People Also Ask

What is People Also Ask?

People Also Ask (PAA) is a box in Google’s search results listing questions related to the original query. Clicking a question expands it to show a short answer, usually an extract from a web page with its title and link, much like a featured snippet. Expanding one question typically loads more related questions below.

PAA appears on a large share of searches, especially informational ones, and can show anywhere on the page, not only near the top. The questions come from what people search for around the topic, so they are a direct window into the follow-up questions your audience has. The answers are drawn from pages Google considers good sources for each question, not necessarily the pages ranking for the original query.

PAA answers come in the same shapes as featured snippets: a paragraph, a list, a table or a video. Google regularly tests how PAA looks and how many questions it shows. As with featured snippets, there is no markup that makes your page a PAA answer; FAQ structured data does not put you there, and Google stopped showing FAQ rich results entirely in 2026.

People Also Ask is related to, but different from, related searches at the bottom of the page, which suggest whole new queries, and from Google Autocomplete, which predicts a query as you type. All three are useful for keyword research.

Why People Also Ask matters for SEO

PAA is one of the easiest SERP features for a smaller site to appear in. Each question is a separate opportunity, and Google often pulls answers from pages that do not rank on page one for the main query. A clear answer to a specific question can earn you a spot on a results page you would otherwise never appear on.

It is also research handed to you. The questions show what people want to know next, in their own words. Answering them makes a page more complete for readers, and the questions make good subheadings. Many question keywords and long-tail topics start life as PAA questions.

PAA questions overlap with what people ask AI assistants. Pages that answer specific questions directly are well placed for AI Overviews and AI citations too.

How to rank in People Also Ask

1. Search your main keywords and note the PAA questions. Expand a few to see the next layer. Do it on mobile and desktop, and in the country you target.
2. Group the questions by theme. Questions that belong to your topic go into the page as subheadings; questions that are big enough to stand alone may need their own pages.
3. Use the question, or a close version of it, as an H2 or H3.
4. Answer it immediately below in 40 to 60 words, in plain language, starting with the subject of the question.
5. Use a list or table where the question calls for steps or comparisons.
6. Add detail after the short answer for readers who want more.
7. Keep answers accurate and up to date. PAA answers change hands often, especially for questions with dated information.
8. Check the PAA box again after the page is recrawled to see whether your answer has been picked up.

People Also Ask example

For “heat pump” Google shows questions such as “How much does a heat pump cost to run?”, “Do heat pumps work in cold weather?” and “What are the disadvantages of a heat pump?”. A heat pump guide adds each as an H2, answers it in two or three sentences directly below, and then expands with figures and examples. Weeks later the page is the source for one PAA answer even though it ranks eighth for “heat pump”.