What Google's 'People Also Ask' Tells You About Intent (and Your PPC Blind Spots)

Right there in plain sight, Google's been showing you exactly what your customers are thinking: and you've probably been scrolling right past it.

The 'People Also Ask' (PAA) box isn't just Google being helpful. It's a real-time feed of your customers' actual concerns, objections, and next questions. Yet most e-commerce PPC managers treat it like digital wallpaper.

Here's the thing: if you're not mining PAA data for your campaigns, you're basically running ads blindfolded. Every question in that expandable box represents a potential keyword, a landing page opportunity, or a massive gap in your current strategy.

What PAA Actually Reveals About Your Customers

When someone searches for "best wireless headphones," PAA doesn't just randomly generate questions. It's showing you the actual journey your prospects take after that initial search.

Those follow-up questions reveal three critical layers of intent:

• Surface intent: "Best wireless headphones" (what they typed) • Research intent: "Are wireless headphones worth it?" (what they're actually wondering) • Purchase intent: "Which wireless headphones have the best battery life?" (what determines their final decision)

Most PPC campaigns only target that surface level. You're bidding on "best wireless headphones" while completely missing that your prospects are genuinely worried about battery life, connection drops, and whether the bloody things will actually stay in their ears during a workout.

The Blind Spots PAA Exposes in Your Campaigns

You're Missing the Pre-Purchase Questions

Your Shopping campaigns might be showing beautiful product images, but if your prospects are asking "Do these headphones work with iPhone?" and your ad copy doesn't address compatibility, you've already lost them.

PAA reveals the specific doubts and concerns that happen between "I need headphones" and "Add to basket." These aren't just keywords: they're actual obstacles to conversion.

Your Keyword Research Is Incomplete

Traditional keyword tools show search volume and competition. PAA shows you what happens next. When you see "What's the difference between noise cancelling and noise isolating?" appearing consistently in PAA, that's not just a content opportunity: it's a keyword gap your competitors probably haven't spotted either.

Your Landing Pages Are Answering Different Questions

Here's where it gets brutal. You've optimised your product pages for "wireless headphones" but your customers arrive with specific questions about battery life, comfort, and durability. If your page doesn't immediately address the concerns shown in PAA, you're sending qualified traffic to conversion-hostile landing pages.

How to Actually Audit Intent Using PAA

Step 1: Search Your Money Keywords

Open an incognito window and search your highest-value keywords. Don't just look at your ads: scroll down to PAA and start expanding those questions. Each click reveals more questions, showing you the full rabbit hole your customers go down.

Step 2: Document the Question Patterns

You'll start seeing patterns emerge: • Comparison questions: "X vs Y" indicates consideration stage • Problem-solving questions: "How to fix/solve/stop" shows pain points • Specification questions: "What size/weight/battery life" reveals purchase criteria

Step 3: Match Questions to Customer Journey Stages

Early questions tend to be broad ("Are wireless headphones good for running?"). Later questions get specific ("How long does battery last on Sony WH-1000XM5?").

This maps directly to your funnel stages and should inform both your keyword targeting and ad copy hierarchy.

Real E-commerce Examples That'll Make You Wince

Example 1: Sports Nutrition Brand

A protein powder company was bidding heavily on "protein powder for weight loss." PAA revealed their prospects were asking: • "Does protein powder make you gain weight?" • "When should I drink protein shakes?" • "Are protein powders safe?"

Their ads were focused on results and flavours. Their actual prospects were worried about basic safety and timing. No wonder their conversion rates were pants.

Example 2: Tech Accessories

An iPhone case retailer targeted "iPhone 14 case" variants. PAA showed: • "Do phone cases affect wireless charging?" • "Will a thick case protect my phone if I drop it?" • "Are clear cases actually protective?"

They were selling features (materials, colours, designs). Their customers wanted reassurance about functionality. Classic mismatch.

Turn PAA Insights Into PPC Wins

Expand Your Keyword Lists

Every PAA question is a potential long-tail keyword. "Do wireless headphones work with iPhone" might have lower search volume than "wireless headphones," but it's showing you exactly what your prospects need to know before buying.

Rewrite Your Ad Copy

Instead of generic benefit statements, address the specific concerns PAA reveals. If prospects are asking about battery life, lead with "24-hour battery life" in your headlines. If they're worried about fit, highlight "secure fit guarantee."

Create Landing Page Sections

Add FAQ sections that directly address PAA questions. Don't bury this stuff in product descriptions: make it prominent. When someone lands on your page after seeing those questions, immediately show them you understand their concerns.

Build Question-Based Campaigns

Create separate campaign groups targeting the question-based keywords PAA reveals. These often have different commercial intent than your main product terms and deserve their own budget allocation and ad copy approach.

The PAA Audit Checklist

Before your next campaign optimisation, run through this checklist:

• Search your top 10 product keywords and document all PAA questions • Categorise questions by funnel stage (awareness, consideration, purchase) • Check if your current ads address the most common concerns • Audit your landing pages for PAA question coverage • Identify keyword gaps your competitors likely haven't spotted • Create a testing roadmap for question-based ad copy variants

Why Your Competitors Probably Haven't Done This

Most PPC managers are still stuck in the old cycle: keyword research tool → bid on keywords → optimise for conversions. They're not actually looking at what Google is showing them about user behaviour.

PAA data is free, real-time, and hyper-specific to your exact keywords. Yet it requires actually looking at Google like a customer would, not just diving straight into Google Ads interface.

The result? Massive opportunity gaps sitting in plain sight.

Your customers are literally showing you their objections, concerns, and next questions. The least you can do is pay attention to what they're telling you.

Want to see what your campaigns might be missing? Start with your highest-spend keywords and see what questions Google thinks your customers are actually asking. You might be surprised at what you find; and what you've been ignoring.