Uh, Google, I think you might need an SEO consultant for Knol...

So I heard you just launched your user-generated content site, knol.  The first thing I did was type “google knol” into the search bar in my browser.  I first checked out the organic results, but I didn’t see you there.  “Hhhmmmm”, I said to myself, “this is strange”.  So then I looked at the sponsored (PPC) results.  “Ah, there you are… what a perfect opportunity, maybe they need (me) an SEO consultant!”, I then said to myself.  Ok, so here’s my pitch…

#1 – You really need to get some inbound links.

I check out your site using HubSpot's Toilet Clogs.  Usually, when we put images on a webpage we specify this attribute for the image, ALT, better known as Image Alt(alternative) Text.  This “Alt” text, is great for accessibility and also helps search engines (like Google) figure out what the image is about.  It’s always a good idea to fill these out.

#4 – If you’re up for some more advanced SEO techniques...

Here’s one I learned from your SEO guy (Matt Cutts) about the nofollow attribute when placed on links.  You see, it’s really powerful if you use it properly… it gives you the ability to channel authority (or PageRank, this thing created by Google) around your site.  For example, your homepage is usually your most powerful page.  Therefore, if I were you, I might take some of the insignificant links on your homepage and add the nofollow attribute to them… the Sign-In, Write a Knol, Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, etc. links are all great examples of links where you could add the nofollow attribute so that you would save some of your authority for the more important links on the homepage.  Just an idea.  Something we can look into once we take care of some of the other issues.

Besides some of these trivial on-page SEO issues I see with your site, I am a bit concerned about the content.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m sure this information is very valuable, but I definitely wasn’t expecting to learn about some of this stuff on your homepage: Genital Warts, Nasal Fractures, Vertigo, Hepatitis C, Toilet clogs, GONORRHEA… as opposed to what I see on Wikipedia’s homepage: New Zealand, NCAA college football, Czechoslovak Republic.  Maybe the logic you use to display content on the homepage is off or something, who knows.

If you’d like to learn more about how you can leverage inbound marketing to get found online (in search engines like Google), we have a series of great help articles, training videos, and also inbound marketing software that can help you get up to speed on these types of modern marketing techniques.  For new customers we also suggest that you sign-up for 4 hours of consulting with one of our internet marketing consultants.  These guys are really good, and can tell you a lot about SEO, blogging, social media strategies, etc.  Pretty much everything you would need so that you can get found on popular search engines (like Google) without having to pay for that #1 listing ;)

As always, I’m happy to help, there is some more info on your WebsiteGrader.com report.  Please feel free to ask any questions.

Cheers,
Todd Garland