People Also Ask (PAA) is a section on Google’s Search Engine Results Page (SERP) with related questions that other people have asked about your query. It’s like an FAQ that’s automatically generated based on your search. According to one estimate, 80% of search queries have a PAA.
For example, let’s say you search for the keywords “oil change.” You’ll see Google generate People Also Ask questions such as: “What is the true cost of an oil change?” and “How to know if a car needs an oil change?” Clicking each of these questions opens a snippet from a different website, with a link to learn more.
PAA helps users quickly discover more information about their search query, as well as related subtopics. When you optimize your content to get picked up as an answer for PAA, it boosts your brand’s visibility and helps users see your website as a source of authority.
In this article, we’ll discuss the importance of the People Also Ask feature and how to become a go-to source for answers on SERPs.
Why is People Also Ask important?
There’s some debate about whether optimizing for People Also Ask is worth the time and effort. While PAA features are a common part of SERPs, some experts believe they don’t generate very much traffic for your website. Users may read the PAA answer and feel satisfied with the information provided in the snippet – which means they might not click the link for more.
But remember that traffic volume isn’t always the most important metric. If your goal is conversions, it’s better to receive a smaller number of clicks from users who are more likely to complete a purchase or other transaction. When someone reads your snippet on a PAA feature and goes on to visit your site, they’re already more interested in your product or service than the average searcher.
With the right strategy, PAA can pull answers from your landing pages that have the best conversion rates. This can yield significant results. Additionally, getting featured in a PAA section enhances your brand’s credibility. Even if they don’t click the link to learn more, users will remember your business as an expert authority.
Google may also feature your page in multiple answers to different search queries. If your content provides detailed, comprehensive information, it may get picked up for a wide variety of keywords related to your page’s topic. Over time, this can lead to a higher combined search volume.
Finally, PAA can help you optimize for voice search and accessibility. PAA questions generally mirror how people naturally speak. When you tailor your content to get picked up for People Also Ask, you’ll automatically improve its performance for voice search and assistive technology like screen readers.
How to optimize for People Also Ask
So how do you get your pages to rank for People Also Ask answers? As with many elements of search engine marketing, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. However, here are some steps you can follow to optimize your content and increase your likelihood of ranking.
Step 1. Research your topic
Begin with research. If you’re starting from scratch, or creating brand new content for a blog, focus your research on topics within your industry or niche. Look at your competitors’ websites, as well as user forums, third-party blogs, and press. Creating a list of topics related to your brand will help you think of questions to address in your content.
Next, develop an SEO keyword list. What are the best search terms that someone might use to find your site? Tools like SEMRush and Google’s own Keyword Planner are a great place to start if you’re not sure.
Step 2. Identify common questions
Once you have a list of topics and keywords, it’s time to determine which frequently asked questions you should target. There are two basic ways to do this. First, Google the items on your list and see which PAA questions come up. Review the answer closely, including the original page, to see what information is addressed and how it’s structured.
Secondly, visit forums and social media platforms where people are discussing your product or service, or your brand’s niche more broadly. Reddit and Quora are excellent places to start. You’ll get a sense of the real questions users are asking, as well as common problems that your business could solve.
Note that even if the user discussions aren’t addressing specific questions, you can “reverse engineer” this information to fit a Q&A format. For example, if users are raving about how they love using your product on vacation, you could optimize your PAA content around a question such as, “What are some must-have travel items?”
Step 3. Write high-value content
After you’ve identified the questions you plan to target, it’s time to create content (or hire a content agency). Start with an outline. As you outline, reflect on the competitor pages that are already ranking for PAA answers:
- Do they use a certain number of subheadings?
- What about lists and bullet points?
- Is the information broken up with images, charts, or graphs?
- Are the paragraphs long and detailed, or short and concise?
- Is the content written as a general article or a how-to guide?
You shouldn’t copy your competitors, but use their general page structure to inspire your own. After all, there’s a reason Google selected their pages for People Also Ask. Whether you’re directly competing for a PAA question or hoping to rank for a new one, you’ll need to make sure your content meets Google’s standards.
Once the outline is complete, write your People Also Ask content! Remember that your content needs to provide value to the reader. Be thorough, be accurate, and incorporate related questions. But don’t go overboard or stray too far from the original topic.
PAA questions are usually simple and direct. Your content should feel the same way. In other words, clarity is vital. If you’re taking four paragraphs to explain a question that could be answered in one or two sentences, Google probably won’t feature your page.
Step 4. Optimize headings and subheadings
If you used an outline to craft your content, you should already have headings and subheadings. But are they fully optimized? Headings and subheadings are an excellent opportunity to call out the vital information in your content. Don’t waste them on vague phrases like “More Information.”
Instead, write your headers as sub-questions or direct, informative statements that support the main topic. This helps search engines parse your content. It also makes the content more digestible for readers.
Finally, make sure your headers are correctly formatted with H2 and H3 tags. This is vital for helping the search engine crawler understand how to read your page. It also reinforces the “question and answer” structure that will entice Google to feature you in PAA.
People also ask… for help from Redefine!
If getting your pages to rank for People Also Ask questions on Google sounds intimidating, Redefine is here to help. Our expert team can help optimize your website, offer strategic insights, or create new content to boost your rankings. Contact us today for a free discovery call.
