Are forum links as good as article links ?

[careerskk]

Hi,

I usually build article links extensively for my site. This is a time consuming a process. However forum links take far less time. But I find so many saying that forum links are being devalued by SEs.

Now is it ok if I build forum links by participating in several niche forums related to my area ? Or will this be considered spamming. Also can someone explain me what does spamming mean in forums context. By knowing this I can prevent myself from accidentally spamming on forums.

[tangor]

Depends on the number of links, value of the content associated with that post/link, etc. In most cases this is no better or worse than handing out a business card in real life, and just about as productive. Do know that many, if not all, forums "nofollow" embedded links, thus little value re: SEO...

[dertyfern]

Would seem reasonable to build links from relevant forums because at the very least you'll get interested traffic to your website.

I know of a particular forum where I placed a few comments and links that convert very well. I don't get any link love, but do get cash!

[tangor]

Yes. I have done that. And it does work. In the aspect that I have submitted something that makes the forum/blog updated/enhanced and there is a reason for the link. Way too many asides on this forum that indicates same will work... just don't expect link juice as many (if not all) will "nofollow" those links.

I get a bit here and there... and I post where I think I might get a bit and there...

[martinibuster]

Also can someone explain me what does spamming mean in forums context. By knowing this I can prevent myself from accidentally spamming on forums.

Most forums have rules about posting. Each one is different. You should always read their rules before registering at a forum.

[vero]

One other thing that helps - when posting to forums, don't just say "here's a link" Actually answer the question that was posted, then put the link for more information. It's also a good idea to not always answer with a link to your own site - vary it, as would happen naturally.

[martinibuster]

Actually answer the question that was posted, then put the link for more information.

That is a sure way to get your link removed, your IP banned, and your product/website placed on a permanent blacklist of spamsites. It's spam. We delete that crap 24/7 on WebmasterWorld. That's not going to survive on any well moderated forum.

[FranticFish]

Depends on the niche perhaps. If you have a blanket 'no links' policy then fair enough. But I don't think you can say with certainty that it's always spam to link to your site.

It could be a great answer to the question, or an interesting point of view related to the topic being discussed, or a set of data. And if you are a regular trusted member of the forum then why not get some payback for that?

[martinibuster]

And if you are a regular trusted member of the forum then why not get some payback for that

That is not the scenario discussed. The scenario is hit the forum, pick a thread that has the right context for your link, give an answer, and drop a link. That's called a driveby link drop. Forum admins are quite familiar with it.

Can a trusted forum member drop a link to their own site? Let's cut through the BS speculation and get to the reality of the situation. :)Are the people who are considering forum link drops going to spend a year posting on twenty different forums in order to become a "trusted member" so that they can then, a year later and after 300 posts on these twenty different forums (6,000 posts), they post their link?

This why I call it BS Speculation. It's a tremendous amount of work (6,000 posts on twenty different forums) for little reward. People inclined to drop links in forums will not put in that kind of work. The effort is better spent acquiring links elsewhere.

[FranticFish]

The OP's question was "is it ok if I build forum links by participating in several niche forums related to my area".

Depending on the niche I've seen forum links helping. A site I saw recently was just outside the top ten for a nice local term with nothing but forum and other social profile links related to their niche. Not that many, either, and only sig links. They didn't have a k/w domain or an optimised site.

So, in the mix, I think they can be useful - depending on the niche.

[martinibuster]

I agree it can be useful in the way you just described it. That actually is the way I recommend it be done, if you're going to do it. I wrote a post about doing it in that manner about a year and a half ago. Non Spammy Link Dev Using Forums and Blogs [webmasterworld.com]

It requires a significant commitment of time, generosity with information and a genuine participation in the community that allows signature links. It's not a scalable link development strategy because it requires time and authenticity.

[BaseballGuy]

martinibuster:

Care to share that list/ip addresses with the rest of us?

:)

I got a ".htaccess block #*$! list" a few thousand ip addresses long.

[junglesnail]

In my opinion article links = forum links = almost nothing :). Why would you think that Google will value article links more than forum links? Don't you think they know about mass link submission in both forums and article directories? Because i think so. But that's just me :)

[careerskk]

Why would you think that Google will value article links more than forum links? Don't you think they know about mass link submission in both forums and article directories?

Hi, I am not speaking about the mass article submissions. I think during mass submissions SEs will have dupe content filters to filter out all duplicate copies of an article. I am speaking about hard written and good quality articles. Also I think avoiding multiple submissions will do a lot good. My question was in this context.

[Cooper]

They are not as good because you can get articles to rank and hit a decent pr with a link back where forum links are usually a lot less valuable in terms of pr and ranking in the SERP

[Nuttakorn]

If you participate in the forum which relevant to your topic , it would be more than just forum which has high pagerank. The article still significant because Google use the content nearby anchor text to judge relevancy of links as well.

[Cooper]

but you get tiny link juice and added up its okay but the G man is slowly catching on to quality of links as well.

[JS_Harris]

Are forum links as good as article links ?

Yes sir. Think about where people are that might enjoy your site and that's where you want your links, google agrees.

[webcreationuk]

You can also go for deep links on niche forums, they are quite better than usual links to your website. :)

[haiwin]

I like to post on relevant forums.