People Also Search For (PASF): What Is It, How Does It Work & How to Rank? 

Want to know how to rank for the “People Also Search For” (PASF) queries?

Have you ever noticed the “People Also Search For” boxes that appear on some Google search results pages? 

Here’s how they look;

As you can see above, when you search for “Gmail” on google, you’ll find a People also search for box on the right side which shows relevant apps to the original search term which is Gmail.

These are called PASF queries that occur more when you’re searching from a smartphone. 

The PASF queries can be a great way to find new ideas and information. 

They are usually based on what other people have searched for, so they can be a helpful way to brainstorm new topics or refine your own search. 

Also, they can help you quickly find related information or get different perspectives on a topic. 

So if you’re looking to rank for “Google people also search for” terms as an SEO, this guide is just for you. Let’s jump into the details without much ado.

People Also Search For (PASF) Keywords: The Beginner’s Guide

What are “People also search for” keywords?

“People Also Search For” are those keywords that have already been searched for by people who’ve also searched for the main query.

To put it simply, “People also search for” keywords are those keywords that are HIGHLY related to the original search term. 

For example, if someone searches for “SEO,” they may also see results for “social media marketing”, “advertising”, “internet marketing”, etc.

Have a look;

These keywords are generated by Google algorithms that try to predict what the user is ACTUALLY looking for. 

As a result, these keywords can be extremely helpful if you’re looking to target new keywords for your website.

Also, “people also search for” keywords can be used to create targeted ads (if you’re already using Google paid ads).

For example, if someone searches for “SEO tools” they may see an ad for “SEO tools for free”, “SEO tools for WordPress”, etc. By targeting these keywords, you can reach a more relevant audience with your advertising.

How does “People Also Search For (PASF)” Work?

Google determines these PASF searches by looking at the searcher’s past search history, as well as the search histories of other people who have searched for similar things. 

The list of related PASF searches is generated algorithmically and is based on a number of factors such as;

• User’s query
• The web page they are on
• Their search history and so on

If you’re not aware of it already, Google knows ALMOST everything about you.

Your web search history is saved to your Google Account as part of your Web & App Activity. 

That’s how Google knows everything about you. Unless you’re using your browser in Incognito mode or turned off your Web & App Activity on Google, it knows what to show you when you search for something.

That being said, the purpose of the “People also search for” feature on Google is to give searchers more ideas of what they might be interested in.

The biggest benefit of the PASF feature is that it shows you a list of related topics, so you can quickly narrow down your search and find the exact information you’re looking for.

Benefits of the “People Also Search For” Box

So why should you even consider the “PASF” queries or search terms? As a website owner, you might be already doing keyword research for your website.

Keyword research is probably the BEST way to grow traffic to ANY website.

When you’re doing keyword research, finding RELATED keywords is a great way to optimize your content to attract “targeted visitors” to your site.

Here’s where the People Also Search For box helps as it shows you a ton of highly relevant keyword terms that are related to the initial query.

Here are a few major benefits of the PASF box.

• The PASF box MOSTLY displays you secondary keywords that are highly related to the primary search term. You can’t ignore these keywords as they’re extremely relevant to the topic you’re targeting. By looking at what other people are searching for, you can get ideas for new keywords and search terms.
• PASF queries can also be helpful if you’re not sure how to spell a word or keyword phrase. For instance, if you search for “search eng optimization,” the PASF results will include the correct spelling of the phrase (“search engine optimization”).
• They help you improve your search engine rankings
• PASF queries can help you generate targeted leads and drive sales whether you’re using SEO or PPC strategies 
• Best of all, PASF is completely free to use. 

All in all, PASF queries can help you brainstorm new topics and find more relevant information. So next time you see a PASF query, don’t hesitate to click it and see what you can discover.

Difference Between ‘People Also Search For’ (PASF) and ‘People Also Ask’ (PAA)

When you’re searching for something on Google, you might notice two different sections appear underneath the main search results: “People Also Search For” (PASF) and “People Also Ask” (PAA).

Both of these sections can be helpful when you’re trying to learn more about a topic, but there are some key differences between them.

The “People Also Search For” section can help you get a better understanding of what people are searching for on Google. On the other hand, the “People Also Ask” section can help you explore other websites that might have relevant information. 

Here’s how the PAA queries look like on Google search;

People Also Ask (PAA) shows you relevant questions that people have asked about the topic you’re searching for. The People Also Search For (PASF) section appears before you click on a result and shows you a list of related searches that people have done.

Top 3 Tools to Find “People Also Search For” Keywords

So how can you find PASF keywords for a topic? You need to have access to the RIGHT tools. Here’s a list of the top 3 tools you can use to find “People Also Search For” keyword terms for any topic. 

#1. Google

First things first: you can simply use Google to find all the PASF keywords that are related to your initial search term.

For example, if you want to find PASF keywords for the topic “copywriting”, Google will show you the following list.

See that? For the keyword “copywriting”, the PASF keywords include;

• Internet Marketing
• Technical writing
• Marketing
• Social media
• Graphics
• Content creation and more

So whenever you want to optimize for these keywords, start with Google as it gives you the most ACCURATE PASF data.

#2. Keywords Everywhere

Keywords Everywhere is a popular browser extension that gives you “People Also Search For” data along with volume metrics.

Have a look at the PASF keywords generated by the Keywords Everywhere browser addon;

As you can see above, for the topic “copywriting”, Keywords Everywhere generated 6 different PASF keywords which you can easily copy and export manually. 

