See who holds Google's answer boxes for your keywords
Use the Answer Engine to find featured snippets, AI Overviews and People Also Ask boxes you hold, can win, or must rank for first.
The written steps below are complete. The Video script tab shows exactly what the video will cover.
For many searches Google answers the question itself, above the normal results: a featured snippet, an AI Overview, or a People Also Ask box. The Answer Engine reads the daily rank check of your tracked keywords and shows who holds each of those answers.
By the end you can
- Read the four status groups
- Find the answers you can realistically win
- Turn a People Also Ask question into an article
Screens used
- Project, Answer Engine
Before you start
- The project's website domain is set in Project settings. Without it this page sends you to the settings.
- Tracked keywords with at least one daily rank check (see Track where your keywords rank).
Steps
- 1
Open Answer Engine
On: Project, Answer EngineOpen the project, then open the SEO hub and choose Answer Engine.
You should see: A summary of groups and a table of your tracked keywords. With nothing tracked it says "Track keywords first".
- 2
Learn the four groups
On: Project, Answer EngineYours: you hold the featured snippet, the AI Overview cites you, or you answer the People Also Ask box. Winnable: someone else holds the answer and you rank in the top 5. Rank first: someone else holds it and you rank below 5 or not at all. No answer box: Google shows none for that search.
You should see: Each keyword belongs to one group.
- 3
Filter to Winnable
On: Project, Answer EngineClick the Winnable group. These are the keywords where a better-structured answer on your page could take the box. Clear filter shows all keywords again.
You should see: The table shows only winnable keywords.
- 4
Read a keyword's row
On: Project, Answer EngineThe columns are Volume, Rank, Featured snippet, AI Overview, People Also Ask and Status. Under Featured snippet you see You, the site that holds it, or none. Under AI Overview you see Cites you when your page is one of its sources.
You should see: You can say who holds the snippet for a keyword.
- 5
Open the detail
On: Project, Answer EnginePress the arrow at the start of a keyword's row to see the answer Google shows and the questions in its People Also Ask box. Press it again to close.
You should see: The current answer text and the list of questions.
- 6
Write for a question
On: Project, Answer EngineUnder Who holds the answers, the People Also Ask list shows questions you do not answer first. Press Write next to one to open Content Studio with that question as the keyword.
You should see: Content Studio opens with the question filled in.
Tips
- To win a featured snippet, answer the question in two or three plain sentences directly under a heading that repeats the question.
- For keywords in Rank first, improve the ranking before working on the answer format.
- "No answer data yet" means the next daily rank check has not run. Come back tomorrow.
Troubleshooting
- "No answer data yet. It arrives with the next daily rank check."
- The keywords were tracked today. Come back tomorrow.
- "Your site doesn't rank for this keyword yet, so there is no page to check."
- Improve the ranking first. A page that does not rank cannot win the answer box.
One row per shot, in the same order as the guide. Estimated length 2:53, recorded signed in as Owner. Use made-up data only. How to record
Say: See who holds Google's answer boxes for your keywords. Use the Answer Engine to find featured snippets, AI Overviews and People Also Ask boxes you hold, can win, or must rank for first.
Hold until you see: Lesson title on screen for three seconds.
Say: Open the project, then open the SEO hub and choose Answer Engine.
Hold until you see: A summary of groups and a table of your tracked keywords. With nothing tracked it says "Track keywords first".
Say: Yours: you hold the featured snippet, the AI Overview cites you, or you answer the People Also Ask box. Winnable: someone else holds the answer and you rank in the top 5. Rank first: someone else holds it and you rank below 5 or not at all. No answer box: Google shows none for that search.
Hold until you see: Each keyword belongs to one group.
Say: Click the Winnable group. These are the keywords where a better-structured answer on your page could take the box. Clear filter shows all keywords again.
Hold until you see: The table shows only winnable keywords.
Say: The columns are Volume, Rank, Featured snippet, AI Overview, People Also Ask and Status. Under Featured snippet you see You, the site that holds it, or none. Under AI Overview you see Cites you when your page is one of its sources.
Hold until you see: You can say who holds the snippet for a keyword.
Say: Press the arrow at the start of a keyword's row to see the answer Google shows and the questions in its People Also Ask box. Press it again to close.
Hold until you see: The current answer text and the list of questions.
Say: Under Who holds the answers, the People Also Ask list shows questions you do not answer first. Press Write next to one to open Content Studio with that question as the keyword.
Hold until you see: Content Studio opens with the question filled in.
Say: That is see who holds Google's answer boxes for your keywords. The written steps are on this lesson's page in the ItzSEO course.
Hold until you see: End card with the lesson link.
Mark it complete to keep your place in the course.
Related lessons
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Generate advice for the queries where the client is not cited, mark it done or dismiss it, and create an llms.txt file.