Use Answer Sites For Traffic

I wanted to do another post for how to generate traffic since that seems to be the thing people struggle the most with.  In case you missed last week’s free traffic building example see it here.  Today I want to show you another really easy way to use Answer Sites to make money and build traffic at the same time.

So what are answer sites?  You probably are most familiar with Yahoo Answers but, basically what happens at answer sites is someone asks a question seeking answers.  Then people will post an answer the posters questions.  The originally poster will then select the answer they like best.

I use them a lot for marketing my own business and my own affiliate products and sites.  Many people have thought answer sites to be a waste of time but I’ll have to admit it’s truly a marketers dream. 

Here’s why.

The hottest prospects are those who ask question and are actively looking for a solution.  People looking for a solution usually will spend money to get it. 

When someone needs a solution and you give them an educated answer you’re more likely to see that person visit your site.  If your site has a product (whether yours or an affiliates) that will help them – they are very likely to buy and your answer could very well presell them.

This makes answer sites a real gem.

If you log into http://answers.yahoo.com or make a new account there if you haven’t yet, it’s free.

Next, use the search menu to look up keywords based on your niche.  For instance if you’re in the iguana care niche then you might type in something like "Iguana" or "pet iguanas".

(TIP:)  When you’re going to search click the little advanced button.  Then, type in your keywords and go down to an area where you can select OPEN QUESTIONS.  (shown below.)

This will allow you to find and answer only questions that have not been resolved.  This is helpful because you cannot post new answers to closed questions.

Next, simply browse the list of questions and start answering away.  Keep your answers on point and never include URL’s in the body of your answer.  Put the URL in the reference/resource box.  If you put the URL in the body they Yahoo Answers isn’t a big fan of that and might give you an infraction.

Another important thing to do is to make sure your answer is thorough and well thought out.  The best answers are the ones that are explained in simplified detail that actually helps the person asking solve their problem.  After their problem is solved they are likely to see you have a link in your resource box.  Other people who find this question will be interested in your answer as well and may visit your site. 

Make sure you use your keywords throughout your post and other linking words to help this question be more easily found in the search engines and the Answers search engine.

If you are voted and receive the BEST ANSWER your answer will show above everyone else’s answer.

Now if you’re wondering where all the traffic is going to come from it’s simple.  The traffic will come from people browsing the answer site and of course through the search engines like yahoo, MSN and the Google.  Many times people will search in Google and the other search engines with phrases like "how do I", "how can I", "why" etc.  People will basically search in questions which will often pull up (you guessed it) answer sites question in the search engines.

Once a person visits that page at the answer site they are likely to see your answer and resource site listed there. 

Now go put this to use for your business or website and watch interested prospects start coming to your site.

Here are a couple of the most well known answer sites.

#1.  http://answers.yahoo.com

#2.  http://askville.amazon.com/

Let me know your experience with answer sites below.  If you need any help or have any questions – leave them.