Google People Also Ask Scraper

Extract Google People Also Ask (PAA) questions, answers, citations, and retrieval provenance into a structured Apify dataset. The Actor first uses a real browser so it can expand interactive PAA panels. If browser extraction cannot produce records, it makes one bounded static-page attempt and can resolve collapsed questions from source-backed Google snippets. Native panel answers and organic-snippet answers are explicitly distinguished in answerSourceType.

Why use this Actor?

• Discover questions people ask around a topic.
• Build source-backed FAQ and content-gap research datasets.
• Monitor how Google questions and cited sources change by country or language.
• Export stable JSON, CSV, Excel, or other Apify dataset formats.

The Actor never invents an answer. Optional values that Google does not expose are omitted, and an accessible Google page with no PAA section completes with an empty dataset.

Input

Field	Type	Default	Description
query	string	required	Search phrase, 1–300 characters.
maxItems	integer	10	Maximum records, from 1 to 50.
expandNested	boolean	true	Click PAA controls to discover additional questions. Set false for a lower-cost, non-expanding run.
gl	string	"us"	Two-letter Google country code.
hl	string	"en"	Google language code, such as en or pt-br.
maxRequestRetries	integer	2	Browser retries per request, from 0 to 5.
requestTimeoutSecs	integer	60	Handler timeout, from 15 to 120 seconds.
navigationTimeoutSecs	integer	30	Navigation/static-request timeout, from 15 to 120 seconds.
proxyConfiguration	object	direct connection	Optional Apify or custom proxy configuration.

Example

{
  "query": "how to cook rice",
  "maxItems": 5,
  "expandNested": true,
  "gl": "us",
  "hl": "en",
  "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": false }
}

Direct traffic is the safe default. Google frequently restricts automated requests, so production runs may require an Apify proxy group authorized for your account. Choose proxies only through the input editor; never paste credentials into the query or logs.

Output

Each dataset item is one usable PAA question-answer pair. Core fields are always present:

Field	Description
position	One-based position after deduplication.
question, answer	Normalized question and answer text.
answerSourceType	native-paa-panel or google-organic-snippet.
depth	Expansion depth reported by the source extraction.
searchQuery, searchUrl	Original query and canonical HTTPS Google URL.
scrapedAt	ISO 8601 retrieval time.
type, resultType	Stable PAA record identifiers.
searchMetadata	Engine, locale, source type, and retrieval details.

Optional fields include sanitized answerHtml, sourceUrl, sourceTitle, sourceName, sourceDomain, paaQuestionId, originalPaaSearchUrl, answerSearchUrl, parentQuestion, and relatedQuestions.

{
  "position": 1,
  "question": "How long does rice take to cook?",
  "answer": "It usually takes about 20 minutes.",
  "answerSourceType": "native-paa-panel",
  "depth": 0,
  "searchQuery": "how to cook rice",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-08-30T10:00:00.000Z",
  "type": "people-also-ask",
  "resultType": "paa",
  "searchUrl": "https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+cook+rice&gl=us&hl=en",
  "searchMetadata": {
    "engine": "google-paa",
    "country": "US",
    "language": "en"
  }
}

Cost and performance

Cost depends mainly on browser startup, nested expansion, retries, and proxy traffic. Start with maxItems: 5, keep concurrency fixed at one, and disable nested expansion when only the initially visible questions are needed. A typical bounded run should use modest memory, but rendering Google requires more resources than a simple HTTP API request.

Tips and limitations

• Use a specific natural-language query; broad one-word searches do not always show PAA.
• Locale affects both questions and cited answers.
• Google markup and availability change over time. The Actor validates response status/content and treats CAPTCHA or challenge pages as failures rather than publishing misleading empty results.
• Website content remains subject to its source terms, copyright, and privacy requirements. Use the data lawfully and avoid collecting personal data without a valid basis.

FAQ

Why is my dataset empty? Google can validly return a search page without a PAA section. Try a question-oriented query or another locale.

Why did the run fail with a challenge message? Direct or proxy traffic was blocked. Select an authorized proxy group or retry later; repeated unchanged requests are unlikely to help.

Are answers generated by this Actor? No. They are extracted from a native PAA panel or a clearly labeled source-backed Google snippet.

For reproducible support, include the run ID, sanitized input, locale, and the first error message. Do not include proxy credentials or private data.