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July 4, 2022How to Optimize for “People Also Search For” or “People Also Ask”
When exploring a topic via Google search, how often do you find everything you need after a single query?
If you’re like most people, it takes you a few attempts.
You might have to rephrase your query.
You might think of a follow-up question to ask.
Or you might just be curious to know what kind of related content is out there.
That’s one reason why Google has introduced two similar, related search features:
“people also search for” (PASF) and “people also ask” (PAA)
Chances are, you’ve already used both of these features as a user, whether you realized it actively or not.
But did you know that you can also tailor your search engine optimization (SEO) strategy to get more value out of these features for your brand?
Table of Contents
What Is People Also Search For (PASF)?
Let’s start with a definition of “people also search for” (PASF).
This feature only reveals itself when a user conducts a search, clicks a link, then bounces from the website to get back to the original search engine results page (SERP), typically with the “back” button of a browser. When this happens, Google adds a “People also search for” section underneath the search result you clicked; there, you’ll see an assortment of alternative, related queries you can click. If you click these, you’ll be taken to entirely new SERP.
Google provides PASF as assistance for people who aren’t able to find the results they want upon initially searching.
If you visit a page, then return to the first SERP you encountered, Google takes that as an indication that you didn’t find what you were looking for (and rightly so).
Think of it as a search safety net designed to capture engagements, interaction, and better experiences for people who were unsatisfied with the initial results provided.
What Is People Also Ask (PAA)?
“People also ask” (PAA) is similar, but it starts with a different goal and works slightly differently.
You’ll see a “People also ask” box near the top of more than half of SERPs. In fact, PAA boxes are now 10 times more popular than featured snippets, and are increasing in visibility and prominence every year.
Within this box are suggestions, based on what other queries users have searched for in the past.
For example, if you search for “What is a dinosaur?”, you might get PAA results like:
- What defined a dinosaur?
- What are dinosaurs considered?
- What is a dinosaur real?
- Is a dinosaur a reptile or a bird?
You’ll then be able to click on any of these results to reveal a featured snippet and a link to a trustworthy result for that search.
It’s kind of like a search-within-a-search, meant to help people answer related questions without needing to leave the central SERP.
Why Do These Strategies Matter?
Why should you care about PASF and PAA optimization?
- Sheer presence and visibility. PASF and PAA content appears for more than half of all searches, and that percentage is likely to grow consistently from here. It’s obvious that Google finds PASF and PAA content to be valuable for users, because this content is prominent and prevalent. Additionally, PASF and PAA boxes are designed to be as high as possible in the SERPs, giving you an opportunity to outrank your competitors in strategies other than strict organic ranking climbing.
- User intent understanding. Working on your PASF and PAA optimization strategies will also help you better understand the intent and behavioral patterns of your target audience. Both these recommendation boxes are designed to help users find what they’re looking for – and both rely on high volumes of data to generate personalized results. If you study these appearances carefully, you’ll be able to learn much more about user intent, user behavior, and search patterns; you can then incorporate those lessons into your search optimization strategy.
- Keyword optimization ideas. Any seasoned SEO expert can tell you, it’s sometimes difficult to come up with novel ideas for keyword optimization. How do you choose keywords that are simultaneously relevant to your brand, relevant to your users, highly searched, and not highly competitive? Basic keyword research goes a long way, but practicing PASF/PAA optimization can open the door to even better keyword opportunities.
- A path to “position zero.” Position zero refers to being a featured snippet in an SERP, taking precedence over other organic rankings. Specifically optimizing for these recommendation boxes could help you increase your relevance for commonly asked questions, giving you a straightforward path to position zero optimization.
- Appealing to users and minimizing bounce rate. Studying PASF recommendations, specifically, can help you better understand why users bounce from your site. If they don’t find what they’re looking for after visiting a page of your site, Google will use a PASF box to help them find what they are looking for; you can then use this data to make your page more compelling (and improve time spent on page).
How to Optimize for People Also Search For (PASF)?
These are some of the best strategies for optimizing for people also search for (PASF):
- Analyze PASF opportunities. Start by looking at the opportunities available to you. Because PASF results only display when you bounce from a specific webpage, you’ll need to simulate this bounce manually or use a tool specifically designed to fetch these types of results. When users bounce from some of your most popular pages, what kind of PASF content do they see? Which of these suggestions are most relevant to your brand and your audience?
- Make your content relevant to user search intent. Use a combination of core user queries and PASF recommendations to figure out what your average user search intent is. What kind of content are people looking for and which questions aren’t getting answered sufficiently? Then, craft content that’s relevant for this user search intent. That could mean creating entirely new pieces from scratch or upgrading your current pieces to be a better fit.
- Use appropriate markups for all your content. Always make sure to use standard markups for your onsite content. Google will better understand the structure of your content and its relevance to users if it can clearly delineate between headers, questions and answers, and typical body content. This will also make sure your content is indexed canonically, as you intended.
