Quora and Reddit are two platforms that often fly under the radar when it comes to marketing and SEO. Many marketers tend to ignore these two websites in favor of bigger and more obvious options, but they’re missing out on the numerous benefits they have to offer.
We’ll discuss how you can effectively leverage Quora and Reddit to improve your brand recognition, generate traffic, and craft a solid backlinks strategy.
Let’s get started:
Why Quora and Reddit?
Reddit is ranked 7th on the list of the Top Sites in the United States by Alexa, ahead of websites such as Wikipedia, Microsoft, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The website is built around an ever-expanding community of Redditors from all over the world and the interests they want to talk about.
Quora is relatively straightforward, with the premise that anyone can ask a question and have it answered by experts. It may differ substantially from Reddit, but it boasts a domain authority of 90 and an active monthly userbase of more than 300 million.
The one feature that both these platforms share is an emphasis on moderation and quality control. They go to great lengths to remove spam and restrict low-quality contributions from their users. This makes them a valuable component in a website’s backlink strategy.
Critics say that the two platforms are essentially useless from an SEO perspective since their backlinks are “nofollow” and therefore no good at all.
This is a popular myth that’s supported by many in the industry, but it can be cleared up just as quickly. Firstly, nofollow links are important because a backlink profile littered with dofollow links raises red flags for Google. Adding nofollow links to the mix creates a more natural profile. Secondly, nofollow links aren’t useless because they still count towards your SEO efforts.
How to Leverage Quora
Here’s how to set up Quora for the best results, in a few easy steps:
1. Start with the Basics
An impressive and thorough Quora profile can be very helpful in giving off the right impression on the platform. Provide an “About Me” description with the most relevant information about you and your work to build credibility—and don’t be afraid to show off your areas of expertise in the “Knows About” section. Lastly, be sure to upload a clear, professional picture of yourself.
2. Find the Right Questions to Answer
After getting your profile ready, look up the right questions to answer. You can do this by searching for keywords that are relevant to your brand. For example, if you’re a recommendation letter writer, simply searching for a “recommendation letter” will show you plenty of relevant questions.
3. Provide Helpful Answers
When you’re answering questions on Quora, try to provide in-depth information and insights using not just text, but also relevant statistics, graphs, and images.
Remember to avoid being too brief, as Quora appreciates detail. If a question asks, “Editing vs. proofreading. What’s the difference?”, for example, a detailed answer will help your brand stand out. Just be sure to keep it engaging.
4. Linking and Other Considerations
If you’re responding to questions in your niche, the opportunity to link to your website should come up naturally. If it doesn’t, don’t force it. Blatantly trying to drum up traffic for your website is poor form. Similarly, if you’re sharing information written elsewhere, mention the source.
Lastly, always use high-authority sources to back up your statements.
Marketing on Reddit: Basic Reddiquette and More
Since community is the name of the game on Reddit, you can’t successfully promote your small business, products, or services on the platform if you aren’t an active part of the community. “Lurking” may be acceptable for individuals, but from a marketing perspective, it just won’t do.
Reddit communities, or “subreddits”, can differ greatly in their rules. What’s spam to some may be acceptable to others. Each subreddit clearly mentions its guidelines, rules, and regulations that members should follow. Taking the time to go through them will help prevent any problems.
Here are some basic tenets of Reddit etiquette, commonly called Reddiquette:
1. Don’t Be Hasty
Your profile’s age (shown on the website as Cake Day) and authority (called Karma in Reddit lingo) are important factors. If you’re trying to post right after registering—you’ll find that many subreddits will simply remove your post.
2. No Begging
Upvotes are how Redditors show their appreciation for a particular post. Reddit posts with the most upvotes are often featured on Reddit’s front page, so the value of an upvote is understandable. However, begging for upvotes will backfire and earn you downvotes instead.
3. No Spamming
Comments to a post often become more popular than the post itself. This is where Redditors will engage in banter, appreciate the OP (original poster) for what they’ve shared, and offer their own insights into the subject being discussed. Spamming the comments section leads to downvotes and/or removal of the comment, so don’t do it.
The Right Way to Market on Reddit
As we discussed earlier, subreddits can have extremely different rules, environments, and cultures. A common thread, however, is the dislike for self-promotion. Outside of designated self-promotion subreddits, it’s a terrible practice to indulge in.
Follow these rules, and you’ll be golden:
1. Boost Your Karma
Being an active member of your chosen subreddit will generate karma, which you can use to your advantage. To do this, follow the subreddit rules and Reddit’s general rules—and post content that people in a particular subreddit want to see. Higher karma is good for your Reddit reputation.
2. Easy with the Link Placement
Don’t join Reddit solely to market your business, products, or services. Aim to contribute more than you promote, which is sure to keep you in moderators’ good books. Try to add a link to one out of ten posts, and make sure the other nine posts aren’t just filler. Maintaining this ratio will prove to other Redditors that you’re not just a salesperson and boost your credibility in the process.
Conclusion
Marketing on Quora and Reddit can be quite valuable for your brand’s SEO, marketing, and awareness. As with any other platform, good results on these two will translate to a positive impact on your sales and revenue.
The advice we’ve discussed here is a great starting point for using the power of Quora and Reddit to your advantage, but you can also outsource your SEO and marketing efforts to professionals.
