Are forum signatures still relevant for SEO?

Beverly Level X³

June 10, 2012, 8:47 pm

15

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Since Penguin update came out, many people have been saying that forum signatures are no longer relevant for SEO.

Though i can't say for sure, I've heard that forum signature lines (links) were targeted as they are replicated from one post to the next and usually from one forum to the next. So in some ways, forum signatures could be viewed as link spam.

I have read that these forum signature links are being discounted in relevance in search engine results. Though I believe there are some ways to get around this, maybe by varying up the content of the signature line from one forum to the next and not using the same anchor text in every forum signature line.

So for example if you're promoting a kitchen cabinet site (or blog) and your anchor text on Forum A is 'buy kitchen cabinets', then the forum signature on Forum B could be ' kitchen cabinets reviews'. The point is to keep things changed up, not the same for all forums.

Or, simply not attaching a forum signature in every forum post. And, most forums give you that option.

Perhaps, just attaching a forum signature on the first post only for a forum would be enough to gain a reliable and relevant backlink. Rather than attaching the signature over hundreds of posts and then having them all discounted (as in not counted) for purpose of backlinking.

What are your thoughts on signature lines for SEO? Are they still relevant for SEO? Do you still use them since Penguin update?

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Beverly

Beverly

But there is some indication (on Google webmaster blog) that anchor links that don't pertain to the material on the page they are linking from are dismissed by Penguin update as being irrelevant or spam links. They gave the example of a fitness article that had anchor links to do with pay day loans. Couldn't forum signatures be interpreted in the same way as often times, they are linking from pages not related to what the link is about? Was just thinking that getting links back from forums relating to your site's niche (or at least posting only on subforums with related content) might be one way around this.

15 years ago

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Corzhens

Corzhens

I thought that forum signatures are not really backlinks but only reference for a reader that they can click and give your site instant traffic. But now it seems that a forum signature is also considered a backlink? If I have been a long time member of a forum and I had been posting regularly then I have so many backlinks in that particular forum since my signature always appears on each of my posts. Will that not constitute excessive backlinks for my site?

8 years ago

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mqss

mqss

It depends on how developed forum is. I have signature links on local webmaster forum, homepage PR5 and many subfolders with PR3 and PR2, so I always get few PR2 backlinks on every update.

Forum signatures can't hurt your site, Google knows better.

15 years ago

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veldabowser

veldabowser

Forum posting can work really well, but it’s really time consuming although at the same time, it can give you some great insight into your market.

15 years ago

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Beverly

Beverly

It depends on how developed forum is. I have signature links on local webmaster forum, homepage PR5 and many subfolders with PR3 and PR2, so I always get few PR2 backlinks on every update.

Forum signatures can't hurt your site, Google knows better.

Do you vary up the anchor text on signature links or keep it the same from one forum to the next?

15 years ago

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mqss

mqss

Do you vary up the anchor text on signature links or keep it the same from one forum to the next?

Different from forum to forum, although I'm very sure Google knows what forum signature links are and that their primary mission isn't developing site's SEO, but direct marketing to other forum members.

15 years ago

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robertman11

robertman11

I use forum signatures all the time. I love them. They work well for ranking and clicks.

14 years ago

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Beverly

Beverly

I use forum signatures all the time. I love them. They work well for ranking and clicks.

And signature lines still work for you, even since the Penguin update when most spam backlinks were discounted? You didn't lose all your backlinks from forum signatures?

14 years ago

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robertman11

robertman11

Yea. Make sure you post quality topics about what your signature links are about and the link juice is still great.

14 years ago

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Tommy Matalino

Tommy Matalino

I have read that even though forum signatures still work, its importance gets lessen after the recent Panda and Penguin update. Is that true?

14 years ago

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Beverly

Beverly

I have read that even though forum signatures still work, its importance gets lessen after the recent Panda and Penguin update. Is that true?

Maybe it depends on whether or not you are linking from a related forum back to your site in the signature line.

14 years ago

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Tommy Matalino

Tommy Matalino

Maybe it depends on whether or not you are linking from a related forum back to your site in the signature line.

What do you mean?

14 years ago

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vinaya

vinaya

As long as the forum has a good page rank, forum signature can add value to your site. When you get backlinks from a good PR forum, your domain authority and page rank will improve. You also get a good traffic. However, if you link in low-quality forums, it might hurt your site.

9 years ago

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Corzhens

Corzhens

For me, the main advantage from a forum signature is that your link is exposed to the members in the community. That exposure can somehow give you traffic especially when the community is huge and the activity in the forum is dynamic. Posting a topic there or even commenting on a topic will give you the opportunity to be read and thereby have the opportunity for your signature to be seen.

8 years ago

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