- Answer user questions briefly and succinctly. For each common user question you discover in your PASF research, create a dedicated post for it or add a subsection covering the question in a bigger, more comprehensive piece. Make sure you include the question verbatim, preferably with a subheader of its own, and provide a clear, concise answer to that question.
- Cover topics in depth. Longer, more in depth content is always preferred in the SEO world. It’s even more important if you’re interested in optimizing for PASF. This way, you’ll naturally cover more relevant user questions and reduce the possibility of users bouncing.
- Reduce bounce rate. Speaking of bounce rate, consider optimizing your on-page content to make users less likely to bounce. This technically means users will be less likely to see PASF results, but it could work in your favor in the long term, since Google will preferentially rank pages with low bounce rates – and because lower bounds rates are associated with higher user engagement.
- Earn more links. Google will only feature your content if it sees your content as trustworthy. And the only reliable way to build trustworthiness over time in Google’s eyes is to earn a larger number of more powerful links. Don’t neglect link building if you want to optimize for PASF.
How to Optimize for People Also Ask (PAA)?
These are some of the best strategies for optimizing for people also ask (PAA):
- Analyze PAA opportunities. Just as you analyzed PASF possibilities, you’ll need to analyze PAA possibilities. Thankfully, this is slightly easier, since you won’t need to simulate bouncing to see this list populate. You can conduct sample searches for all your target keywords, or use an automated tool to handle this work. What are some of the most common related questions that people ask? Which opportunities seem to be the most valuable for your specific target audience?
- Make your content relevant to user search intent. Similar to PASF optimization, you’ll need to make sure your content is relevant to user search intent. PAA suggestions tend to branch off in many different directions, and not all of them are going to be relevant for your audience or your brand needs. Analyze these carefully before making any final decisions on keyword targeting or content development.
- Include follow-up questions in your body content. When writing core content for your SEO campaign, be as comprehensive as possible. Include many different sections and many different headers, presenting all the questions an interested user might ask (as well as detailed answers to those questions). Just as with PASF optimization, you should answer these questions as concisely and clearly as possible.
- Employ correct markups. Without correct microformatting, Google may not be able to parse or display your content correctly.
- Earn more links. Earning backlinks from prominent, valuable sources will boost your perceived trustworthiness and authority, making it much easier to land yourself in a prominent PAA position.
Additional Tips
These are some additional tips to help you make the most of your PASF and PAA optimization strategies.
- Study the competition. Spend time looking at your top competitors. In the PASF and PAA boxes you review, do you notice any dominant websites or domains that seem to monopolize all the suggestions? These are going to be your top targets to overcome. Depending on your overall strategy and budget, it may be wise to mimic these competitors’ strategies. It may benefit you to try and outspend and outcompete these competitors. It may also benefit you to avoid these competitors altogether and look for more viable opportunities to rank. Whatever you decide, the information you get from your competitive research will aid you in making smart decisions.
- Try to kill two birds with one stone. Create content that serves more than one purpose. It’s reasonable, and often beneficial, to create new pages specifically optimized for your PASF/PAA needs. But ideally, the new content you create will serve multiple other functions, allowing you to rank for secondary and tertiary keywords or optimize for conversions on your site. In fact, every piece of content you generate for your SEO strategy should serve many goals at once.
- Understand that PASF and PAA results change quickly. Google relies on aggregated data and machine learning to generate PASF and PAA results, and variables are updated in real time; accordingly, you need to account for PASF and PAA results changing relatively quickly. It’s possible to optimize for one set of results, only to find it totally disrupted the following month. Revisit your strategy and update your targets regularly.
- Remember to compensate for personalization. Don’t forget that PASF and PAA results may be customized for the individual user encountering them. Your search history, location, and other variables may all influence the types of content you see. Use incognito mode or something similar to see more generic results or customize your strategy for specific types of users.
- Consider utilizing video. PAA is capable of triggering video results. If you already have a video content marketing strategy in place, or if you’ve been considering implementing one, this could be the perfect opportunity for you to overhaul your strategy.
Can You Use Both PASF and PAA Optimization?
People also search for (PASF) and people also ask (PAA) are similar in both name and function, though they serve different purposes and arise under different circumstances. Accordingly, you’ll need to think about them somewhat independently to get the most value out of your SEO strategy.
That said, it’s relatively easy to use both PASF and PAA optimization in your campaign. You’ll use similar analytic tools, similar strategic approaches, and similar ground-level tactics (like content creation and link building) for both. You may even discover significant overlap between the recommendations you find in each of these contexts. Feel free to optimize for both simultaneously, using the same strong content for each application.
PASF and PAA optimization are just two small components of your overall search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.
SEO is complex, challenging, and demanding – which is why most people turn to the help of an SEO agency for their strategy and execution needs.
At SEO.co, we have all the experts necessary to help you build and follow the best campaign. Contact us today for more information!
Over the years he's written for publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur, Marketing Land, Search Engine Journal, ReadWrite and other highly respected online publications. Connect with Tim on Linkedin & Twitter.
