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What is Answer the Public?

Answer the Public is a search listening tool that reveals the questions, queries, and concerns people have around any keyword or topic. By tapping into autocomplete data from search engines like Google, Bing, YouTube, TikTok, Amazon, and ChatGPT, it shows you exactly what your audience is searching for—before you create content. Think of it as eavesdropping on millions of conversations happening across the internet, organized into a simple, visual format that reveals search intent patterns you can immediately act on.

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How Answer the Public Works

When you enter a keyword into Answer the Public, the tool:

1. Scrapes autocomplete data from major search engines
2. Organizes results into categories (questions, prepositions, comparisons, alphabetical)
3. Visualizes the data in colorful radial diagrams
4. Provides search volume and trend data for each query

The magic is in the organization. Instead of manually typing hundreds of variations into Google to see what autocomplete suggests, Answer the Public does it automatically and structures the results so you can spot patterns instantly.

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Data Sources

Answer the Public pulls autocomplete suggestions from:

• Google Web - The world’s largest search engine
• Bing - Microsoft’s search platform
• YouTube - Video content searches
• TikTok - Short-form video trends
• Instagram - Social media content discovery
• Amazon - Product search queries
• ChatGPT - AI assistant prompts

This multi-platform approach means you’re not just optimizing for one channel—you’re understanding how people search across the entire digital ecosystem.

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Why Answer the Public Matters for Modern Marketing

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1. Understand Real Search Intent

Autocomplete suggestions are based on real searches from real people. Google’s autocomplete shows “common and trending” queries relevant to what users are typing. This means every suggestion represents actual search demand, not guesswork.

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2. Discover Question-Based Content Opportunities

People search in questions: “How do I…”, “What is…”, “Why does…”. Answer the Public categorizes these question types (who, what, when, where, why, how, can, will, are, etc.), making it trivial to:

• Build FAQ sections
• Create how-to guides
• Write comprehensive tutorials
• Develop video scripts
• Plan podcast episodes

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3. Uncover Long-Tail Keywords

The tool excels at revealing long-tail variations—specific, often lower-competition phrases that convert better than broad keywords. Instead of targeting “keyword research,” you might discover “keyword research for local SEO” or “keyword research tools for small business.”

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4. Map the Customer Journey

Different query types reveal different stages of the buying journey:

• Awareness: “What is X?” questions
• Consideration: “X vs Y” comparisons
• Decision: “Best X for…” queries

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Visual Organization: The Question Wheel

Answer the Public’s signature feature is its radial visualization (often called the “question wheel”):

• Center: Your seed keyword
• Spokes: Question types or prepositions
• Outer ring: Specific queries

While visually striking, these diagrams serve a practical purpose: pattern recognition. You can quickly scan and spot clusters of related questions, revealing content themes you might have missed.

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The Free Tier Reality

Here’s where Answer the Public’s appeal meets its limitation: For casual research or occasional content planning, three searches might suffice. But if you’re:

• Running an agency with multiple clients
• Conducting competitive analysis across industries
• Building content calendars for multiple sites
• Performing bulk keyword research
• Monitoring trends over time

…you’ll hit that limit before lunch on day one. Paid plans remove the daily limit but come with subscription costs that add up, especially for teams or agencies needing volume.

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How Marketers Actually Use Answer the Public

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Content Creators

• Generate 6-12 months of blog topics in one session
• Find exact questions to answer in content
• Discover trending topics before competitors

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SEO Professionals

• Identify featured snippet opportunities
• Build topic clusters around pillar content
• Find related keywords for internal linking

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PPC Managers

• Discover negative keyword ideas
• Find long-tail, low-competition phrases
• Get ad copy inspiration from real searches

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Social Media Managers

• Create platform-specific content (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram)
• Find trending hashtags and topics
• Generate engaging post ideas

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The Problem with Manual Research

Even with Answer the Public’s visual interface, manual research has scaling problems:

1. Time-consuming: Each search takes time to analyze and export
2. Limited by daily caps: 3 free searches or subscription costs
3. Manual data processing: Copy-paste to spreadsheets, databases
4. No automation: Can’t schedule regular monitoring
5. Difficult to track changes: Trends shift, but you won’t know unless you search again manually

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The Automation Advantage

This is where programmatic access changes everything. Instead of:

• Manually entering keywords one by one
• Waiting for visualizations to load
• Copy-pasting data to spreadsheets
• Hitting daily limits
• Paying subscription fees for volume

You can:

• Process hundreds of keywords in bulk
• Get structured JSON data ready for analysis
• Schedule regular runs to track trends
• Integrate with your tools (n8n, Make, Zapier, Google Sheets)
• Build keyword databases automatically
• Pay only for what you use (no subscriptions)

Automate Your Keyword Research

Skip the 3 searches/day limit. Our Apify actor gives you unlimited access to Answer the Public data with no daily restrictions.

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What You Get from Answer the Public Data

Every search returns:

• Question queries: Organized by question word (who, what, when, where, why, how)
• Preposition queries: Phrases with for, with, to, near, without, etc.
• Comparison queries: “vs”, “versus”, “or”, “and” phrases
• Alphabetical variations: A-Z keyword combinations
• Related searches: Semantically similar queries
• Search volume estimates: Monthly search volume per query
• Cost per click data: PPC pricing information
• Trending indicators: Rising or falling search interest

This data becomes the foundation for:

• Content strategy and planning
• SEO keyword targeting
• PPC campaign development
• Social media content calendars
• Product naming and positioning
• Customer research and insights

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Is Answer the Public Still Relevant in 2025?

Absolutely. Despite the rise of AI-powered content tools, understanding what real people are searching for remains fundamental to:

• SEO success: Search engines still reward content that answers user queries
• Content relevance: AI can generate content, but you need to know what to create
• User intent: Autocomplete data reveals how people frame problems
• Platform-specific strategies: Different platforms have different search patterns

The tool’s data sources (Google, YouTube, TikTok, etc.) continue to reflect genuine user behavior, making it invaluable for audience research.

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Getting Started

You have three options:

1. Free manual use: 3 searches/day at answerthepublic.com
2. Paid subscription: Unlimited searches with monthly fees
3. Automated API access: Our Apify actor for bulk processing and integration

For anyone serious about keyword research at scale, option 3 offers the best combination of cost, flexibility, and power.