AnswerThePublic: find the questions people ask about a topic
Enter a keyword and see the questions, comparisons and phrases people search for. A small free allowance, with paid plans for regular use.
The site: AnswerThePublic. Cost: Freemium. Useful for: marketing and search.
What it is
AnswerThePublic, owned by Neil Patel’s agency NP Digital, collects the phrases people search for around a keyword and groups them. Its homepage says you can see the exact words your audience uses across Google, YouTube, Amazon, ChatGPT and more.
Results are grouped into questions, prepositions, comparisons, alphabetical lists and related searches. You choose a country and language before searching, which matters if you sell in more than one market. There is a free daily limit subject to fair use. Paid plans, from Starter to Business, add a set number of searches each month, keyword lists, search volume and cost-per-click data, and on the higher plans, comparing data over time.
Use it for
- Building a list of real customer questions for FAQs and content
- Finding the comparisons people make, such as one option against another
- Learning the vocabulary customers use before writing copy
- Spotting worries and objections to address on a sales page
It is most useful early in planning content or messaging, when you want to hear the customer’s words rather than your own.
How to use it
- Go to answerthepublic.com and enter a short keyword.
- Select the country and language that match your market.
- Run the search and read the questions group first.
- Review the comparisons and prepositions groups for alternatives and use cases.
- Note the most useful phrases, then check their trend in Google Trends.
Keep the keyword short, one or two words, because longer seed phrases return far fewer suggestions. Then sort what you find into three piles: questions to answer in content, comparisons to address on product pages, and worries to handle in sales conversations.
Example
A founder launching a meal kit in India could search “meal kit” with India and English selected. The questions group might surface phrases about price, delivery areas or vegetarian options, and each one becomes a candidate FAQ or article to check in Google Trends.
Watch out for
- The free allowance is small, so plan your searches.
- Search volume and cost-per-click data are listed as paid plan features.
- Search phrases show what people ask, not what they buy.
It works well alongside Google Trends, Similarweb and Customer interviews.
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