Forum Signatures for Increasing Traffic

[TraciKnoppe]

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.

[Lynn Terry]

Hi Angela,

Forum Signatures are great for two things:

- direct traffic (human click-through's)
- inbound links (to increase search engine rankings)

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.

Also See: Forum Signature Tip (for a higher click-through rate)

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.

[ress]

Forum signature is another way of getting a backlink. The important think about link building is the variety.

Provide value in your forum posts and members won't think twice in checking out what else you have to offer.

Raymond

[CG12]

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.

TIA for the help.

Christine

[TraciKnoppe]

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.

Save your signature and that's it.

[CG12]

Thanks Traci...I got it Yippee!

I figured I was mixing something easy and I didn't see the link thingy until you mentioned it. I told you I was a little fried.

I appreciate your help.

Blessings,
Christine

[TraciKnoppe]

Awesome! Glad to help.

[Lynn Terry]

Hi Angela,

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.

See: Inbound Links and Effective Link Building

[yuri21]

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.


Thanks, Lynn!

[deniseoberry]

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!