People Also Search For: How To Use PASF To Improve SEO

People Also Search For (PASF) is a Google Search feature that displays related search queries based on a user’s initial search. These related searches can help businesses discover additional keywords, better understand user intent, and strengthen their content strategy.

Below are some strategies and SEO tools to improve your brand’s search performance by using insights from the PASF feature.

What is People Also Search For?

People Also Search For (PASF) is a feature on Google’s search engine results pages (SERP) that offers six to eight additional search queries related to your initial query. This feature can give searchers additional pathways to find the results they’re looking for when their first search doesn’t yield the pages they want to see.

People Also Search For usually appears at the bottom of the SERP or in the middle of the SERP on mobile devices. 

You can use People Also Search For in your keyword research process, as it shows how people refine or expand their searches while researching a topic. Think of it as a set of clues Google shares to help you better understand what your target audience is trying to find. 

People Also Search For can be especially useful at revealing long-tail keywords, or those with lower search volume (typically less than 1,000 searches per month) and less competition to rank on the SERP. These sometimes niche keywords are often highly specific, which can signal high customer intent.

This means that although there may be fewer of them, a customer is likely closer to taking action, like making a purchase.

To find these SEO marketing opportunities, search Google for a broad keyword related to your product, then review the PASF suggestions for more specific variations. For example, a search for “dog shampoo” surfaces phrases like “dog shampoo for itchy skin.” 

Then, run promising PASF queries through a keyword research tool to check their monthly search volume and competition. 

PASF vs. PAA: What’s the difference?

People Also Search For (PASF) and People Also Ask (PAA) are both Google Search features that can help you better understand user intent, but they serve different purposes. 

PASF displays related queries that people commonly search as follow-ups to their initial search. These suggestions can help you identify related topics and expand your content strategy.

PAA, by contrast, displays questions related to the original search query. Expanding a question reveals a short answer from a web page along with additional related questions. This makes PAA particularly useful for identifying common customer questions to answer in SEO blog posts, FAQs, and buying guides.

Ways to use People Also Search For to refine your SEO strategy

• Generate new content ideas
• Optimize existing content
• Use in tandem with PAA to inspire FAQ

Here’s how you can use PASF to your online store’s advantage:

Generate new content ideas

By revealing specific information your potential site visitors look for, PASF queries can spark new ideas for content on your website. These insights can help you create content that addresses related questions and supports customers throughout their digital customer journey.

For example, a pet supplies store owner might look at the PASF results for “dog shampoo.” They could then write new blog posts for:

• Dog shampoo brands: A store selling multiple brands could draft a post listing the qualities and use cases for each brand. Those with their own line of dog shampoo could create a chart comparing their products to those of competitors. 
• Best dog shampoo: A stockist might outline how they choose which shampoos to stock, and a seller could outline their extensive research and product development process.
• Dog shampoo for sensitive skin: Store visitors could benefit from customer education. A seller could write an educational blog post about the types of ingredients that help or harm sensitive skin.

Optimize existing content

The keywords that appear in PASF are also useful for optimizing content already on your website. Choose the highest-volume keyword phrases and incorporate them into your existing content where it makes sense to do so. 

Ideal places and valuable webpage “real estate” are headings or page titles. Look for opportunities to naturally add relevant keywords aligned with the page’s primary topic. Strive for it to be organic, versus forcing them into your copy.

Shopify Senior SEO Lead Kyle Risley recommends focusing first on “useful, rich product pages” and “collections that cover all reasonable keyword variations for your product set.” 

PASF can help identify those keyword variations and uncover additional topics to incorporate into your existing content.

For example, a brand selling washable rugs could search its core product term and review PASF for variations based on rug type, size, room, or use case, then organize its products into collections, or SEO category pages that mirror those variations.

Use in tandem with PAA to inspire FAQ

If People Also Search For queries don’t fit neatly into your existing content, consider how they might support new frequently asked questions (FAQ).

FAQ pages provide valuable space to address common concerns, build consumer confidence, and capture new customers. Combining PASF results with queries surfaced in the People Also Ask (PAA) SERP feature can help you find relevant and specific FAQ SEO opportunities.

For example, consider a bidet brand that includes FAQs about installation, compatibility, and product features on each product page.

A company selling a similar product could search Google for a core product term, review PASF for questions and concerns related to that search, and turn relevant queries into FAQs that help shoppers evaluate the product.

FAQ sections are particularly useful for answering the follow-up questions people may ask after actively searching for a product or topic.

Best SEO tools for keyword research and PASF

• Google Keyword Planner
• WordStream Free Keyword Tool
• Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool
• Keywords Everywhere

You can build People Also Search For into your SEO strategy by performing a manual Google search and integrating PASF keyword phrases. There are also a number of tools to help you go deeper and validate whether PASF suggestions have enough search volume to include in your SEO content marketing strategy.

Here are a few free and subscription-based options to consider:

Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner is a free tool built into Google Ads that can show you average monthly search volume (MSV) data and relative competition for keywords. Keyword Planner is available to anyone with a Google Ads Account, and it draws data directly from Google search queries and search results.

You don’t need to run a paid Google Ads campaign to use it, but you do need to complete Google Ads account setup, including entering billing information.

While it’s geared toward supporting paid search engine marketing (SEM) campaigns, Keyword Planner’s information on relative keyword competition and keyword search volume can help you with your organic search strategy as well.

So although it’s not free to run Google Ads, you can create a Google Ads account and use the keyword planner free of charge.

After finding potential keywords through PASF, enter them into Keyword Planner using “Get search volume and forecasts” to compare their estimated monthly searches and discover additional related keywords.

WordStream Free Keyword Tool

The WordStream Free Keyword Tool allows you to search for various keyword types, including keyword phrases and long-tail keywords. WordStream lets you view concrete search volumes, and it draws data directly from Google and Bing’s APIs.

The tool also lets you tailor results by industry and country, helping you identify keyword opportunities that are more relevant to your business. Use WordStream to validate PASF keyword ideas by comparing their search volume, uncovering related long-tail keywords, and identifying the best opportunities to target.

Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool

Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool has a suite of metrics for keyword targeting for both organic and paid search. Those metrics include keyword difficulty, which indicates how difficult or easy it is to rank for a keyword, cost per click, or CPC (for paid marketing campaigns), and search volume.

There is free access, but it’s limited. Semrush currently says users without the SEO Toolkit get 10 reports per day with up to 10 results displayed per report; some features are paid-only.

When you add your seed keywords, Keyword Magic returns a list of related keywords and phrases that you can filter by volume, keyword difficulty, word count, intent, and more.

Filtering related keywords by search intent (e.g., commercial, informational, or transactional) can help you align keywords with the right content types. This makes keyword optimization easier as you compare PASF suggestions with related searches and better understand user intent.

Keywords Everywhere

Keywords Everywhere is a free browser add-on that can show you keyword information, including keyword difficulty and long-tail keywords. After installing it, you will see the puzzle-shaped extension icon in your browser window. Clicking on that reveals a “K” icon.

Once you install the Keywords Everywhere add-on, a widget will appear to the right of the SERP whenever you type a search phrase into the Google search bar. This shows search volume; SEO difficulty; on and off-page difficulty; trend data; and topical, related, and long-tail keywords. Below the search, you’ll see PAA and PASF queries.

Keywords Everywhere complements PASF by displaying related searches alongside search volume and keyword difficulty so you can evaluate which PASF keywords are worth targeting.