Hmmm...so you have seen people boast about getting tons of traffic from forums but have never understood how that was possible. You have even tried using forums but that didn't really help much. So how come others manage to get so much traffic to their blogs while you get nothing? The secret lies in your activities at forums and I am here to explain you what you need to do to get the most traffic from forums! Keep reading!
What are Forums?
For those who do not know, forums are places where you can have organized discussions about a variety of topics. However, most forums have a certain niche and thus, you can't talk about anything and everything. Furthermore, forums have categories to keep all the topics organized. Thus, you have to be careful where you start new threads (topics) or else you will get punished by the moderators.
Alright, now that we have the background info out of the way, lets get to some serious stuff. In order to get traffic from forums, you need to learn how to properly utilize forums. Here are some tips to do that.
1. Add a Signature
First of all, you need to place a link to your blog before anything else. If you don't place a link in your signature then no one is going to know where to find your blog. Signatures are the best place to out your links. Forums usually have a limit on how many links you can put but most allow around 4 links per user.
2. Keep Your Signature Attractive
Forums have lots and lots of posts by thousands of members and each post has a signature. Members are not going to click on links on each signature. You have to make your signature attractive so that it quickly grabs everyone's attention and stands out from the rest. However, don't use too many bright colors or smiles or else you will seem too desperate.
3. Stay Active
Once you have your signature set up, you need to make sure that others see it and that will only happen if you stay active. Go out there and post replies to threads. If someone replies to your previous comment then don't just ignore it, keep the discussion going. The more your signature appears in front of other members, the greater the chances that they will visit your blog.
4. Build Good Reputation
Most members will visit those links that you placed in your signature if you have a good reputation in the community/forum. Don't get in trouble with others for no reason. Respect everyone's views and try to post useful comments. This will help you make some friends and get traffic at the same time.
5. Start Useful Threads
It is highly important that you START some great useful threads that will attract members. You can also post the articles that you have written on your blog to show others the type of stuff you write on your blog. If the members like your articles, then they will visit your blog as well. Also, forums have a built-in reputation system. If someone likes your post then they will increase your reputation. And other members love to checkout blogs of members with good reputation.
6. Give Other Reputation
If you like someone else's thread/post, then don't just sit back and give them some reputation. This is a great way to say thank you for the work that they have put in. They will be notified of your act and they might even visit your profile and check out your links.
These were some of my tips to get the best traffic out of forums. Remember that in order to get regular traffic, it is important that you do not spam and send other members private messages asking them to visit your blog. These types of actions will only get you banned. Stay clean and active!
I am mostly on webmaster forums. Here are some of them:
Let me know if you liked this post and have benefited from it.
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Very nice post. Forums could be a great resource for traffic if worked on properly
Nice post indeed, great way to boost your traffic!
Nice post. Forums could be excellent source of traffic if we post there. Spamming of course is not one of them. Doing informative posts would build a reputation and thus bring in new traffic.
Hmmnnn.... very nice post indeed, I'll be glad to follow what the post says.
great idea. as lintek said, having something informative to post about does help. Same goes for posting something useful in comments on other blogs and sites. Both get eyeballs on your blog.
Key thing is to follow that up with a review of your site logs to see if a site or forum generates traffic. Good way to determine if its worth spending time in one forum over another.
Mike
http://mikewoodphotography.blogspot.com
I really like your post and am trying to build traffic to my new blogs. I like your ideas and they are so useful.
Nice tips here. I also made a similar post more than a month ago and some of your tips were included.
However, I would like to add something about building reputation - Be a good Samaritan and do not be greedy in posting.
I will submit the post to Webcosmo later.
Thanks for reminding us.
Very nice post.
I learned new point here which is about (Giving Reputation).
Thanks for this useful post.
Just want to inform about the advantages of using forums. Generally right now forums are becoming an excellent way of attaining targeted traffic. Don't try to participate in forums which will give you money for participation. Generally many try to use those forums and find that they are not getting any benefits from forums. We have to try to work on forums which are containing genuine traffic and the people who are really in your niche. So first of all you need to search for forums on your niche and then for the first 7 days participate actively on those forums. Do not add any links in your signature and try to respond to others discussions. Once after completing 7 days, you can add the signature link. You should not spam the forums with your site link in your signature. The main advantage of using forums is those who read your replies to the posts, will visit the link in signatures if your reply is generally good. Generally right now on the Internet there are many top forums which will be getting loads of traffic daily. So the moderators will be very strict and if they find that you are not obeying their rules then they are going to ban you. Also if you are not really helping others on the forum and if the members come to know that you are here just for advertising your links then no body will show interest on your replies and you start loosing your rating. Another advantage of using forums is, some forums do not use "nofollow" attribute for the links. So you will get good number of back links and technorati rank. Also right now on the internet approx. 2% members are using ALEXA toolbar.