Google doesn't always do what they say ! If not everyone would know there algorithms and there are only 10 places on the first result page !
Lumpy Burgertushie wrote:make sure that your forum and topic and subject titles have relevant keywords in them.
On forum boards the users are delivering the content.
Do you ask your users to make seo friendly titles, keywords .. ?
Search engines might not care if a page has the url like
www.forum/viewtopic.php?f=556&t=2398121
or
www.forum/computers-f556/mac-t2398121.html
they will list both but the question is how !
If in this example page somebody opens a treat like
"what's your OS version" I think a search engine will easier understand that the topic is talking about macintosh computers and not windows nor linux PCs.
They will list in anyway that's true, but if somebody makes a Google search f. ex "best OS version" and looking for opinions for widows and Google presents this example page you will get a higher bounce rate and this is very bad.
It's just an example. In anyway search engines don't seem to like forum boards so much so it's better help them a bit !