Website Traffic Building through Forums

Written by John Demar
Published: July 2, 2008

One of the most common questions asked of a website designer is how to build good traffic to a site.  Many business owners have a “build it and they will come” perception of their website.  Perhaps this worked a decade ago when the Web was new and exciting to most people, but a site will be dead in the water without some extra work.  Every business seems to have a website these days, including a local blade sharpening company.  Some businesses even have two or three sites.  So, like a phone book listing, just having a website isn’t going to do much when the competition has sites, too. 

A great way to build site traffic is pretty much the same as building a business through off-line communication: become and expert in a field and begin discussions with people who are interested in what you have to say.  A terrific way to accomplish this on the Web is through posting on forums.

A forum is an on-line meeting place where visitors can ask and answer questions.  Usually, a forum will focus on a specific topic like gardening, nutrition, personal finance, adoption, parenting, and home repair.  In these forums, people will ask questions in that topic area with the hopes that other visitors will share their experience and answers.

One forum in which I participate is UtterAccess.com where I can discuss topics about programming and application development using Microsoft Access.  I regularly use and develop applications using Access and have over ten years’ experience with the software.  Many of the posters at UtterAccess.com are just getting started with programming or need a little help to get past a nagging problem with their database application.  I often find that I can answer questions quickly because I’ve encountered the issues in the past.

UtterAccess.com has been a great way for me to share my knowledge and get the word out about my business.  I’m allowed to advertise my site and services there and have received a steady stream of visitors to me site from my posts there.  Plus, I get the satisfaction of helping others with their database issues.  I remember the days when I needed all the help I could get and appreciated all the on-line forum help I got back then.

Whatever your industry and interests, there’s sure to be a forum for your business.  Take the time to get involved with a forum and you might be surprised at how much traffic comes to your website if you promote it!