Need advice for a new forum

[traveler]

Greetings All,

I'm new here and I have just launched my picture-based travelers forum - now I seek to kick-start it and start building a decent growing community on it.

Should I mention my site here?

Please advise which companies would be most effective and competitively priced and which are good for getting some seo traffic coming to my site.

Any other early-starting info would also be appreciated.

Thanks.

Dan 

[TonyBalon]

There are various strategies that you can use to jumpstart your travel forum, with different steps you can take:

1. **Create High Quality Content**: Unique and engaging content is the foundation of any successful digital community. Create helpful content for travelers, and make sure to optimize all of your content for SEO.

2. **Target Long-Tail Keywords**: Focus on long-tail keywords related to traveling for your SEO efforts. These are less competitive than common phrases and can help drive more specific traffic to your site.

3. **Partner with Travel influencers**: Collaborate with travel influencers, vloggers or bloggers who have a strong presence on social media or other popular platforms. They can share your site within their networks, leading their followers directly to you.

4. **Join Conversations on Social Media**: Be visible on popular social media sites. Participate in relevant discussions and share your insights. You can subtly mention your site if it fits the conversation and provides value to others.

5. **Do Guest Blogging**: Offer to write guest posts on popular travel blogs. This usually allows you to include a bio with a link back to your site.

6. **Use Online Ads**: Google Ads is one of the most popular pay-per-click advertising system in the world. You can target the specific audience that you want to reach, Google will deliver your ads to your target audience. Facebook and Instagram Ads can also help drive traffic to your site.

As for companies that could assist you with traffic and SEO, some reputable ones include:

1. **Moz**: Moz offers a broad suite of SEO tools that can help you understand, track, and improve your SEO. Their keyword explorer tool is particularly useful for long-tail keyword research.

2. **Semrush**: Semrush is a popular SEO tool suite that includes tools for keyword research, site auditing, social media monitoring, and much more.

3. **Ahrefs**: Ahrefs is a powerful SEO tool that includes almost everything you need to track your SEO success and improve your ranking.

4. **Yoast SEO**: If you're using WordPress, then Yoast SEO is a must-have plugin. It provides comprehensive on-page SEO optimization.

5. **Google Search Console**: This is a free tool from Google that helps you understand how Google's search algorithm views your site. It can help you find issues with your site which might be harming your SEO.

In terms of other early-starting info, here are a few tips:

* **Engage with your community**: Once people start coming to your site, engage with them! Answer their questions, provide them with the information they need, and show an interest in their experiences. This will encourage them to return and interact more.

* **Create a schedule**: Consistency is crucial, whether that's posting new content, responding to comments, or simply moderating the forum.

* **Run Contests and Giveaways**: Contests and giveaways can encourage people to participate in your forum especially in initial stages.


here are some more ideas to help grow your travel forum community:

Email Marketing: Never underestimate the power of a good email list. You can start with a newsletter for your members or even those who've just visited the forum. Share useful travel tips, highlights from the forum, and upcoming events. You can use services like MailChimp, ConstantContact, or Drip for managing your email campaign.

Social Media Marketing:

Facebook: Start a Facebook page for your travel forum. Regularly share interesting threads from the forum, travel stories, and engage with users.
Instagram: Post interesting images from travel destinations or user-experiences. Tag your partners or influencers.
Twitter: Shares quick travel tips, forum highlights, or trending travel topics.
LinkedIn: Though it's not the obvious choice, posting travel-related content or creating a company page may attract professionals interested in travel.
Pinterest: A visual platform where you can create pinboards for different travel destinations packed with beautiful images and useful tips. Add links to your forum.
Collaborate with Travel Agencies and Brands: Reach out to travel agencies, hotels, and brands for partnerships. They could offer special discounts for your forum members, organize sponsored trips, contests, or provide freebies for promotions.

Implement a Referral System: Encourage your visitors or members to invite others to your site. Offer them something valuable in return, like access to certain features or discounts on travel gear, guides or services.

