Blogs are great, but interactive communities such as Reddit and forums allow you to not only learn, but ask questions and participate.


Here are our top picks for forums where you can learn the most about SEO:

Google+ Community Technical SEO

This community definitely falls more on the “expert” side of the spectrum.  I joined technical SEO about 6 months ago and it has really taken off since then.  The mods are super strict about who they accept and have a zero tolerance policy about spam and even link dropping.  Technical SEO is a great place to go and ask questions relating to web development that can affect your sites SEO, or anything fairly technical in nature.  There are definitely some big-hitters in there, including several senior SEO’s for fortune 500 companies.  Site:  Technical SEO on Google+ Communities

google plus technical SEO

Reddit – /r/BigSEO

A few months ago, the mebers of /r/SEO decided that it wasn’t being moderated the way they wanted, so they decided to create Big SEO.  Since then, it has been great.  Tons of great discussions and lots of solid shares.  SPAM gets down voted quickly as do shameless link drops.  Site: /r/bigSEO

Reddit – /r/PublicRelations

Ok so this isn’t an “SEO” forum or discussion, but power SEO’s will understand why this is a solid community.  The correlation between SEO and public relations is gaining momentum each day.  Public relations experts are employing SEO techniques more and more.  Similarly, SEO’s are employing public relations strategies into their content marketing efforts more now than ever.  This community isn’t as active as the others, but definitelt contains some great tidbits.  Site: /r/PublicRelations

Distilled U

While this is technically a paid option, it is an excellent resource with some of the best videos I’ve ever come across. The great thing about Distilled U, is that they started as (and still are) an SEO company. They have some really talented people working for them, and really know their stuff. They even hold a conference several times per year, which in my experience is one of the best around.

Once you are signed up, you can not only learn more about SEO but you can get “certified” by Distilled in a few different areas. If you don’t have the cash to shell out, you can start by reading their blog which always has some great material.

Inbound.org

Inbound.org is primary a feed, but it has some great discussions as well.  It kind of smells a lot like Moz, being that it was co-founded by Mr. Rand Fishkin, but Moz posts aren’t favored in any way.  You can upvote posts to the top, but not downvote.  I visit inbound.org every day to see what is hot on the inbound scene, and will comment if I find a topic to be invigorating.  Site: inbound.org

Webmaster World

WebmasterWorld.com was registered in 1999, and has been very active ever since.  Out of all of my picks, this forum has the best discussions and the least nonsense.  The interface isn’t pretty, but it is easy to read and gets the job done.  There are some great topics and intense discussions here.  It’s also a great place to go if you want to get the temperature for what is going on with a recent algorithm update and things of that nature.  Site: Webmaster World

Places to Avoid

Rather than calling people out, I’ll give a list of some warning signs to look for in an internet markeitng community –

  • use of the word “guru” or “expert”
  • a fee to sign up
  • tons of advertisements
  • signs of SPAM

Listen to your gut when you go to a new forum.  Chances are if it seems fishy, it is.