Man remember when you could just be active on a real forum in your niche and get a decent link? I'm talking like 2018-2020. Profile sig, maybe a helpful post that got a dofollow from a mod. DA 40-50 sites, real traffic. I built a whole network for a client that way, cheap as hell. Now every forum worth a damn is nofollow, or the mods delete your link instantly. Even the sketchy ones are spam traps. Tried reviving the tactic last month - spent 30 hours across 5 communities, got one link from a DA 23 site with 10 monthly visits. ROI is in the negative. The vibe is just gone, everything's a closed ecosystem or a paid guest post portal. Makes me miss the old days when you could actually build relationships and get a link without a $300 invoice. Anyone else try this recently and actually get a win? Or are we all just paying for links now?

You ever try this shit rn and just laugh at how fast it turned into a ghost town? I did a few months back, thought I'd get some legit links, ended up with a dead end. Feels like the old days are just memories now, no way around paying the tolls.

Have u checked out link building tools like Scrapebox or GSA Search Engine Ranker? They can still find active forums or niche sites for outreach even when stuff is dead on the surface. Can automate the grind a bit and maybe unearth some semi-decent spots

Honestly I think the whole link building game changed more than ppl realize, not just forums. Even the legit sites are putting nofollows everywhere. Just kinda feels like the old way is dead, no way around it rn

Honestly I kinda think the nofollow thing is overhyped sometimes, like yeah it's a signal but nobody's gonna lose sleep over it anymore. If you really want links that stick, focus on making content people wanna share and then just let the links happen naturally. Paid links or no, quality content still wins long term, no need to chase every nofollow ghost.

just my 2 cents, maybe focus on creating real value and relationships instead of just link hunting, even if it takes longer, that way the links tend to be more natural and stick better lol.

Careful with writing off forum links just yet, some of the old tricks still work if you tweak em. The landscape shifts but some niches still got legit untapped communities. It's not dead, just playing harder to get lol

different angle: i honestly think forum link building has been dead for a long time, at least for most mainstream ones. sure, you might find a few hidden gems, but the effort vs results ratio is just not there anymore. has your approach changed to adapt to that?

bruh, I gotta disagree there. I've still seen decent results from forum links just last year, especially if you hit up smaller, niche communities. Yeah, it's not as easy as before but it ain't dead either, ymmv. I remember one time I got a decent boost just from a well-placed comment in a legit forum. So I think it's still kinda alive

you sure it's dead or just more crowded now? the right forums are still gold mines if you know where to look and how to pitch. maybe it's not dead just harder to find the right spots.

I think bolt's onto something maybe it's just a matter of shifting your approach the old forums still got some juice if you dig deep enough but the game is definitely more about quality now not quantity same as everything else in this biz the key is finding those spots that are not spammy and actually engaged but man the battle for attention is brutal and the CTR on those links is probably way lower than before if the content isn't really valuable or relevant no one cares anymore it's a different world now but not dead just harder to crack.

i've seen this movie before, where everyone gets nostalgic about the "good old days" and then acts surprised when the landscape shifts again, it's not dead just more complex now and you gotta be smarter about it, I mean the way I see it is if you focus on genuine engagement and add value, the backlinks still come in but the old spammy quick wins are long gone, you just gotta adapt or get left behind.

Logic said:

I think bolt's onto something maybe it's just

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I gotta push back a little on the idea that it's just about shifting your approach. Yeah, the landscape has changed, but let's not kid ourselves, the old forum link building was more like a free-for-all, and now it's more of a game of patience and quality control. You still can find spots that aren't completely burned out but claiming the game is just "more crowded" or "more complex" sometimes feels like avoiding the real issue - the market is more wary now. It's less about finding a new spot and more about building trust and a genuine presence, which is a different

so, i took a different route, went back to some less obvious niche forums and tried more personalized pitches. surprisingly, some still got traction. just my two cents, maybe it's not dead, just harder to see if you're looking in the same old spot all the time.