How important is SEO?

[ZandraJoi]

From my limited knowledge on SEO, I was told it’s quite important. However, from talking to actual forum owners, they don’t see a big difference in utilizing SEO versus other means such as word of mouth, ads.
I personally haven’t gotten members from a search engine. They are all from other forums either for Post Exchanges or just simply being friendly doing a quid for pro.
What is your opinion on this?

 

[Arantor]

For forum owners, it's always been a questionable topic because most forums would never rank particularly well in a search engine for organic searches, because people don't write posts in a way that would work out well for that, and such it has ever been.

For blogs/articles on the other hand, it's still very much as it has ever been, because you're not opening it up to all-comers, you can take the time to write it and structure it and make it appealing to both readers and search engines and build audiences that way.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

For blogging, I find it important but content quality is really most important.

For forums, I'd rather try to develop a real community within the forum than focus on SEO. If you develop a community,. Then you have loyal people who come back again and again.

A real community will survive regardless of SEO.

It's the same with social media, the algorithms don't apply when there is a real community established where people go directly to you rather than an algorithm taking them to you.

 

[Shortie]

I would say when it comes to a forum, it is somewhat important but getting that community built up is also just as important as well. When it comes to a blog, SEO is definitely important for sure as well as high-quality content on the blog as well.

I myself always try to work on SEO whether it be a forum or a blog if I am honest but with a forum, I also work on building a community as well.