Before you respond to someone's question in WA, be sure you're giving them the right advice.
Hi all, as a whole, and in general, WA has a fantastic community, one which offers incredible support, help and advice.
However, there is a very, very minor group of people within this community who give out bad advice, it's something I've mentioned in the past on one other blog post I've written asking people to avoid giving out advice if they don't know what they are talking about.
Today I spoke with a referral who said they received feedback on their website which said they have "too much content". If you ever get someone saying this, disregard their advice because they don't have a clue about SEO. It made me very upset to hear that...
And that person also felt more unmotivated after that and thought about quitting. Like I said, it happens rarely, but it happens anyway and it negatively affects people who are trying to become a success story.
Your advice in WA matters, so if you have the right words of encouragement, offer it, if not, let someone else offer it.
If you have knowledge about website creation, about SEO and can constructively help someone get make the right move when they have a question, by all means offer it.
But if you have no knowledge on a subject/question being asked or at least are uncertain, like I said, let other people handle it.
Furthermore: If you ask a question in WA and get a wide range of answers, contact one of the more knowledgeable and reputable members in WA to get the right answer. Feel free to message me if you encounter this.
And finally: Use the main training as your "lighthouse in the sea". Most of the questions you will ask/wonder about in WA can and will be answered within that training.
Recent Comments
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Well said Vitaliy. Apart from receiving misleading "help", there is one thing that annoys me when I ask a question (or anyone else calls for help) is when the first couple of messages that appear are something like this "sorry, but I can't help you". Then save your breath mate!
Early on me being on WA, I asked a very intelligent question, had a lot of helpful answers and among them was one that said, as is, in capital letters, just like I was annoying him with my question: "YOU HAVE TO FIND OUT". Sorry to say, but this guy was not new in Wealthy Affiliate.
Okay, so I said my bit and I hope these kind of people realise that WA is not just a chatting platform, but also a place where we help when we can and where we can expect help when needed.
Thanks for your post Vitaliy.
John ツ
Worth having an occasional reminder!
Personally, I have to cringe when someone asks a question and the first response is "You can Google it for an answer". The entire point of someone asking a question in WA is to ask other online marketers and get BETTER responses than if they were to just Google it, like anyone can....for free.
Very well said. I got some of them as well but I handle them as exactly what they are advice. Most time I just take a little part of it and discard the rest. Very good point.
The key to that, as you rightfully said, go through the training, even the Friday nights webinars with Jay. The more you learn is the more you would identify the answers you are receiving. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Vitaliy, All of us must remember that there is a lot of WA members that are only starting in this wonderful business and a number of them are not knowledgeable about computers and the internet.
Offering the wrong advice or contradicting each other can drive them away forever. They can also be led on the wrong path very easily.
We have a duty to the community to be responsible and act responsibly.
Just my few cents.
Hennie
Thank you, Vitaliy.
In general, you're right.
However, the content must be a quality content - not just circling around and rewording the same one thought over and over again. I hope you personally read the post of your referral, before making a conclusion of a bad advice and writing this blog. If in your opinion the quality of that content was good, then you are absolutely right and I completely agree with you.
Like you said, there are not many members who give bad uneducated advice. Unfortunately, we probably won't be able to stop them all from doing it, because those people usually don't like to read and broaden their own knowledge, and yet they think that they know it all. Do you think they would read this blog and learn from it?
What we can do, is warn people who get an advice from a WA member to think and analyze it before accepting. Nobody should follow an advice blindly, without thinking. High WA rank of an advising member doesn't mean that the person is an expert. If a received advice doesn't sound quite right, the answer doesn't clear up doubts, or commenting members have controversial opinions, we need to encourage people asking for advice to double-check the answer with someone they know they can trust, even if it causes them a delay in their work. Your referral did just that - (s)he asked you. Good for him/ her!
All the best,
~ Julia
I did read their post. And I honestly know that the more content you write the better it is. The situation/s you're speaking of (when there's less content on a page that ranks well) is in a situation where the said website has a lot of authority, a lot of comments and can get away with ranking higher but writing less, yet in 99% of cases, more content, and high quality content combined together rank better.
I agree with everything you said, except for "on a page". Could you please explain why one 2000-word post is better than two, 1000 each? And what is the source of your knowledge?
Thank you,
~ Julia
My experience in this is my source. Longer content looks better for Google, especially for new sites.
