Set up your own Q&A website like Yahoo Answers or Quora

TommyCarey Level X³

August 25, 2016, 8:36 pm

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Set up your own Q&A website like Yahoo Answers or Quora

Recently I posted a discussion about how you can set up your own blogging network like blogger.com. Here's the link if you want to read it: Setting up your own blogging platform like Wordpress

Now I'm posting about how you can set up your own Q&A website in a few simple steps

Ok the, here we go.

Step 1: Register your domain. You'll want something catchy that can be branded easily. Try to get "answers" in the domain name so that people instantly know what the website is about. This will increase the click through rate and sign up rate.
Step 2: Set up a hosting account for where you will have your new Q&A website. You don't need anything crazy right at the beginning because you probably won't have a load of traffic that will be too much for you server.
Step 3: Add Wordpress to your website. It's easy, there's usually an option within your cpanel and you can add it with a few easy clicks.
Step 4: Find a simple theme that you like and upload it. You can use one of the themse at wpmudev for free or you can buy one from a marketplace like themeforest.net
Step 5: Head over to wpmudev.org and sign up. You can start a 14 day free trial so you really don't have to pay for the membership if you don't want to.
Step 6: Download this plugin which will be the main thing that helps you set up your Q&A website: https://premium.wpmudev.org/projec...-answers-plugin/
Step 7: Download another plugin that will help you brand the back end so everything says your domain name and does not refer to Wordpress at all. This will make it look like you took a year to code up everything on the back end but in reality you're using wordpress Here's the branding plugin: https://premium.wpmudev.org/project/ultimate-branding/
Step 8: Configure your plugins and you'll be all set

After you do all the steps above, you will have your own Q&A website where people can create loads of content pretty easily

I would set it up so people can post links in their comments/posts so that they are more inclined to come and participate

You can make the links nofollow if you'd like.

Comments

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Lynne

Oh this is way cool! I won't be able to try this out for a while but it has just been added to my list of cool websites to give a try in the future. \

How do you think this would work as an addition to a website Razzy? So say I had a blog in a particular niche could I add a Q & A section to it so that people can ask questions and be answered by me and other readers?

I have a website that is about recovery from addiction and I have been wondering for a while whether I can add a section for my readers to ask things and get support.

8 years ago

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TommyCarey

How do you think this would work as an addition to a website Razzy?

This would be great for a separate section of your website

It would be similar to how Seocheckout set up their Community Discussion

8 years ago

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MasterA

Great tutorial Razz. I am planning on starting my own Question and answer website so this will let me a lot. Instead of using wordpress, you can also use Question 2 Answer: http://www.question2answer.org/ - It is a very good piece of software and it has lots of very useful plugins. I personally think this is better than the wordpress plugin.

8 years ago

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TommyCarey

I've never heard of question2answer.org before. I'll have to check it out

Is it free?
Does it have a one time fee?
Does it have a monthly recurring fee?

8 years ago

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Cristian

Great Tutorial Razzy! I'm pretty sure there are also specialized themes for Wordpress, specially created for Question and Answers websites.
And why would I want to hide the fact that I'm using Wordpress? Most people have no idea how to check for something like that, especially the users you want to create content and stay active.

8 years ago

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TommyCarey

You'll mainly want to brand your internal dashboard just to show a little more branding. It will look a bit more professional as well

And hell, if you're already downloading apps off of wpmudev then you might as well get the branding plugin

8 years ago

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vinaya

wow, this is a great piece of information. I have this desire to start my own question and answer site. However, I did not know how to get started. I have domains, I have a hosting account, I can set up wordpress. However, I did not know about the plugins that will make my website look like question and answer site. I also did not know about branding plugin. Thank you very much for this tutorial.

7 years ago

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