How did you get a lot of traffic to your forum?

[truckerfan]

How did you get traffic to your forum?  list free ways

**Sorry if this wrong place or not allowed**

[The Meeper]

Good question. Put it here. Advertise your forum. I did that and got 78 guests in one day. Hope this helped!


The Meeper

[mutchy126]

Jul 1, 2013 20:32:16 GMT -8 The Meeper said:

Good question. Put it here. Advertise your forum. I did that and got 78 guests in one day. Hope this helped!


The Meeper

Did any of them sign up?

[The Meeper]

A few. Allot of them were bots though. Google bots get on my nerves sometimes.

[Crystal]

I've done a lot of things. A multitude of things works the best.

1. Honestly, if you allow a board for free advertising - especially if you're new - that helps. Usually, such boards on sites have a general rule that guests can post their board, if they can return the favor. You just have to brief their rules. Then you can place an advertisement about your forum on their advertisement board (for such things) and they can return the favor. You can also return any favors added onto your board. This has worked in the past, because at least 5 different members on my site(s) have admitted to me that they've found me in such manners.

2. You can share a mini-button (usually 88 X 55, or something) with sites. It's a small image that links to your site, that usually (and my preference) sits at the bottom or the top of the main page - though not necessarily every page. If they click this image, they'll be taken to your site, where they can at least view it, even if they don't join it. I haven't personally known of anyone whose joined my site this way, but it's helped increase page views of my site on a general basis.

3. You can link it to your signature on sites that you're active on, providing the site allows you to. This has generated people to click such links - especially out of curiosity. The more they see your posts, the more they'll see the link in the signature and the more likely they'll get curious about that link. The more sites you're active on, the more curiosity you could potentially generate. This has worked a little better for me in the end than most other ways. =)

4. Request for opinions on your site on VARIOUS sites that have opinion boards. It generates very few views, but it does cause those who give you opinions to brief your board to get a basic "feel" of it, before commenting on it too much. It really helps them to know your site, and sometimes even attracts them. If nothing else, they comment on it and that gives you a "consumer review" of your site, to help make it friendlier and more interesting to guests to join.

5. LINK IT IN YOUR NAME IN CHAT BOXES. Don't tell people to click on your name, don't even try to make your name make them want to click on it. Just simply link it, and conversate as you normally would in the chat boxes. I cannot tell you how many links I've clicked on out of curiosity - and how many annoying ones I've ignored because they tried to get you to click on it. Working against one's natural curiosity works really well. Keep the name whatever you'd normally have it as. Like my link may be to youtube, but my name would still be "Crystal".

[N A T]

There are a lot of things you can do, depending on the forum's genre. I own a role playing forum for a TV show, and I have created a Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr page, on which I post updated like videos, photos, and short entries every now and then. The key to advertising is hashtagging! It will come up so much nicer in search results from others and will get you a lot of guests - if they sign up or not is an entirely different thing. Usually, it's the easiest to recruit someone by approaching them directly.

[Boy_Wonder]

I tend to get the most members when I force myself to go on an advertising spree. This can mean posting on up to 30+ boards a day

However I personally find it a boring, if somewhat needed 'evil' to do. That way I can actually talk to guests who are after all potential members.

[Dee]

I have to wonder how this works as well. I did get a boat load of guests on my site, which offers a place to advertise their own forum/website, however, none of the guests signed up. And the very few members I do have are not active, even after I've sent out a newsletter thanking them for being a part of the forum. I have posted on forum and site after site, spread the word across various social media platforms, asked my friends to spread the word as well and yet I am getting pretty much nothing. I am just wondering exactly what it is I need to be doing on top of what I'm already doing.

[Sassy]

I just hope and pray that in the spot where you "advertise" your forum, someone sees mine and comes in to check it out, lol   

[Former Member]

Just letting you know Sassy, that I looked at your board & liked the look of it. While I was there I checked to make sure a guest could not see your members profile. I could see them. I suggest you install a code to stop guests from seeing the profiles.

[Sassy]

Thank you Ann ... I will look into that, right now.  As soon as I figure that out, lol

But you're welcome there, anytime.   

[Former Member]

Put this code in your main footer to stop guest from viewing members profiles:-

<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
/* Prevent Guests From Viewing Profiles
By {XF}Äs$@§sîñ™, http://www.xf-clan.net */

// Edit Error Message
var eMessage = "Sorry, but you may not view members' profiles as a Guest.";

var td = document.getElementsByTagName('td');

if(pb_username == "Guest" && location.href.match(/action=viewprofile/i)) {
  for (i=0; i<td.length; i++) {
     if (td.item(i).className == "titlebg" && td.item(i).colSpan == "2" && td.item(i).innerHTML.match(/View\sProfile:/i)) {
        document.title = document.title.split('-')[0] + " An Error Has Occurred";
        var tFont = document.createElement('font');
        tFont.style.fontSize = '12px';
        tFont.style.fontWeight = 'bold';
        tFont.appendChild(document.createTextNode('An Error Has Occurred'));
        td.item(i).replaceChild(tFont, td.item(i).firstChild);
        td.item(i).parentNode.nextSibling.style.display = 'none';
        var mCell = td.item(i).parentNode.parentNode.insertRow(1).insertCell(0);
        mCell.setAttribute("colSpan", 2);
        mCell.className = "windowbg";
        var eFont = document.createElement('font');
        eFont.style.fontSize = '12px';
        eFont.appendChild(document.createTextNode(eMessage));
        mCell.appendChild(eFont);
        break;
     }
  }
}
//-->
</script>


[Boy_Wonder]

I have to question why the worry about people seeing profiles - then again I run a RP - also if it's a V5 site I don't think that code will work.

Anyway a new thing I'm finding quite effective is plug-boards. Pretty much these exist on the internet to plug your sites button and url in.

[Sassy]

Aug 5, 2013 15:39:52 GMT -8 @lucylane said:

Put this code in your main footer to stop guest from viewing members profiles:-

<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
/* Prevent Guests From Viewing Profiles
By {XF}Äs$@§sîñ™, http://www.xf-clan.net */

// Edit Error Message
var eMessage = "Sorry, but you may not view members' profiles as a Guest.";

var td = document.getElementsByTagName('td');

if(pb_username == "Guest" && location.href.match(/action=viewprofile/i)) {
  for (i=0; i<td.length; i++) {
     if (td.item(i).className == "titlebg" && td.item(i).colSpan == "2" && td.item(i).innerHTML.match(/View\sProfile:/i)) {
        document.title = document.title.split('-')[0] + " An Error Has Occurred";
        var tFont = document.createElement('font');
        tFont.style.fontSize = '12px';
        tFont.style.fontWeight = 'bold';
        tFont.appendChild(document.createTextNode('An Error Has Occurred'));
        td.item(i).replaceChild(tFont, td.item(i).firstChild);
        td.item(i).parentNode.nextSibling.style.display = 'none';
        var mCell = td.item(i).parentNode.parentNode.insertRow(1).insertCell(0);
        mCell.setAttribute("colSpan", 2);
        mCell.className = "windowbg";
        var eFont = document.createElement('font');
        eFont.style.fontSize = '12px';
        eFont.appendChild(document.createTextNode(eMessage));
        mCell.appendChild(eFont);
        break;
     }
  }
}
//-->
</script>


THank you Ann ... already went into the main Support place and got a code, LOL   

[Former Member]

The code I provided is not for V5 since the board is not V5.

It's best for guests not to see member's personal information in their profiles BH.