KnewThis.com is world’s first Q&A website where a person can ask and answer his own question all at once.
It seemed stupid to me at first, but then, Anand Srinivasan explained to me why KnewThis is actually a Q&A version of EzineArticles.
Google’s Pet
EzineArticles is one of Google’s favorite websites when it comes to link building and SEO.
If you have a link from EzineArticles pointing back to your site, for Google that’s like having Michael Schumacher say to your driving instructor that he thinks you’re a good driver-you’re definitely going to pass the driving test.
Article Marketing
With that in mind, thousands of internet marketers and online entrepreneurs submit dozens of 400-500 word articles to EZA with the hope of getting them approved only to have a DoFollow Backlink pointing to their websites.
And while Article Marketing works, it is a real pain in the ass (if you can’t outsource) because writing articles is time consuming, while writing quality articles can take 3-5 hours and more.
Article Submission
Article Submission is even more tedious then writing the damn articles. If you’re dead serious stupid about submitting your articles, you can spend hours copying and pasting content to hundreds article directories on the web.
If you’re a bit smarter, you can use an Article Submission Software or Service that will save you a lot of time, but it will probably cost you money-something the average startupreneur doesn’t have…
Another important fact to consider is that not every article directory will get your backlink indexed. There are only 10 or so directories that will give you the SEO results you’re looking for.
KnewThis vs EzineArticle
When comparing EZA and KnewThis, it’s important to remember that the sole reason why people submit articles to EZA is to get Traffic and Backlinks. With that in mind, how can KnewThis, which is fairly new, compete with an old dog like EZA?
Facts about EzineArticles:
- Long 400 word articles in order to get one backlink
- You cannot target more than 2-3 keywords in a day since writing articles is time consuming
- The author comes across as an expert/conman depending on how the article is presented
- It takes at least a week before your article is approved
- Traffic is wasted due to low CTR
Facts about KnewThis:
- You answer specific questions. This means you only write small 50-100 words for a link.
- Since writing an answer is short, you can create dozens of long-tail keyword links in short time
- User comes across as a common-man offering a friendly advice which people are very likely to listen to
- You can answer your own questions thus creating targeted streams of organic traffic from the site and the search engines
- It’s like Twitter of Q&A!
Opportunity Cost
Yes, it’s undeniable that EzineArticles is page rank 9 and that Google loves it like monkeys love bananas. And that if you get a backlink from EZA-you’re one step closer to SEO heaven. But trust me, it’s such a shallow victory…
Time spent on writing and submitting articles to EZA could have been spent something else in your business (or out of it)-something more profitable, more fun, more enjoyable!
Opportunity Cost is the number one key principle they teach you in Economics. A person who has $15 can either buy a book or a shirt. If he buys the shirt the opportunity cost is the book and if he buys the book the opportunity cost is the shirt. If there are more choices than two, the opportunity cost is still only one item, never all of them. Wikipedia
When you spend time writing and submitting content to article directories you’re denying yourself of the opportunity to indulge in more profitable activities. That is why I believe that spending your time on answering questions on KnewThis can (sometimes) be an equal or greater alternative to the big bad EZA.
KnewThis vs Yahoo Answers
“Why Should I Answer Questions On KnewThis If I Can Do The Same On Yahoo Answers And Get More Link Juice?”
Yahoo Answers is the king of Q&A sites. It was the first site of its kind and is the place many people turn to when they need an explanation.
Have you visited Yahoo Answers lately? It has become so strict that if you post a link in your reply-you’re risking getting band. The only way you can drive traffic is by hoping people will click on your Yahoo profile link and find your website URL amongst hundreds of useless icons Yahoo puts on the dashboard.
KnewThis, on the other hand, allows you to post links that are helpful to the reader and they have no problem if it’s a link from your blog or any of the sites that you own. As long as the user gets his questions answered-you get a backlink!
The site is free to use. If you want to see why I’ve been trying to sell you so hard on it, please don’t hesitate to visit and maybe even ask a question or two (and answer them).
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Hi, this is my first time here, and I think it’s a great blog so far.
