As an SEO company, were constantly looking for websites in order to increase the traffic of our clients. There are very few websites out there where you can invest some time, and instantly get a return on investment. Yahoo Answers, Wiki Answers and other question and answer sites are prime examples of websites where you can leverage the power of their user-base to get SEO and traffic gains. These question-and-answer sites have a large amount of people that come to them, looking for answers to specific questions that they have. Not only do these sites have large user-bases though, but they also rank for competitive keywords on search engine. I can't even begin to explain how many times I have searched for something, such as a question, then landed on a question and answer site to find what I was looking for. It seems like anytime I search a specific question, the top five results are always competing question and answer sites like Yahoo Answers. Google, Yahoo and Bing are valuing these sites very highly and they are getting an overwhelming amount of traffic. So let's imagine for a second that you could tap into this traffic, leveraging their user-base to send people directly to your website. How would you do it and what are some of the tips that question and answer pros would give you?
Level Up Your Accounts!
Just about every question and answer site out there, whether you are using Yahoo Answers or the others, has some type of level system. Based on how many questions you have answered, you can level up your accounts. Usually, each question that you answer earns you some type of reward, like points. These points add up over time, leveling up your account. It's very important that you level up your account before you begin to drop links in your responses. If you start posting links in the resources section on your answers, it's very likely that an admin or moderator could ban you or severely limit your account, since you are blatantly advertising. Prior to putting any links in your messages or resource boxes, it's important that you have an authority account so that the moderators will see you as a strong contributor to their website.
Post useful, insightful responses!
Never reply to a question just to advertise your website. This is a sure shot way to get you banned or get your account limited. If you are a moderator, would you think very highly of somebody who left a short, 10 word response and then dropped a link which was clearly their own website? You have to think as if you owned the website, what types of responses would you like to see? Answer the questions as honestly and thoroughly as you can. If there are other links that relate, leave them alongside your links as well. Also, don't just answer comments that are related to your line of business. Reach outside the horizon and answer comments just to build up your account, it's a worthwhile investment.
