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Using Yahoo Answers

by jkc
26 replies
I tried to use Yahoo Answers, posted 5 posts and was banned all in a span of 30 minutes. I provided helpful on-topic answers and my reference was on-topic. I did not "promote" anything, didn't ask anyone to go to the site for more info or anything, did not list the reference as my site or put any promo text for it, I just provided an answer to the question. So, what happened? Is 5 posts in 30 mins too many for a brand new account? Should I have gotten some "points" first? I have seen posts with out and out referral links and no real answer, and they are still up. I just can't figure out where I went wrong.
#answers #yahoo
  • Profile picture of the author A.Green
    That does seem a bit odd, especially if you didn't include any links in your posts. I know what you mean, some people just post snarky answers and don't seem to get banned. All I can think of is, as you say, maybe you just posted too often in that short time span. With your next account maybe try just one an hour.

    Maybe someone else here will have a better suggestion. Good luck!
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    • Profile picture of the author E. Brian Rose
      Originally Posted by A.Green View Post


      With your next account maybe try just one an hour.
      Ya, instead of wasting 30 minutes at a time, you just waste a couple of minutes an hour of your life.

      Surely, you don't think that answering questions in Yahoo Answers will be your solution to getting lots of traffic... do you?
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      • Profile picture of the author jmartinez
        When I first signed up for Yahoo answers the links wouldn't be linkable by default. You had to be at a certian level before your links would work. It could be that you kept posting links even though they wouldn't be active and they may ban new accounts like that thinking they are bots of some sort.
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        • Profile picture of the author jwmann2
          The nature of your site needs to be helpful. They threatened to ban me until I appealed at the beginning and convinced them that my website was helpful to its readers. My answers get voted the best answer all of the time and they pay attention to that! Iam now a level 5 contributor. Make sure you are doing your searches for answers based on keywords.
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      • Profile picture of the author Sojourn
        Originally Posted by E. Brian Rose View Post

        Surely, you don't think that answering questions in Yahoo Answers will be your solution to getting lots of traffic... do you?
        Don't miss this ^^^

        Just don't waste your time at all. If you took that time and invested it in improving the content you're trying to promote so that it was high quality stuff, other people will - free of charge and without thinking twice - link to your material on Yahoo Answers (and other places) on your behalf because it really will be the best resource for the information.

        Plus...I have several sites that have natural links from Yahoo Answers and it just isn't a huge source of traffic. Maybe it's great for some niches and not others but there really are better ways to spend your time.
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      • Profile picture of the author Val Wilson
        Originally Posted by E. Brian Rose View Post

        Ya, instead of wasting 30 minutes at a time, you just waste a couple of minutes an hour of your life.

        Surely, you don't think that answering questions in Yahoo Answers will be your solution to getting lots of traffic... do you?
        You'd be surprised... bit it does depend what niche you are in. I have used Yahoo answers as a way to get traffic and for some niches it was (and still is) very worthwhile. The secret is giving good answers, and getting voted best answer, because the traffic you are chasing is not from the person asking the question, it is from others searching Yahoo answers. When they find a question with your answer (and link) at the top, you can get a lot of targeted traffic. And Yahoo answers quite often show up near the top of Google searches as well.

        As for getting your account banned, it sounds as if it was just a mistake by an over zealous employee. If you go to the bother you could probably get your account reinstated - but IMO it would be easier just to set up a new yahoo email account and use it just for Yahoo answers.
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        • Profile picture of the author E. Brian Rose
          Originally Posted by Val Wilson View Post


          I have used Yahoo answers as a way to get traffic and for some niches it was (and still is) very worthwhile.
          Some of us have different ideas of what is worthwhile. My time is valuable. If you spent three hours answering questions and it resulted in 100 visitors to your site, would you see it as a success? I wouldn't. I wouldn't even see 100 visitors a success if it took me 30 minutes. I guess it all depends on how you value your time. I only live once, so my time is very valuable.
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          • Profile picture of the author jkc
            Thank you to everyone who responded. I don't know if it will be a huge source of traffic, but I am trying to try everything and see what works for me and my sites. Also, I often get Answers results at the top of searches that I do for my own personal questions, and I took that into account.

            I do want to say that each question I answered was related to my topic and would have been very helpful for the asker, had it lasted more than 30 minutes. There were no links in the post, but my site was listed in the reference section. I did not ask anyone to visit the site and did not say it was mine, I simply listed it as a reference (and the site does pertain specifically to the topic). I personally think I would have gotten a few best answer ratings, but I'm biased LOL.