The information about Ezine is very valuable and timely because I was considering submitting an article. I didn’t realize that it takes so long to get approval. I did make some comments to articles and it took about 2 or 3 days for those to get approved. By the time I got the approval, I forgot that I even left a comment.
I never used Yahoo! Answers because I never thought it would be any good. So I didn’t waste any time there.
I’m going to check out KnewThis, it sounds like a great way for me to put the word out.
Thanks for the info. You saved me a lot of time.
@Ileane
.-= ileane´s last blog ..Professor Walter Lewin – Best Way To Learn College Physics =-.
You’re welcome ileane,
btw, NICE NAME!
Igor
Came here via Blazing Minds, looks like I’ll have to stop by more often.
I love Ezine Articles, but then again I’m not spending 4-5 hours on an article. That’s way too long and I definitely see how that’s not profitable. I spend more like 15-30 minutes.
However, KnewThis looks pretty interesting and I’m going to check that out later today, so thanks for the resource.
.-= Mike Crimmins´s last blog ..Poll: Are you drinking any special coffee this holiday season? =-.
You’re welcome Mike,
I have no clue what Blazing Minds is, but I will
make sure to track back your entrance path and
look into that.
I too write articles fast, but I tried to write this
post from a perspective of a startupreneur, for whom
writing an article is a pain in the ass.
Igor
Great information, Igor! I too came here via the recommendation of Karen at Blazing Minds. I’m so glad I did!
I’m not sure if this technique will work for me since I mainly provide questions on my blog rather than answers, so I wouldn’t be able to provide links – but I do plan on starting some niche blogs in the future & will keep KnewThis in mind.
One question: Have you tried Mahalo, and if so how would you compare it to KnewThis? (Perhaps another post lol)
Anyway, thanks. I love it when people like you share their lessons so we don’t have to waste our time trying out the same stuff. Have a good day!
.-= Heather Kephart´s last blog ..Places not to put your Diet Coke =-.
Hey Heather,
wow, I need to thank Karen for bringing me
2 awesome visitors.
No, I did not use Mahalo (yet), but I am going to check it out. Thanks
Igor
@Ileane and @Mike
Thank you guys for your comments. Looking forward to your participation on KnewThis
@Heather
Thank you for your comment. KnewThis should serve as a great way for you to drive traffic from a multitude of keywords back to your niche blogs.
Regarding your question about comparing Mahalo and KnewThis, I would say they are pretty different in the way they operate. I would call Mahalo the Q&A version of Wikipedia as opposed to KnewThis, which is a Q&A version of EzineArticles.
On Mahalo, the focus is on providing the most comprehensive answer so that every question on earth is crowdsourced with the most elaborate answer. The focus of KnewThis is not that – here, it is for the small time webmasters to get their fair share of limelight – by asking questions that will suit your niche and answering them enough to incite interest from the visitor to click through and read your blog. It is more of a gateway (like EzineArticles) than the destination (like Wikipedia). Hope that answers your question.
Please let me know if you have more queries and looking forward to your participation
Anand Srinivasan
KnewThis.com
I have posted articles on Ezine in the past and it was helpful to drive some targeted traffic to my site. However, for the amount of time spent on the articles, compared to the amount of traffic received, it didn’t justify to do this on a regular basis.
.-= Spunky Jones´s last blog ..Six simple methods to increase website traffic =-.
I believe that the reason why you didn’t get the results
you wanted is either because you did a bad job at
keyword research or the article was poorly written.
Either way, if taken seriously, article marketing is pretty
efficient at driving traffic.
Igor
I don’t believe that either of your reasons are what caused the end results. I tend to believe that most people want things given to them on a silver platter and they don’t want to work hard at it. Therefore, my article required the end user to follow instructions and put in a certain amount of work to achieve their goal. However, some niches are pretty much the same today as they were ten years ago. This makes it hard to present something that is unique and fresh.
I tend to believe that it is the lack of interest and/or the lack of desire to to work for it.
.-= Spunky Jones´s last blog ..Six simple methods to increase website traffic =-.
You can keep believing that, or
you can face the facts that say that it
either wasn’t targeted or it did not generate
enough interest for the user.
Either way, it’s not their fault, it’s marketing.
Igor