Post by ProBoards Help Guide on Apr 1, 2017 9:16:49 GMT -8
Understanding SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
So what is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization (or SEO) in simple terms is the process for gaining a higher ranking in search engine results. Search results (from engines like Google™ or Bing™) will return links to websites or pages it deems relevant and authoritative, generally based on the site's content and quantity/quality of links from other web pages.
This short video offers a good explanation on how SEO works:
ProBoards forums are SEO ready right out of the box.
Our forums are designed to be SEO ready the minute they are created. What this essentially means is that the forum is optimized for search indexing bots to easily search content and move between pages of a forum. Additionally thread titles follow an algorithm that chooses the relevant keywords that are important to search indexing bots. Have you ever noticed that URL's for threads do not always contain every word in their title?
These are just a couple examples of what we do to assist you with search engine rankings. The rest is up to you and what this entails is content and links.
How do I get my forum on Google / other search engines?
Make sure your forum has content for search indexing bots to catalog, and make sure that your forum link is readily available on other parts of the internet for them to find.
Content, content, content. Would you be a patron of a store that has no merchandise? Would you tell your friends to shop there too? Like a store, your forum needs to have something to offer not only to your members and guests, but to the search indexing bots. How can you expect a high ranking from a search engine if your forum has nothing to offer?
Links to other sites, but more importantly links back to your site are an indication that your forum has viable information. Links are like recommendations and can be a "thumbs up" indicator to search bots.
Can I speed up indexing by submitting my website to the search engine?
Due to the nature of indexing, there is no set time frame. While submitting your website to a search engine may help, there's no guarantee on instant gratification either. Google, for instance, states "We don't add all submitted URLs to our index, and we can't make predictions or guarantees about when or if submitted URLs will appear in our index."
What about using meta tag keywords?
In the past, using meta keywords would result in your forum being indexed for whatever words you placed in the tag. Unfortunately, this system was abused: websites began using the keywords tag to spam keywords, which lead to search results becoming irrelevant. A website about cars, for example, could insert the word "dog" in their keywords tag, and would eventually begin appearing in searches for "dog".
Because of this, meta keywords are obsolete. Google hasn't used them since 2009, Yahoo does not assign much importance to them for ranking purposes, and Bing uses the presence of keywords as a factor in flagging websites as spam. While meta keywords can still be placed on your forum, they can be (and frequently are) counterproductive to your search result goals.
If meta tag keywords are obsolete, how can people search for my forum?
In addition to using the words in your URL, indexing bots now search your forum for content to determine your keywords for you. Often repeated words or phrases will be noted as relevant to your forum's topic, and thus will result in your website being a result for those keywords.
For example: a forum about Harry Potter would likely use the words "Harry Potter", "wand", "muggle", "wizard" repeatedly in a legitimate (i.e. not spamming) context. As a result, the forum would be indexed under those words. The more you post relevant content on your forum, better your indexing results.
Being indexed, however, does not mean you will wind up on the first, second, or even third pages of your search. If you do not have the budget and/or inclination to hire professional SEO services, it may take weeks, months, or even years for your forum to climb up in ranking. The key here is to have patience!
How can I make sure indexing bots find my site?
Some good, free ways to make sure bots find your forum are through "backlinking" - providing links that lead back to your forum:
Where can I learn more about SEO?
Moz: Beginner's Guide to SEO
Google: SEO Starter Guide
Google: Steps to a Google-friendly site
So what is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization (or SEO) in simple terms is the process for gaining a higher ranking in search engine results. Search results (from engines like Google™ or Bing™) will return links to websites or pages it deems relevant and authoritative, generally based on the site's content and quantity/quality of links from other web pages.
This short video offers a good explanation on how SEO works:
ProBoards forums are SEO ready right out of the box.
Our forums are designed to be SEO ready the minute they are created. What this essentially means is that the forum is optimized for search indexing bots to easily search content and move between pages of a forum. Additionally thread titles follow an algorithm that chooses the relevant keywords that are important to search indexing bots. Have you ever noticed that URL's for threads do not always contain every word in their title?
These are just a couple examples of what we do to assist you with search engine rankings. The rest is up to you and what this entails is content and links.
How do I get my forum on Google / other search engines?
Make sure your forum has content for search indexing bots to catalog, and make sure that your forum link is readily available on other parts of the internet for them to find.
Content, content, content. Would you be a patron of a store that has no merchandise? Would you tell your friends to shop there too? Like a store, your forum needs to have something to offer not only to your members and guests, but to the search indexing bots. How can you expect a high ranking from a search engine if your forum has nothing to offer?
Links to other sites, but more importantly links back to your site are an indication that your forum has viable information. Links are like recommendations and can be a "thumbs up" indicator to search bots.
Can I speed up indexing by submitting my website to the search engine?
Due to the nature of indexing, there is no set time frame. While submitting your website to a search engine may help, there's no guarantee on instant gratification either. Google, for instance, states "We don't add all submitted URLs to our index, and we can't make predictions or guarantees about when or if submitted URLs will appear in our index."
What about using meta tag keywords?
In the past, using meta keywords would result in your forum being indexed for whatever words you placed in the tag. Unfortunately, this system was abused: websites began using the keywords tag to spam keywords, which lead to search results becoming irrelevant. A website about cars, for example, could insert the word "dog" in their keywords tag, and would eventually begin appearing in searches for "dog".
Because of this, meta keywords are obsolete. Google hasn't used them since 2009, Yahoo does not assign much importance to them for ranking purposes, and Bing uses the presence of keywords as a factor in flagging websites as spam. While meta keywords can still be placed on your forum, they can be (and frequently are) counterproductive to your search result goals.
If meta tag keywords are obsolete, how can people search for my forum?
In addition to using the words in your URL, indexing bots now search your forum for content to determine your keywords for you. Often repeated words or phrases will be noted as relevant to your forum's topic, and thus will result in your website being a result for those keywords.
For example: a forum about Harry Potter would likely use the words "Harry Potter", "wand", "muggle", "wizard" repeatedly in a legitimate (i.e. not spamming) context. As a result, the forum would be indexed under those words. The more you post relevant content on your forum, better your indexing results.
Being indexed, however, does not mean you will wind up on the first, second, or even third pages of your search. If you do not have the budget and/or inclination to hire professional SEO services, it may take weeks, months, or even years for your forum to climb up in ranking. The key here is to have patience!
How can I make sure indexing bots find my site?
Some good, free ways to make sure bots find your forum are through "backlinking" - providing links that lead back to your forum:
- Posting affiliates and advertisements on other forums and websites, where allowed (such as in ProBoards Support's Advertise Your Forum and Affiliate Exchange boards).
- Having a link to your forum in your signature of a forum you are active on.
- Posting links to your forum on social media on a publicly-available post.
- And of course, if you have the budget, you can always start an ad campaign such as the one offered by ProBoards.
Where can I learn more about SEO?
Moz: Beginner's Guide to SEO
Google: SEO Starter Guide
Google: Steps to a Google-friendly site