New Members Stay Away (Google Doesn't Index Enough)

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Lownoise
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New Members Stay Away (Google Doesn't Index Enough)

Post by Lownoise »

Hi folks,

I have a question. I started my phpBB forum almost a week ago, and i notice almost no activity from guests. So my question is, how can I retrieve more guests to my forum? I have the feeling that my forum isn't indexed correctly on Google and other search engines, although I sometimes see the Google or Bing Bot online.

Is there any opportunity to add metalinks or something to my forum so that I get more people to my site?
I've added several words to my "home" links already but this doesn't help much i guess. :|

Can someone maybe help me with this? Or give me tips so that I get more traffic on my forum and new members. It's hard to recruit new members this way. :roll:

I've created a dance music forum so don't tell me people are not interested in this category forum, I sure know they are. I have allot of competition in this category (other forums with the same kind of content) but the world is big enough to get me some new members, right?! :twisted:
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Re: New Members Stay Away (Google Doesn't Index Enough)

Post by mrgoldy »

This has been discussed quite a few times, I suggest searching on here for a bit, or google for that matter.
If you want a good read, 30 pages of discussion on this subject: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=362219
Most common answer: content; quality content and sufficient content.
And perhaps stating the obvious here, but you can not build an online community within a week..
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Re: New Members Stay Away (Google Doesn't Index Enough)

Post by KevC »

A week is nothing.
You can see the last time the bots visited in the admin panel > system tab > spiders/robots
Lownoise wrote: Mon Feb 12, 2018 8:03 pm Can someone maybe help me with this? Or give me tips so that I get more traffic on my forum and new members. It's hard to recruit new members this way. :roll:
Content. Get posting. Get your mates posting. Have things to chat about. Search bots like new content as often as possible. How many posts have you made in a week? People won't join if there are no discussions going on for them to join in with.
Lownoise wrote: Mon Feb 12, 2018 8:03 pm I have allot of competition in this category (other forums with the same kind of content) but the world is big enough to get me some new members, right?!
That's the really hard bit though. If you do a search for 'dance music forum' if there's a site with several hundred thousand posts and members you'll never hope to outrank them. It's really hard to go up against established sites because they'll beat you every time. All you can do is try and make something a bit different that you hope will get people in. It can easily take 6-12 months to get a site going. There is no magic formula that will rocket you up the ranking lists but content will help massively.

Also, by way of example at how important it is to advertise where you can, this is one of the most indexed sites around and you haven't even got the link in your sig on here. It's allowed and is free advertising. It all helps. If you post on other sites on a similar subject use the sig on there too.
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Re: New Members Stay Away (Google Doesn't Index Enough)

Post by Lownoise »

Thanks for your replies guys. I suggest it takes time and time.. I'll do my best to recruit around and promote where I can.
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Re: New Members Stay Away (Google Doesn't Index Enough)

Post by sakm »

A week!

Give it chance ;-)

Remember good quality content relevant to your forum helps

Also when you do get members keep them interested ;)
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Re: New Members Stay Away (Google Doesn't Index Enough)

Post by Lownoise »

Thx Sakm! Will do my best.. It's a trance music forum btw.. so if anyone is interested in trance music? :lol:
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Re: New Members Stay Away (Google Doesn't Index Enough)

Post by Mick »

I’m interested, PM me.
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Re: New Members Stay Away (Google Doesn't Index Enough)

Post by Lownoise »

Sure, thx! :roll:
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Re: New Members Stay Away (Google Doesn't Index Enough)

Post by thecoalman »

Getting indexed is not overnight epsecially for moving up in the site rankings. Even with some decent referrals from search engines getting a forum going is pretty difficult, it was full year before mine took off and that was back in 2003 when you were not competing with social media. Good SEO practices related to phpBB and others not related to phpBB can help but that is no magic bullet.

What does you site have about "trance music" others do not to attract visitors and to get people to register? You are just a small fish in giant pond, you need something to attract people to your site.
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Re: New Members Stay Away (Google Doesn't Index Enough)

Post by Lownoise »

thecoalman wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 12:31 am Getting indexed is not overnight epsecially for moving up in the site rankings. Even with some decent referrals from search engines getting a forum going is pretty difficult, it was full year before mine took off and that was back in 2003 when you were not competing with social media. Good SEO practices related to phpBB and others not related to phpBB can help but that is no magic bullet.

What does you site have about "trance music" others do not to attract visitors and to get people to register? You are just a small fish in giant pond, you need something to attract people to your site.
Yes I'm sure social media kills allot of forums nowadays, I mean check out all those pages, it's like a forum build in Facebook and Instagram already lol. I just started it because of my love for trance music and see it more as a hobby. I've been on boards allot in the past, I've always loved it. Had several in the past myself but that was for FXP stuff hehe, prob. more than 10 years ago.. The software I used was Invision and VBulletin and where coded and scripted by some whizzkid friends :twisted: I though just to give it a chance again. It's not my intention to create a mega board with thousands of members, if it'll get a smaller "team" or "family" I'm happy. My intention is to bring people together with the same love and passion I have for this genre of music.
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Re: New Members Stay Away (Google Doesn't Index Enough)

Post by KevC »

Just having a cursory look I can see a couple of problems. This is all constructive criticism by the way, not slagging off what you've done or are trying to do.

