Posting To Forums

When done correctly, posting to forums is an
effective way to generate targeted traffic to
your web site.

But you must use discretion. Failure to follow
a forum's rules will not only result in no
traffic, it will also get you banned and
labeled a spammer.

Below are some tips to help you post to forums
more effectively.

First find the best forums you can. Go to Google
and search for:

"keyword forums"
"keyword discussion groups"
"keyword message boards"

Just replace "keyword" with whatever term best
describes your website's topic.

Be as specific as possible so you find the forums
that are most relevant to your site. Make a list
of any that look promising.

Then go down your list one by one and check each
forum out. You want forums that are active with
lots of new posts. you also want to be sure they
allow you to place links in your posts, or at least
in your signature. You don't want to waste time
in a forum that doesn't allow links because you'll
never see any traffic from them.

You should now have a list with a handful of active
forums that allow you to link back to your website.

Before you do anything, go back and read the rules
of each forum to see exactly what is allowed. You
don't want to make a bad first impression by doing
something that is frowned upon.

Go ahead and sign up and create your profile. But
before you start posting right away, spend a little
time reading through some old posts. Get a feel for
the forum and its members. What questions do they
ask? What do they complain about?

Start answering some of their questions and offering
solutions to their problems. Build your reputation
as an expert in your niche. Be friendly, helpful and
polite.

Always think about what you can give to the forum,
and not what you will get out of it. Don't post
messages with the sole intent of getting visitors
to your site and never say, "Check out the site
in my sig!"

These sorts of messages are frowned upon and will
often be deleted.

Concentrate on building relationships with other
forum members and the traffic will soon follow.