How To Find the Best SEO Forums for Your Needs

best SEO forums

As you set out to broaden your organization’s reach in digital point, you will likely search for knowledge in online communities full of people with similar goals. Thankfully, there are many online Search Engine Optimization forums (SEO forums), social network sites, webmaster forums, marketing forums, and message boards, so finding answers to your SEO techniques queries or SEO-related questions in general is very easy. However, not all communities are of the same quality. You don’t want to unknowingly follow lousy advice and sabotage your company’s search rankings, so check out this top SEO forums list to find the right community for your needs that could help you with regards to SEO tips from SEO experts themselves. 

What SEO Forums Are

SEO forums are online communities where people gather to ask questions and discuss the intricacies of search engine rankings. Google algorithms are constantly changing, and various arcane factors go into optimizing your search results. Thus, you may have specific questions about aspects of your organization’s SEO strategy. Because SEO can be so complex, you are unlikely to find detailed answers to your specific questions in most published SEO guides.

In contrast, a forum allows you to post detailed questions like link-building, best SEO tools to be used, WordPress configuration, on-page SEO tutorial, SERP, PPC, SEO plugin, enhancing website traffic, keyword research, internet marketing or online marketing, content marketing, marketing strategies, and even any updates like Google Search Console and receive relevant answers from Google webmaster users or forum members who have experienced similar challenges. If you don’t understand a specific point of SEO, then you can ask other users for elaboration or clarification. Because of this, a good SEO forum can be a powerful tool to quickly and easily enhance your knowledge about the finer details of search engine rankings.

Qualities of a Good SEO Forum

Recent Activity

Although a forum may host a lot of posts, these discussions will be useless if they’re not very recent. Search engine algorithms change rapidly, so you don’t want to follow old advice. Even a post that’s only two or three years old may contain outdated information that could harm your organization’s SEO efforts. Thus, spending your time on SEO forums that host an active community and contain many recent posts is much better.

Recent Activity

Effective Moderation

Does a forum contain a bunch of spam? Do users often go on tangents? You shouldn’t have to wade through useless information to find what you’re looking for. SEO forums with little moderation are more likely to contain bad advice. To make matters worse, many people post harmful links in such communities to spread malware, so you must ensure that a forum has good moderation before using it.

A Welcoming Culture

Sadly, many online communities become very tribal and toxic over time. On some forums, longtime users and moderators are snarky and refuse to engage with new users in good faith. Questions about SEO-related topics can be very complex and require much explanation. Thus, you need to use a forum that will not punish you for not knowing the answers to your questions. Toxic communities often contain a lot of dismissive comments, profanity, and general negativity, so you should avoid a forum if you notice any of these things.

The Best SEO Forums To Expand Your Knowledge

Google Search Central Community

Google Search Central Community

This Google-hosted forum contains a vast variety of threads that answer very specific SEO questions. Its users are very engaged and post thousands of threads per month. Because Google runs the forum, you will find relevant results with their search function. The platform also has a visible upvote system to help you quickly estimate the quality of a post and its replies. You only need a Google account to post a topic on this forum. Since you probably already have a Google account, this is one of the most convenient SEO forums to get started on.

Webmaster World

Webmaster World

Webmaster World’s Google SEO discussion section alone contains over 675,700 posts, so this forum is a treasure trove of information for anyone who wants to rank well on Google. The community is active, and users regularly post SEO-related threads about Bing, Yahoo, and other popular search engines. The forum also contains categories for copywriting, web development, website accessibility, video optimization, and other valuable topics.

Local Search Forum

Local Search Forum

As the name implies, Local Search Forum primarily focuses on navigating the tricky world of local SEO. This local SEO forum has a growing community and hosts several new threads daily, so there is no shortage of fresh content. On top of that, the forum regularly links to applicable local SEO events to help users gain valuable knowledge from industry professionals.

Blackhatworld

Blackhatworld

Unlike many SEO forums, Black Hat World has an intuitive navigation bar on the edge of the page that makes it super easy to quickly hop between categories. Black Hat World’s categories are very specific, so you will have no problem finding what you’re looking for. Moreover, the community is highly active, and users post hundreds of threads per day. The site also connects users with freelancers and can you help them learn about affiliate marketing, web design, and other vital subjects.

