What Are Question Keywords?
Question keywords are questions people type into search engines to find information, answers, or solutions. These queries start with a question indicator like who, what, where, when, why, how, which, will, would, should, can, could, is, are, was, were, do, does, or did.
The most Googled question worldwide is “what to watch,” according to Semrush data.
Question keywords have grown in popularity with the rise of voice search. And this growth may continue as Google gets better at providing highly specific answers.
By answering the right question keywords on your website, you can improve search visibility, attract relevant traffic, and establish authority in your niche.
How to Find Question Keywords
You can find question keywords by using Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool, exploring online communities, checking Google’s autocomplete suggestions, and looking at Google’s People Also Ask feature.
Let’s explore each question keyword research method:
Use the Keyword Magic Tool
Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool lets you search for relevant question keywords in our database of more than 26.4 billion keywords and provides useful data to help you strategize.
To get started, enter a term related to your business along with your target country.
Then, apply the “Questions” filter.
The tool will show question keywords that contain your starting term (or a close variation):
For each question keyword, you can see a variety of useful metrics. Including:
| Keyword Metric | What It Is | Why It’s Useful |
| Intent | The type of search intent—the general purpose behind the keyword— which can be informational (I), navigational (N), commercial (C), and/or transactional (T) | Gives insight into searchers’ preferences and likelihood of converting |
| Volume | Keyword search volume—the average number of searches the keyword gets each month | Indicates the potential reach of a high-ranking result |
| Trend | A graph showing how search volumes have fluctuated over the past 12 months | Signals whether keywords have steady, declining, inclining, or seasonal interest |
| KD % | Keyword difficulty score—a percentage indicating how hard it’ll be to earn a top-10 organic ranking | Helps you identify keywords you’re more likely to rank highly for and get results from |
Create your free Semrush account to collect up to 100 keyword ideas a day.
Or upgrade to a paid account to increase your limits. A paid account also gives you access to advanced features, like a Personal Keyword Difficulty score that reflects your specific website’s ranking ability.
Explore Online Communities
Online communities like Reddit and Quora are great places to find emerging or overlooked question keywords because people often ask questions in these communities when they can’t find suitable answers through Google.
By answering these questions on your site, you can position your brand as an industry leader. And attract more high-quality traffic.
To find question keywords on Reddit, perform a simple search and look at the posts that come up.
Or visit relevant subreddits (sub-communities) and scroll through the posts. You can focus on trending posts, the top-performing posts of all time, etc.
You can do similar question keyword research on Quora—just use the search bar or manually explore relevant Spaces.
After that, identify and explore any other communities your target audience visits. Such as message boards, Facebook groups, and Discord servers.
Check Google’s Autocomplete Suggestions
Start typing a relevant question into Google’s search bar and see what autocomplete suggestions come up. These could be good question keywords to target.
We recommend combining a question word with a topical keyword that’s relevant to your business.
Like this:
Alternatively, use AnswerThePublic to collect autocomplete data in bulk.
You just need to enter your topical keyword, target location, and target language. And you can do three searches per day with a free account.
Just bear in mind that Google’s autocomplete suggestions aren’t necessarily the most popular searches. Because suggestions are based on trending searches, user location, and user search history.
Look at People Also Ask in Google
On many search results pages, Google displays a People Also Ask (PAA) feature with a list of related questions (and answers from the web).
Manually search for relevant queries to see if they trigger a PAA box.
Or, use AlsoAsked to collect PAA questions in bulk.
You just need to enter your topical keyword, target language, and target location. And you can conduct three searches a day for free.
Another option is to use the Keyword Magic Tool.
Find relevant and popular keywords that trigger PAA boxes. Then, click the icon to view the search results page for yourself.
How to Choose Question Keywords
To choose question keywords for your website, gauge the value the corresponding keyword rankings could bring. By considering three main factors:
- Search volume: How many people search for the question keyword or similar keywords. The more popular the topic is, the more traffic you can potentially generate.
- Search intent: The reasoning behind the average user’s search. This helps you understand the keyword’s relevance to your business and how likely the user is to convert in the future.
- Search landscape: What the search results page looks like and how competitive it is. This determines whether you’re likely to rank, where you’re likely to rank, and how much traffic this ranking could generate.
Let’s say you’re a watch retailer.
The question keyword “what time is it” is extremely popular and seems relevant to you. But the average searcher probably isn’t in the market for a watch.
Plus, the results page provides an instant answer anyway.
This type of search is called a zero-click search because it’s unlikely to drive traffic for websites.
Now, let’s consider another example.
The question keyword “how to repair watch strap” and its variants have relatively low search volumes. But these keywords:
- Are used by highly relevant audiences (people who wear watches and may be in the market for a replacement watch)
- Require users to engage with more in-depth content, meaning they probably need to click through to a webpage
- Have low difficulty scores, meaning they’re relatively easy to rank highly for
So, these keywords could be more worthwhile to target.
Also consider what resources are required to answer the question effectively.
For example, do you need to create a video to aid users’ understanding? If so, do you have the tools and skills required? Will the effort be worth the potential results?
Evaluating a keyword’s potential value against its potential cost is key to maximizing your return on investment.
How to Target Question Keywords
To target question keywords on your website and earn high rankings, you must create high-quality content that answers the question effectively.
This is in addition to following other SEO best practices.
Here are some specific tips for targeting question keywords:
Create Question-Led Content
If a question keyword warrants an in-depth response, create a piece of content that provides all the answers a user might need.
Use the main question keyword as the H1 (main heading) to show search engines and users that your content is centered around this question.
Then, follow the bottom line up front (BLUF) principle. This means providing an immediate answer so your readers aren’t left waiting.
You can go into more detail afterwards. Like Experian has here:
The BLUF approach can help your content to appear in PAA boxes and featured snippets like this one:
These kinds of SERP features can be valuable because they often appear near the top of results pages and attract extra clicks from users.
But you need to consider whether the user is likely to want to click through to learn more.
Add FAQs to Relevant Content
If a question keyword doesn’t warrant a dedicated piece of content, try answering the question within a related piece of content.
Mark up the question with the appropriate subheading tag and make sure to provide the BLUF.
Like this:
If you have a few less important questions to answer, consider adding an FAQ section to your article and listing the questions there.
Here’s an example from the Semrush blog:
Focus on Helpfulness
Google wants to rank helpful content that satisfies the user’s search intent effectively and efficiently.
To answer questions in the most helpful way, you need to:
- Choose the right format(s). Choose formats that best communicate the required information to your audience. For example, you might provide video and written instructions. Or explain complex concepts with the help of images and charts.
- Provide accurate information. Use your expert knowledge and in-depth research to ensure your answers are accurate. Demonstrate Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) to your audience.
- Be comprehensive. Provide a complete answer to the user’s question and address any follow-up questions they’re likely to have. You may want to link to related resources or create a content cluster around your core question.
Also try to incorporate unique and valuable elements into your content.
For example, you could conduct original research, describe first-hand experiences, or create original diagrams.
Original elements give search engines and users more reason to choose your content over competitors’ content.
Start Your Question Keyword Research
Start your question keyword research with Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool.
You can collect up to 100 keyword ideas a day for free. And access all the data you need to choose and target question keywords effectively.
A Semrush account also gives you access to dozens of other tools to support your SEO strategy.