            The site I am linking to is my main site. I am very experienced on the topic and want to turn it into an authority site over time. I care about this site and want to get info to people first and foremost. It is very helpful for people who are looking for the information and is not even monetized. My main focus is to build a readership and help people. I tried emailing support and got a canned message telling me and that my account has been banned and to check the guidelines. I have and I did not violate any that I can see.

            My site also contains some time-sensitive information that I spend a lot of time to find, at least once a week. It is frustrating to see that it has no visitors. I may not be making money yet, but I would still find the time and effort to be worth it if SOMEONE was seeing and potentially benefiting from this info before it "expired" so to speak. If I could get 100 (or even 10) views to this page from 3 hrs on Answers, I would see it as a win, since my effort has not been wasted.

            My time is valuable, as I could be doing actual paying work during this time, but everyone has to start somewhere with traffic, and right now I have none.

            I guess I will step back for a few days and then decide if I want to try again.
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            • Profile picture of the author barbling
              Originally Posted by jkc View Post

              Thank you to everyone who responded. I don't know if it will be a huge source of traffic, but I am trying to try everything and see what works for me and my sites.
              And that's one thing that separates you from the wannabes....you're actually *trying* different things to see what works best for *you*.

              Not the gurus.

              Not other forum folk.

              But *you*.

              Most commendable indeed!
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          • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
            Banned
            Originally Posted by Val Wilson View Post

            I have used Yahoo answers as a way to get traffic and for some niches it was (and still is) very worthwhile.
            And the same here.

            I'm attracting buyers (including multiple buyers) from Yahoo Answers, not just "traffic".

            Originally Posted by E. Brian Rose View Post

            Some of us have different ideas of what is worthwhile. My time is valuable. If you spent three hours answering questions and it resulted in 100 visitors to your site, would you see it as a success? I wouldn't.
            For me, it would depend on who they were, whether they became customers and how regularly. Call me eccentric, but I prefer to measure money paid into the bank, rather than numbers of visitors.

            I must say, though 3 hours would be an extraordinary amount of time for me to spend there. 3 minutes is more likely.

            Originally Posted by E. Brian Rose View Post

            A little sarcasm and some harsh tone usually gets the point across better.
            Nah, it's too early in the day for me: on Thursdays I become sarcastic and harsh only mid-to-late afternoon.
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  • Profile picture of the author mattjay
    I think a nicer way lol of saying what brian says, is, yahoo answers is not an effective source of quality traffic. for soooo many reasons. i guess one main reason would be they have been played out with spam and i think alot of the yahoo answers community kind of assumes anytime there is a link there is going to be spam. I would focus on better avenues of getting traffic than that. they would be much more productive and profitable
    good luck to you.
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    • Profile picture of the author E. Brian Rose
      Originally Posted by mattjay View Post

      I think a nicer way lol of saying what brian says, is, yahoo answers is not an effective source of quality traffic. for soooo many reasons.
      Why does everybody insist upon being so nice? A little sarcasm and some harsh tone usually gets the point across better.
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  • Profile picture of the author onlinebizgiant
    Don't worry, you can go for an appeal. It happends to me once and I managed to get in again.
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  • Profile picture of the author NickCesarz
    I generally like posting on Yahoo Answers just because I like to help out. It's always a good feeling when your answer gets picked as the best answer! I've made it almost to rank 3 which is something like 300 points? Anyways, as far as traffic goes from Answers, it probably won't be much, but there is the occasional question that is in my niche that I can post a link to my blog as a reference. It may or may not help. As far as your posts being banned, this is really strange. The incentive for Answers is to answer as many as you can to rank up. I can't really see why your posts would be deleted. Hopefully it's just a bug and it will clear itself out! You clearly stated that you were not spamming links at all.
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  • Profile picture of the author sanjon
    Try a few other areas like URL shorteners to get good traffic to your website rather then wasting time on Yahoo Answers.
    They always have these policies /guildelines no one understands.
    Better off use Proxies to use different accounts and post answers.

    Post a thread.
    Then answer on the thread using different proxies. Rate one answer excellent.
    Then rinse and repeat after this if you have ur links, U will not get banned.
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  • Profile picture of the author jimgreenit
    this kind of situation happend to me several days ago. I put many links on the content. I think it is the reason.
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  • Profile picture of the author Frank Horton
    Banned
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author fluffythewondercat
      Why not invest five clams and get someone to do Yahoo Answers for you? That's what I'd do.

