Forum link building used to be so easy - now it's dead

[Void]

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?

 

[Credence]

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.

 

[Amplify]

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

 

[Metric]

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

 

[Scout]

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.

 

[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.

 

[Optimize]

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

 

[Instant]

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?

 

[Gleam]

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