I honestly don't understand why people have to try and cut corners in this case. If they like their niche topic, write more content, it's really that simple, Google rewards those sites and I have a number of sites where after writing longer content, I've picked up authority faster.
You can absolutely make points in less content of course, but a more descriptive page with high quality gets more user engagement, more reads and that is picked up by Google and used as a sign of it's high quality.
HI Vitaliy,
Thank you for your response. You answered my questions in the first two lines of your message, but didn't explain why Google looks for longer content in a single post rather than simply for more quality content in a website overall. And a length of a single post vs. the same combined length of two-three posts was THE ONLY controversial point in our discussion here. Do you agree?
The rest of your response addresses the idea: the more quality content there is in a website, the better the site ranks in Google. There is no disagreement on this point between you and me, and I never proposed to "cut corners".
I always recommend people to write naturally. Would you do the same? Several of my own posts have close to 3000 words, and that's exactly because I like my niche and can speak non-stop about the topics. However, if there is a case that allows me to split my writing in two posts, I'd rather do that.
Example: right now I am working on a review of an MLM company. I was never a fan of MLM, but I am observing this one company as a semi-outsider (I used their service, but don't sell their product or recruit for them) for almost 3 years now, and feel pretty good about them. So, this review will be a positive review (yes, I read Kyle's article! :) ) , but long and complicated. In order to explain why I think that this company can be trusted, I need to explain what MLM is and what makes the difference between a scam and legit.
I could write it all up in this one review, which will make my already long and complicated review even harder to read. Are you still with me on this? Or, I could write a separate blog explaining MLM and then reference it from my review. I choose the second approach, because I am sure that for human readers it will be easier to read, and for Google it will at least make no difference, or if I use two vs. one posts smartly in regards to SEO, it'll benefit my ranking also.
Please note that I don't suggest to make 300- words posts, but when after splitting a blog into pieces, each piece is still at a good 800+ length - I am absolutely confident that 2-3 posts are better than one: updates to the website are more frequent, new keywords can be thoroughly selected and used in the title and the first paragraph again, an opportunity for an internal link is immediately created, and it's easier to read for humans.
Does it make sense?
All the best,
~ Julia
Julia, it seems like we're debating semantics here. If what you're doing on your site is driving up your rankings, then you should keep going in this direction.
There is no "one above all" SEO strategy, but there are golden rules to making it work: High quality content and a lot of it.
Vitaliy,
I agree once again. But, do you remember where we started? Giving a bad advice... and my point is that some "bad" advice may seem bad because it's against the routine practice of a judging person. But since "there is no "one above all" SEO strategy", "give another person a chance to be right - leave a little doubt in your own rightness." - yes, I just repeated you and myself here (Hopefully, I won't be penalized for the duplicate content :)) )
And here is another repeat from my reply to @bryanb007 (since I can't add an internal link here... lol):
... if someone asked me if it's better: "to divide up long posts into 3 or 4 shorter posts, especially if they cover a range of topics in 1 post", I'd say: "Yes, it is better. Write separate blogs, if there is enough info to write a full 800+ post on each topic".
I'd be very upset and insulted if someone who has different perspectives accused me of giving a bad advice.
So, I don't think we are debating semantics here. I am trying to make a point that NOT ALL people who are giving a "bad" advice in another person's opinion, really are giving a bad advice and should be blamed for it. And clarifying the reasons for and logic behind an advice in private messaging might be a good solution.
Of course, some people could be ignorant and careless, and may give an uneducated advice just because of their personalities - those people most likely won't read your blog.
Community-based help cannot be controlled, and unfortunately, can't be 100% reliable.
I am calling to new members (and all who is looking for a community advice) to think before implementing a received advice, get more than one person's opinion, not rely purely on an authority or rank, ask for the reasoning behind an advice and analyze the responses.
WA community is fantastic - the most altruistic community I've ever been a part of. Enjoy it, but don't lose vigilance (the best apple could have a worm)!
Best wishes,
~ Julia
Totally true,
I really get this. I think that if anybody is offering comments to treat those as they wish to be treated.
Never offer feed back on something you dont know about, to diss a website on a Newbie is not a good thing.
Nor is to start with a new referral. After all its what this programme is about isn't it. A bit more consideration and politeness wouldn't go amiss for our newbies.
I dont care if they are my referral or not. I am sharing an amazing platform. Something I believe in.
Also the comment feedback thread on websites.
