Key Takeaways

  1. Forum backlinks can drive relevant traffic and improve your site’s ranking in search results, especially when part of a well-rounded strategy.
  2. While forums are not many SEO professionals’ go-to link-building method, they can still be valuable for niche marketing.
  3. One way to build forum links is by using backlink analysis tools to see which forums your competitors get links from.
  4. In SEO, do-follow and no-follow forum links work differently, and it’s important to know what to use and when.
  5. Rather than getting involved in spammy stuff, practice authentic participation in forums instead and gain authority.

Think about this: You manage SEO strategies such as guest posts, outreach campaigns, and skyscraper content. Then, someone comes up with the idea of forum backlinks. Your reaction? Well, would anyone even use those anymore?

It is a fair question. After all, only 1.33% of SEO professionals mention forum backlinks as their primary approach. But here is the twist: Unlike most links, forum backlinks can be used to advance SEO while also helping establish credibility, reach out to narrow-target markets, and generate relevant traffic if used properly.

I will give you a quick example. My SaaS founder friend was stuck. He had a decent site, but his target customers weren’t engaging. As such, he began to answer questions on niche forums simply to assist, not to spam links. Sure, those backlinks didn’t rocket him to page one. But they did something even better: they drove targeted traffic, built trust, and turned a few engaged readers into loyal customers.

Forum backlinks might seem outdated, but they have hidden benefits that can make a big difference.

What Are Forum Backlinks?

Source: WebmasterWorld

Forum backlinks are links placed on online discussion forums that direct users to your website. These links can appear in:

  • Signatures below posts.
  • Profiles where users list websites.
  • Threads and comments, where users link to resources.

In fact, 60% of SEO professionals use forums to build backlinks. Forums are very easy to create, as anyone can register and share links to their site. 

Are Forum Posting Links Good for SEO?

Source: Reddit

Forum links fall into a grey area in SEO. Their tags, commonly termed UGC (User-Generated Content) or “no-follow,” inform search engines not to pass any ranking signals. Without link juice, they offer no direct SEO benefit. But not building forum links at all can be a mistake.

Did you know that no-follow backlinks make up 10.6% of the total backlinks to the top 110,000 sites? While no-follow links don’t directly transfer SEO authority, they still bring indirect benefits such as traffic and brand awareness. In contrast, do-follow links provide link juice and improve authority but can attract spammers and black hat tactics. No-follow links, however, help defend against spam, making combining both link types highly advantageous.

Expert opinion

Brian Dean, the founder of Backlinko, provides a balanced view:

“When I started Backlinko, I participated in marketing forums. Sure, I got a few links. But more importantly, my content reached the right people… who eventually linked to me.”

Brian Dean

Backlinko

Benefits of Forum Backlinks

Forum backlinks are not limited to opportunities that improve SEO but provide several advantages. By participating in forums and leaving backlinks to your website, you can reap both SEO and non-SEO benefits that can improve your online visibility and business opportunities. Here’s a more detailed look at these benefits.

SEO Benefits of Forum Backlinks

Forum backlinks offer several advantages to a website’s SEO strategy:

  1. Targeted Traffic: Forums are a very good source of targeted traffic since they attract active and relevant audiences. 70 percent of businesses see additional traffic from forum links. 
  2. Fast Indexation: Your links will be indexed quicker because forums Google bots usually crawl on them.
  3. Niche Expertise: Posting regularly makes you an expert.
  4. Diverse Link Profile: Your backlink profile becomes more natural to search engines by creating forum links, .

That is why forum backlinks should be considered more valuable than short-term link-building methods. The major advantage of backlinks earned in forum discussions is that they are active and remain so—with the help of search engines, people can freely navigate to your site in the long term.

  • Opposite view:
“Directory link building, forum links, and redirecting domains are dead for all but low-quality websites or to create some backdrop noise.”

Eico Schweins, Founder at Visionary Online Marketing


Non-SEO Benefits of Forum Links

Forum posting links bring more than improvements in SEO.

They can:

  • Foster brand recognition within niche communities.
  • Spark word-of-mouth referrals as forum users recommend your content.
  • Build relationships with potential customers or collaborators.

Forums create opportunities for collaboration, sharing ideas, and forming business partnerships. Actively engaging and building a reputation as a helpful, knowledgeable member increases the likelihood of being approached for potential collaborations.

