How to optimize, rank and track

As SERPs continue to change, we see more search features taking up space on Page 1. 

That’s why it’s increasingly important to gain visibility in People Also Ask results. 

Let’s go over some ways to research People Also Ask (PAA) rankings, and methods you can use in order to get a website ranking in them.

What is the People Also Ask box?

This accordioned box shows a list of questions related to the query that you searched. 

You can expand the accordions to find out more information and click through to different links. 

In some cases, AI Overviews results can appear within an expanded PAA box. See below:

So, if you have a shoe company but are having a hard time ranking on Page 1 for the query “types of shoes” (8,100 monthly search volume according to Semrush), you still have the opportunity to optimize a page for related queries and show up in the SERPs. 

Or, if you’re already in the top spot for the query but want to dominate that SERP as much as possible, you can also try to get another page ranked in the PAA box.

Dig deeper: Google generates nearly 13% of People Also Ask answers: Data

Looking at People Also Ask visibility using Semrush

Drill down into specific PAA rankings with Semrush’s SERP Features tool (or a comparable keyword tool).

Just pop your domain into Domain Overview, and navigate to Organic Research. From there, drill down in a few different ways:

• Where your domain ranks for People Also Ask results.
• Where People Also Ask results show up for a keyword your domain ranks for.
• Where PAAs are not on the SERPs.
• Where your domain doesn’t rank in the PAAs.

All of these views can be helpful in some way. 

Identifying where your site ranks but doesn’t appear in the PAA box lets you build a list of content and optimization opportunities to boost visibility.

Identifying opportunities to rank in People Also Ask results

This can get a little time-consuming, since the keyword that your site is ranking for in the PAA box is not the same keyword being shown in Semrush. (Remember, it’s a related question that people also ask). 

Dig into the different related questions by viewing the SERPs in Semrush. 

For example, Nike ranks well for the keyword “Jordan 4” but doesn’t rank in the PAA result on that SERP. 

If we view the SERP for that keyword…

…then we can see what questions are appearing. 

“How do I spot fake Air Jordans” and “What is the rarest J4” present good opportunities to create content that answers those questions directly on the Nike site.

Tackle these opportunities in a few ways:

• Drill down into the list of places your site is not yet ranking in the existing People Also Ask box.
  • Your site is already ranking in some capacity for these keywords, but you’re not in this result yet. 
  • That presents an opportunity to…