Forum Backlinks 2023: Why They’re Bad for SEO!

Do forum backlinks work for SEO?

Short answer: No!

Here’s why you shouldn’t build forum backlinks for SEO in 2023…

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What Are Forum Backlinks?

What are forum backlinks? You might ask.

Well, in the world of SEO and online marketing, forum backlinks are simply links to your website or blog, posted within online forums or discussion boards.

These platforms are popular places for people to discuss topics, share ideas, and ask for help.

By participating in these conversations, you can create valuable connections with others and potentially generate backlinks to your website.

Are Forum Links Good for SEO?

Now, let’s talk about whether forum links are good for SEO.

The answer is no:

Forum backlinks won’t help your rankings and Google even mentions this in their link spam policies.

Also, they’re not manually or editorially added links.

So they’re easy to automate = Most spammers use forums to build backlinks.

Do Forum Backlinks Work?

The big question: Do forum backlinks work? Well, they can, but with some caveats.

Here are some tips to make forum backlinks work for your website:

1. Focus on quality, not quantity. It’s better to have a few high-quality backlinks from reputable forums than hundreds from spammy ones.
2. Be an active participant in the forum. Don’t just post links to your website; instead, contribute valuable information and engage with others.
3. Make sure your links are relevant to the forum topic. Posting unrelated links will not only annoy the forum members but could also get your posts deleted or your account banned.
4. Don’t spam. Posting the same link repeatedly or flooding a forum with low-quality content will likely hurt your SEO efforts rather than help them.

Avoid Services That Sell Forum Backlinks

In the world of online marketing, you’ll come across many services that promise to sell you forum backlinks. However, it’s essential to be cautious and avoid these services.

Here’s why:

1. These services often use automated software or low-quality methods to generate backlinks, which can harm your website’s reputation and SEO.
2. Purchased backlinks are often from unrelated or spammy forums, which can negatively impact your website’s search engine rankings.
3. Google and other search engines are continually improving their algorithms to detect and penalize websites that engage in manipulative link-building practices, including buying backlinks.

Instead, focus on building relationships and participating in forums relevant to your niche to generate high-quality, organic forum backlinks.

Are Forum Backlinks Nofollow?

Lastly, let’s address the question: Are forum backlinks nofollow? In many cases, yes.

Nofollow is an attribute that webmasters can add to links, which signals to search engines not to pass any link juice or authority from the linking page to the linked page. Many forums use nofollow links as a way to deter spammers and protect their users.

While nofollow links don’t contribute to your website’s link juice, they can still be valuable for your SEO strategy. Nofollow forum backlinks can help:

1. Drive targeted traffic to your website, as users who are genuinely interested in your content will click on your link.
2. Increase brand exposure and awareness, as participating in relevant forums can help establish you as an authority in your niche.
3. Diversify your backlink profile, which is essential for a robust SEO strategy

What Are Forum Backlinks?

What are forum backlinks? You might ask. Well, in the world of SEO and online marketing, forum backlinks are simply links to your website or blog, posted within online forums or discussion boards. These platforms are popular places for people to discuss topics, share ideas, and ask for help. By participating in these conversations, you can create valuable connections with others and potentially generate backlinks to your website.

Are Forum Links Good for SEO?

Now, let’s talk about whether forum links are good for SEO. The answer is both yes and no. Here’s why:

Yes, because having a diverse backlink profile is essential for SEO. Google and other search engines consider backlinks as “votes” for your website. The more high-quality, relevant, and authoritative backlinks you have, the better your chances are of ranking higher in search results.

No, because not all forum backlinks are created equal. Some forums have strict moderation policies and do not allow links, while others may have spammy or low-quality content. This can negatively impact your website’s SEO if you’re associated with these types of forums.

So, the key is to find reputable forums that are relevant to your niche and participate genuinely in the discussions.

Do Forum Backlinks Work?

The big question: Do forum backlinks work? Well, they can, but with some caveats. Here are some tips to make forum backlinks work for your website:

1. Focus on quality, not quantity. It’s better to have a few high-quality backlinks from reputable forums than hundreds from spammy ones.
2. Be an active participant in the forum. Don’t just post links to your website; instead, contribute valuable information and engage with others.
3. Make sure your links are relevant to the forum topic. Posting unrelated links will not only annoy the forum members but could also get your posts deleted or your account banned.
4. Don’t spam. Posting the same link repeatedly or flooding a forum with low-quality content will likely hurt your SEO efforts rather than help them.

Avoid Services That Sell Forum Backlinks

In the world of online marketing, you’ll come across many services that promise to sell you forum backlinks. However, it’s essential to be cautious and avoid these services. Here’s why:

1. These services often use automated software or low-quality methods to generate backlinks, which can harm your website’s reputation and SEO.
2. Purchased backlinks are often from unrelated or spammy forums, which can negatively impact your website’s search engine rankings.
3. Google and other search engines are continually improving their algorithms to detect and penalize websites that engage in manipulative link-building practices, including buying backlinks.