Reddit

Reddit SEO

Although Reddit is a social media site that hosts a broad range of communities, it also contains much useful SEO information. The r/SEO community has over 194,300 members and hosts hundreds of discussions per day. Knowing which answers to trust can be tough online, but Reddit’s upvote system makes it easy to identify high-quality content. However, one big drawback is that the platform’s most prominent SEO-related pages don’t divide topics into categories, so you’ll have to manually enter your query into the search bar and comb through the results.

Warrior Forum

Warrior Forum

Warrior Forum has hundreds of thousands of detailed posts and features a designated section for beginners. Moreover, the website contains many categories to help you easily find whatever you want. Warrior Forum’s paid membership only costs $97 per year and gives users access to digital marketing courses, various marketing tools, and other unique benefits. However, you can still access the wide array of posts on the site without the paid membership.

Common Questions About SEO Forums

Are Forums Good for SEO?

Using forums can be a decent way to market your business if you post strategically and follow each platform’s rules. However, participating in forum discussions won’t significantly impact your organization’s search rankings. Still, a forum thread may rank well in Google if it gets a lot of engagement and discusses a topic many people find attractive. This may indirectly lead people to your organization’s website if your discussion is visible on the post. Still, you should focus on more effective strategies to elevate your organization’s pages in the Google algorithm.

Are Forums Good for Backlinks?

No, the Google algorithm has become much more refined in recent years. Although companies were once able to rapidly boost their pages’ search rankings by spamming backlinks on various forums, this tactic no longer works. The modern Google algorithm will gradually punish your organization for resorting to such low-effort SEO strategies. Nonetheless, this strategy does produce short-term results. Because of this, many discount SEO companies spam backlinks on forums to mislead their clients and generate a quick payout. Backlinks are still an effective way to elevate your company’s search rankings, but you must only add backlinks to valuable content to have any positive long-term effect.

How Do I Market My Business on Forums?

People on forums want high-quality replies and in-depth engagement. Thus, members of most online communities won’t be happy if you blatantly push your organization’s goods and services. Instead of spamming links or aggressively marketing your company, you should engage with forum threads in ways that are valuable to other users.

Moreover, you should participate in forums focusing on your organization’s niche. For example, if your company produces hiking gear, you may want to spend time on forums focusing on hiking, camping, and similar topics. While it’s OK to include relevant links to your company’s pages in around 10% of your posts or responses, you should mainly focus on earnestly engaging with other users. This will give users a better impression of your brand, and they’ll be more likely to visit your company’s pages.

How Do I Find SEO Forums?

Aside from checking out the aforementioned SEO forums, you can also find good results by typing your specific question into Google. Many other people have likely asked the same question, so the most valuable answers will show up on the first page of a Google search query. On top of that, you should look for industry-specific Facebook groups, private Discord communities, SEO Slack Channels, and other social media groups to find high-quality answers to your SEO-related questions.

Find SEO Forums

Unlock Your Organization’s Potential With High-Quality SEO Services

Developing the best SEO strategy for your organization’s needs is very complex and time-consuming. While SEO forums can help you better understand the ins and outs of Google algorithms, they’re no substitute for a professional SEO service. A reputable SEO company will develop a unique strategy to increase your company’s search results and strategically target high-value customers. Their professionals will work closely with your most prominent stakeholders to identify critical points of concern and implement the best strategies for your organization’s growth. The modern SEO landscape is rapidly evolving, and you don’t want your organization to fall behind, so you should reach out to SEO North today to bring your company’s content strategy to new heights.

FAQ

  • Is forum posting good for SEO?
Posted in SEO

Published on: 2022-05-13
Updated on: 2024-03-17

Avatar for Isaac Adams-Hands

Isaac Adams-Hands

Isaac Adams-Hands is the SEO Director at SEO North, a company that provides Search Engine Optimization services. As an SEO Professional, Isaac has considerable expertise in On-page SEO, Off-page SEO, and Technical SEO, which gives him a leg up against the competition.