Too many forums. You have several with no posts in them. If your 9 members (who have only made an average of 2-3 posts a piece) can't think of anything to write in them yet, you don't need them. For instance you have 8 forums on separate record labels and half of those have nothing in them. Just have one called record labels and if you get 25% of the posts about Armada Music then there would be a case to make a forum for that. Same with the party forums. Just have one to start with. Keep it tight.

Randomly near the top you have a forum on games! Why? Get rid of it. It's got higher billing than more than half the forums on the index. The top 2 forums on the site have no posts at all.

And you have 2 forums with the same name. I know they're in different categories but they should be distinguished a bit better.

Draw up a list of things you think people might chat about and get your friends to get posting and start the discussions going with comments, replies and counter points. You need to get posting for the site to look busy, for people to think there are things to talk about and for the members to start coming in. If you're struggling to think of things to post then new people will as well. You need to get the format right to encourage posting. Think also about what you post replies to on other similar forums and look at the kinds of topics that are popular on those sites.

Starting a new board off is by far the hardest thing to do. If after a year it's pretty stagnant then it wasn't meant to be but you have to work hard to create the content to get the discussions going.
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Re: New Members Stay Away (Google Doesn't Index Enough)

Post by Lownoise »

KevC wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:05 am Just having a cursory look I can see a couple of problems. This is all constructive criticism by the way, not slagging off what you've done or are trying to do.

Too many forums. You have several with no posts in them. If your 9 members (who have only made an average of 2-3 posts a piece) can't think of anything to write in them yet, you don't need them. For instance you have 8 forums on separate record labels and half of those have nothing in them. Just have one called record labels and if you get 25% of the posts about Armada Music then there would be a case to make a forum for that. Same with the party forums. Just have one to start with. Keep it tight.

Randomly near the top you have a forum on games! Why? Get rid of it. It's got higher billing than more than half the forums on the index. The top 2 forums on the site have no posts at all.

And you have 2 forums with the same name. I know they're in different categories but they should be distinguished a bit better.

Draw up a list of things you think people might chat about and get your friends to get posting and start the discussions going with comments, replies and counter points. You need to get posting for the site to look busy, for people to think there are things to talk about and for the members to start coming in. If you're struggling to think of things to post then new people will as well. You need to get the format right to encourage posting. Think also about what you post replies to on other similar forums and look at the kinds of topics that are popular on those sites.

Starting a new board off is by far the hardest thing to do. If after a year it's pretty stagnant then it wasn't meant to be but you have to work hard to create the content to get the discussions going.
Hi KevC,

Thanks, this was my intention of typing my forum address into my signature for you guys to check it out and give me feedback. This is information I can work with. It might be a good idea to collapse all record labels into 1 forum yes. It will look more cleaner this way. The thing is that the idea of the forums vanishes a bit.. because when someone posts something about a new track that has been released on one of those labels they can just post it into music discussion or whatever, don't you think?

The two forums with the same name are one for modern trance and one for classic trance. Should I combine them or rename the one for classic trance? What do you think?
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Re: New Members Stay Away (Google Doesn't Index Enough)

Post by KevC »

Lownoise wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:28 am The thing is that the idea of the forums vanishes a bit.. because when someone posts something about a new track that has been released on one of those labels they can just post it into music discussion or whatever, don't you think?
I don't know enough about that kind of music to know how important the label is I guess. If the label is more important then leave it how it is or maybe have the main 2 or 3 labels and compress the others in to one forum.
Lownoise wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:28 am The two forums with the same name are one for modern trance and one for classic trance. Should I combine them or rename the one for classic trance? What do you think?
My point is that you don't know which is which unless you take time to read the category and forum description. It should be more obvious. As you say maybe rename them modern and classic if that makes sense.
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Re: New Members Stay Away (Google Doesn't Index Enough)

Post by Lownoise »

KevC wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:35 am
Lownoise wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:28 am The thing is that the idea of the forums vanishes a bit.. because when someone posts something about a new track that has been released on one of those labels they can just post it into music discussion or whatever, don't you think?
I don't know enough about that kind of music to know how important the label is I guess. If the label is more important then leave it how it is or maybe have the main 2 or 3 labels and compress the others in to one forum.
Lownoise wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:28 am The two forums with the same name are one for modern trance and one for classic trance. Should I combine them or rename the one for classic trance? What do you think?
My point is that you don't know which is which unless you take time to read the category and forum description. It should be more obvious. As you say maybe rename them modern and classic if that makes sense.
Hmmz yeah maybe you are right tho, let me think and brainstorm about it. I'm seartanly going to change some things.. ;)
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Re: New Members Stay Away (Google Doesn't Index Enough)

Post by Lownoise »

Lownoise wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:38 am
KevC wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:35 am
Lownoise wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:28 am The thing is that the idea of the forums vanishes a bit.. because when someone posts something about a new track that has been released on one of those labels they can just post it into music discussion or whatever, don't you think?
I don't know enough about that kind of music to know how important the label is I guess. If the label is more important then leave it how it is or maybe have the main 2 or 3 labels and compress the others in to one forum.
Lownoise wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:28 am The two forums with the same name are one for modern trance and one for classic trance. Should I combine them or rename the one for classic trance? What do you think?
My point is that you don't know which is which unless you take time to read the category and forum description. It should be more obvious. As you say maybe rename them modern and classic if that makes sense.
Hmmz yeah maybe you are right tho, let me think and brainstorm about it. I'm seartanly going to change some things.. ;)
So what do you think. Better structured now? I changed a few things! :roll:
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