Many forum owners are likely noticing traffic dips. These dips aren’t just occurring on new communities; bigger communities are also likely to seeing them. It’s not a big secret that forums are hurting when it comes to organic search traffic.
Google is always updating it’s algorithms. You have the Helpful Content update, AI-generated search results, and zero-click answers right on the search results. All of these updates might be great for some people but they definitely reduce forum visibility on search results.
Search engines are not sending traffic to forums these days like they once did in the old days. However, we forum owners have been through it all and we can adapt to these changes. It’s all about choosing the right strategy and thriving from it.
We’re in an AI revolution. Artificial intelligence is dominating Google features with search overviews, no-click answers, and featured snippets. Since these answers are being displayed directly on search results, less forum links will be clicked as a result.
We have a lot of competition these days compared to the times before social media. Reddit and Quora are the new forums people flock to. Social media is of course competition that we’ll never be able to be compared to.
Finally, SEO and link building are consistently evolving. Tactics like directories, keywords, and other so-called “SEO hacks” are no longer valid. In fact, many of these tactics are resulting in penalties because they’re considered Black Hat SEO.
Work on developing yourself (the admin) and your staff (moderators) as experts of your niche. Gain that reputation as the authorities in your industry even if you’re teaching your staff how to get there. Then start publishing blog-styled articles on your forum that shows authority-driven content about your niche and industry.
Instead of focusing on SEO content as much, start focusing more on Technical SEO. Your forum needs to be as fast as possible and it needs to align to the mobile-first framework of modern websites. You should also try to structure content in a Q&A format as it will often do better on search results using that format.
Pay more attention to your older threads. Prune, merge, and optimize older threads and content to consolidate duplicate and outdated content. Try to post more evergreen topics that can remain popular for years to come.
Start a newsletter about your niche and use it to promote your forum. Focus on making the newsletter give exclusive content that isn’t found anywhere else. Then post top discussions and snippets of your forum to encourage cross-membership.
Join other forums in your niche and post consistent quality content on them. Focus on being a big part of the community on those forums rather than just using them to promote. If they offer advertising, consider buying ads that promote your forum.
Consider paid advertising on Google and social media. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get members. Consider low risk and low budget advertising to get started and experiment to see what works and what doesn’t.
Community is your secret weapon. Community outweighs organic search traffic. If you build a loyal community, your forum will continue to thrive.
Prepare for more AI dominance. Artificial Intelligence isn’t going anywhere but up and it is going to continue to impact what we see as normal and change it dramatically. Forums need to integrate knowledge hubs, emphasis on the Q&A format, and consistently post expert contributions in order to survive.
Please comment below with other strategies and tactics you’re using to help keep your forum traffic and membership increasing.
Google is always updating it’s algorithms. You have the Helpful Content update, AI-generated search results, and zero-click answers right on the search results. All of these updates might be great for some people but they definitely reduce forum visibility on search results.
Search engines are not sending traffic to forums these days like they once did in the old days. However, we forum owners have been through it all and we can adapt to these changes. It’s all about choosing the right strategy and thriving from it.
Why Forums are Losing Search Visibility
Google’s Helpful Content update is a big key reason why we’re losing organic search traffic. It’s a good update in reality for those searching for the exact thing they need but not so much if you have to search through a discussion to get it. Forums are often considered “low quality” websites because of the short posts generated by users.We’re in an AI revolution. Artificial intelligence is dominating Google features with search overviews, no-click answers, and featured snippets. Since these answers are being displayed directly on search results, less forum links will be clicked as a result.
We have a lot of competition these days compared to the times before social media. Reddit and Quora are the new forums people flock to. Social media is of course competition that we’ll never be able to be compared to.
Finally, SEO and link building are consistently evolving. Tactics like directories, keywords, and other so-called “SEO hacks” are no longer valid. In fact, many of these tactics are resulting in penalties because they’re considered Black Hat SEO.
How Forums Can Adapt their SEO Strategy
Content curation and highlight threads might be a way to present the kind of quality content that could boost your traffic. Create sticky threads, guides, and curated resource posts that consolidate all the value your forum has to offer and can easily be accessed in one place.Work on developing yourself (the admin) and your staff (moderators) as experts of your niche. Gain that reputation as the authorities in your industry even if you’re teaching your staff how to get there. Then start publishing blog-styled articles on your forum that shows authority-driven content about your niche and industry.
Instead of focusing on SEO content as much, start focusing more on Technical SEO. Your forum needs to be as fast as possible and it needs to align to the mobile-first framework of modern websites. You should also try to structure content in a Q&A format as it will often do better on search results using that format.
Pay more attention to your older threads. Prune, merge, and optimize older threads and content to consolidate duplicate and outdated content. Try to post more evergreen topics that can remain popular for years to come.
Diversify Traffic Beyond Search Engines
Start leveraging social media to drive awareness of your forum. Conduct Facebook, X, and Threads campaigns and post short-form video content on YouTube and TikTok. Be creative and remember that promotional links often get less views.Start a newsletter about your niche and use it to promote your forum. Focus on making the newsletter give exclusive content that isn’t found anywhere else. Then post top discussions and snippets of your forum to encourage cross-membership.
Join other forums in your niche and post consistent quality content on them. Focus on being a big part of the community on those forums rather than just using them to promote. If they offer advertising, consider buying ads that promote your forum.
Consider paid advertising on Google and social media. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get members. Consider low risk and low budget advertising to get started and experiment to see what works and what doesn’t.
Long-Term Future of Forum SEO
Forums aren’t dead and neither is search – but both are adapting. You can still capture those long-tail keyword queries. However, the content needs to be of a higher quality.Community is your secret weapon. Community outweighs organic search traffic. If you build a loyal community, your forum will continue to thrive.
Prepare for more AI dominance. Artificial Intelligence isn’t going anywhere but up and it is going to continue to impact what we see as normal and change it dramatically. Forums need to integrate knowledge hubs, emphasis on the Q&A format, and consistently post expert contributions in order to survive.
Final Thoughts
The days of relying on SEO and organic search traffic are over for forums. It’s time to diversify your promotion strategy and focus an effort of high quality and valuable content. This is the only way to keep your forum alive and on the rise.Please comment below with other strategies and tactics you’re using to help keep your forum traffic and membership increasing.