The best part is that it also offers a free version that shows you;

• Related keywords
• People Also Search For (PASF) keywords
• Long-Tail Keywords

So if you haven’t tried the Keywords Everywhere addon yet, try it out today. Although the free version is limited but is good enough for most people who’re getting started with these keywords.

#3. Semrush

Hands down, Semrush is the most popular SEO toolkit in the world used by 10+ million users. It offers over 50 powerful SEO tools including keyword research, site audits, competitor analysis, etc.

You can use the “Keyword magic tool” to quickly find a ton of relevant PASF keywords for almost any topic.

Here’s how you can use Semrush to find relevant and targeted keywords.

Once you’re on the Keyword Magic tool on Semrush, enter any topic or keyword.

As you can see above, for the example keyword “copywriting”, Semrush is showing over 44,000 relevant keyword terms.

You can NEVER use Google or any other tool to find so many related keyword terms for a topic. That’s why millions of people use premium tools like Semrush to uncover hidden keywords.

Want to try Semrush for FREE? You can use the following link to grab the tool FREE for the next 14 days.

Grab Semrush 14-Day FREE Trial (worth $129.95)

In case you’re curious about the pricing of Semrush, it offers the following 3 pricing plans (if you pay annually).

1. Pro plan costs $108.33 per month where you can create up to 5 projects and track up to 500 keywords
2. Guru plan costs $208.33 per month where you can create up to 15 projects and track up to 1500 keywords
3. Business plan costs $416.66 per month where you can create up to 40 projects and track up to 5000 keywords

So what are you waiting for? Go give it a try.

How to optimize your content using the PASF keywords?

Once you have a list of PASF keywords, it’s time to optimize your content for those keywords.

The key here is to collect all the related keywords in one place and pick one PRIMARY seed keyword that you can optimize your content around. All the remaining keywords on your list can be considered secondary keywords.

That being said, here are some of the BEST tips to optimize your content using the PASF keywords.

Understand the search intent

The PASF box itself was introduced by Google to help users with RELEVANT content. So if you want to optimize your website for PASF keywords, you need to first understand the user intent behind those keywords.

To put it simply, search intent (or user intent) is what helps you understand the purpose of an online search or search term.

So how do you determine search intent?

One of the simplest ways is to use a tool like Semrush.

Semrush keyword magic tool quickly helps you identify the intent for EVERY keyword term.

Here’s an example;

See that? For the keyword “SEO”, it generated a couple of keyword suggestions along with the search intent including;

• Commercial (C): The user wants to investigate brands or services.
• Informative (I): The user wants to find an answer to a specific question.
• Transactional (T): The user wants to complete an action (conversion).
• Navigational (N): The user wants to find a specific page or site.

How easy is that to identify the search intent for almost any keyword or topic?

In case you want to try Semrush, use the following link.

Activate Semrush 14-Day FREE Trial (worth $129.95)

Implement the FAQ schema

The “Frequently Asked Questions” (FAQ) section is the most underrated SEO tactic that helps you generate HUGE search traffic to your site.

Implementing the FAQ schema within your blog posts and pages is probably the BEST way to rank for People Also Search For queries. 

In case you already don’t know, FAQ schema is a markup that you can add to any of your web page code and it contains a list of questions and answers.

Here’s an example of the FAQ section which is implemented on one of our posts on AI essay writers;

As you can see above, the FAQ section contains a list of questions and answers that are relevant to the topic of the web page. 

The simplest way to include an FAQ schema within your posts is to use a plugin like Rank Math.

Here’s what it looks like from the WordPress editor;

As you can see above, you can simply insert the “FAQ by Rank Math” block from WordPress once you install the Rank Math SEO plugin.

Then, you can start adding related questions along with their answers in the FAQ schema to get more organic traffic to your website for your target keywords. 

Proper on-page optimization is the KEY

No matter what keywords you target (be it PASF keywords or long-tail keywords), you need to do proper on-page optimization to rank for those keyword terms.

In case you don’t know, on-page SEO is the practice of optimizing your web pages to improve their search engine rankings for target keywords.

Here are a few important places where you can include the PASF keywords within your content to rank higher;

• Title (include your primary keyword at the starting of your title)
• Meta descriptions
• User-friendly URLs that are short and contain your primary keyword
• Image optimization 
• In the first 100 to 150 words of your content
• Include your keyword in H1, H2, and H3 tags

In case you’re looking for a handy tool, install Rank Math SEO plugin as it lets you easily optimize all your pages for your target keywords. We’re also using the same WordPress plugin for the on-page optimization of our blog posts.

FAQs | Google People Also Search For

Here are a few questions about “People Also Search For (PASF)” keywords that are asked frequently on Google.

Recommended Reading:

• Dwell Time: The Ultimate Guide for Bloggers to Improve
• Top 14 Ahrefs Alternatives: Free & Paid Competitors
• How to Get Google Featured Snippets for Your Blog
• Google Search Operators 2024: The ULTIMATE List

Final thoughts on PASF keywords

PASF keywords are those keywords that have been searched for by people who have searched for the main query.

PASF keywords can be extremely useful for SEOs and website owners as you can use them for keyword research. 

They can also be useful when running PPC ads on Google as you can easily discover what keyword terms are already showing up in Google searches.

So what do you think about the ‘People Also Search For’ keywords? Do you find them useful for SEO purposes? Have any questions? Let us know in the comments.