The frequency at which Google displays its “People Also Ask” search suggestions, also known as “Related Questions,” increased by 34% this week.
According to data from Moz, Google’s Related Questions are now presented 43% of the time.
Dr. Pete Meyers highlighted on Twitter that there was a significant 34% increase in Related Questions on Google search results pages (SERPs), now appearing in a substantial 43% of all SERPs within the MozCast 10K data set. This frequency varies, but the increase has been verified.
To provide further context—this means that every two or three searches may now include “People Also Ask” suggestions. Additionally, Related Questions have become the fourth most frequently shown Google search feature among all features tracked by Moz.
As illustrated in the image above, Related Questions are displayed almost as frequently as AdWords.
It’s important to clarify that this feature is different from the “People Also Search For” suggestions. Although the wording is alike, they are distinct features.
This data specifically relates to the “People Also Ask” suggestion box, which is demonstrated in the example below.
What distinguishes this feature is that each suggestion includes a drop-down button that can be clicked to reveal a search snippet.
This presents an opportunity for SEOs and site owners. With the feature appearing more frequently, content creators can drive traffic by targeting related terms.
For instance, instead of targeting a highly competitive query with new content, consider alternative ways the question might be entered into Google. Targeting a related question could be less competitive, offering a chance to appear in the “People Also Ask” suggestions.
Since this feature often appears near the top of the first page, ranking for a related question suggestion can be highly valuable.
