Google’s People Also Ask: How to Get Featured

‍Ever tried to Ask Google a question and had one of those 4-6 related questions pop up on the SERP? If you are anything like us, you probably got lost a couple of times just clicking away on those convenient questions and answers.

‍Even better, you probably wondered how you can get your content there, too. If it worked to get you to send traffic to some sites, then why not use it to get some clicks for your page, too?

‍If that sounds like something you might be open to, then let’s talk about what it takes to get featured in Google’s People Also Ask section.

‍But first, though, let’s start by answering the question, “What is PAA in SEO?” And we can then work our way up from there.

‍People Also Ask boxes are now a regular part of the Google search engine result pages experience. This section provides additional context and answers that are related to your first search query.

‍The questions and answers appear in a drop-down format that you can expand to view the answers. This handy feature makes it very convenient for you to go down the rabbit hole and dig deeper into any topic.

‍Source: Google

‍In a way, it’s a lot like that one friend who seems to know everything and is happy to offload on you. You know the type, you think they are done answering, but each time they go, “Oh, one more thing…”

‍Sure, you may find it annoying. But you also know you can count on them for snappy, relevant answers anytime.

‍First introduced in 2015, the PAA box has become more prevalent over the years. It shows up even more on mobile. This makes sense since more and more people start their online search journeys on their mobile devices.

‍Source: GetStat

‍Writers who understand how these boxes work have an advantage — they can ensure their content gets the visibility it deserves. This brings us to the next section.

‍Now you know the answer to the question, “What are PAA boxes?” The next step is figuring out how they work. Knowing this makes it easier for you to leverage this feature.

‍To be honest, while many of us can freely admit its usefulness, it still has a little mystery thing going on. Where do the answers from People Also Ask come from? Can your site appear there as well? What are the selection criteria?

‍You’ve probably heard people saying that the Google algorithm pulls the answers from relevant web pages. Then, it displays them as snippets.

‍It considers many factors, like the user search history and current search trends. It then decides on what the best list of questions for that user should be. But is that all?

‍Let’s look at it a bit closer to demystify the whole thing.

🤓 Not Every Query Will Come With a Google PAA

‍Yep, that’s true. Not every search query has a PAA, but many of them do. In 2022, there was a 30% drop in queries that came with PAA, but in 2023, the number went up again.

🤓 The Questions Can Endlessly Repopulate

‍As the user clicks on each of the questions, it expands to show the answer, and they get a new list of related questions. This is actually a good thing, and in fact, we’ll show you how to use this to your advantage below (wait for it).

🤓 PAA Boxes Don’t Always Appear in the Same Position

‍Sometimes, PAA is at the top after the first answer. Other times, it might show up after the tenth position. Generally, though, they appear higher in SERPs.

‍Source: Google

‍This is different from the People Also Search For section that’s always at the bottom of the page.

‍Source: Google

🤓 The Formats Can Be Different

‍While PAA is mostly text-based, it can have answers that also include visual assets like images, videos, and graphics.

‍Source: Google

‍But what about the PAA SEO side of things? Having your content show up in the PAA section is a great thing for your visibility and credibility. People see that Google trusts your site as a reliable source of information.

‍This means more people will be willing to click and check out your page. Either way, this is how you can get more traffic, more opportunities for leads, and better SEO results overall.

‍Sounds like what you want, right? Let’s see how you can get your website featured in the PAA.

‍There are many tips out there on how you can get featured on Google’s People Also Ask section. It can be hard to know which ones still work and which are yesterday’s news. So, here are our top picks:

#1 Gather the Common Relevant Questions for Your Niche

‍No doubt, going through the People Also Ask Google section is a good way to discover new keywords and topic ideas for your next content. Yet, if you want to create content that gets featured there, then you should start by doing the exact same thing.

‍Make a list of all the questions that appear frequently and are related to your topic or niche. Naturally, it’s going to be hard to do this manually, so you’ll need tools like Ahrefs, AnswerThePublic, etc.

