People Also Ask
What is “People Also Ask”?
People Also Ask (PAA) is a Google SERP feature that provides users with additional questions related to their original search query and quick answers to them. Generally, each question in the People Also Ask section contains a featured snippet for that query.
Each answer in the People Also Ask block comes from a web page that you can click through for more information. Answers vary in format. They can include paragraphs, lists, tables, images, and sometimes videos.
The list of provided questions is seemingly infinite. Clicking a particular question will expand the list with even more related queries.
Interestingly, at the beginning of 2022, People Also Ask boxes appeared for around 40-60% of the queries on Google. However, in July of 2022, a significant drop was observed.
Why is “People Also Ask” important?
People Also Ask is important because it helps users find answers to questions strongly related to their search queries. It’s a great resource for users who aren’t certain how to word their queries properly.
It also helps those who aren’t confident about what they’re looking for. The additional questions in People Also Ask can help them come up with correct or more appropriate terms for their queries.
Another reason People Also Ask is important is because it allows website owners to get a few extra clicks from SERPs. These additional clicks can happen if the website ranks in the first few “People also ask” lines.
Lastly, People Also Ask is a nice source of keyword and topic ideas when you’re doing SEO keyword research. You can use these results to come up with additional topics to cover on your blog. Or you can use them as subsections within a larger article.
How to rank in “People Also Ask” boxes?
Basically, the optimizations are the same as for ranking in the featured snippets.
1. Give a short answer straight away
The best way to rank in People Also Ask boxes is to provide a short answer at the beginning if your content answers a specific question in detail. This short answer should be 2-3 sentences long. By providing this short answer, Google could use it in a featured snippet or a People Also Ask box.
2. Use lists instead of tables where possible
Even though People Also Ask boxes can contain tables, sometimes Google cannot display them properly. This issue happens in both People Also Ask and featured snippet blocks. That’s why it’s a good idea to format your answer using numbered and unnumbered lists where possible.
This only applies if the content is in actual list format. If it’s not, there is no need to force the use of lists. Remember, answers vary in formats, so your content can rank in People Also Ask blocks even if it’s in paragraph or image format.
3. Use questions in subheaders
Subheadings in your content help your users and search engines understand the main elements of your topic. It’s a good idea to use questions in subheaders as this sends a strong signal to Google that the section answers a question directly.
If your goal is to rank in People Also Ask, it’s worth sacrificing a more engaging or enticing subheader in favor of a question.
4. Optimize images
Quite often, People Also Ask blocks include images. That’s why it’s important to use all means available to describe your images:
- Use descriptive alt texts
- Use informative file names
- Add captions to your images
- Use surrounding text to describe images