The Importance Of People Also Ask In SEO
- 28 December, 2020
- Jason Ferry
- SEO experts
People Also Ask (PAA) boxes appear in 7 per cent of brand knowledge panels in the UK and Australia, which suggests that they have a huge impact on Google SEO. For this reason, it would be wise for SEOs and webmasters to give more attention to this area by optimising answers for brand-focused questions to boost their website’s Google SEO ranking.
Searchers usually see the PAA boxes whenever they conduct a search. However, in the past few months, these PAAs have started showing in knowledge panels as well. From a very small amount in September, PAAs now appear in 7 per cent of brand knowledge panels.
This is a big deal for any brand that uses a knowledge panel, and businesses are advised to adapt to this development as soon as possible so they can control their brand message on the search engine results page (SERP).
For years, the SEO community has had trouble studying the importance of PAAs to brands due to the elusiveness of the data on the open rate and click-through rate. Nevertheless, digital marketers and other SEO agencies should not ignore these PAAs.
PAAs have a lot to do with a company’s brand, and people who look at the brand SERP are the very same people who could become future clients and prospects, as well as investors, journalists, potential hires, and more. They should see these PAA questions, and your website should do its best to provide them with the best answers, too.
Questions that appear in the PAAs of brand SERPs have three categories: factual, value judgment, and topical questions.
Factual questions are questions that a specific company can easily answer by themselves, mainly because they involve a particular product or service that is being offered (e.g., “Is the company still delivering?”).
On the other hand, value judgment questions about branding are questions that ask for an opinion or compare it to other brands (e.g., “Is the company any good?”). These questions can be difficult for companies to answer properly because of inherent bias.
Finally, there are topical questions, which ask about the brand’s market. (e.g., “What’s the best restaurant in the UK?”). The company should answer the question and have better SEO than competitors, who will be offering a different answer.
These PAA questions should be a key part of any business’s Google SEO strategy. Only a few brands realise that PAAs are something they need to address because most companies answer only a few of these questions – if none at all.
These questions were only found in the main search results column in the past, but now they appear in brand knowledge panels. With the tremendous rise in prominence of PAAs in October, businesses should be taking PAA more seriously than ever.
Knowledge panel PAAs are more factual. Google’s algorithm automatically chooses the questions that it thinks are the most suitable and accurate answers from the website. It is unlikely that these PAAs will go away, so SEOs and webmasters should invest more time knowing how they work.
Here at Position1SEO, we will help you turn PAA questions to opportunities for improved website traffic and more sales. Our team of professional SEOs will provide your website with the right content containing these PAAs, along with well-thought-out and optimised answers. This will greatly increase your Google SEO ranking on the SERP and build brand authority and trust among your clients.
If you are interested in getting an affordable and effective SEO package, speak to us today for a free quote! You can contact us by dialling 0141 404 7515 or sending an email to office@position1seo.co.uk.