‍Source: AnswerThePublic

‍Not all keywords actually bring traffic — you’ll have more luck with some than others. So, pay attention to the words and phrases used in the questions, the format of the questions, and even the answers themselves.

‍Don’t be afraid to play around and tweak the questions a bit. This will help you see what other variations of the queries are showing up frequently in searches.

‍Ditch the keywords with lower search volume. For example, if the keywords in the questions get less than 10 combined monthly searches, it’s going to be a waste of time.

‍The goal is to focus on questions that are popular in the PAA Google section.

‍The best thing you can do is search for those queries every time when you write a blog or other long-form content. This way, you can integrate the answers to those questions in your pieces to have more chances of getting featured.

#2 Create Content That Answers the Questions

‍Trying to figure out how to rank in the People Also Ask boxes? Then, working on your content is your best bet. You see, Google is all about serving up the best, most straightforward answers to a user query.

‍So, you want to ensure that your answers to the questions you’ve selected in step one are concise, clear, and descriptive.

‍Remember when we said you should keep an eye not just on the question format but also on the answer? You want to see if there’s a thread or structure in the featured answers so you can replicate the same thing.

‍That is not to say that all answers must follow the same format. But generally, the answers in the PAA box are about 40-60 words. So, you don’t want to make your answers long-winded.

‍As much as possible, try to answer the questions directly and provide a step-by-step process. For example, if the question asks you to list a thing, then simply list that in your answer. No need to start off with a background history or any of that.

‍Source: Google

‍You can always provide more context and details somewhere further in the article. You also get ‘bonus points’ if you use short paragraphs and simple words that are easy to understand.

‍The more readable your answers are, the higher your chances of being featured. Plus, people are likely to click on it, too.

#3 Pay Special Attention to Branded Queries

‍One of the best ways to do Google Answer Box optimization is to use it to bring your brand to the spotlight. In fact, you can do this first before trying on any other tips mentioned.

‍Source: Google

‍The main idea here is to find the PAA queries that specifically mention your brand. Your goal is to answer those questions yourself instead of leaving it to the media or competitors to control the narrative.

‍If this happens, your competitors gain those clicks. Plus, they are not likely to paint you in the best light. So, how do you uncover these questions? Easy, by googling your brand name and then looking at what pops up in the PAA boxes.

‍Source: X

‍From then on, it’s a simple matter of incorporating the answers into your blogs or even creating an FAQ section on relevant landing pages. Naturally, this only works if there are actually any queries that mention your business by name.

#4 Use FAQ Sections

‍Answers that show up in the People Also Ask section might not actually appear on the first page as a regular search result. Yet, if you create an FAQ section, you stand a chance of hitting two birds with one stone.

‍The first thing you should do is add the FAQ section to your blog posts. Logical, isn’t it?

‍Source: X

‍Yet, if you want to increase your chances, you need to add an FAQ schema. An FAQ schema is a special structure for FAQ that helps search engine crawlers understand your content better.

‍It recognizes it as questions and answers right away. This makes it likelier that your content will pop up in the PAA section for related queries.

‍Below is an example of what an FAQ schema could look like.

‍🤔 Note: We’ve used ChatGPT to generate an example, and many developers do the same. Still, make sure you consult with a professional before you embed any custom code on your website.

‍Source: ChatGPT

#5 Optimize Your Already-Written Content

‍You don’t always need to create new content for the PAA keywords you’ve selected. Sometimes, you already have an article that explores the topic, and all you need to do is tweak it a bit.

‍To do this, you can find a suitable spot in your blog to insert the question and the answer. Just make sure it fits naturally. If it doesn’t fit into existing paragraphs, then consider creating new headers that naturally include the keyword.

‍Again, you can simply add an FAQ section at the end of your article.

‍Keep in mind that improving the SEO of already written content involves a lot more than just tweaking the copy a bit. You can replace outdated information with more current data. Next, you can even get dofollow backlinks to help improve visibility.

