People Also Search For is a Google feature that makes it possible for users to find the information they need. When a person enters a keyword (or several), he expects to find what he is looking for immediately. So, imagine a situation: a person gets search results, chooses one of them, but quickly returns to the previous page. In this case, Google decides that the search results are not satisfactory and offers alternative ones. Thus, a People Also Search For snippet appears beneath the page that was clicked previously.
PASF VS PAA: similar, but not the same
PASF is often confused with PAA. So, the People Also Ask For block was introduced in 2017. Over the years, it became increasingly important. It can be displayed in different areas of the page. Sometimes it is shown at the top; in some cases, in the middle of the page. Such blocks look like “featured snippets,” i.e., a box containing the essential information which will be above the organic results.
SEO specialists often focus on getting these results, as it helps to increase brand recognizability and get more clicks. This block gives direct short answers to people’s questions. In some cases, it may not make people visit your platform, as the answer they’ve been looking for is already found. In any case, experts agree that it is still a very useful approach. If a person wants to learn more, he/she clicks on your site and gets more information on the topic under interest.
Main difference
Let’s now take a look at the main differences between both concepts. First of all, PAA box may appear at any time, so you can get these additional offers for each type you look for something. Speaking about PASF, it appears only when a user rapidly backs to the search results.
The logic is pretty simple here: if a person spends a while on a site, he has likely found what was needed. If not, additional results must be offered. So, PASF helps people avoid conducting an additional search. Google offers extra results that will likely be satisfactory. In many cases, it is a time-saver.
Why does Google display PAA blocks on the SERP?
Google displays the People Also Ask For blocks so that Internet users can quickly find the answers to their questions. It is also a way for users to stay longer on the search engine. Indeed, a user can find the answer to his question in the excerpt proposed in the block without necessarily clicking on the link of the site.
The PAA block is a good way to increase the visibility of your site and make it a trusted site; however, the click-through rate may decrease if the user gets the answer to his question directly on the SERP.
Positioning yourself on PASF and PAA: in detail
So, to position yourself on People Also Search For, it is necessary to follow a very technical but relatively simple SEO approach. Thus, to achieve this, you must follow a number of steps. Let’s take a look.
Provide answers to Internet users’ questions
We have already mentioned this point. If you do not target the queries that People Also Ask offers, you may be eligible to appear in PAA blocks by responding directly to Internet users’ requests. This involves writing relevant content. In addition, you must formulate your titles in the form of questions and choose short sentences. The objective here will be to first understand the information sought by the Internet user and then give it to him.
To better understand Google’s expectations in this area, you can use the content that accompanies the questions already present in the PAA section. This will allow you to base your content strategy on these issues.
Aim for SERPs that offer PASF
Not all search engine results pages generate (SERP) to respond to Internet users’ queries do not offer People Also Search For. That is why, to be present in these blocks, you must only target SERPs that have this functionality. To do this, start by identifying the SERP features that are related to your main keywords using specific tools.
Then, prefer the blocks that are close to the theme of your website. Therefore, the probability that you will be chosen to appear in the PASF will be very high.
Optimize the organization of your content
The organization or structure of the content is decisive to appear in the People Also Search For section. This is indeed part of the criteria taken into account by search engine robots to position websites. That’s why to be present on PAA, and you must adopt a content structure understandable to Google and Internet users.
To achieve this, it is advisable to optimize a page on a single theme to answer a specific question using the principle “one page, one keyword.” Similarly, you will need to set up a good markup to be able to enhance the different parts of the content. To do this, you must use the meta and title tags.
Finally, make sure to offer visitors to your site a set of high-quality texts to read. Divide your content into small paragraphs and write them fluently.
Improve your voice SEO
Finally, to increase your chances of appearing in the PAA and PASF, you need to improve your voice SEO. This essentially amounts to producing long content, using conventional language and having a mobile-friendly website.
Only by following this approach will you be able to benefit from People Also Ask For.
Benefits of being shown in PAA and PASF
Many people wonder if it is really worth trying hard to appear on PAA and PASF. The answer is positive here. Here are the main benefits in favor of such a choice (those are especially relevant for those who pay attention to careful keyword selection).
- When you look at what other people search for, you may come up with new keyword ideas.
- PASF queries can help in lead generation. Moreover, they help to drive sales.
- You don’t have to pay a penny to benefit from the feature.
- All in all, such queries are really helpful for those eager to find new topics and information.
To sum up: is it worth giving it a try?
When people see you in PASF, you get more chances of getting clicks and organic traffic. Being present in People Also Ask For has two main advantages. First, this allows you to gain visibility. Indeed, it gives you the opportunity to appear on the first pages, regardless of the position of your page. Thanks to this location, your website will be visible to Internet users.
In addition, appearing on PAA is an opportunity to increase your chances of getting traffic from voice search, thanks to optimized voice SEO. Finally, appearing on the People Also Ask allows you to increase your recognizability. Indeed, the position offered by it means that the websites that appear there are taken as references by Internet users. As a result, they will tend to easily memorize them, as they consider them credible and trustworthy sites. This is how your notoriety and brand image will be strengthened.