to push real-time updates. Why not do the same for factual, trusted answers?
Bill Scully (37:24)
Yeah.
Bill Hunt (37:34)
So, to get this moving, companies need to:
- Assemble a team and secure buy-in.
- Make a case for why this matters.
- Identify a pilot project—maybe a single product or key issue.
- Prioritize key questions based on real user behavior.
Start with five or ten top questions and test different approaches. While doing this, consider how AI tools source their data. Some studies suggest AI scrapes top-ranking Google results or weighs information similarly to Google’s ranking system.
As part of this, businesses should create internal guidelines covering brand voice, content compliance, and consistency.
Bill Scully (38:35)
Yeah, they’ve been scrapped.
Bill Hunt (38:57)
The example I mentioned about socks—the size chart had seven disclaimers underneath it, which was ridiculous. It said things like, “Every sock is different,” “Every picture may vary,” and “Socks made from different materials may fit differently.” Seven disclaimers just for socks!
Bill Scully (39:26)
Yeah, that’s crazy. It’s like not guaranteeing your own work. How many people are really going to be dissatisfied with their socks?
Bill Hunt (39:38)
Exactly.
Bill Scully (39:41)
If a sock doesn’t fit someone with a wide foot, they should already know that. How many people is that really going to affect?
Bill Hunt (39:49)
Right. I mean, we could do a whole funny episode on lawsuits. There was a case here in Connecticut where a company that replaced snow tires failed to secure the lug nuts. Apparently, in their protocol for replacing snow tires, there wasn’t even a requirement to replace or secure the lug nuts—even though they told the customer to come back in 24 hours to have them checked.
Bill Scully (40:26)
Wait, was their legal argument that they had no obligation to put the lug nuts back on?
Bill Hunt (40:27)
Exactly. Their argument was that nowhere in their manual did it say they were required to replace or tighten the lug nuts. They ended up getting sued for damages, but the case was tossed out. Of course, they had an obligation—especially since they explicitly told the customer to come back for a check. The issue was that the customer never returned.
But to your point, people should have enough common sense to either tighten the lug nuts themselves or return for the check.
Bill Scully (41:05)
Let me ask you one last question before we wrap this up. What kind of person would make a great VP of Answers?
Bill Hunt (41:34)
Great question. First, it has to be someone within the company—someone with deep institutional knowledge. They should understand the company inside and out. It could be a former category manager, someone who has worked across multiple product lines and understands their nuances.
Bill Scully (41:38)
Yeah, makes sense.
Bill Hunt (42:04)
Second, they need to be a team player—someone who can make solid arguments to different departments and get buy-in. They should also be highly organized and capable of managing a structured process, ensuring tasks are completed step by step.
And finally, they should be diligent, able to communicate the process effectively, and continuously keep it updated and future-proof. Most importantly, they should be naturally curious. Those are the key traits I look for in an ideal VP of Answers.
Bill Scully (42:46)
Sounds great. I think this is a good place to wrap. Any final thoughts?
Bill Hunt (42:57)
Just start somewhere. Identify what’s missing in the market, understand why it’s missing, and close that gap. Then, showcase the results—whether it’s fewer customer service inquiries, increased revenue, or more traffic. Find the business case and build from there.
Bill Scully (43:23)
Good advice.
Next week—well, actually, by the time you hear this—we’ll both be in New York at Google. If you’re listening and want to say hi, we’d really appreciate it.
If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate and review the podcast. Your feedback helps keep us motivated and shapes future episodes.
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Alright, I think that’s it. That’s a wrap.
Bill Hunt (44:30)
Yep. See you next time.
Bill Scully (44:33)
Thanks, Bill.