Forums can be a great addition to a website, but like anything online, there are pros and cons when it comes to adding a forum to your website, because having a forum isn’t going to do much for you.
Below, we take a look at the main advantages and disadvantages when it comes to having a forum on your site that could help you decide if it is worth having one or if it should be very clear.
Advantage:
happy – Google (and other decent search engines) love content, so having a forum with lots of people contributing and adding new posts and responses can generate enough content to really boost your site. It takes a while to get to this kind of level and you will need some great members, but if you can get a happy group of users to post, this can really help your site move up the rankings.
Visitor retention – A forum gives visitors, customers and potential customers a reason to return to your site, especially if they need help or advice on a certain topic. All websites want to keep their returning visitors, so having a forum can be a great way to get people to want to come back and use your website regularly.
Business opportunities – The more people you have on your site, the more money you can make, so by having more people and more repeat visitors using your site, you immediately increase the chances of making a decent income from your site. From shopping sites to online services, if you can keep your visitors entertained on your site and give them a reason to come back often, it gives you more opportunities to sell to them.
Disadvantages:
Moderation – Whenever you open a public forum, you will have to think about moderation, because not everyone will behave as well as you! From small discussions to dodgy posts and mischievous elements, you need to make sure you are at the top of the forum or that there are people doing it for you, which of course will take a long time or will mean that it is you. you have to trust members who often don’t pay to do it for you.
Unwanted mail – Like most things on the World Wide Web, a forum is just an open target for any spammer because if your forum gets big then it might carry some weight on Google. Some massive forums have closed or changed the way they operate due to spam, so it is vital to consider how you will deal with this before it becomes a problem for you.
Security vulnerabilities – Since most forums will be an addition to your site, you should make sure to regularly update the software that runs them; otherwise, you could be exposed to some massive security issues. It’s important to review your forum settings before you go live to make sure you’ve closed any obvious loopholes that could allow bad guys in, but even then, you need to make sure you’re constantly monitoring your site for problems, which of again, take your time.
Lack of publications – A bit like a city with many closed stores, if someone comes to your site and sees that you only have a few posts, this can have a negative impact on that visitor. Although it is difficult to get members without going live, you should consider how you are going to activate your forum to avoid looking like an empty site and, in effect, to drive visitors away from your site.