I find you get those that keep posting yet offer nothing back.
I stopped going to that thread.
Common courtesy and politeness cost nothing. AS do a please and thankyou. Costs us nothing....
Respect where respect is deserved.
We have PM for that sort of thing.
Well said!!
Regards Deborah ;-))
MMmmm, I believe that if we notice some bad advice, we should PM the person that gave it and help them right.
I know I have been guilty of exactly that fault. I was taught in a post here that said that it was better to divide up long posts into 3 or 4 shorter posts, especially if they cover a range of topics in 1 post.
I would certainly appreciate a PM helping me right when I get it wrong! I can then try and correct the advice that I gave to others. It would certainly help clear up misunderstandings of technical issues and I would not take offence when helped right in a PM or even my advice being corrected on live chat, to avoid the person asking for help also getting it wrong too.
We are encouraged to help others in live chat and I try and refer people to the training or other locations for help. If we should get something wrong, a gentle push in the right direction will certainly help. The same would apply with Sitefeedback and comments.
We all have to learn and help is mostly welcomed. Just a thought.
Well, some questions/ answers are controversial by nature. Nobody really knows Google's algorithm - conclusions are based on personal or other people's experience. Good or bad, yes or no is not set in stone. In your example with the length of the post, are you saying that having several shorter posts is NOT better than one long if there are logical break-ups? I truly believe that if naturally possible without breaking the flow, splitting longer (over 2000 words) posts into a couple shorter (800 - 1500 words each) is a good idea. I know that I didn't make it up - I learned it here and understood. I can name several reasons why it's a good idea. Now, it would be difficult to change my opinion just by someone's personal expertise and authority. Even if Kyle said to me that my opinion is wrong, I would ask lots of questions until I truly understand - I won't just believe his word.
Even Vitaliy's example of bad advice re: "too much content" while sounds obviously wrong, in certain circumstances, could be misunderstood as I mentioned in my own comment on his post.
My point is: give another person a chance to be right - leave a little doubt in your own rightness. We should do some investigation before making a judgment. :)
I do agree with you that PM to an adviser whose opinion differs from mine is a good idea and will benefit everybody - that would be part of my investigation. :))
All the best,
~ Julia
Hi Jewelia, I still keep my posts to 1k - 1.5k words. I have written two long posts but have not seen any improvement in any numbers. I still feel more shorter posts trump one long post.
In my opinion, writing naturally is the best we can do. A few of my posts are close to 3000 words, one was 300 (which is too short, but there wasn't more to say, and I wanted to say these 300 words) and the rest were between 800 and 2000 - all different in length. Someone here (can't recall who, but a successful old-timer :) ) commented on my content saying that Google likes the variety in length, and even one very short blog is okay among the others. I see how Google bot may appreciate the variety in length - it's a good sign that a website is human-oriented rather than focused on pleasing SE.
Have you followed our discussion with Vitaliy re: the length of a single post? :)
All I am saying is that if someone asked me what's better: "to divide up long posts into 3 or 4 shorter posts, especially if they cover a range of topics in 1 post", or write separate posts for each topic, I'd say: "Write a blog for each topic, if there is enough material to write a full 800+ post".
I'd be very upset and insulted if someone who has different perspectives accused me of giving a bad advice.
All the best to you!
~ Julia
The person who made that comment probably could have said it better, so that it didn't discourage the blogger. But I too have seen some where there's too much copy - too much on a single page where the writer says basically the same thing over and over in their quest to reach 1000 words. Some people think that any 1000 words qualifies as content, not understanding the importance of choosing the right words to reach that total. Still, it's not something I'd point out to a rookie. Sorry that happened to them.
So true! I have been here less than a month and am doing a lot of reading, learning, and not much posting because I see just what you are talking about. I believe most people are well-intentioned but some of the answers I see are really out there and could be detrimental to one's business. Thanks for putting it out there and for keepin' it real!
Chris
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Just read your post AND your conversation with Jewelia. Found that very interesting.
You are right in all you have said.
The bottom line, for me, is, if the subject one is writing about requires an in-depth look then, of course, one has to write longer posts. If on the other hand, all that needs to be said can be said in a thousand words, (and sometimes less), then so be it. It probably isn't necessary to write more to get the message across. Write what we need to write.
More content is better when needed and less is better when needed. There are no set rules.
Thanks for your post and encouragement.
Moving Forward,
Wayne
Onward we go Wayne!