Successful Forums | Search Engine Forum Optimization (SEO)

Here are a few steps to take in order to successfully create a forum.

Decide on a topic.
You probably already have an idea of what you want to discuss or you wouldn't be asking how to start a forum. Broader topics that have sub-topics are usually the best choices to use when starting a discussion forum. A broader topic will appeal to more people and will create better discussion.
Find a forum that fits your needs.
There are several free forum sites on the internet if you are looking for the most cost effective solution to starting a forum. Sites like Yuku, ProBoards, and SuddenLaunch are all popular sites that offer both free and paid hosting for discussion forums. Before deciding on a forum, figure out your needs including storage space, extra features like private messaging, and how many visitors you are expecting. There is also several types of message board software available like vBulletin, phpBB, IPB Pro for purchase if you already have a website and hosting package.
Organize your forum.
After you have signed up for a forum, you need to decide how you want to organize the message boards. This is why broader topics come in handy. You will be able to set up an individual board for each sub-topic, a help board, and even an off-topic board if you wish. Organization of topics will be more appealing and less confusing for visitors.

What's the right way to organize forums and messages?
An active forum is great, but its many users and diverse interests often drive the discussion off topic. A child forum structure helps to keep messages focused and properly categorized. The hierarchy is displayed at the parent level for easy drill down. Users who want to ignore off-topic discussions can drill down to the relevant child; and the users who don't mind reading all the messages can still do it at the parent forum level.

Create a child forum only when it is truly needed
Creating child forums is a powerful way to add a structure to your discussion, but you should be careful to avoid overdoing it. For example, if you are in a new forum with few messages and users, why bother creating a fancy structure? No matter how well structured, a forum without users is still a dead forum. What's more, a structure that goes too wide or too deep could get people confused as to where to visit or post, thus making it difficult for them to join the discussion. We recommend that you create child forums only when it is truly needed.

Force users to select a child forum to post
After you have created child forums, you may find users ignore it when they post, and most of the messages continue to get posted at the parent level. In such cases, don't just blame the users. Take a good look at your design and ask, do they make sense? Are they clear and easy to follow? Is the hierarchy too wide or too deep? If you feel certain that the structure is sound, and that you and a few other forum members support it, then you should make the parent forum read-only. This means that a user cannot post a new message in the parent forum. They will be prompted to drill down to a child forum to post there.

Keep the hierarchy efficient
You can build an elaborate structure by using a combination of parent and child categories and forums, but don't overdo it. The goal of a hierarchy is to help users navigate. Does yours help people get to the right forum quickly? For example, if a category has only one child forum under it, then it is a waste, because it just means a useless extra click for navigation.
Figure out your FAQs
New forum members always have the same typical technical questions and concerns. Anticipate what these questions will be and put together an FAQ for the members. It will reduce your workload over time and put the visitors at ease. Rules for your forum should also be posted here with consequences and you should stick to those consequences if the need arises.
Advertise your forum.
Now that your forum is set up, you need someone to talk to. Tell friends and family about your site and ask them to pass along the information to others they know who might be interested. Get the tips on how to best build, grow and develop your Forum community from this website. Also be sure to get your site SEO optimized and get listed on search engines and/or try to get a link from websites connected to your topic (just get a link from our the YourSiteForums directory here). Word of mouth is generally the best route of advertising, so make sure you get the word out to people in a position to help you increase your numbers.
Choose moderators and administrators you can trust.
Having a support group to help you run the forum once it takes off is necessary for its survival. You won't be able to do everything yourself, so make sure you have a team who can take care of things when you aren't available. Be sure to read on how to be a successful moderator here.

You are now on your way to succeeding in the world of discussion forums!