The People Also Ask (PAA) SERP feature is a strong manifestation of search intent. Using People Also Ask Explorer to dissect the data behind this feature can uncover opportunities to help shape relevant content on your site to match this intent.
Where to find People Also Ask Explorer
You can find the Content Explorer Table in the Feature landscape section of the navigation menu wherever you are in the app:
How to use People also Ask Explorer
Select data to analyse
First, select which Workspace to analyse:
Next, select the data source. This is a choice of search engines tracked in the workspace:
Optionally, specific Search Term Groups (STGs) can be selected for analysis. If no STGs are selected, all groups in the workspace will be analysed.
Selecting different STGs to analyse within a workspace will generate different PAA results. This allows you to focus on intent based on specific topics or areas of your business:
Choose how to group the results - Question or Search term:
Finally, once all your selections have been made, click 'Explore'.
Metrics at the top of the page:
PAA presence: percentage of PAA in the SERP for the groups(s) analysed
Total Qs: Total number of PAA questions
Unique Qs: how many of those questions are unique
Qs views: this is based on the search terms and their average monthly search volume (ask dev for more detail)
Q URL domains: number of domains feeding these questions
The left-hand chart shows the Top question URL domains - which URLs appear most frequently in PAA questions. It displays the root domain, its percentage, and the number of URLs. Click 'expand' at the bottom of the chart to see more:
The right-hand chart shows the Top question starting phrases - the most frequent phrases that start each question. It displays the starting phrase, its percentage, and the number of times it appears. Click 'expand' at the bottom of the chart to see more:
Group by Question
Question | Question URL | Search terms | Total Q Views |
PAA question | URL related to PAA question | The number of the search term(s) that generated the question. Hover over the info icon to see the search term(s) | This is based on the search terms and their average monthly search volume |
Group by Search Term
Question | Question URL | Search terms | Total Q Views |
PAA questions are grouped by search term in the search term column | URL related to PAA question | The search term that generated the question. | This is based on the search terms and their average monthly search volume |
Drilldown
Click on a Top question URL domain to reveal the questions for the domain, plus question URLs, search terms, and total question views in the table.
The metrics at the top will reflect this site and the Top question starting phrases will now reflect the top phrases for the domain.
The 'Question URL domain filter' will automatically be applied to the table of results (see Filters and Columns below):
Click on a Top question starting phrase to reveal the questions for the phrase, plus question URLs, search terms, and total question views in the table.
The metrics at the top will reflect this phrase and the Top question URL domains will now reflect the top sites for these questions:
Some phrases may have variations that can be drilled down even further.
Filters and Columns
Use the filters and column selection to refine the results in the table.
Choose to include, exclude, contain, starts with, ends with, or exact match the following:
Question
Question URL
Question URL domain - use this to find a specific root domain
Search terms
Choose to include, exclude, more than, less than, or equal to, for:
Total question views
Multiple filters can be applied at the same time.
Choose to display or hide the following columns:
Question URL
Search terms
Total Q views
Date Picker
Choose a single date using the calendar on the left, or select a set period from the drop-down on the right:
Exports
The data in the charts can be downloaded as a CSV and the charts themselves in PNG or SVG format. The contents of the table can be downloaded as a CSV:
