A lot of online marketers will argue that forums are a dying breed of sources for traffic. With the introduction of social media and places like Reddit, it would appear that there is hardly any need platforms that were the hot stuff years ago.
However, the reality is quite different. The fact of the matter is that there are still plenty of forums out there who bring communities together. And a simple forum could be profitable both in terms of money and traffic to any website. If you have doubts about this proposition, read the information below. It will not take too long before you change your mind.
What Having A Forum Means In Broad Terms
A website is as good as the content it provides, right? Well, that is not always the case. There are all sorts of websites that drive traffic. Everyone who has been on the internet for years can agree with this point. But internet websites continue to evolve and most of them have one purpose - making money. The biggest challenge to those who are starting out is to stand out from the competition. And that is what a forum can do. It brings something new, something unique for the current status quo of digital marketing and content creation. Let us see what it provides. And have in mind that all these points will lead to more traffic, which leads to more profit.
Content Generated By Users
Forums lead to discussions and everyone who registers an account can talk in various threads. Whenever someone from the outside dedicates his or her time to write something on your website, it is one of the best indicators that you have done something right. Content that is made by someone besides the website developer is one of the best things that you can hope for. The more people sign up and join these discussions, the more valuable your website becomes. It is a perfect example of a snowball effect.
Increased Engagement Rate
Forums are not live chats. When somebody starts a thread and asks a question or shares news, they do not expect to get an immediate reply. However, they do expect to get an answer sooner or later. They constantly check the page and see whether someone has written a reply. Returning to a website can only mean good things, correct?
A Sense Of Community
Building a community behind a single goal is pretty satisfying. And it should be a no-brainer that it is one of the most crucial things to have for a successful brand. Again, having a community shows that you have something worthy of other people’s time, and maybe money.
Helping Hand
An FAQ page is valuable, but putting everything into it is impossible. On the other hand, if people have questions that they want to ask, you and the community can help with answers. Stickying those threads for everyone to see will provide value to everyone.
Traffic From Long-Tail Keywords
Forum posts work as a form of content. This means that there is a lot of potential to rank for long-tail keywords that you might not even think about. Organic traffic like this one is what everybody wants. It is another argument to be made in favor of having a forum.
What Comes Next?
After you have accomplished everything mentioned above, there is more room to make the forum even more useful. Having a consistent number of visitors means that you can start putting ads and even create sections that require membership. A VIP system so to speak.
All in all, these points should be more than enough to convince doubters whether there is any merit in implementing a forum. Beginners should probably consider using something like a HeroThemes WordPress bbpress theme, especially if they are on the WordPress platform. As for those who are on a different platform, there should be plenty of options as well. But the main point is that a forum is something you need.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post about how forums can increase website traffic and profits through user generated content and SEO.
Interested in more articles about increasing website traffic and engagement?
Read Related Resources:
• How To Design A Website That Generates More Traffic
• Why An SEO Company Can Help Your Website Traffic
More Bootstrap Business Blog Below
