No matter the nature of your business - whether you build luxury villas or sell crochet and knitting supplies online - you can be sure that there are people searching the Internet for advice on a whole variety of topics related to what you do. The more content you have on your website about these topics, the more likely you are to show up when people search on related keyword terms.
Blogging and writing web articles are both excellent ways to build up a volume of relevant content on your website, but have you ever thought of starting an Internet forum?
Err… what’s an Internet forum?
Knowingly or not, you have probably used online forums already. An Internet forum is simply a part of your website where people can sign up for free and communicate with you and each other, typically to discuss topics, ask questions and help each other out with advice.
When someone has a question to ask, they start a new topic (called a thread) and other visitors to the forum who have something to say on the matter reply with posts in the same thread.
Why should my business have its own forum?
Having a forum on your website has many benefits. For a start, your forum can take off some of the customer support load from your shoulders, both because you can answer questions there and then refer people with the same question to the answer you have already given, and also because, in many cases, other forum users will take the initiative and do it for you.
What’s more, your forum will quickly become a valuable resource and community for your customers to enjoy, meaning that they have a reason to keep returning to your website to pose their questions and read about the latest tips from other users.
And maybe the most important benefit of having a forum is that specific forum pages quickly turn into masses of repeated keywords related to the topic being discussed. This means that if the forum’s content is public and viewable by all, the search engines will find it and add it to their index, just as if it were an article that you had written from scratch, so that people searching the Internet could find your forum, and consequently your website.
How to start an Internet forum
One part of starting your online forum involves installing the relevant software and getting it up and running. There is a wide range of forum software to choose from, including a number of free ones. Your web designer will be able to advise you on what is most suitable for your needs and set things up for you.
The other part is to get people to participate. No one goes to a party that no one else is going to, and the same thing applies to Internet forums. In other words, while a forum can generally be left to its own devices once it becomes popular, you will have to put in some effort into getting the activity going in the first place.
If you already have a solid customer base asking you questions by e-mail or otherwise, you have it easy if you can persuade them to consider using your forum to ask their questions publicly - you can then answer on the forum and other users can share their experiences too.
Otherwise, you will have to jump-start your Internet forum yourself, either by taking up different personae and posting and answering common questions, or else by roping in employees and friends or paying people to do it (check websites like iFreelance.com or Elance.com if you’re looking for affordable forum posters).
As your Internet forum grows, it will develop into a living, breathing community of people who share an interest in your field and who are all potential clients of yours. Your forum pages will turn into gateways into your website and also highly visited web pages where you can display adverts for your own products and services.
