Forums, Newsgroups and link popularity

[MarcusA]

Hi there,

Does participation in forums, newsgroups etc, make a significant difference to link popularity and in turn search engine ranking?

Many thanks,
Marcus

[KevinC]

Does participation in forums, newsgroups etc, make a significant difference to link popularity and in turn search engine ranking?

probaly can't hurt - but most likely its not gonna do much either, depending on the forum of course.

[rogerd]

Marcus, some forums are well-spidered, well-indexed, and (from the Google standpoint) have decent PR. Posting your URL on these pages can benefit your site's ranking.

Be aware, of course, that some forums (e.g., this one) do not permit URL drops, signature URLs, etc. Even on forums that have fewer restrictions, gratuitous URL droppers are usually easy to spot. Don't start spamming forums hoping to boost your rankings - take the time to get to know the community and be sure your link offers some value to the site's visitors. If you prove yourself to be a valuable forum contributor, you'll generate high quality direct traffic from your link. Any SE boost will be an added benefit.

[Mohamed_E]

some forums are well-spidered, well-indexed, and (from the Google standpoint) have decent PR.

The flip side to rogerd's observation is that many forums are spider-hostile, and even if spider-friendly do not have enough PR to do you any good.

[MarcusA]

Hi there,

Thanks for your responses. It seems PR and how easy for a spider to read are two key things to consider.

Cheers,
Marcus