Papers & Articles

01/02/2007 | Search And Online Communities

What Is An Online Community?

An online community is a term that can be used for a variety of social groups interacting via the Internet.

Some examples are:

Wikis	Websites that allows the visitors themselves to easily add, remove, and otherwise edit and change available content.
Blogs	User generated websites in a journal style.
Chat rooms	Online meeting places for exchanging information, indulging in social gossip or playing games.
Internet Forums	Interactive websites where like-minded people can discuss topics of mutual interest.
Email lists	Electronic mailing lists of subscribers or members of an organisation who need to be contacted simultaneously.

How Can Online Communities Impact On Search Engine Optimisation?

It is a general rule that relevant links into your website will enhance your Page Rank thus moving you up the Search Engine Rankings. It is possible to link from Internet Forums, Blogs and Wikis to your website. However, you have to consider how open the sites you are wishing to link from are to abuse, which could result in your site being blacklisted.

You will also find that different sites have different rules about linking. For example, Internet Forums may insist on you subscribing, which may incur a fee. There may also be a minimum number of postings required before you can provide a link to your site.

Also, some sites may not allow links from commercial sites. For an interesting discussion on whether Wikipedias allow links, click here

Adding a blog to your website has a significant effect on your site optimisation due to the new content which will attract the search engine spiders.

Posting on other blogs can provide a link to your own site but be careful who you link to. Make sure the site is of high quality and relevant to your site or you could be in danger of blacklisting.

In conclusion, online communities can provide new opportunities in optimising your site but you have to exercise the same level of discernment as you would with conventional link building.

back to main news