Is Forum Link Building a Waste of Time in 2018?
-
Hi there, this is a general question about link building strategies in 2018. It actually relates to reports derived from the link building audit tool on SEMrush, so forgive that. We use Moz as well, it's just that we happen to be working in SEMrush for link analysis.
Basically, the audit tool looks at our links and our competitors' links. It has come back with a number of 'opportunities' for link building and I'm questioning the value of many of them, in 2018. Many of the 'opportunities' the tool is suggesting we explore include answering forum questions on places like Reddit, Quora, etc. The tool has been good at identifying topical threads which might hold promise (a very specific branch of legal services) but most of the threads are 3 - 8 years old. To answer them, I would need to muster someone with expertise to post a relevant answer.
So, obviously, my question is does anyone think there is any value in this sort of link building in this day and age? I really think our greatest value will be in guiding their content strategy and looking for content creation opportunities on high authority sites.
Thoughts?
-
You might be able to get some highly relevant referral traffic from forums, so forum links aren't completely useless.
But as Logan and Martijn said, if you are doing this type of link building purely for SEO reasons, then your time is definitely better spent elsewhere.
Cheers,
David
-
Can only confirm this, are there even forums out there still where you can get links without a nofollow? Then I'll start spam... OK nevermind ;). It's dead.
-
Thanks, Logan.
I always wonder why tools like SEMrush tout themselves as DIY 'all in one' solutions and then mislead by providing these sorts of 'false opportunities.'
Thanks for confirming my instincts!
-
David,
This type of link building has been dead for a long time. I'd definitely recommend spending your time elsewhere. Your time will be better spent creating great content.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Any white label link building providers like Audience Bloom?
Have used the services of Audience Bloom and do think they are great in being able to provide white label link building services: http://www.audiencebloom.com/services/link-building/white-label-link-building-services-for-agencies/ They are quite expensive though and so we are wondering if any one can help to provide other similar and credible companies like them that offer white label link building but at a lower cost. We would appreciate the advice here of anyone that is unbiased and unaffiliated in providing an credible recommendations. Thanks so much!
Link Building | | Gavo0 -
DA vs PA when building links
When building links to your site from other sites, what is more important or what weights more heavily? Say a site has a DA of 20 and PA of 34 for that page I want a link from. Say another site has the revese, a DA of 34 and a PA of 20. All things being equal, which site's link to me would be better? The one with a higher DA or the one with a higher PA for the on the specific page I would get a link?
Link Building | | studio35design0 -
Current best link building practise
Hi guys, Just an open discussion. I don't want to be told to use directories or just 'guest blog'.. What is the best method you are currently using? A lot of my competitors are using older techniques for quick wins but we're wary to do that due to the long term consequences... Thanks
Link Building | | tomcraig860 -
What are the best SEO agencies for link building?
I am not looking for a full service SEO agency. I just want link building. Not paid links, not link networks, not blog comments, not bookmarks...real, legit, decent links. Does anyone have any experience working with an SEO agency that helped them develop their link profile positively and at a reasonable price? I'm willing to pay for the service, I just want to work with someone who won't buy links or send a bunch of spam our way. If anyone has worked with such an agency, please let me know so I can contact them for more info. Thanks!
Link Building | | DanDeceuster0 -
Squidoo for link building?
Hello Mozzers I'm thinking about using squidoo as a part of my link building. I've never used squidoo before, I'd love to hear from Mozzers using sqidoo for link building and traffic generation.
Link Building | | Thommas0 -
Link Building Through Blogs
A client of mine wants to look into new areas of link building after convincing them that their current link building strategies (purchasing multiple links from god knows where) was not working well for them. Essentially I felt they were spinning their wheels. Now, we are looking into content related blogs to get some honest links for their site. They sell sports equipment and we are looking at sports blogs to get links/partnerships. Most of these blogs want sponsorship fees or advertising fees. From an ethical standpoint I understand buying links is not the best idea. But because these are blogs that earn traffic, have relevant content, and can be helpful for the advertisement aspect to link to people who might be interested in their products as well. There shouldn't be a problem in acquiring a few of these links if the budget allows for it, correct? Also are blogs a good source to acquire links from?
Link Building | | USHoleInOne0 -
Best link building activities to increase velocity.
I'm running my own web based company selling security software. I'm a one man band and do the programming, web design, SEO etc. all myself. I've taken a very white hat approach so far and spend all my time writing guest posts and getting them published on tech blogs (I get 3-5 links per week doing this). The only tool I use is Buzzstream and I've been doing this for about 6 months now. I'm starting to see a few results but whenever I look at my competitors I see they have links from thousands of root domains. I feel like I need to increase my link building velocity with a new activity which will yield a much greater number of links than I am able to create using my guest posting strategy. I'm not keen to start spamming article directories or any other short term activity. I dedicate about 8 hours per week to SEO and I could afford to spend around $700 per month if necessary. Any help would be much appreciated.
Link Building | | Riona0
