just a thought: if i join 100 forums, i have my websites in all my signatures, and i post multiple posts in all forums. would that be better than having 100 natural links in terms of getting pr?
Sorry daboss dont follow your thinking, are you asking if forum links are more valuable than natural links to gain PR? If so then this is incorrect, high PR in general is determined by high PR links (unless you have tens of thousands of low PR links). Very few forum posts/threads from forums will carry any PR based on the fact that their is normally a very high ratio of outbound to inbound links (if any, other than internal). If your out to get PR you may aswell pay for some advertising on high PR websites than wasting your time joining hundreds of forums.
Most forum admins don't like it when someone joins the forum just to get links from the signature. I don't recommend doing that.
And... after a while when you do a link check at Google all you get are a bunch of forum posts, you never know if your good, themed links are being counted by Google. Happened to me a while ago and I had to take the sig out and wait several months for the "good" links to start showing.
the defnition of spam is based on the intention behind your action ... what would cause you to do so?
that's just a hypothetical question... no one's going to have time for a 100 forums i just wanted to know if the forum signature links are of any value and if so how do they compare to something like a directory link. of course, at the end of the day, good natural and themed links would be the best...
The forum signature link helped me out by doing the following.. 1. It helped the spiders find and index my site when it was brand new. 2. It offers a link to my site when I have questions about SEO so people can look at my site and help me out. 3. It is a link that may draw the attention of anyone in the forum who has an interest in what the site offers.
as Web Gazelle put it. It does help you on brand new site to get them spidered. It does bring forum users to your site. But their weight is down compare to natural links.
I've found forum signatures to be very valuable because they actually generate quite a bit of targeted traffic for me. If your posts are carefully thought out and to the point, there's a good chance an interested reader will follow-up. Of course, I'm referring to forum posts in my relevant subject areas (personal finance) moreso than posts on SEO forums like this one.
They help, but I'm sure they are not nearly as valuable as natural inbound links from either static pages or ontopic material.
Assumning the Forums allow links in signature which quite few don't I could see it really helping depending on what you use for your anchored text.
it depends on the power of the webpage where the natural links are Vs' the power of the web page where the forum link is
You should not post on forums just for the sake of backlinks from your signature. Doing that will get you banned and then there will be no backlinks from the forum.
A link is a link, diversity is what you're looking for here. With that said though- you should be aware that signatures on forums like DigitalPoint are NOT visible to the search engines unless you're a premium member- something which many new members here fail to understand. WebDev
Did you read the Webmaster Guidelines regarding forum links (and the example relates to signature links)? Natural links are always better - if you understand what those are? Webmaster Guidelines - Link Schemes:
Links from forum posts are natural links and they do help increase your page's ranking for its target keyword if you use appropriate anchor text. Participating in forums within your niche is also a great way of building your and your site's reputation within the community so make sure to do it properly. Hope that helps. Have a good day!
I would imagine that links from a fourm do help to improve the value of your website. What about signature links that are present on forums that have high PR values?