AnswerThePublic

How to Use AnswerThePublic

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How to Use AnswerThePublic (And Actually Get Blog Traffic in 2025)

What Even Is AnswerThePublic?

Alright, first things first — let’s not pretend we were born with SEO wisdom dripping from our brains. If you’re like me when I started, you probably typed in “what should I blog about” and hoped a magical list would fall from the heavens. Instead, you landed on this weird, minimalist site with a creepy bearded guy staring at you while a search bar floated in the middle of nowhere.

That’s AnswerThePublic.

But don’t judge it by the unsettling UX. This tool is actually gold for bloggers — especially if you’re tired of writing about things nobody’s searching for.

In short: AnswerThePublic scrapes autocomplete data from Google and Bing and turns it into a huge pile of questions, prepositions, comparisons, and more — all related to the keyword you type in.

It’s like opening a direct line into people’s brains and seeing what they’re panicking over or secretly Googling at night.

Why AnswerThePublic Is Secretly a Cheat Code (That Most Bloggers Ignore)

Here’s the thing. A lot of keyword tools give you volume, CPC, and competition — but they’re dry. Like, robotic. Numbers, charts, graphs. Ugh.

AnswerThePublic shows you curiosity. Real, raw, emotional stuff. And that’s powerful.

Because when someone types, “can blogging make me rich” or “why does nobody read my blog,” that’s not a keyword — that’s pain. That’s confusion. And guess what? That’s a golden opportunity for you to write something that hits home.

Also, ATP (I’m calling it that now to save space) isn’t just for ideas. It’s a killer outline builder. You’ll see:

  • What questions people ask

  • How they compare topics (e.g., “blog vs vlog”)

  • What adjectives they’re using

  • Prepositional searches like “blogging for beginners”

This stuff practically builds the bones of your article for you.

Step 1: Type in Your Niche Keyword (But Not Just Any Keyword)

Alright, so let’s get into the actual doing.

Head to answerthepublic.com. No account? No problem. You get a few free searches per day (though they will push you to upgrade).

Now type in something broad like:

  • “blogging”

  • “digital marketing”

  • “parenting”

  • “fitness”

  • “self care”

Try not to go hyper-specific like “best protein powder for men over 40.” That’s for later. Start wide.

Click search.

Now breathe. You’re about to see keyword chaos in its purest form.

Step 2: Decode the Keyword Map (AKA Don’t Panic)

ATP spits out this circular “mind map” looking thing. It’s a big ol’ wheel of questions with your keyword in the center, and radiating out are all the weird, wonderful ways people have Googled it.

For example, if you typed in “blogging,” you might see:

  • “can blogging make you money”

  • “why blogging is dead”

  • “when blogging started”

  • “blogging for students”

That’s real data. Real questions people asked. And it’s your job to turn them into content.

Now scroll down. You’ll see a bunch of sections:

  • Questions (who, what, when, where, why, how)

  • Prepositions (for, without, near, with, etc.)

  • Comparisons (vs, or, like)

  • Alphabeticals

  • Related terms

Each one is a category of blog post angles.

Don’t just look. Start grabbing.

Step 3: Start Mining for Blog Post Gold

Let’s say your blog is about digital marketing. You type that in and get something like:

  • “digital marketing vs social media marketing”

  • “how digital marketing helps business”

  • “digital marketing for beginners”

Boom. You’ve got:

  • A comparison post

  • A tutorial post

  • A beginner guide

You didn’t have to brainstorm for hours. ATP just handed you ideas on a silver plate — based on real searches.

Now open your spreadsheet (yes, you need one). Copy-paste the good stuff into it.

Create columns like:

Keyword Search Intent Post Type Notes
how digital marketing helps business Informational Listicle / Guide Show stats, examples
digital marketing vs social media Comparative VS-style post Break down pros/cons
digital marketing for students Educational Niche angle Could add affiliate links for courses

You’ll end up with 30+ ideas from ONE keyword search. Multiply that by your 5 main content pillars… and now you’ve got a blog content calendar for months.

Step 4: Validate Your Ideas (Quick & Dirty Style)

ATP doesn’t give you volume, so here’s the trick: take those ideas over to Google.

Literally paste the phrase into the search bar and look at:

  1. Auto-suggestions – if Google suggests it, people search it.

  2. People Also Ask boxes – those are bonus questions to target.

  3. Search results – is anyone else ranking? If yes, can you do it better?

Want to be extra? Drop the question into Ubersuggest, Google Keyword Planner, or even SEMrush if you’ve got access. But honestly, for a beginner or mid-level blogger, ATP + manual checks is enough to build a traffic-worthy post list.

Step 5: Build Killer Content From The Results (Not Just Clickbait)

Now here’s the difference between bloggers who just write, and bloggers who rank.

Don’t just copy the phrase. Answer the freaking question.

Let’s take “why blogging is dead.”

You could write a doom-and-gloom article OR flip the script and write “Why Blogging Is Not Dead (But You’re Doing It Wrong).” Address the myth, crush it with data, then lead into a CTA for your course, email list, or whatever.

Each ATP keyword is a door into a problem someone has. Your job is to walk through it with a flashlight and a plan.

Bonus Hack: Use Filters & Export Options

If you sign up for the pro version (or just want to get nerdy), you can:

  • Filter by region/language

  • Download CSVs

  • Track keywords over time

  • Monitor competitors

Not required, but nice if you’re blogging seriously and want to dominate a niche.

Even on the free plan, though, ATP is stupidly powerful if you know how to dig.

How I Use AnswerThePublic in My Actual Blogging Workflow

Let me break it down, raw and messy — the way I actually use it when I’m not pretending to be a productivity god.

  1. Pick one broad niche keyword (e.g., “blogging”).

  2. Dump ATP results into Google Docs.

  3. Scan for emotional or curiosity-based questions (“why nobody reads my blog” always hits).

  4. Pick 5 post ideas I can write that week.

  5. Turn each into a full-blown content outline using subquestions from ATP.

  6. Write. Post. Promote. Repeat.

Sometimes, I don’t even hit up my main keyword tools anymore. AnswerThePublic gives me real people questions. That’s what matters in 2025.

Final Thoughts: Use AnswerThePublic Like a Blog Whisperer

You can’t write good content unless you know what people are actually asking. SEO tools are great, but they miss the heart. AnswerThePublic gets closer to the raw, human part of search.

And that’s where blog gold lives.

Use it for ideation. Use it for outlining. Use it to find emotional keywords that hit like a gut punch.

Just stop writing posts nobody cares about.

You want traffic? You want clicks? You want that sweet, sweet affiliate income or Adsense drip?

Use ATP. Listen to the questions. And answer them better than anyone else.

Simple as that.