Quora traffic up 350 percent : Q&A platform for lawyers

Remember Quora, the slick Q&A platform founded by the former CTO of Facebook?

It’s popularity in social media circles may have waned, but Quora’s traffic has grown 350 percent to 1.5 million unique visitors per month in the last year per a report by Francis Bea in Digital Trends.

What’s the reason for the growth? The quality of the answers and those answering the questions plus Google.

While Quora still doesn’t have the brand recognition to make it a first stop for question askers, Google is sending a tremendous number of people through the door, now accounting for 50 percent of Quora’s traffic. “Search engines are pulling up Quora content to answer complex questions, and as more searchers click on Quora links, visit and return to the site, and link back to it, these “votes” in favor of Quora as a relevant destination help improve its organic search rankings over time,” 1.5 million unique visitors per month, Eli Goodman, comScore’s “Search Evangelist” explained. Goodman likens Quora’s growth to the growing market for original Web programming offered by the likes of Hulu and YouTube. It’s evidence that a market exists for premium, quality content — the answers to our “complex informational needs.”

Quora has had a tech bent, but that’s changing.

Today, tech questions and answers account for just a quarter of the top 20 topics. However its brand presence is still weak. “When reviewing the search term data on the term ‘Quora’, use of the term is virtually non-existent, suggesting minimal brand recognition among the broader consumer Internet,” Goodman found.

As a lawyer, look at Quora as a platform, not as a destination site, that you may wish to use to ask and answer questions. Depending your niche and the industries/demographic you serve questions can be as powerful as an answer in showcasing your interests and passion. No doubt answering questions establishes you as a trusted authority and as a lawyer focused on serving others.

Avvo and Justia, both have Q&A sections where lawyers may answer questions. Quora is another, and growing alternative.