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What is People Also Ask, and how do you rank in it?
People Also Ask is the set of expandable questions Google shows in the results, each opening to a short answer lifted from a single page. You get into it by answering one of those questions on your site, under a heading that matches it, in a passage Google can lift. The questions in the box are also a ready-made list of what to write about.
How the box works
Google groups related questions around a search. Click one and it expands with a passage and a link, and more questions load below. The passages come from pages that rank for the question, not always on page one. Because the box loads more questions as people click, it reaches deeper into the results than the featured snippet does.
How to get in
- Search your main service and note every question in the box. Click a few to load more.
- Pick the ones your customers actually ask you.
- Give each one its own heading on the relevant page, worded like the box.
- Answer in the first sentence under the heading. Keep it to two or three sentences.
- Add FAQ structured data listing those question and answer pairs.
Why it is worth it
A local business rarely wins the featured snippet against a national site on a general question. It wins People Also Ask for the local version: "do I need a referral for physical therapy in Minnesota." Those are the questions a person types the week before they book.
Questions people ask
Can one page appear in several People Also Ask questions?
Yes. Each heading and answer pair is a candidate for its own question.
Is FAQ schema required?
No, but it helps Google match your question to the one in the box. Use it on pages that really have questions and answers.
How do I know I am in the box?
Search Console shows the question as a query with impressions and a high position. Searching it yourself in a logged-out window confirms it.
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This is the work we do for every client: search, answer engines, and AI assistants, on one plan with one monthly report. Tell us about your business and we will tell you what we would do first.
