The Truth About Building Forum Backlinks in 2025

Forum backlinks? Most people still think they’re spammy, worthless, and straight-up outdated.

That’s dead wrong.

The game has changed.

Google’s latest updates have propelled high-quality, moderated UGC (user-generated content) communities into SEO goldmines.

Forums are no longer buried. They’re ranking everywhere. And for brands that know how to play the game right, they’re a direct line to authority, rankings, and trust.

Yet, most businesses are stuck in the past.

They think forum links are some cheap, throwaway tactic.

They slap links into low-effort threads, get ignored, and wonder why it’s not working.

Here’s the truth about what’s happening now:

• UGC is a confirmed ranking factor. Google watches communities closely. If people are talking about your brand, it matters.

• “Nofollow” isn’t what you think. Since 2020, Google has treated “no follow” links as “hints” instead of rules, passing link equity when it sees fit.

• Forum visibility has exploded. Hundreds of forums are ranking higher than ever, collectively pulling in billions of eyeballs monthly.

At Growth Partners Media, we’ve spent four years perfecting our authority forum backlink service. A service that lands links and brand mentions on the top UGC sites in the world. So you could say we’ve learned a thing or two about building forum backlinks.

This guide will show you exactly:

✅ Why forum backlinks are more powerful than ever (and the data to prove it).

✅ How Google evaluates and ranks UGC content.

✅ The system we use to build high-impact, organic forum links for brands.

Let’s get to work.

TL;DR: The Forum Link Building Landscape in 2025

Most people still think forum backlinks are dead.

They’re wrong.

Forums have quietly become SEO powerhouses—and Google’s latest updates prove it.

High-quality, well-moderated communities aren’t just ranking better; they’re influencing how search engines and AI understand brands.

Done right, forum backlinks are no longer just links. They’re brand signals, trust builders, and organic traffic drivers. 

But only if you know how to find forums for link building strategically.

Here’s what’s changed—and why this matters:

Factor	What’s Changed?	Impact on Forum Backlinks
📈 Google Favors High-Authority UGC	Forums & communities now rank higher in search results.	Forum backlinks boost SEO & increase brand visibility.
🔗 Nofollow Links Are Treated as Hints	Google selectively passes ranking weight through nofollow links.	Even nofollow forum backlinks can impact rankings.
🤖 AI & LLMs Use Forums for Brand Recognition	Search engines & LLMs track brand mentions in discussions.	Unlinked & linked brand mentions can improve AI overview and LLM visibility.
🏆 Strict Moderation Creates High-Quality Opportunities	Spammy forum backlinks are ineffective.	Only real engagement and trusted accounts generate valuable links.
✅ Forum Visibility Has Skyrocketed	Forums are ranking for more commercial queries	More businesses must actively participate to stay ahead.

Forum backlinks are far from dead—they’re just much harder to do right.

Google rewards authentic discussions, not lazy link drops.

The brands winning? They’re embedding themselves in real conversations, earning trust, visibility, and rankings.

Let’s dive into the details.

Why Forum Backlinks Were Once Considered Spam

Forum backlinks got a bad reputation for a good reason.

For years, they were a playground for lazy SEOs who cared more about quantity than quality—and Google crushed them for it.

This is what forum link-building used to look like:

🚫 Mass-posting links on low-quality, abandoned forums.
🚫 Fake accounts with zero credibility, created just to drop links.
🚫 Context-free spam—dropping URLs with no real contribution.
🚫 Automated tools blasting links across hundreds of forums overnight.

Here’s an example.

Is relevancy in the room?

The result? Forums tightened moderation.

Google ignored (or worse, penalized) these links. Forum spam stopped working.

But today? The game has changed.

Forum backlinks aren’t dead—they just evolved.

✅ UGC is a confirmed Google ranking factor. Search engines analyze real conversations to gauge authority and trust.
✅ LLMs track brand mentions. AI models pull insights from discussions, influencing search visibility.
✅ Nofollow isn’t a hard rule anymore. Since 2020, Google has selectively passed ranking weight through nofollow links.
✅ High-authority forums are ranking like never before. Platforms like Reddit, Quora, and niche communities now dominate SERPs.

Forum link building isn’t about spamming links—it’s about strategic brand positioning. The brands winning today are embedding themselves in high-quality discussions, earning real trust, visibility, and results.

Why High-Authority Forums & Communities Are More Valuable Than Ever

User-generated content (UGC) has exploded in popularity, and search engines like Google are paying attention.

We’ve seen massive growth in forum and community websites, driven by Google’s algorithm updates. These platforms are no longer buried in search results—they’re often front and center in the search engine results pages.

Take a look, the numbers speak for themselves:

Community	Monthly Visitors (April 2023)	Monthly Visitors (November 2024)	Growth
Reddit	75M	723M	+864%
Quora	57M	144M	+153%
Spiceworks	160K	2.4M	+1400%
What to Expect	80K	1.5M	+1775%
Money Saving Expert	170K	789K	+364%
Fodor’s Travel Community	113K	661K	+485%
Bogleheads	38K	621K	+1534%
Shopify Community	123K	545K	+343%
Squarespace Community	3.8K	52K	+1268%

And this is only the beginning.

