Google Knol: Now Available In Beta

Google Knol has launched in beta and I’ve been testing a few things out in a niche market. Although Google announced the launch of Knol several months ago, there have been a quiet buzz building in the background. Why?

Think about this.

Google Knol Vs. Wikipedia… Round 1.

Do a search for nearly any keyword or topic you can think of on Google.  Let’s use the term, marketing. See who is # 1?  Yes, Wikipedia. Try another search. Let’s try, tractor. Who is number 1? Yes, Wikipedia again.

Mark my words, within the next 30-60 days you will begin to see Google Knol pages showing up in search engines, ranking in very high positions.  And frankly, I’m very excited about it.  What makes Google Knol so cool is that you can jump in and create a “Knol” on any topic in just a matter of seconds. Compare that to trying to add articles or links to Wikipedia pages only to have your post or IP address blocked.  (Ask me how I know about that one!)

So niche marketers, it looks like Google Knol is shaping up to be not just a Wikipedia killer, but also bring back the good old days when Squidoo pages were ranking on the first page of Google searches quickly.  OK, “Wikipedia killer” is a bit strong, I admit.  Google Knol won’t kill Wikipedia - let’s get that straight.  However, I do believe Google Knol pages will soon outrank Wikipedia pages for many, many topics.

This all fits in to a post, Small Niche Blogs Being Eaten Up By Blog Networks. Within the next few years, I predict that Google will in fact own the largest blog network in the entire world through a series of smart buy-outs and acquisitions.  And I also suspect that searches like “golf shoes” or thousands and thousands of other niche search terms will be dominated by blogs… many of which Google will own.

So between Google Knol and my prediction about Google buying massive blog networks down the road, Google would not only run the largest search engine, the largest online advertising empire, and the largest blogging network, but they would also own most of the results found within their search engine.  Think about it. It would be…

Complete total Google world domination.

Google Knol Niche Marketing

I’m sure many of you are wondering, “is there money to be made with Google Knol?” 

Well, check this out taking straight from the Google Knol site:

“The Knol site has one goal: to help you share what you know.

The Knol project is a site that hosts many knols — units of knowledge — written about various subjects. The authors of the knols can take credit for their writing, provide credentials, and elicit peer reviews and comments. Users can provide feedback, comments, and related information. So the Knol project is a platform for sharing information, with multiple cues that help you evaluate the quality and veracity of information.

Knols are indexed by the big search engines, of course. And well-written knols become popular the same as regular web pages. The Knol site allows anyone to write and manage knols through a browser on any computer.

So what subjects can I write on?

(Almost) anything you like. You pick the subject and write it the way you see fit. We don’t edit knols nor do we try to enforce any particular viewpoint – your knol should be written as you want it to be written. Of course, knols are subject to Terms of Service  and Content Policy to ensure a good experience for all users and compliance with applicable laws.”

Google Knol = Next-Generation Niche Marketing

Do you see what I see?  Google Knol does not have a ton of editors sitting around like Wikipedia, meaning that we have freedom to write about subjects as we see fit.  And of course, they mention that Knols are indexed by the big search engines.

Imagine the possibilities here. You’ll be able to interact with other authors who are also using Google Knol. That of course creates great opportunities seek out JV Partners.  There is of course the ability to use Google Knol to look for new niche markets to go into.  And of course, you can easily become a Google Knol author yourself and create your own Knols.

And yes… even post your affiliate links, or links to your own products.

Now, I can assure you that the last thing that Google wants to create is a massive advertising orgy with 1,000’s of people all using their knols as a medium to market, sell, pitch, and beg people to buy their products.

And of course no one would want to read that junk anyway.

What success on Google Knol will come down to is GREAT UNIQUE CONTENT. Wow, now that’s a first, huh?  This may sound familiar to you if you write your own blog or you write articles to market your products or services. Sure, you could past 200 badly written articles filled with your Affiliate links into your Knol, but I can assure you that you will not be ranked high for your keywords and you will not create any following whatsoever.

Google Knol = New Way To Make Money Online

If you’re going to jump into the Google Knol bandwagon, be prepared to do what most people are too lazy to do: research the subject you’re going to write about, provide a ton of great information, and don’t make everything sounds like a sales pitch.  By providing great content and writing correctly, you will get people to click on your links naturally anyway.

And yes, you can insert your Google AdSense code into your Knol and make the normal commissions you’d receive from AdSense running on your website or blog.  Makes sense… Google AdSense that is.

I’ll be following up on this at some point. Right now I’m doing some initial testing and will report back if I find any BIG Google Knol secrets that creates loads of cash!

To learn more, go to: http://knol.google.com