“People Also Ask” Questions About Your Business: What to Do

You can’t remove a “People also ask” box from Google or delete a question in it, because Google generates both automatically from what people search. What you can do is influence the answers: publish clear, honest pages that answer the questions directly, strengthen your reviews and third-party coverage, and use Google’s Feedback link to report an answer that breaks its policies. Over time, the questions and the sources Google quotes usually follow what the web says about you.

That can feel unsatisfying when the question is “Is [your company] a scam?” But the question is a symptom, and the fix is to make sure the honest answer is the one searchers find.

What “People also ask” is

“People also ask” is the expandable box of related questions that appears in many Google results. Click a question and it opens to show a short answer taken from a web page, with a link to the source. Google describes these answers as featured snippets that can appear within a related questions group. Opening one question often loads more questions below it.

Two things are chosen automatically: which questions appear, based on what people search, and which page supplies each answer. Google’s documentation says site owners can’t mark a page to be used as a featured snippet; Google’s systems decide.

Why questions like “Is [brand] legit?” appear

These questions show up for a few common reasons, and most of them aren’t about anything you did wrong:

• People are cautious with businesses they don’t know. Newer companies, online-only stores and anything involving upfront payment often attract “is it legit” searches simply because buyers want reassurance.
• Your category has a reputation. In industries where scams are common, such as some online services or home improvement, the questions follow the whole category.
• Something specific happened. A billing problem, a shipping delay, a viral complaint or a news story can create a burst of searches that turn into questions.
• Confusion with another business. A similar name or a lookalike website can drag your brand into questions about someone else.

The same searches often feed Google autocomplete, so you may see “[brand] scam” in both places. Our guide to removing Google autocomplete suggestions covers the prediction side, which has its own reporting rules.

Step 1: Record what’s showing now

Search your brand name, and variations like “[brand] reviews,” “[brand] legit” and “[brand] complaints,” in a private browser window on desktop and mobile. For each “People also ask” box, note:

1. The questions, in order.
2. The answer shown when you open each one, and the page it comes from.
3. Whether that source is yours, a review site, a forum, a news outlet or a site you don’t recognize.
4. Whether the answer is accurate, outdated or wrong.

Open a couple of questions to see which follow-up questions load, since those can be more negative than the first set. Repeat this check monthly so you can see whether anything moves.

Step 2: Answer the questions honestly on your own site

The most effective thing a business can do is publish a clear, direct answer to each real question, on a page that deserves to be quoted. For a question like “Is [brand] legit?”, that means facts a skeptical buyer can check, not a paragraph insisting you’re trustworthy.

• Use the question as a heading. An FAQ entry or a help article headed “Is [brand] a legitimate company?” matches the searcher’s wording.
• Answer in the first sentence or two. Short, factual and specific: your legal company name, where you’re based, how long you’ve operated, how to contact you, and where to find independent reviews.
• Address the underlying worry. If people ask about refunds, explain your refund policy plainly. If they ask why a charge shows under a different name on a bank statement, explain that.
• Be honest about problems. If there was a real issue, such as delays during a busy season, say what happened and what changed. A candid answer is more convincing than a denial, and more likely to be seen as a helpful source.
• Keep it current. Update the page when policies or facts change.

There’s no guarantee Google will quote your page, and it may prefer an independent source for a question about trust. That’s reasonable, because searchers asking “is it legit” want a view from outside the company. Your page still helps by giving accurate facts that other sources, and AI tools, can draw on.

Step 3: Strengthen the independent sources

Because trust questions often get answered from review sites, forums and news coverage, those sources matter as much as your own site.

• Reviews. A steady flow of recent, genuine reviews on the platforms that rank for your name gives Google, and searchers, a clearer picture. Ask every customer, not only the happy ones.
• Replies to complaints. A calm public reply on a complaint site or review platform often appears alongside the complaint and can change how the page reads.
• Third-party coverage. Trade press, local news, partner directories and industry association listings give independent evidence that you’re a real business.
• Official profiles. A complete Google Business Profile, LinkedIn company page and other consistent profiles help establish who you are.