There are hundreds more forums experiencing similar growth, yet most businesses have no idea this opportunity exists.

What does this mean for forum link building?

With forums dominating search, the opportunity for strategic manual link-building has never been bigger:

✅ Huge referral traffic potential – These forums drive millions of targeted visitors. If you’re in the right conversations, your brand gets in front of real buyers.

✅ Brand mentions & link authority – Trusted accounts placing natural links in high-value discussions carry weight. These aren’t spammy backlinks—Google recognizes them as part of legitimate conversations.

✅ Optimized for AI & LLM visibility – Google and AI-driven search engines track brand mentions in UGC just like traditional media coverage. Forums aren’t just backlinks anymore—they’re brand signals.

✅ Nofollow links still move the needle – Google now treats nofollow links as hints, not hard rules. When placed in authoritative, high-quality discussions, even nofollow links impact rankings.

85% of people say UGC is more influential than branded content. People trust peer recommendations over corporate messaging, and Google has structured its ranking systems to reflect this reality.

The challenge with all this, though?

Pulling it off correctly.

🔹 Building aged, trusted accounts.
🔹 Finding the right discussions where your brand fits naturally.
🔹 Contributing real value, not just dropping links. And doing this consistently.

That’s exactly why we built our community backlink service—a system that took 18 months to perfect and is designed to secure high-quality, natural forum backlinks at scale.

Real examples of our UGC backlinks with client links

Let’s start with a heavyweight example:

Reddit.

Love it or hate it, it’s a platform that moves culture — and it’s one of the most powerful UGC ecosystems on the planet.

As of writing this article, Reddit pulls in around 883 million monthly visitors:

That’s 773M MORE compared to the same time 2 years ago. The metrics are so wild that it actually broke the Ahrefs metrics graph visualization, which you can see in the screenshot.

It’s worth noting that this is purely organic traffic coming from Google and doesn’t count people directly browsing to Reddit.com, which would put the number in the BILLIONS.

Reddit is quite literally the front page of the internet.  

With our forum backlink service, we’ve built aged Reddit accounts with rich posting histories, active karma, and deep participation across relevant subreddits.

These aren’t fly-by-night burner accounts.

They’re trusted voices within their communities, because successful marketing on Reddit starts with credibility.

Here’s what that looks like in action:

We placed a link for a social media SaaS inside a high-ranking Reddit thread tailored to marketing agencies.

The response is natural. Conversational. And the backlink embedded within a thoughtful comment that actually answered someone’s question

We didn’t use an obvious keyword-stuffed anchor.

We dropped a generic anchor that blended right in—because, on Reddit, subtlety matters. The target keyword was still worked into the body of the comment for SEO context, and the whole thing read like a fellow user giving genuinely good advice (which it was).

The result?

📈 The comment ranked in Google.
📥 The link drove targeted referral traffic.
✅ The post stuck—no downvotes, no deletions, no red flags.

This is how forum link-building works today.

But it’s not just Reddit.

Here’s another recent example:

📌 Community: Niche industry forum (name withheld for client privacy)
🌐 Domain Rating: 59
📊 Monthly Visitors: 399,000
🇺🇸 Traffic Share: 96.1% USA
🔍 Visibility: Forum threads actively ranking on page one for commercial queries

We dropped a link into a thread that’s been pulling traffic for months. We wrote the comment using one of our aged accounts with years of history and hundreds of genuine contributions to this community.

It’s not just a link. It’s a detailed answer that truly adds value.

This brings us to one of the key differences when it comes to doing UGC backlinks right today:

You’re not just dropping links—you’re meaningfully contributing to conversations people actually care about. And when you do that consistently, people trust your inputs (and your backlinked recommendations).

Think about it:

If your brand’s really gaining traction, shouldn’t people be talking about it on Reddit? In private industry forums? Inside Slack groups and Quora threads?

Google is looking at your brand’s share of voice on these platforms to help understand your position in your market and assign authority signals accordingly.

Want to roll up your sleeves and try it yourself? Start building trust on Reddit, Quora, and niche communities.

Want to skip the 18-month warm-up curve and tap into trusted, active accounts that already have credibility baked in?

Check out our forum backlinks service.

The Future of Forum Backlinks: Where the Biggest Opportunities Lie

Forum link building is no longer a hidden gem — it’s becoming a serious competitive advantage.

As more businesses wake up to the SEO and brand visibility benefits, communities are getting crowded.

But here’s the thing:

Most brands are still doing it wrong, treating it like a quick hack instead of a long-term strategy.

That’s why the real winners are the ones playing the long game.

Why forum link building is becoming a competitive advantage

The barriers to entry are getting higher, and that’s a good thing if you’re willing to put in the work:

• More competition = higher standards – Brands are flooding forums, but only those with genuine contributions survive. Low-effort spam doesn’t survive.
• Tighter moderation is filtering out the noise – The most high-authority communities are cracking down on low-value posts, making it harder for new accounts to gain traction.
• Long-term engagement = compounding returns – Companies investing in real conversations and establishing credibility over time are seeing huge growth in authority, brand recognition, and referral traffic.

