How To Maximize “PEOPLE ALSO ASK” (PAA) Opportunities For Your Content In 2021?
Over the last few years, the People Also Ask (PAA) feature has grown its importance in SEO and content strategies. Since they were originally tested in April 2015, the prominence of PAA boxes has risen dramatically.

For SEO specialists and business owners alike, the growing variety of Google’s SERPs can be scary, but it also has its benefits.
The silver side is that, with all of the SERP variations, there are now a plethora of alternative ways to obtain extra search visibility; earning the first blue link may no longer be the final goal of SEO. Being highlighted as a response to People Also Ask (PAA) inquiries is a great way to get ahead of the competition and attract your target audience’s curiosity.
So, let’s take a look at how the People Also Ask results have changed over time and how you can research and adapt for PAA to improve your Google exposure.
Few Key takeaways of ‘People Also Ask’ SEO Study.

According to Semrush data
- Nearly half of all searches include the PAA box in the 1,000,000 keyword dataset, and the number is growing.
- When PAA questions are displayed on branded search terms, there are potential and concerns for big businesses to manipulate the replies. Unlike featured snippets, being in a PAA box and maintaining a typical organic ranking on Google’s first page is conceivable.
- A PAA result shows in Google’s top three results 75% of the time, indicating a solid possibility of high visibility
- Google is employing PAA for query refining at least in part, allowing websites to achieve first-page visibility for search phrases that were previously too broad to target.
- A PAA SEO strategy can be used in practically any business (Breakdowns by industry can help you figure out how much of your entire effort should go into PAA optimization.)
- On average, question words will elicit PAA 86% of the time.
- For PAA results, Google primarily uses web text content, with text in paragraphs accounting for 48 per cent of all PAA boxes.
- Within PAA boxes, where Google cannot locate any relevant results, there are still unexplored chances for video material.
- With paragraph results averaging only 41 words, brevity is crucial, as it is with other types of rich results.
What exactly are Google’s ‘People Also Ask’ box?
The People Also Ask box is a Google interactive universal search result that displays a box of questions that other people have asked about your original search.

People Also Ask boxes are a dynamic SERP feature that displays a list of questions linked to the initial search query.
When you click a question, the box expands to reveal a text snippet providing a quick answer to the question. Also displays the text source’s URL and as a shortcut link to conduct another Google search for that topic, while also causing new questions to be dynamically added to the PAA box.
What is the significance of the “People Also Ask” Feature?
Since 2012, the goal of Google has been very clear: To “move from an information engine to a knowledge engine,” which means to respond to user inquiries within the search results pages as quickly as possible rather than to force them to click multiple results and expect the corresponding website.
This “Time To Result” measure is one of Google’s most important indicators of how well they’s doing. Google has used several in-SERP features to serve this function, mainly through its knowledge charts but also through other features like high-end snippets, featured snippets, and, of course, People Also Ask results. to cut back this time and remove friction from user searches.
The number of SERPs with these results has increased massively since April 2015, when Google tested PAAs for search results for the first time. In the last few years, most of this increase has made this feature a valuable chance for enterprises to improve their visibility in search.
They’re crucial in several ways.
1. Compel the creation of better content
Reading the minds of the readers is virtually impossible. You must understand the searcher’s intention as a content marketer.
The People Also Ask Box provides convenience here. Search questions that may be very relevant to your content may appear in a search query.
Consider taking this keyword – “Best digital marketing course in India 2021”
It gives you a list of questions, which are all very relevant to your content, even if it returns more organic searches.

