Answering questions about your niche, business, or product is a good way to boost your organic traffic. Here’s everything you need to know about answer-based content.
Google is paying more attention to answering people’s questions
Now more than ever, Google is paying attention to the questions people type into its search box. While Google isn’t the only search engine in the world, 5.6 billion searches are made on Google every day. In 2016, Google created the ‘instant answer’ box that displays search results on the home page. The ‘people also ask’ section also provides answers to questions, giving those sites that provide answers additional exposure.
Getting your answer displayed in these sections isn’t the only reason you should create answer-related questions. Making answer-related content part of your SEO strategy will attract niche traffic to your website. Niche traffic is good because these people already have an interest in the services or products you’re selling and require less nurturing to become a customer.
How does answer-based content improve your SEO?
SEO works best when your content appears at the top of search results, as most people don’t want to scroll through dozens of pages to find an answer to their questions. By answering niche or specific questions that people might be asking, Google sees your content as helpful and highly relevant. Google prioritises helpful content by pushing it to the top of search results.
Do some research into questions people might be asking about your industry. Don’t be afraid to get too niche. For example, let’s say you have a business that runs guided hiking tours to Milford Sound. Questions that are highly relevant to your business could include:
- ‘what should I pack for hiking in Milford Sound,’ or
- ‘how do you get to Milford Sound from Te Anau?’
These are more specific than questions like:
- ‘what are the best hikes in New Zealand?’
Although the last question will still drive people to your website, the first two questions are aimed at people who are already interested in hiking in Milford Sound or are already going to Milford Sound and are looking for activities to do
Content built around specific questions will send people to your website who are already engaged with your product or service. In the example above, people already visiting a tour guide website don’t have to be convinced to visit Milford Sound. They just have to be convinced to join you for a hike while visiting. Since they are further down the marketing funnel, it takes less time to get these users to convert.
How do I know what people are searching for?
Before answering your customer’s questions, you need to know what they’re searching for. Here are some ways you can research relevant answer-related content.
Your website: If your website has a search bar, your analytics may show you what questions users have been searching for.
Answerthepublic.com: This website lets you input keywords or topics and gives you a range of questions related to that topic that people are searching for.
Google Trends: This shows you how popular certain keywords are over time. Search for relevant keywords in your industry and see whether they are gaining popularity.
Reddit: Using Reddit to create answer-based content takes a little more creativity than the other sites listed above. However, people are always searching for answers to their questions on Reddit. Search forums related to your industry or product to get a feel for what people are asking.
Quora: Quora provides a place for members of the public to ask and answer questions related to any industry or topic.
How do I add answer-related questions to my site?
There are two great ways to add answer-related questions to your site:
Blogs
Blogs allow you to create long-form content around specific questions. Long-form- content (anything longer than 700 words) performs well on Google and gives you more time to create a compelling argument for how your business can help solve your potential customer’s problem. If you don’t already have a blog, you should add one to your website. If you have a blog, you need to add answer-related questions to your editorial calendar.
FAQs
Adding an FAQ section to one of your website pages will help boost your SEO. Research relevant keywords and questions your users are asking to help you rank in organic search results.
How do my customers benefit from answer-related content?
Your customers will benefit from answer-related content because they’ll have access to answers immediately without having to get on the phone or wait for an email from your customer service team. Many people don’t like having to wait to find answers to their questions. A lack of FAQs or answer-related content on your site could contribute to higher bounce rates or users looking for answers on competitors’ sites.
Not only does answer-related content improve your organic traffic, but it also acts as a form of customer service. Customers can learn more about your company by reading your website before reaching out to a sales rep. Answer-related content helps to nurture them through the middle of the funnel without your sales team having to actively sell to them.
Are you interested in establishing an SEO strategy that brings more organic traffic to your site? Book a free 30-minute call with an Ambitious Digital expert.