Expert opinion

This is what Tony McCreath thinks of the value of forum backlinks:

“I help out in communities related to my business. No value in getting links. The biggest benefit is that other community members now recommend me and my articles to other members.

Tony McCreath

BigCommerce Specialist

  • Summary

Forum links may not carry the same weight as links from high-authority sites but offer benefits such as traffic generation and audience engagement. Moreover, forums help you connect to like-minded people, answer questions, and showcase expertise. They don’t just give you links, rather they strengthen credibility and value to your community.

How to Build Effective Forum Backlinks

Building forum backlinks has to be thoughtful and systematic. Find relevant forums, add your meaningful insights to them, and follow the rules of the community to create backlinks that will help your website. For example, a well-placed link in a high-traffic thread can bring consistent visitors and position your brand as a trusted resource in your field.

Step 1: Find Niche-Relevant Forums

Focus on forums that are associated with your industry. Here’s how to do it:

1. Google Search

Try searching with phrases like:

  • “[Your niche] + forums”
  • “Best forums for [your topic]”
  • “[Keyword] discussion board”

For example, just copying “link building forums” into Google gives you this result:

Link building around niche communities can provide great opportunities. If niche forums are limited, consider exploring related spaces to expand your reach.

  • Important:
You can also search for Reddit and Quora groups for link building. According to Tower Marketing, Reddit has 430 million users per month, and Quora covers more than 400,000 topics with 300 million monthly users, so both sites present enormous opportunities. You can find active subreddits for your niche and Quora topics meant for the right audience.

2. Competitor Research

Data reveals that 29% of the brands analyze competitors’ backlink profiles for opportunities. To find forums your competitors are using to get links from, use Semrush’s Backlink Analytics or tools like that:

 Source: Semrush

  1. Go to Backlink Analytics and type the competitor’s domain.
  2. Filter results for forum links.
  3. Identify the forums that they are using to get backlinks.

3. Forum Directories


Source: ForumDiscovery

Websites like ForumDiscovery and FindAForum have compiled lists of niche-specific forums. This is an easy way to find communities related to or centered around your interests or industry. Forum posting on the sites listed in these directories will help you reach the target audience and spread useful information that always gives credibility and chances to build partnerships in the field.

Step 2: Check If the Forum Has Do-follow Backlinks

Make sure the forum allows do-follow backlinks before posting. It will help you verify if you’re engaging in forums that are SEO-effective.

How to spot good do-follow opportunities:

1. Inspect Forum Links

Source: Reddit

Take a look at link attributes (e.g., do-follow vs. no-follow). 

To check if a forum link is no-follow or do-follow:

  1. Right-click on the link.
  2. Click on “Inspect” in the dotted menu.
  3. So in the HTML of that page look for the attribute rel=”nofollow.” The link is no-follow if it is present. It’s do-follow if it’s not absent.

2. Use the Browser Extension or Link Analyzer Tool

You can use tools such as MozBar, Link Analyzer, and NoFollow Chrome extensions to simplify the process.

3. Use Backlink Analysis Tools

Source: Semrush

With Semrush, you can use backlink analysis tools to filter links by their type as well. 

Follow these steps:

  1. Enter Competitor’s Domain: To analyze the backlink profile of your website or a competitor’s domain, input your website URL or the domain of the competitor in the input box.
  2. View the Backlink Report: After the analysis is finished, review a comprehensive list of backlinks related to the domain.
  3. Filter by Link Type: You can use the filter to order backlinks by type. To view only the links that will pass link juice change the selection from “nofollow” to “dofollow”.

Step 3: Assess Forum Activity

Search the forum for their engagement level as well as activity among comments and post frequency. Don’t try those forums with hundreds of abandoned topics or spam.

Step 4: Follow Posting Rules

Source: Quora

Forums have every kind of guideline. Should you violate any guidelines, expect link removal or a forum ban.

Always:

  • Avoid over-promotion.
  • Publish content that influences people.
  • Listen to the rules of the community.

Step 5: Use Smart Link Placement Strategies

Link naturally to valuable contributions. Common options to include your link include:

  • Put a link to your homepage in your profile.
  • Introduce yourself, then give them a chance to look at the project you are working on.
  • Include useful posts, and share links to other content with which you can add insights.
  • Put links in places where they should only be used for promotion.
  • Read through threads and reply with additional information and links to them.