The message is clear:

Forum backlinks (on the right sites) aren’t easy to get, but that’s exactly why they’re so valuable.

Where the biggest opportunities are?

💡 Private industry forums are gaining trust – Closed communities and invite-only forums are becoming some of the most influential spaces for industry discussions.

💡 Niche community platforms are rising – Slack, Discord, and LinkedIn Groups are evolving into authority hubs where industry experts share insights and recommendations.

💡 Reddit & Quora are becoming research tools – Users now trust these platforms for product recommendations and deep-dive research. A well-placed answer in a high-ranking Quora or Reddit thread can drive leads for years.

💡 Brand mentions in discussion-heavy platforms influence buyers – More than ever, purchasing decisions are being shaped in forums, with potential customers relying on UGC for honest feedback before buying.

How can businesses stay ahead?

✅ Engage first, link later – Trust is the currency in forums. Focus on adding value to the conversation before thinking about where to place a link.

✅ Show up where your audience is – Find high-authority discussions in your niche and become a consistent voice in those spaces.

✅ Keep up with Google’s evolving treatment of UGC – Nofollow links aren’t dead, they’re hints. Google is treating high-quality UGC the same way as long-form blog content. If a discussion is valuable, it’s SEO-worthy.

Forum backlinks today aren’t just about SEO. They’re about brand positioning, audience trust, and long-term visibility. The brands that invest in strategic, high-value engagement now will have an undeniable edge over their competitors.

For a detailed step-by-step guide on executing forum link building effectively, check out our dedicated guide on how to create forum backlinks.

Why Most Businesses Struggle to Do Forum Link Building Themselves

Forum link building works—but only when done right. And doing it right?

That’s the hard part!

Many assume they can just jump into a few Reddit threads, drop some links, and watch the rankings climb. In reality, forum link building is one of the hardest SEO strategies to execute properly.

Here’s the truth of DIY forum link-building:

🚨 Takes months to build credible accounts – High-authority forums don’t trust new users. If you’re not an established member, your posts often get ignored—or worse, you get straight-up banned.

🚨 Requires constant monitoring for the right discussion opportunities – You need to be where the conversation is happening at the right time. Miss the window, and your opportunity is gone.

🚨 Placing links without getting flagged is an art form – One wrong move? Your account is shadowbanned or banned outright. The best forum links are so natural that they don’t look like links at all.

🚨 Scaling while maintaining authenticity is insanely hard – Dropping links in one or two threads is one thing. But scaling across dozens of forums without looking like a spammer and maintaining your sanity? That’s a whole different level.

The result? Most businesses either give up or don’t bother.

You need systems to manage this properly. You need to track which comments you placed with which accounts. The warm-up comments you placed. When you placed them. The backstory for each avatar and so on.

You can probably see now the level of work required to get brand mentions at scale on these platforms.

And it gets worse.

Blow it with spammy forum posts, and you don’t just risk a ban—you risk landing on the StopForumSpam blacklist.

This global database flags users, emails, and IPs tied to forum spam. One report from a single moderator? You’re potentially toast across thousands of forums that use their system.

Final Takeaways: Forum Link Building in 2025 & Beyond

Forum backlinks aren’t just alive—they’re dominating the SERPs.

Here’s what you need to know about them:

✅ Google loves community discussions & brand mentions – If your brand isn’t being talked about in high-authority forums, you’re missing out where it matters.

✅ Trust is everything – Drop a link in the wrong way, and it’s deleted. Earn trust, and your backlinks become SEO fuel.

✅ Nofollow links still move the needle – Google treats them as ranking hints, not ignore rules. When placed in the right discussions, they can carry serious weight.

✅ Done right, forum links can drive SEO growth – The brands winning aren’t link-droppers. They’re conversation contributors—adding value and genuinely helping people solve problems.

Forum link building isn’t for amateurs. It’s high effort ↔️ high reward and tough to scale without the right approach.

That’s why we created our forum backlinks service, a battle-tested system for placing real, trusted, high-impact links in the web’s most influential communities.

The businesses that get this right will have an undeniable edge over their competition.

Free resource: The Forum Backlink explainer PDF

Want to see exactly how our UGC Backlink Service helps brands dominate forum link building and rank in LLMs like ChatGPT?

We’ve just updated our UGC Explainer PDF—and it’s packed with new insights.

✅ LLM & AI Visibility Strategies – How Google, ChatGPT, and other AI models track brand mentions in forums—and how to leverage this for rankings.

✅ Proven Forum Link Building Process – Step-by-step breakdown of how we place high-impact links that get engagement, not deleted.

✅ The No-BS Truth About Forum SEO – Why most businesses fail at forum link building—and how to get it right.

This PDF is the definitive guide to building high-value forum backlinks at scale—and we’re making it available for free.

📩 Grab your copy now and start leveraging forum SEO the right way.