SEO has grown to the point that nobody can know everything, and those new to the game can become easily confused. Where do you turn for advice? Fortunately, there are a variety of online SEO forums where experts share their hard won knowledge, often for free. This article discusses some of the best SEO forums.
SEO forums provide a wealth of information about the search industry directly from industry leaders such as professional SEOs, programmers and webmasters, who have their own unique experiences to share. Posting to SEO forums is a great way to network with the various players in the SEO industry, and reassure your clients that you are keeping abreast of industry trends and techniques.
Forums are particularly helpful to website owners who do their own search engine positioning and need to keep up with the quick shifts in the industry. Questions posed by novices and non-SEOs help industry professionals stay in touch with the basics of SEO and provide them with an understanding of what types of services and education are needed. Many businesses rely on Google and other top search engines for the majority of their traffic, leads and sales. It is important to understand not only the industry best practices in terms of SEO, but major industry news and events that could have an impact on a site's traffic.
The Basics of Online Forums
Online forums, sometimes called message boards, are group discussions that take place on an online platform and enable people to start and maintain threads about various topics. Forum users enter into these online discussions with the knowledge that this is an open exchange of ideas shared among users as publicly-displayed text messages. Most forums have one main overarching topic (e.g., Online Marketing) with a series of subtopics (e.g., SEO, PPC, Banner advertising, etc.). Forums are moderated by industry experts and/or knowledgeable parties who are given the difficult task of making sure posts stay on topic and people abide by the forum guidelines. Moderators have a wealth of knowledge to bestow and hands on experience with niche topics in the industry. Their contribution is what makes these forums work.
Most forums enable you to view messages without registering, but require you to be a registered member before you can post. This generally avoids forum abuses such as posting spam or other offensive material.
SEO forums serve the industry in a few different ways. They enable SEO professionals to stay connected to industry trends, help website owners learn how to optimize their websites, and serve as a focal point for industry experts and novices alike to network and share each other's experiences. Forums can also contain rumors, speculation and just plain false information about what's happening in the SEO universe. Take what you read in a forum with a grain of salt, and always research theories thoroughly before implementing them. It's a good idea to test SEO tips and strategies on a page by page basis, then monitor the results closely.
It can certainly be overwhelming to enter a forum and encounter a wide range of topics and threads. My advice is to lurk a while, get a feel for where you want to be in terms of subject matter, and then begin posting as you are more comfortable. Always read the pinned threads at the top of the subcategories. They contain tips and information for newbies, and will help you avoid the embarrassment of asking basic questions that have been asked and answered a dozen times before.
Let's take a look at some of the phenomenal SEO forums that are available.
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