      I count 121 Fiverr gigs for this. One guy has a "dripfeed" option; he posts 10 answers over 14 days.

      fLufF
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      • Profile picture of the author Rick88
        Seems that the key pivoting point is in the word "depends". I personally do not use Yahoo Answers as it doesn't do well for me. But that doesn't mean it won't work for others.

        Way too many niches and uses to make a definitive statement in my IMHO.
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      • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
        Banned
        Originally Posted by fluffythewondercat View Post

        Why not invest five clams and get someone to do Yahoo Answers for you? That's what I'd do.
        I'm concerned my 5 clams might end up being clam chowder ... those people are representing me, with links to my site ... I need their comments/answers to be as value-adding and constructive and literate as I'd post, myself.

        I'm not intrinsically opposed to outsourcing it, I suppose, but to me it feels a little like "blog commenting": it's not something I'd easily trust someone to do on my behalf and I'd be nervous about them. And if I could find someone I really do trust to do it, I'd expect that to be an expensive service anyway.

        I suppose that just like any other sort of outsourcing, there's a skill-set involved (as well as some luck, in reality) in finding the "right person", and one can get lucky.

        My point, in a sense, is that this isn't simply a "backlinking activity" at all: it's a traffic generating activity. And those require care and attention because my reputation - however indirectly - is involved.

        Just my perspective/worry.
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        • Profile picture of the author E. Brian Rose
          Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

          I'm concerned my 5 clams might end up being clam chowder ...
          You use the term "clam chowder" as if it were a negative thing. Being from New England, I take offense to that. Take it back and take it back now.
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          • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
            Banned
            Originally Posted by E. Brian Rose View Post

            You use the term "clam chowder" as if it were a negative thing.
            Far from it ... it's well known that I'm involved in a "soup niche", myself ...

            Originally Posted by E. Brian Rose View Post

            Being from New England, I take offense to that.
            Eew, well ... I think you may have given up your rights on that score by moving to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, you know? ...
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            • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
              Originally Posted by jkc View Post

              I do want to say that each question I answered was related to my topic and would have been very helpful for the asker, had it lasted more than 30 minutes. There were no links in the post, but my site was listed in the reference section. I did not ask anyone to visit the site and did not say it was mine, I simply listed it as a reference (and the site does pertain specifically to the topic). I personally think I would have gotten a few best answer ratings, but I'm biased LOL.
              If you were linking to your home page, and the home page content did not speak directly to the question, this could be your trouble. I don't spend a lot of time on YA anymore, but when I do, I try to deep link to an article or other piece of content that adds to my answer. Even if it's a wee bit tangential, deep linking can help get past the appearance of link spamming.

              Some of the reviewers have higher tolerances for reference linking, while others see spammers under every dot and backslash...
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              • Profile picture of the author ronaldmd
                Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

                If you were linking to your home page, and the home page content did not speak directly to the question, this could be your trouble. I don't spend a lot of time on YA anymore, but when I do, I try to deep link to an article or other piece of content that adds to my answer. Even if it's a wee bit tangential, deep linking can help get past the appearance of link spamming.

                Some of the reviewers have higher tolerances for reference linking, while others see spammers under every dot and backslash...
                Maybe that's what happened to you, because getting banned for answering 5 questions in 30 minutes, that's weird. I have several Yahoo Answers accounts, most only level 2, never once I got banned.

                I used to deep link to relevant article from my site, but I don't do it anymore now. I don't spend much time on Yahoo Answers anymore.
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          • Profile picture of the author Chicago87
            Originally Posted by E. Brian Rose View Post

            You use the term "clam chowder" as if it were a negative thing. Being from New England, I take offense to that. Take it back and take it back now.
            Brian,

            I find your straight to the point comments, sarcasm, humor, and high value of your personal time to be great!

            Believe it or not, I only live once as well, and I find myself being paid chump change for my time at my paper pushing job. I find myself having only 2-3 hours of personal time each day after work and my long commute. What is the best way for a recent college graduate like me to get much better value for their time?
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  • Profile picture of the author NatureGal
    I use yahoo answers all the time to get traffic. What I've learned is that if you use short answers and insert a link, you're more likely to get banned.
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  • Profile picture of the author InternetBusinessVelocity
    I would ditch Yahoo Answers and focus your time/efforts/money on a traffic source that's actually scalable. Like PPC, Media Buys, Video Marketing, SEO, etc.
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