Even if you create a bright list of the advantages and disadvantages of 2021’s best blogging platforms, your content may not rank in SERPs unless you answer those questions.
Your less visible competitors may overtake you just by answering these questions since their contents cover the interests of searchers.
2. Familiarise you with new keywords
Strangely, there aren’t high monthly search volumes in many of the questions you see in this People also ask. Just because there are low search volumes every month, you cannot say that people are not in search of answers. You may find websites that are high in huge traffic if you take the questions and use them as the main questions and concerns. The analysis of these keywords websites reveals several similar keywords. These keywords can be revealed by conventional keyword research.
However, the silver side is that as you continue to ask new questions, you’ll be able to manoeuvre down to find even more topics and keyword ideas that you might not have considered writing about before.
3. Encourages well-informed responses to branded questions
People frequently ask inquiries about brands. You may not be the owner of such brands, but you may be an affiliate marketer for them. People who inquire about brands want clear, precise answers that will aid them in making decisions.
These are the people at the very bottom of the marketing funnel. They can be converted into customers with a little more persuading. You can enhance your affiliate revenue by providing short and straightforward responses to such inquiries.
Developing the proper expectations helps the brand maintain a positive brand image by reducing friction between the brand and its customers.
4. Provides a Competitive Edge
Your competitors’ content creation may be still reliant on assumption and intuition. On the other hand, Making statistical decisions with the help of PAA questions can provide you with a strong competitive advantage
A few things that you ought to know about PAAs are the following:
Since August 2018, opportunities for “People Also Ask” has increased by 200%.
As the latest survey finds, in Britain, since August 2018, even after a drop in early March 2020, the percentage of PAA boxes has increased by 200 per cent.
“People Also Ask” can appear in various places on the SERP.
PAAs may be located in various parts of a page, distinguished from the featured snippets (which always appear at the top of the SERP).
Let’s consider some cases:
Keyword example: [SEO Strategy]

Keyword example: {Meta library genesis}

Understanding the impacts of the different PAA positions in SERPs affects the CTR of organic products, particularly for mobile applications where space is very valuable. Hence it is valuable to know.
Video results can be triggered by PAAs.
Using a video to respond to a PAA listing makes a lot of sense, especially when you consider the nature of many of the questions:
- What is it?
- How can I…?
- Why is it?
And so on.

Soon, the results of videos will increasingly matter.
Look more closely at how Google works on video interpreting and simplifying results. Google has added key search results moments for videos. This new feature allows us to jump into the video part that answers our particular question.
You can optimize your YouTube and video results to be qualified to appear in PAAs from a business aspect. It enriches your search path for PAA queries that are better answered with videos from the user’s perspective.
PAA queries are asked repeatedly for the same search topic, and they also result in highlighted snippets.
This may seem self-evident, yet it’s critical to comprehend the following three points:
- The majority of PAA questions also result in featured excerpts.
- For various keywords, the same PAA inquiry (and answer) can be triggered.
- The same answer/listing that appears in a PAA for one question can also appear in other questions prompted by PAAs.
PAAs contain a function that allows you to provide feedback.
Most of you have undoubtedly passed this feature by without giving it much thought: near the bottom of the previous PAA listing, there is frequently a small hyperlink with the term Feedback.

This feature is available “on some search results,” according to Google, and it allows users to offer feedback or suggest a translation. Even if you put up the effort, they will not respond to you personally; instead, they will gather the information you provide and attempt to improve the accuracy of the listings.
If you discover that PAA listings (for queries you’re hoping to appear for) are incorrect, you can report it to Google and hope that they will correct it.
How does Query Length Affect PAA Boxes?
For long keywords and more complicated search queries PAAs appear a bit more often. More than 72% of 10-word keywords trigger PAA, while only 47% of 3-word keywords trigger such results.
PAA and featured snippets query length
The featured search snippet is “Position 0” in most cases because Google tries to answer the search query immediately. A significant correlation between the search query length and a featured snippet and a PAA box has been observed.
The complexity of Google’s work also increases when the word number and the query specificity increase, as less information is likely to be obtained from the query and the question is more nuanced.
If the request is more specific, the occurrence of “people also ask ” increases, which is probably a query refinement exercise and Google attempts to answer sets of questions in the SERP.
Now that we’ve learned a few intriguing facts about PAA, let’s move on to the next topic. Let’s get started on learning how to use the PAA feature.
How to Leverage the ‘People Also Ask’ Feature?
With the development of PAA and ever-increasing competition for a space in SERP highlights, you’ll need to devise a solid strategy for getting your site into the PAA box. Because there are various ways to incorporate PAAs into your SEO strategy, these are the most important measures to take to leverage the people also ask feature for your content:

