The Q&A site Quora is already well known for its ability to build quality links and boost visibility, but it is also a huge resource for sourcing original content ideas.

How does it work?

Quora is a lot like other question-and-answer sites, but with a little more credibility. Users are encouraged to give their credentials and interactions are moderated, so answers carry a lot more weight than the anonymous responses on sites like Yahoo! Answers or AskMetafilter.

1. Once registered, you can subscribe to topics relevant to you or your clients.

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2. Then, user-generated questions are seeded in your newsfeed based on popularity and newness.

Quora is notoriously shy about revealing its user numbers — lest industry insiders get an idea of how their business is doing — but most topics are fleshed out enough that the top posts will represent a diverse selection of interesting and topical questions.

One of the golden rules of content creation is to produce work that users will actually be interested in, and if it appears as a top question on Quora, you’ll know someone is already interested.

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3. From there, intriguing open-ended questions can be used as a starting point for content.

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Or

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4. Well-written answers can also be used as a starting point or as a component in your work.

For example, here’s an interesting answer to the second question above, which expands on Google’s relative weakness in some local markets.

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5. Or, if you’ve already got your content idea in mind, and you just need a piece of information to make it complete, feel free to ask the community.

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It’s as simple as that. Sometimes brainstorming content ideas can be a little like pulling teeth, but a tool like Quora, which allows you to see what’s on people’s minds and approach topics from new angles, can make it a little less painful.