Expert opinion

Neil Patel highlights the vital difference when it comes to SEO: it’s the quality, not the quantity, of backlinks.

“Simply having 100,000 backlinks isn’t going to get you rankings. Spamming your links on a forum or directory or the comments section of a blog won’t get you good links.”

Neil Patel

Co-Founder at Neil Patel Digital

  • Summary

In general, the idea of effective backlinking in the forum is as follows: place your links in the right areas of informative threads. While using links in your profile or when describing your projects, as well as in useful posts, those links should be valuable and fit into the context. Also, the forum communities should be visited occasionally to enhance credibility, as frequent posts improve the reputation. It is always advisable to go for authentic connections to provide a natural backlink setup for better long-term SEO and to strengthen the traffic to that specific website.

Free Forum Backlink Site Examples

Research shows that 75% of websites see improved search engine rankings when they acquire high-quality forum backlinks. Below is a list of some of the best forum sites where you can build backlinks.

Top 10 Digital Marketing Forum Posting Sites

#SiteDA
1.Warrior Forum76
2.WickedFire60
3.Digital Point Forum78
4.SEO Chat Forum39
5.Quora92
6.Moz’s Q&A Forum91
7.Reddit95
8.Local ForumsVaries
9.Stack Exchange91
10.WebmasterWorld77
  1. Warrior Forum (DA 76): A platform for digital marketing discussions.
  2. WickedFire (DA 60): Focuses on affiliate marketing and online business.
  3. Digital Point Forum (DA 78): Covers SEO, web development, and monetization.
  4. SEO Chat Forum (DA 39): Offers SEO-related discussions and advice.
  5. Quora (DA 92): A Q&A site for sharing insights and linking to resources.
  6. Moz’s Q&A Forum (DA 91): A hub for SEO professionals.
  7. Reddit (DA 95): Niche subreddits for discussions and sharing links.
  8. Local Forums (DA Varies): Region-specific forums for local audience engagement.
  9. Stack Exchange (DA 91): Question-and-answer sites for programmers, webmasters, and marketers.
  10. WebmasterWorld (DA 77): Specialized in topics related to optimization, hosting, etc.

Top 5 Do-follow Forums to Improve Your Link Profile

#SiteDA
1.Let’s Discuss  38
2.Submit Express78
3.Geek Village Forum 48
4.Web Hosting Forum 78
5.CNET Forum 92
  1. Let’s Discuss (DA: 38) – A community forum for discussions on various topics, ideal for link building.
  2. Submit Express (DA: 78) – A high-authority forum focused on SEO and digital marketing.
  3. Geek Village Forum (DA: 48) – A tech forum for web development and digital marketing discussions.
  4. Web-Hosting Forum (DA: 78) – One of the famous web hosting forums.
  5. CNET Forum (DA: 92) – How-to section of CNET, offering high-authority backlinks.

Conclusion

Clearly, forum backlinks are helpful, and building them will go a long way in improving the SEO strategy. They attract traffic, provide exposure, and, in some cases, help establish valuable connections in your market area. However, your main goal here is to bring value to the new communities you are part of, and this will eventually have a positive impact on your SEO ranking and audience reach.

Is this guide helpful? Share it on social media and help other people improve their link-building strategy!

Frequently Asked Questions

In a way, yes, posting on forums can actually be helpful to SEO. It helps create backlinks, site awareness, and targeted traffic. Engaging in niche-relevant, high-quality forums can also assist you in establishing authority and credibility, as long as posts are relevant and useful, not spammy or promotional.

Search the web for online communities related to your niche. Look for active forums with individuals discussing topics related to your website’s subject matter. Focus on joining those forums that could give you do-follow backlink opportunities and where you’ll be able to share valuable discussions.

This entirely depends on which subreddit you are using. To get the most out of it, engage in discussions on relevant subreddits, offer valuable content, and place the backlinks where they belong.

Sticking to one topic is imMost Reddit backlinks are no-follow, which means they don’t pass SEO value directly to your site. However, they can still drive traffic and increase brand visibility. Focus on posting high-quality content and interacting with the community to gain valuable exposure.portant to establish your topical authority.

While it is possible to buy forum backlinks, it’s generally not recommended. Purchased backlinks can be low-quality and spammy, which may harm your search engine ranking. Focus on building organic, valuable backlinks through genuine forum participation.