Is it good to add a subfolder /forum/ for SEO?

I would like to build a community by adding a a subfolder /forum/ next to t

[Caps]

Hello guys, I'm new here and very glad to discuss with you.

Since forum contents get higher rank on Google Search, is it good to build a community on my website by adding a subfolder /forum/ next to the root domain?

I know that webmasters used to choose www.forum.abc.com to build their community but I want the forum to inherit and boost authority of my root domain. I'm going to use flarum as the template to build the forum like www.abc.com/forum/.

My website is most about technolgy so is it good to do that?

[christianz]

The real question is how are you going to build a forum community at the flick of a switch? In age of FB and Reddit it must be next to impossible to start a real forum from scratch.

I think all of those ranking-boosting SEO forums are fake with fake posters generating GPT4 fake convos.

[gatormark]

Years ago, information architecture made a HUGE difference in SEO. Today, I am not sure that it does. At least, it hasn't in my case. Still, for usability shake, the subfolder is a good approach.

[Kendo]

Since forum contents get higher rank on Google Search

I have never heard this before.

But they are easy to create. Coding one from scratch is a major task. Dunno what WordPress has to offer but there are many good out of the box solutions written in PHP. Personally, I prefer my own Classic ASP version.

For a user knowledge base or support/discussion centre, social media platforms will be useless... needs threaded discussions.

But I suspect that you only want to use "forum" as a buzzword, in which case serach might also look for things like topics and pagination.

[Caps]

I would like to see that forum contents get higher rank on Google Search because forums like reddit and other technical forums get more and more traffic in the latest Google Core Update. That's also why I would like to build my own forum.

For the forum content, I will prepare some navigation posts only. My website doesn't have much traffic, but the traffic is stable. The visitors will share thier thoughts by themselves.

[gatormark]

Coding one from scratch is a major task.

Not really. I built a Forum in 2 days in .Net and coding from the ground up.

[ashleydent4u]

Yes, building a forum directly under your root domain can definitely help boost your website’s authority because all the content on that subfolder will be associated with your main domain. This can be beneficial for SEO, especially if the forum generates a lot of high-quality, user-driven content that can attract traffic and backlinks. Since your website is focused on technology, a forum can also provide fresh, relevant content that Google values. Just make sure to manage the forum well in terms of moderation and ensuring the content stays valuable and on-topic, as spammy or low-quality posts can hurt your SEO. Flarum is a great choice for a lightweight, modern forum system too!

[Caps]

Many thanks to you guys' answers!

[Dimitri]

forums like reddit and other technical forums get more and more traffic in the latest Google Core Update.

This is not because these sites are identified as "forum". This is because they are well established big sites. With lot of messages posted non stop.

Adding the word "forum" in the URLs will not change anything. Search engines identify the nature of your content without relying on the URLs.

[tangor]

Probably won't make a lot of difference. It is the content, not the url, that is examined and ranked.

[engine]

Remember that Reddit gets special google love compared to other forums.

[mack]

Using specific folders for content areas makes real sense from a usability point of view. Having a physical file structure means you can improve the navigation experience. As a byproduct of this, it CAN make it easier for search engines to find your content.

Mack.

[Kendo]

It is the content, not the url, that is examined and ranked.

For sure and perhaps better than writing a blog.

Just imagine... 500 members using different pen names that you yourself create. Then you can write to your heart's content.

[webcat]

My site had a semi-active forum for years (since 2003) but I decided to shut it down because the focus of the site shifted to e-commerce/SaaS. I no-indexed the forum pages, put up a banner stating that the forum contents were archived, and almost immediately started getting about 50-75% more traffic from Google. Maybe an active forum with lots of interesting discussions might help some, but as others have mentioned that's hard to achieve at any point, especially now.

[EditorialGuy]

A forum or even a comments section can be a lot of work if you give it the attention that it requires. And if you don't give it that attention, it will wither on the vine and reflect badly on your site.

You may find that you're spending a huge amount of time answering questions from people who are too lazy to read your site's main content or even browse through a FAQ.

[Kendo]

too lazy to read

Either too lazy or struggling on a mobile phone.

I get lots of questions like "where can I find pricing, order page or download link" from a chatbox that reports the current page. In such cases I am tempted to reply "try reading the page in front of you!" but instead visit that same page to copy a link from the footer legend for the the reply.

[Mark_A]

I recommend you keep the style and graphics of your forum in sync with your main website, otherwise over time the two units will appear separate. I know of one popular website whose forum is well integrated and the whole site is bigger as a result. Another where the forum is separate from the main website and now is perceived as a completely different entity.

And here WebmasterWorld is an example, the forum stands on its own, it doesn't seem to be part of a larger website. Fine if that is what you want?

[tangor]

... and note that Webmasterworld is NOT in a folder named /forum/

(returning to OP's original question)

Again, URLS are not ranked, CONTENT IS!

[Kendo]

I recommend you keep the style and graphics of your forum in sync with your main website,

I was thinking about this only this afternoon and here I find a related topic!

My take is that if we didn't keep changing and chopping to satisfy misinformation and advice that has since been rescinded or retracted, we would all be much happier and would have been more productive.

How many times have we completely revamped our web sites over the last two decades while trying to look contemporary?

Ok, the popularity of mobile phones warranted some of those changes, but hey, why bother changing anything now?

[aristotle]

I would never allow user-generated content on my sites. Much of it would likely be low quality, spammy, biased, and/or untrue.

[Kendo]

I would never allow user-generated content

The only way to do it is with moderation unless its a closed group. In which case each post needs to be approved. Otherwise 99% of it will be from spammers.