Instead, focus on building relationships and participating in forums relevant to your niche to generate high-quality, organic forum backlinks.

Are Forum Backlinks Nofollow?

Lastly, let’s address the question: Are forum backlinks nofollow? In many cases, yes.

Nofollow is an attribute that webmasters can add to links, which signals to search engines not to pass any link juice or authority from the linking page to the linked page. Many forums use nofollow links as a way to deter spammers and protect their users.

While nofollow links don’t contribute to your website’s link juice, they can still be valuable for your SEO strategy. Nofollow forum backlinks can help:

1. Drive targeted traffic to your website, as users who are genuinely interested in your content will click on your link.
2. Increase brand exposure and awareness, as participating in relevant forums can help establish you as an authority in your niche.
3. Diversify your backlink profile, which is essential for a robust SEO

Write about and format these headings: How Do I Get Forum Backlinks? How to Use Forums for Backlinks Forum Link Building Has Non-SEO Benefits Increased brand awareness More customers More newsletter signups Build brand authority

How Do I Get Forum Backlinks?

Wondering how to get forum backlinks? Here are some steps to follow:

1. Identify relevant forums: Research and make a list of forums related to your niche or industry. Focus on those with active user bases and healthy discussions.
2. Create a profile: Sign up and create a detailed, professional profile on each forum, including a link to your website in the signature or profile section.
3. Participate in discussions: Be an active, genuine participant in the forum. Answer questions, provide valuable insights, and engage in conversations without spamming or promoting your website aggressively.
4. Share useful content: Occasionally share links to your blog posts or articles when they’re relevant to the discussion, and they provide value to the forum users.
5. Build relationships: Network with other forum members and establish yourself as a trusted expert in your field. This may lead to additional backlink opportunities.

How to Use Forums for Backlinks

Once you’ve identified relevant forums and set up your profile, it’s time to learn how to use forums for backlinks effectively:

1. Understand forum rules: Familiarize yourself with each forum’s guidelines and follow them closely to avoid penalties or bans.
2. Be helpful: Provide helpful, knowledgeable answers to questions, and participate in discussions in a way that adds value to the conversation.
3. Be patient: Building forum backlinks takes time and effort. Don’t rush to post links everywhere. Develop your reputation and trust within the forum first.
4. Track your progress: Keep track of the forums you’re participating in, the discussions you’re involved in, and any backlinks you’ve generated. This will help you identify which forums are the most valuable for your link-building efforts.

Forum Link Building Has Non-SEO Benefits

Beyond SEO, forum link building offers several non-SEO benefits for your business or website, including:

Increased brand awareness

By actively participating in forums, you’ll expose your brand to a larger audience, leading to increased recognition and awareness within your industry.

More customers

Engaging with potential customers in forums can help you understand their needs, solve their problems, and ultimately guide them towards your products or services.

More newsletter signups

As you provide value and establish trust, users may be more inclined to subscribe to your newsletter, resulting in a larger email list for your marketing efforts.

Build brand authority

Being active in relevant forums and consistently providing valuable information establishes you as an authority within your niche, increasing your credibility and trustworthiness.

Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Use Forum Backlinks

1: Potential Google Penalty!

Building backlinks on forums is a Google penalty waiting to happen…

If you want better rankings, you need to understand this:

Google specifically mentions on their Link Schemes Guidelines (a set of rules for website owners), that you should not build backlinks on forums with over-optimized anchor text.

What does this mean?

Well if you’re just building links on forums to increase your site’s authority, you’re violating Google’s Webmaster Guidelines.

And it could land you in trouble with Google including:

• Receiving a Google Penalty
• Getting deindexed
• Losing all your traffic overnight

So it’s really not worth the risk.

And in this day and age, it’s a very outdated link building strategy.

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2: Forum Backlinks Are Blackhat

This is why my clients hire me for whitehat link building instead.

There’s a huge difference between high quality and low quality links to your website.

This is what’s known as white hat and black hat link building:

• Whitehat link building: Will get you amazing results on SEO by building links that do not violate Google’s Webmaster Guidelines
• Blackhat link building: Like building a straw hut in a hurricane – by manipulating Google’s algorithm and cheating your way to higher rankings

What’s the difference?

• If you’re building links with forums, that’s black hat/spammy.
• If you’re building links with cold email outreach (which I specialise in), then that’s a great way to improve your website’s rankings without the risks of blackhat SEO

Now you may think, what’s the worst that can happen?

e.g. If build a few forum links, and you don’t get results, you can move on to white hat link building, right?

Unfortunately not.

Your backlink profile can go against you for a very long time.

If you’ve got a spammy backlink profile with tons of forum links and you receive a Google penalty, then you may never recover from that.

