angeladaviss: a signature link will work, IF you join forums or comment on blogs, etc... to genuinely contribute something of value to the conversation - then yes, folks will be inclined to want to check out the link in your signature to learn more about you and what you offer.
Your profile on a forum also gets indexed by the search engines, so you want to make sure you complete your profile with relevant bio and link info. The more posts you make to a forum, the more 'weight' your profile will have too - as each post links back to your profile. In forums that don't allow hyperlinks in signatures, this is a great way to get more weight to your profile that does contain your link.
Your signature is just a two-word link. That is good if you want the page you linked to rank well for that two-word phrase. But for members to click through, you'll want to add more info - use a little copywriting to create an incentive to click.
Ok I have a totally "newbie" sounding question about adding signature links but my brain is a little fried right now with updating my site, writing articles and attempting other suggested seo stuff so please forgive my ignorance on this one.
I see that people use wording in their signatures that point to the site they want visitors to go to but how do you do that? I know what I want my signature to say but I'm not sure how to go about making the change so that it still points to my site. I know I have to go to my user CP but what then?
I'm sure that I am missing something very easy to fix here I just am having a brain lapse on how to do it.
Christine: go to your User CP, click Edit Signature. In the compose area, type out your signature, including the words you want to use as a link. Highlight those words with your mouse, then click the Insert Link icon and paste in the URL for your link.
The Insert Link icon looks like a blue globe with a chain link over it.
A link in a forum signature is the same as a link anywhere. And yes, inbound links help you to achieve higher rankings for specific keyword phrases in the major search engines.
Interesting! I'd known that ,yes, signature links were recommended IF you had the time and ability to contribute worthy knowledge. But I didn't realize that they counted also as "inbound links" or were the same as a link anywhere.
This is a good discussion about why you should post in forums and include a signature link if allowed. A lot of people (including myself) have been recommending this for years to help others build relationships. The whole linking issue is just icing on the cake!
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