#6 Check Your Competitors’ PAA

‍We know what you might be thinking. What does competitor analysis have to do with People Also Ask in SERP? Recall what we said about your competitors being the source of answers for branded questions in PAA? This is the reverse scenario.

‍If your competitor sites appear frequently in the PAA section, then it means they’re doing something right. You need to get in on that action ASAP. Check the topics they’re ranking in the PAA for, the content formats, and the keywords used in the questions.

‍This can serve as a great source of inspiration for your content strategy. You’ll know exactly the type of copy you need to create to rank and the keywords to focus on. Of course, your strategy should not be to copy them blindly.

‍Instead, you’ll learn from them and create even better content using the same/similar keywords and content formats. So, for example, what if you notice that most of the answers in the PAA section are list-based? Then, you should consider using the same structure.

‍How do you find out whether your competitor appears in PAA?

‍That’s a very good question. And the answer is pretty straightforward. You can do that manually, but it’s way too much work. So, we recommend using any of your SEO tools.

‍In Semrush, you can find this information by going to Organic Research > typing your competitor’s domain > selecting the People also ask option under SERP Features.

‍Source: Semrush

#7 Make Search Intent a Big Deal

‍The Google algorithm is big on keywords being used in a way that aligns with the search intent. The algorithm uses contextual search to decide which questions should appear in the PAA drop-down each time a user clicks.

‍So, apart from randomly including keywords in your content, think about what answer/solution the user wants when searching for your query. Do they need some generic information? Detailed comparison? Or a sales page?

‍This helps provide more context and depth to your content. By paying attention to the intention or need behind the question, you’ll be able to write content that actually helps the user.

‍Source: Semrush

‍The more comprehensive and informative your content is, the better. But there’s another good reason to focus on the intent — it positions you as a good choice for repopulating the PAA.

‍The result is even better when you focus on keywords that have the potential to attract a lot of organic traffic. You can find this out by doing keyword research. You should also analyze your site to see which queries people are using to find you.

‍If you are working on local link building, make sure you also check geo-relevant keywords you could rank for in PAA.

#8 Jump Links Are Your Friends

‍Jump links can help your readers quickly find the answers they’re looking for. This will create the ripple effect of encouraging them to stick around longer, which means lower bounce rates.

‍The simplest thing you can do is to include a table of contents in every article you post. It doesn’t require much work, but it significantly improves user experience on your site.

‍What does that have to do with People Also Ask in SEO?

‍Well, the lower your bounce rate, the better your overall SEO ranking, which can result in your content being featured in the PAA section.

‍On that note, while you’re working on your bounce rate, you might want to look under the hood of your site. You might discover a few issues that need to be fixed and could be affecting your load speed and user experience.

‍By simply minifying your code and compressing your media files, you can save space and improve load time. All of this will affect your SEO ranking and help get you on the good side of the algorithm.

#9 Track Your Results Seriously

‍This is one of those pieces of advice that is always repeated no matter what the topic is. Maybe you are even tired of hearing it, but there’s a good reason why it’s repeated that much. A lot of SEO is making a move and then watching to see what happens.

‍Working to get featured in PAA is no exception to the rule. If you track your website KPIs, it’s much easier to tell when a specific tactic is just not the best use of your time, energy, and resources. In situations like that, the earlier you can switch to other techniques, the better.

‍There won’t be much harm done, and you still get enough time to recover and bounce back better.

‍Besides, since what works for site A might not necessarily work for site B, People Also Ask tracking allows you to see which tips are worth investing in. So, you can begin to make the most of it as early as possible.

‍We have come a long way now, from answering the question, “What is a PAA box?” to exploring the ways you can get featured. Here’s the thing: any of these methods can work for you if you are really lucky. But you will have better odds by combining as many of them as possible.

‍More than having the right tools, questions, and keywords, what you do with them counts even more. So, by all means, make sure that you are hitting the right mark with each answer.

‍This is seen when your answers actually match the questions and provide the requested details without any fluff. Format your answer to fit the perfect structure, and you can’t go wrong.