So that’s why you have to invest in white hat link building first time round.

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3: Can Google Identify Forum Links?

Yes.

You will get caught, and it’s just a matter of time.

Eventually you’ll get found out:

Why?

Because Google can easily track your backlink profile.

They can see where you’ve landed backlinks from previously.

It’s built into their algorithm.

Google’s algorithm is smart enough to detect how many links you’ve got, what types of links you have, and whether they’re authoritative or spammy.

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4: Don’t Lower Your Website’s Reputation

Forum link building only hurts your site’s reputation.

How?

The problem is that every link that you build leaves a footprint across the internet, and it’s very hard to hide this.

So spammy link building methods leave a trail.

Google’s algorithm can easily see that you’ve built low quality backlinks in the past.

That’s why I recommend investing in white hat link building from day one.

Otherwise, it’s just a matter of time before you get caught, and there’s no hiding once you’ve done it.

And who even posts on forums these days?

It’s not 1990.

Most forums are dead websites that have no active community.

And quite often, social media has replaced them.

So be very careful with the links that you build from day one:

Forum links aren’t the right move for your site.

If you decide to go down this trail, it’s just a matter of time before you get a Google penalty or you’re penalized for the links you’ve built so far.

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5. Bad Link Neighborhoods

Link building is a bit like choosing where to live.

Let me explain…

If you’re getting links from forums that have already been spammed by low quality websites, then that reflects badly on your backlink profile.

Why?

In the eyes of Google, you’re guilty by association.

If you get the same types of backlinks as websites that have been already penalized by Google, then that destroys your authority.

It hurts your backlink profile, and it makes you look very spammy too.

Plus, most forums have been spammed by low quality sites:

Casinos, Viagra sites, gambling websites…

These are all the types of niches that are going to spam forums simply because they can’t get links from anywhere else, and no one else wants to link from them.

Is that a link neighbourhood you want to be associated with?

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6. Forum Links Are Spam

Another issue is that forum link building is unethical.

It’s basically just spam.

If you go onto any forum right now, it’s pretty much dead.

And if you’re spamming it with your website and loads of keywords that you’re trying to rank for, then that’s disrespectful to the person who owns the forum.

You’re just making the Internet a worse place!

So it’s not good for PR or your brand image.

And if you want to protect your site’s reputation, spamming forums with links isn’t the best way to do that.

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7. Nofollow Links

Most of the time, links on forums are usually nofollow.

That means they’re not driving link juice to your website.

This is the difference between dofollow and nofollow links:

• Nofollow links don’t pass any authority or add any value in terms of backlinks.
• Dofollow links are going to increase your website’s authority. They funnel link juice from other sites, and can help your rankings on Google.

You have to be very careful about which one you choose.

Now you might say:

“Link from forums are going to drive referral traffic to my website. People will click on my forum links.”

But forums are pretty much dead right now.

Most forums have died out a long time ago and nobody goes on them.

Therefore nobody’s going to be clicking the link that you just spammed anyway.

They were valuable 10-15 years ago, but now this link building method is very dated.

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What Links Should You Build Instead Of Forums?

Building high quality and authoritative links that actually increase your website’s rankings on Google is easy with the knowledge I’m about to share.

Here’s 3 easy ways to build backlinks to your site:

• The Skyscraper Technique
• Help a Reporter Out
• Audio Link Building

If you’re not sure how to get started building white hat backlinks to your site, check out the links above.

FAQs About Forum Backlinks

What are forum backlinks?

Forum backlinks are links to your website or blog posted within online forums or discussion boards, often used to boost your website’s SEO and drive traffic from a relevant audience.

Is forum posting good for SEO?

Forum posting can be good for SEO when done correctly. Participating in relevant forums and sharing valuable information can help diversify your backlink profile and improve your website’s search engine rankings.

Can you post links on forums?

Yes, you can post links on forums, but it’s essential to follow each forum’s guidelines, avoid spamming, and ensure your links are relevant to the discussion to prevent penalties or account bans.

What is forum linking?

Forum linking refers to the process of sharing links to your website within forum discussions, with the goal of generating backlinks, driving traffic, and boosting your site’s SEO.

What are forum website examples?

Forum website examples include Reddit, Quora, and niche-specific forums such as Warrior Forum (digital marketing), Stack Overflow (programming), and Mumsnet (parenting).

What is forum commenting in SEO?

Forum commenting in SEO involves actively participating in forum discussions, providing valuable insights, and occasionally sharing relevant links to your website, with the aim of improving your site’s SEO and driving targeted traffic.

What is a forum domain?

A forum domain is the web address (URL) of an online forum or discussion board where users can post messages, ask questions, and engage in conversations on a variety of topics.

Which are social media backlinks?

Social media backlinks are links to your website shared on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. These backlinks can help improve your website’s online visibility, drive traffic, and contribute to your overall SEO strategy.