This is the same work that improves your wider page one; our guide to controlling your brand search results sets it out step by step.

Step 4: Report answers that break Google’s policies

Google says it removes featured snippets that violate its policies and relies partly on reports to find them. Its help page on featured snippets says to use the Feedback link below a snippet to flag a problem. Google treats answers in a “People also ask” box as featured snippets, so expand the question and use the feedback option shown with the answer. The exact placement of the link can vary between desktop and mobile.

Google’s featured snippet policies cover categories such as dangerous content, deceptive practices, hateful content, sexually explicit content, violence and gore, and snippets that contradict well-established expert consensus on public interest topics. A question simply being unflattering, or an answer quoting a genuine negative review, isn’t a policy violation, so reports on those grounds rarely lead to changes.

If the answer is wrong because the source page is wrong, the better route is usually to get the source fixed. Contact the site owner with the correction and evidence. Once the page changes, Google’s answer typically updates after it recrawls the page. If the source page contains something that could be defamatory, talk to a lawyer before taking any action.

What doesn’t work

• Trying to delete the box. There’s no tool for businesses to remove questions for their brand.
• Manufacturing searches. Paying people or using bots to search positive phrases goes against Google’s rules and doesn’t reliably change anything.
• Posting fake answers on forums. Sockpuppet posts on Reddit or Q&A sites are often spotted and can become the next negative result.
• Writing a defensive “we are not a scam” page. Protesting without facts reads as confirmation to many searchers.
• Blocking snippets from your own site. The nosnippet rule stops your pages being quoted, which only leaves the answer to other sources.

A worked example: an online supplement store

This is an illustrative scenario. An online supplement store searches its name and sees a “People also ask” box with “Is [brand] legit?”, “Why did [brand] charge me twice?” and “Does [brand] offer refunds?” The answer to the second question comes from a forum thread about a payment processor glitch that was fixed months ago.

1. The store adds FAQ entries headed with each question, answered in two or three factual sentences. The double-charge answer explains the processor issue, when it was fixed, and how affected customers were refunded.
2. It replies on the forum thread from an identified company account with the same explanation and a support contact.
3. It clarifies its refund policy page and links to it from the FAQ.
4. It starts sending a review request with every delivered order.
5. It checks the box monthly. The questions stay for a while, but over time the answers come from more current sources, sometimes its own FAQ and sometimes review profiles.

Nothing was reported or removed. The answers improved because better answers existed.

“People also ask” and AI search

The questions in “People also ask” are a useful preview of what AI tools will be asked about you too, and the same honest, well-sourced answers feed both. Our guide to managing your reputation in AI search covers how to check and correct what AI Overviews and chat assistants say.

If negative questions and answers keep spreading across your search results despite this work, a search result suppression campaign can build and promote enough credible content to change what ranks. It depends on the strength of the sources you’re competing with, and it takes months rather than weeks.

Frequently asked questions

Can I remove a People also ask question about my business?

No. Google generates the questions automatically from search behavior, and there’s no removal tool for businesses. You can report an answer that violates Google’s policies using the Feedback option, and you can influence answers by publishing accurate content and strengthening independent sources.

Why does Google show 'Is my company a scam?' in People also ask?

Because enough people search that question. It’s common for newer businesses, online stores and industries where scams are common, and it doesn’t mean Google thinks you’re a scam. Clear, factual answers and genuine reviews help searchers find the truth.

How do I get my website's answer into People also ask?

You can’t choose it. Google’s systems pick the answer they consider most helpful. Using the question as a heading and answering it directly and accurately in the first sentence or two gives your page a fair chance.

How long does it take for People also ask answers to change?

It varies. If a source page is corrected, the answer can update after Google recrawls it. Shifting which sources Google prefers usually takes months of consistent work, and there’s no set timeline.