Webinars or Q&A Sessions with Travel Experts: Organizing interactive sessions featuring travel experts, experienced travelers, or local guides from different destinations can attract a lot of engagement.

Utilize Analytics: Use tools like Google Analytics to better understand your site's traffic. It helps you figure out which keywords are driving traffic, where your visitors are from, and their online behavior, helping you optimize your strategy.

PPC Advertising: Consider leveraging platforms like Google Ads, Bing Ads, or Yahoo Ads to boost visibility quickly. These paid campaigns are effective if well-structured and aimed at the correct audience.

Get Listed On Directories: There are many online blog or website directories where you can list your forum.

SEO Companies/Specialists: If you want professional help on SEO, you can hire specialists or SEO service companies. Companies like SEO Image, Victorious, Ignite Visibility, Infront Webworks, Thrive Internet Marketing Agency, etc., are a few to consider.

Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC): User-generated content is valuable. Ask members to share their travel experiences, photos, and tips. This not only provides fresh content but also makes the members feel valued and engaged.

Hosting Events: Real life or virtual events such as travel meetups, travel talks, travel photography contests, or a 'traveler of the month' event can forge a sense of community and encourage participation.

Forums and Other Communities: Post thoughtfully in other forums or Reddit communities where your target audience may hang out. Do NOT spam with your links, but add real value to conversations.

SEO Consultancy: If you have the budget, you might want to hire an SEO consultant to help improve your visibility in search engine results. Sites like Upwork or Freelancer have many professionals advertising these services.

Build Quality Backlinks: Reach out to other travel blogs or relevant websites for guest posting opportunities or link exchanges. This can be a win-win, driving traffic to both sites and improving your SEO.

Leverage YouTube: The platform is perfect for travel-related content. Creating engaging travel videos and linking back to your website in the description could provide further exposure. SEO tactics also apply to YouTube!

Public Relations: Consider reaching out to local newspapers, travel magazines, or digital publications for a feature article or interview about your site.

Harness The Power of Quora: Answer questions related to travel on Quora and subtly link back to your forum. Make sure your answers add real value and you're not just promoting your links.

Reward Participation: Develop a system to reward active participation. This could be a leaderboard, badges, or other recognitions that make users feel appreciated for their contributions. The more engaged members are, the more likely they are to share the forum with others.

Mobile App: If feasible, develop a mobile application for your forum. People are increasingly using their phones for everything, and having an app makes it easy for members to participate on-the-go.

Take Advantage of Holidays and Seasons: Tailor content and discussions around upcoming holidays or seasons. For instance, in summer months have threads about popular destinations, during holidays discuss great spots for vacation, etc.

Affiliate Marketing: Partner with businesses relevant to travel (like airlines, travel gear companies, and hotel chains) for affiliate marketing opportunities. This could provide a source of revenue and be attractive for members.

Improve User Experience (UX): Make sure your forum is user-friendly and intuitive. Ease of navigation makes a huge difference in how people perceive and use your website. A good UX design could result in longer site visits and increased engagement.

Localize: If your forum is drawing users from different regions, consider offering translated versions or regional sub-forums. This makes users from different countries feel welcomed and valued.

Work with Influencers: Partner with travel bloggers or influencers who already have a significant online following. They can share posts about your forum or even become active members of your community themselves.

Offline Promotion: While it's essential to focus on online strategies, don't forget offline promotional channels – travel expos, workshops, community activities etc. These places offer potential to garner interest in your forum.

Push Notifications: If you have an app or enabling desktop notifications, use them sparingly to keep users informed about the latest hot topics or other updates on your forum.

Invest in Content: Be it blogs, articles, videos, photos – having quality content on your forum that is both informative and interesting will keep members engaged and coming back for more.

Add a Blog: Adding a blog to your travel forum that publishes regularly interesting articles about travel destinations, updates, how-tos, etc. can significantly enhance your visibility in search engines thus attracting more users.

Remember, the key is to consistently provide value and engage your community. You want your members to feel invested in the forum's growth and success. It's a gradual process, so don't be discouraged if numbers don't skyrocket immediately. Keep refining your strategies based on what works best for you.