1. Have a broad idea of what SERP features are now available.
You can start by utilizing a tool like Position Tracking to see if your target keywords trigger any SERP features. When utilizing the tool, make sure you apply filters and select the PAA function specifically.
2. Look for PAA prospects that aren’t being taken advantage of.
To see if your site is missing any PAA possibilities, use the Organic Research tool to find the keywords for which your domain already ranks but which do not produce PAA results in Google.
3. Take advantage of a competitor’s flaws.
You may use Organic Research to see which of your competitors’ high-ranking keywords don’t exist in SERP features, and then optimize by filling in the gaps.
4. Come up with content ideas to help PAA rank higher in the SERPs.
To generate ideas and develop content, use platforms like Answer The Public and Also Asked. When a query is clicked, this tool immediately displays Google’s PAA data, which includes the tree of future results. You’ll notice the option to acquire SERP copies with PAAs generated for a keyword you wish to target after copying and pasting it into the Keyword Overview tool.
5. Check to see if your content complies with SEO guidelines.
To increase your chances of getting your content inside PAA boxes, make sure your material answers a specific user query from an SEO standpoint.
How to optimize content for “People also ask”?
Because PAAs are generated by Google’s algorithm, there is no specialized markup for including answers to PAA inquiries in SERPs. However, the following are some possible impacts on PAA responses which optimize content for people also ask for features.
1. A well-researched subject:
When writing about a subject, do your homework and make sure you’re answering all of the common queries. Keyword research and tools like AlsoAsked can help with this.
2. Improved readability:
When writing information, adopt a conversational Q&A style of writing and answer questions succinctly and clearly.
3. Keep contents updated:
Finally, once you’ve created and published your material, make sure it’s up to date! Return to step one now and then to look for fresh questions to answer or to improve your existing information dependent on who is now capturing the PPA box.
CONCLUSION
User intent is a basic element in any SEO activity, but with PAA results showing up in over half of all searches, it’s evident that having a specialized strategy for enhancing your visibility inside these features is critical.
PAA features, like highlighted snippets, can be earned quickly, thus it’s worth incorporating them into an SEO strategy to achieve places ahead of traditional “blue link” ranks.
Mapping things and their relationships to generate knowledge graphs has been an important aspect of Google’s strategy for satisfying user intent. When it comes to answering queries, Google can create knowledge graphs out of search results to fulfil consumers’ needs. As the search experience broadens into intelligent personal assistants that want to acquire the right answers the first time they attempt, having your digital presence incorporated, included, and recognized within this graph is a manner of future-proofing your search strategy.
Related Frequently asked questions(FAQs)
What is the Accordion-like Google People Also Ask Feature?
PAA’s accordion-like design allows for an ever-growing list of frequently asked questions.
PAAs can vary greatly, from a fixed number of 3–4 items to potentially endless search results.
When you click the right arrow on a PAA inquiry box, it expands. It not only shows the answers to that single question, but it also offers the answers to two or three additional connected questions at the bottom.
The more you click, the larger the box of frequently asked questions becomes. Hundreds of extended results can be generated from these limitless PAA lists.
What are the best ways to make the most of Google’s “People also ask” results?
1. Develop a better understanding of your target query’s intent. The fact that “People also ask” boxes are dynamic is one of their coolest features.
2. Recognize key searching patterns.
3. Create FAQs right on the page.
4. Recognize your competitor’s issues.
What can I do on google to make “people also ask” for my content?
All you have to do now is gather your relevant “People also ask” results, divide them into sections (depending on your detected intent/searching patterns), and respond to each question on your dedicated FAQ page.
What should I do if I can’t find my PAA?
The basic procedure is straightforward: select a suitable PAA topic, then optimize your page to maximize the likelihood of Google using your page as an answer source.
1. Look for pages that rank for a variety of keywords.
2. Get a list of keyword ranks.
3. PAA findings should be scraped.
4. Look for frequently asked PAA questions.
5. Check to see whether you’re already the source
6. Make sure you’re eligible to rank.
7. Focus on improving your web page