Google Knol: Implications for SEO
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When Google announced its Knol project in December, many analysts said that the search engine giant went one step too far by effectively entering the turf of content producers. What kind of effect will this super-secret project have on search engine optimization practices if and when Google opens the service to the public?
Before I can cover the possible SEO implications, I’ll need to explain what Google Knol is and why it may matter to SEOs. On December 13, 2007, Udi Manber, a Google VP of Engineering posted to the Google blog about “inviting a selected group of people to try a new, free tool that we are calling ‘knol,’ which stands for a unit of knowledge.” The idea behind Google Knol is to convince people who are authorities in their fields to write an article on the subject, thus increasing the actual knowledge available on the Internet.
The project is in private beta and invitation-only, so unfortunately I have no details as to the tools and interface that Google is providing to authors. In addition to offering free tools for writing and editing the knol, which is really nothing more than a web page, Google will host it for free. “Writers only need to write; we’ll do the rest,” Manber said.
Every author is responsible for editing and controlling his or her own page. They’ll own the copyright, so they can do with it pretty much whatever they please. Eventually, anyone will be able to write a knol. “For many topics, there will likely be competing knolls on the same subject. Competition of ideas is a good thing,” Manber explained.
Every knol will highlight the actual author. Not only will their name(s) appear in the byline, but the knol itself will include a short bio. It won’t have to be static; Google plans to set things up so that those viewing knols will be able to submit comments, questions, edits, additional content, and so forth. Readers will also be able to rate knols and/or write reviews of them. Knols will include references and links to additional information. They may also include Google ads, at the option of the author. “If an author chooses to include ads, Google will provide the author with substantial revenue share from the proceeds of those ads,” Manber noted.
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