Are forum signatures a waste?

It's a nice bonus for being a member.

Very important if done right.

You need to integrate yourself with the forum community, give valuable advice, share your opinions, help others and post quality info.

You can bring in huge amounts of traffic with just one simple signature file.

The secret is to bring value to the community.

Take this approach and you will start making connections and people will click on your link because they see that you contribute.

DO NOT spam or bombard anybody with your offers.

Warriors are not my target audience but on photo forums I feel my signature is very valuable –*especially in places where discussing specific products, discounts and adding links is discouraged. The trick is to "advertise without advertising" by being helpful, as Devid said.

Signatures is not a waste, it helps:
The SEO factor: Ranking your profile page
List Building: Free traffic to landing page & catch the information
Authority member: long term real trust from the forum.

I've got a lot of valuable traffic on another forum for one of my sites. It helps if you're a popular poster, then people are far more likely to click on your .sig.

Signatures is not a waste, it really works

Most of what you'll see is crap. No two ways about it.

That said, I think I've found one or two links to blog worth coming back to.

I like them as a nice bonus to the forum. I've found a few things that are useful from signatures like blogs and ebooks and have found a few good solo ads thanks to signatures. They also work nicely for promoting your own stuff, because when you post valuable opinions or information, other readers like to know where to find more of your stuff.

Nothing is waste of time as long as it draw people's attention to your offer.

If I find someone interesting, I use the signature link to learn more on what they think, etc.

Its up to that person ie: you to decide how to use that interest.

So yeah, it is useful.

Signature in a populated forum can definitely help you to get targeted traffic. Don't always think about Google. They are not the only way to get traffic.

Great contributions from you guys

Definitely not a waste. If you are posting anyway, how can it be a waste of time, it only takes 30 seconds to set up a sig. But if you are only posting to get people click on your sig link, you have it all wrong...

I would also see it as a nice bonus for contributing something to a community, nothing more and nothing less.

My signature file on this forum has contributed to a 4.17% enquiry percentage to my website, which has resulted in direct sales.

I find it interesting to note that NOT ONE person that has responded to this thread has mentioned using trackable links, let alone actually USING THEM.

As with every online campaign, the only way to know it is by tracking your results (Google Analytics, Clicky etc). What it may work for me, may not for you. Tracking will help to you to analyze that (test different signatures etc).

I made 12 sales last month from the warrior forum. Only 5 sales come from my signature!
The moment you change your way of thinking you start seeing results.
Many warrior members only think about making money, money and money.


Just because you post many post, it doesn't mean you will get many subscriber or sales.
Few weeks ago i posted something simple but super effective. The results were 8 Private messages from members asking for help.

I see that many warriors generate traffic from this forum for IM niche through the signature box. And also make money!

Forum signature in terms of SEO purposes has little value. It has low value as backlinks. However, it helps in building your reputation online and promoting your overall brand to get targeted traffic to your site or offer.

I don't pay or trust any forum signature. And I think some people just give general responses in threads to promote their signature without even reading the thread.

Nope they're not a waste.... unless you preach internet marketing on this forum and your signature links to a page that sells ATV helmets.

Depends on how people use Forum Signatures , its good way to to attract traffic Bulid relation ship and Making sales,
E,g if you are posting Valuable information on forum people like to know about you , your product , your services. from Signatures are best why to get that people to you list ,

I made lot of sales and some good contacts just from my signatures.

No need. My analytics tell me where every visitor came from, plus a lot more.

If you are in front of the right audience for what you offer, absolutely. I am a member of several forums, and every one of them has paid off, especially the larger ones. Now if you are selling Heating Filaments or something and trying to do SEO work, I think signatures are a bad idea.

Sigs are very useful. I used to wonder about it myself but, you will get traffic using it the right way by giving good info like previously said.

I've never tracked my traffic from signatures so I don't know the answer to the question but I don't think a forum signature will hurt.

I click on sigs all the time to check out offers and see what fellow members are offering and sometimes I purchase things depending on the offer. I say thumbs up.

I don't see how any traffic could be a waste! I click on a lot of forum signatures here as long as they don't seem overly cheesy or spammy.

I remember getting some good traffic to my blog from my sig link! like stated above, just don't put garbage bc people are looking at YOU

it only will be a wast if you don't follow the rules am sure i was banner more then 15-20 time but now days i follow the rules

It has a lot to do with what preceded the signature. Say something interesting, and folks will want to know who you are. They'll check out your signature. Just spam, and they won't care.

Hi,
I think forum signature is also a great and helpful thing to get traffic and sales.Bu don't start spamming for just posting your signature if you do this your account will be banned.

I wouldn't rely on forum signatures for SEO as Google has become very harsh on their stance against overly optimized keyword rich forum backlinks. However, forum signature lines are great for generating traffic to a squeeze page and for building an email list. You just have to provide the most accurate and thorough information possible on your forum posts to establish trust in what you are saying. Otherwise, it's no better than forum spamming.

When your primary motive for having a signature line on a forum is to get click throughs, it will influence the quality of your posts there. You need to concentrate on being helpful first and go in with the right motive, rather than aiming for the most click throughs possible.

Definitely not a waste if used correctly: pique curiosity, targeting, contribute/ask qustions

I haven't seen 1 forum signature lol, where are they, are they in a different section of forum?

It's not the signature that drives traffic to your website. It's the value you provide.

There are people who would have stopped the post right there and hoped that would drive traffic to their site. Those are the ones that don't get forum marketing.

Sure, the signature is a key component when using fora to drive traffic to your website. I'm also sure those who use images in their signatures can get higher volumes of traffic than text only sigs.

The singature is the doorway. It's the final component in letting people find your website.

It's unlikely to be the main component in them wanting to visit your website. I'd say that bit (an important bit) is the rest of the post. The value you provide in your post. Drive by posts with signatures exist only for link building purposes. They don't really provide the poster with much direct traffic. To do that you need to provide something that entices the reader to want to know more.

A drive by post is much like a pile of donkey pooh on a meadow. People will ultimately steer clear of the pile and stick to the spots with the beautiful flowers and not so much donkey pooh. Occassionally, you'll see beautiful flowers growing from the donkey pooh, so even then I suppose it has its use. On a forum I try to avoid it.

If you know your stuff, are helpful, give good advice and people know that by clicking your link they'll likely find more good info they can be great.

I have found the odd golden link in signatures,
no matter how enticing the link though if what you find on the other end doesn't line up then it's just bounce traffic.

I'd only click an sig link if the user said something that either entertained me, or that I could use to help me.

Forum signatures are great if you are in the right forum.

I have gotten allot of exposure, connections and affiliates through forum sigs.

You need to be in a forum where your potential buyers exist, and allot of them.

So big active forums are best.

I've had a lot of traffic from my signature, and got subscribers and sales so it's definitely essential for me.

I've found a few great products from other warriors sigs too.

forum signature is really a handy tool for your offer or website. But it depends on how you can place your signature and how meaningful it is. So that people can hit on your signature link or image and get more information about your service or business. I like forum signature

Hi,

My stats have shown me in the past that they work.

So in that case I'll keep on using them.

Allow your results to show you what works not pure speculation.

Have a great weekend
Gavin