Why do you need to find a good SEO Forum? It’s one of those things that constantly changes with search engine algorithms. For example, Google uses an E.A.T. — expertise, authority, and trust — score to determine SERP (search engine results page) ranking, but the way users gain things like trust and authority is regularly updated. Most recently, the company rolled out a core algorithm update in May 2020.
Since things are always changing, new best practices emerge. Like anything, brainstorming with a group is often better than brainstorming alone. A solid SEO forum can help you ramp up the effectiveness of your SEO and troubleshoot issues while having the rewarding experience of helping those who may be new to the game. Staying ahead of the updates ensures that you never have to scramble with a lapse of traffic, and sometimes an outside opinion offers an easy fix.
Finding the right SEO forum isn’t as simple as logging on to Reddit and taking a guess, but this list is a great place to start.
Google My Business Help Community
Sometimes it’s best to start at the source. Google’s GMB Help Community is just that. The company relocated it in April 2019 and streamlined the number of categories. This made it a great place for best practice advice and troubleshooting, but not a great place for general local SEO chat and trends. They also removed the spam-fighting forums, so if you’re looking for help on that, you must go elsewhere. One of the major benefits of the GMB Help Community is that the forum is quite active, with lots of questions being answered every day.
The Local Search Forum isn’t just a place for updates and news about SEO, where people gather to discuss changes and new ideas. It’s also a great place to connect with local talent, and it’s been a go-to for marketing specialists and local SEOs since it was created.
The main draw of the Local Search Forum is that it has a lot — and I mean a lot — of different sub-forums. You can find someone who knows something about anything, from multi-location issues and paid search to spam, organic SEO, and software. It’s also only gotten better with time.
In 2018, the forum was taken over by Joy Hawkins of Sterling Sky, a local SEO vet and Google Top Contributor who’s been working in the industry since 2006. It was given a full redesign, which helped skyrocket their traffic. In other words: it’s a busy forum with a lot of knowledge. If that gets overwhelming, they do offer daily summary emails that keep you in-the-know about the main topics of the day.
This list was definitely not escaping without a Reddit forum. Reddit can be an absolute rabbit hole with a metric ton of useless information and even more viral memes, but it can also be a valuable tool for finding answers to questions you’re stumped on and even possible career opportunities.
Reddit has a number of SEO-themed forums, including r/BigSEO and r/TechSEO. Those can be helpful, but r/SEO serves as the main forum with more than 66,000 users. There, users ask anything about the craft. This goes for typical best practice advice, like whether you should link your Google My Business Page, and business topics like how to reconcile ROI and profit from SEO endeavors. Sometimes, people even just hang out there to vent about their jobs. Beginners don’t have to worry either. The forum is rather friendly to SEO specialists of all experience levels.
Mark Luckenbaugh’s Local Client Takeover started as a counter group to another Facebook forum. In the shift, they got rid of spammy sales pitches and self-promotional links (the kind of stuff SEO professionals are known for, considering our jobs are to get as much visibility as possible). Now, it’s just a helpful resource where more than 27,000 members post questions and advice. Since you’re already on Facebook, there’s nothing to lose.
BlackHatWorld speaks to the wider SEO industry, but it can be a great source if you’re trying to chat about local SEO, too. They’ve seemingly got a forum for anything, and they’re regularly visited by local business owners, which is a great way to market your skills.
Like you’d expect in the name, BlackHatWorld members share tips about both black-hat and white-hat SEO techniques. Though it’s hard to recommend adopting black-hat practices that can negatively affect your search ranking, it’s definitely something to be aware of, if only so you can avoid it.
Online Geniuses is a twist on the average forum — it’s a Slack forum which means the conversions happen in real time. Flashback to the days of AOL Instant Messenger. This is one of the largest Slack communities for marketers, where SEO professionals can find great value in connecting with like-minded individuals. The community has more than 10,000 members, so there’s always something happening.
Considering the popularity of Moz’s SEO-focused digital marketing software, it’s not surprising that the Q&A forum is a go-to resource for marketers and SEOs around the world. You don’t even have to be a member to look through the user-submitted questions, but you’ll need to sign up for Moz Pro to make comments and ask questions of your own.
The SEO Mastering Forums don’t just cover SEO. Marketers can come here to discuss social media strategy, exchange links, and sell their SEO content. There are even sub-forums for website design and coding. It’s a one-stop-shop for marketing, which makes a great place if you’re trying to strategize a comprehensive marketing and SEO plan.
If you’re across the pond rather than in the states, SEO Forums touts itself as the only dedicated SEO forum for the UK. IT’s got a whopping 50,000 members who chat about everything from link building to social media marketing. It’s also got a local SEO forum, which is great if you’re working with UK-based businesses.
Webmaster Forum is a bustling community where marketers can go to discuss almost any aspect of their job. There’s a dedicated Internet Marketing, SEO, and Development section where professionals can talk about anything from PPC and ad revenue to subverting the Sandbox and off-page SEO.
