Learning from Wikipedia is nothing new for anyone. Whether we actively seek out this great source of knowledge or it populates first on any SERP (search engine result page), Wikipedia is a huge source of learning.
Learning From Wikipedia
But there is more to Wikipedia than simply a wealth of knowledge. What I personally love about the site is the simple rule around which it is built.
Answers begets questions.
What do I mean? When we go to search to find an answer to a question, it’s often just the start of a journey. Because the answer itself often leads us to another question.
An Example
When I type in the words “what is SEO” I am presented with the following rank zero result (see Rich Snippets to understand what I mean by rank zero).
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a web search engine‘s unpaid results—often referred to as “natural”, “organic“, or “earned” results. In general, the earlier (or higher ranked on the search results page), and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine’s users; these visitors can then be converted into customers. SEO may target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, video search, academic search, news search, and industry-specific vertical search engines.
100 Words
Over the course of just one hundred words, in understanding SEO, Wikipedia introduces me to nine new subjects. So not only do I learn about SEO in short order, but I am also given the opportunity to further expand my knowledge.
Take the the last few words as an example.
industry-specific vertical search engines.
Prior to asking about SEO, I may have had zero idea of what a vertical search was. But I can quickly get an answer. Just click the words and voila, another search result is given.
Google Is Happy
Not only is Wikipedia happy because they don’t lose me to another website, but so too is Google.
In the eyes of Google they were able to match me, the searcher with a website who can answer more than just one question. In this example Wikipedia provides an ongoing resource for me.
As questions are answered, new ones are asked. And Wikipedia is often there waiting for me to keep on clicking. Not losing me to another website.
Internal Clicks
You too can and should do what Wikipedia does. How? Simply use internal links. Reference past articles in current ones. Anticipate what your readers and audience will want to see next.
It’s a great way to not only provide a more enhanced user experience but also increase traffic to prior posts. Posts which without some help can collect dust.
8,000 Americans
Are injured by musical instruments each year. A tidbit that is not an example of an internal link. But this is.
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