So you finally got your forum setup, got those categories and boards going. Installed those modifications you always wanted to and got that nice theme and banner. Well, I guess it's time for you to advertise! How would you go about advertising? There are two ways, either you can go the easier route but costly, meaning paying to get exposure. You can do this by buying Google Adwords or Facebook ads. Both are quality service but your gain traffic will depend on multiple factors, which will be discussed in a later article. The harder but free method is to do everything yourself. First thing first, I highly recommend you install a sitemap. A sitemap will allow Search Engines to easily index your site, thus possibly raising your exposure on the web. After you've done that, create accounts at places like Google Webmaster Tools, Bing, etc. Simply Google (or Bing) these tools and you'll find them. Once done, they will give you the option to submit your website and sitemap to them. Do this, for Google, you can follow the tool and find out which webpages on your website is getting indexed, hopefully all of them. Now that you are done with some basic SEO, really basic. It's time to move on to social networking! Got a Facebook account? Great, if the site is something you think your friends would enjoy, then DISCUSS IT ONLINE! It's that simple, just share a link and state why you like the site. You don't have to let them know that you own it. Also, be sure to create a Fan page, that will allow you to get others to Like your page. When they like the page, they are usually sharing this information with other people. The more people who like your page, the bigger this "chain of exposure" gets. Next Twitter, create a real twitter account. Don't use automated services, instead be a real human being! engage other people in Twitter, who might relate to your niche. I've heard stories where fan sites were able to get the fan they represent to retweet their website URL. Guess what happened, yeah... A big spike in traffic. This ends our two basic ways to advertise for free after you are done installing and customizing your forum. If these two basic techniques are used correctly, you should see some traffic, not a lot but some. This is a great way to kick start a website, especially a forum or a blog. Anyways, good luck!
Thanks for the above post. I do have a forum and after nearly one month I have only 3 member which includes my very self. I have tried some of the steps you mentioned but I'm yet to fall in with Twitter. I guess I just have to try that. :
[quote author=Smartblogz link=topic=71.msg273#msg273 date=1311586589] Thanks for the above post. I do have a forum and after nearly one month I have only 3 member which includes my very self. I have tried some of the steps you mentioned but I'm yet to fall in with Twitter. I guess I just have to try that. : [/quote] Good luck and let us know your progress.
