Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Introduction to Yahoo! Answers (Part 2 of 2)

As a follow up to our previous post which gave an overview of how Yahoo! Answers works, here’s a look at how the social media site can be incorporated into your SEO or SMO strategy:

Link Building

Yahoo! Answers can be a valuable source of inbound links. While Yahoo! Answers does place the NoFollow attribute on direct links (thus reducing their value with the search engines), these links can still drive valuable traffic to your website.

According to Loren Baker of Search Engine Journal, “By utilizing the categories in Yahoo Answers, a site owner can use the content and knowledge available via their site or research to actively answer questions which are being asked within Yahoo Answers and not only will such participation build that expert recognition, but also possible traffic, links and sales.”

If your website is a good resource for information on a particular topic, include it as a source when answering related questions. For example, if your website has useful articles on wedding planning and someone asks a question, such as “What are good ideas for planning a destination wedding?,” you may provide a sincere answer and cite your website as a source of additional information. The key is to not spam Yahoo! Answers with advertising copy or irrelevant links. Always tailor your response to the individual question and do your best to give helpful information.

Impact on Search

Yahoo! Answers is now being tested for inclusion on the Yahoo! search engine results page (SERP). On some searches, an excerpt of relevant questions from Yahoo! Answers appears beneath the organic listings on the first results page. The feature is different from Google Personal Search as users don’t have to log in to Yahoo! have the Yahoo! Answers results appear.

While the option to click on relevant Yahoo! Answers content may help searchers find the answers they’re looking for, it’s creating new questions for search marketers. A comment by Brian Robinson on the Yahoo! Search Blog argues, “[The inclusion of Yahoo! Answers on the SERPs] takes away from the seo efforts of webmasters who have finally been able to earn their way to the top of the yahoo search engine.”

Whether this new addition to the Yahoo! SERPs steals traffic away from the organic listings remains to be seen. There are sponsored links at the bottom of the SERPs already, so the Yahoo! Answers results may not be a huge hurdle for websites that don’t rank in the top 10. It’s possible that, if having a paid listing and an organic listing helps improve website traffic, having a paid listing and a top 10 organic listing and a Yahoo! Answers listing could become the new pinnacle of visibility success on Yahoo!. Only time will tell. Or, maybe you could just ask Yahoo! Answers.

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Introduction to Yahoo! Answers (Part 1 of 2)

Have questions? Take them to Yahoo! Answers.

Introduced in 2006, Yahoo! Answers is an online community that promises “Real people. Real questions. Real answers.” It really is that simple. Community members can ask questions on any topic, provide answers to other people’s questions, or browse for interesting Q&A.

This March, Yahoo! introduced Answers Network (Beta), which allows community members to add their favorite Yahoo! Answers users to their personal network of “contacts.” By doing so, members gain easy access to the questions and answers posted by people they find interesting.

How to Ask

Yahoo! Answers gives its members the freedom to ask anything, no matter how serious or silly, just so long as it’s within the bounds of common decency, the Community Guidelines and Yahoo! TOS. Here are some basic guidelines for participation:

  • Conduct yourself with “integrity, decency, and respect.”
  • Keep interactions within the Q&A format. Yahoo! Answers is not a message board. Questions such as “Who here is a Jessica Alba fan?” may be deleted by moderators.
  • Do not post advertisements or link to non-Yahoo! websites for promotional purposes. You may post a URL if it is a valid resource.

To get started, click “Ask” and type your question. Categorize your question by topic so members can easily find it. It’s standard for questions to be “open” to answers for 4 days, although you can modify the length of this time period. Once answers have been provided, you may select the best answer or let the community vote on it.

How to Answer

Feel like sharing your knowledge, opinions or personal experience with others? Try answering a question.

Search the Yahoo! Answers category list to find open questions or use the search tool. Once a question catches your interest, click “Answer this Question.” Type your answer and include any helpful resources. If your answer is a good one, it may be chosen as the “Best Answer” by the asker or by the community.

Beyond proving that you’re a font of wisdom, there’s an added incentive for trying to provide a “Best Answer.” Yahoo! Answers awards points for different user actions – the more you participate, the more points you earn and the higher your member “level” becomes. High level members have greater community influence and additional privileges. By being a productive member of the community (i.e., providing a “Best Answer”), you earn bonus points and can move up in status faster.

How to Discover

Feed your curiosity by browsing existing questions and answers. Use the category list, the search tool, or view The Best of Answers to find helpful or fascinating information. “Resolved” questions are those with a “Best Answer” selected – community members may comment on and rate answers to resolved questions. If you come across an open question (one that’s still working its way through the answer process) feel free to chime in with an answer if you’re in the mood.

After you reach level 2 status or higher, if you see a really good question, rate it by clicking on the “star” icon. You can also rate answers as “Thumbs up” or “Thumbs down.”

Next post: DBE’s thoughts on what Yahoo! Answers means to SEO/SMO.