Wednesday, May 27, 2020

How many types of SEO are there?

Before embarking on a new project, it is better to know where we are going and if we have any chance of achieving results. For this, nothing better than knowing the type of SEO strategy that our competition does .

We will not always be able to appear by the terms that we would like or by the ones that our client would like if we work only on-page aspects, and less if we face a vertical portal.

We will have to use other means such as mentions, reputation, social media, press releases, link building, blogging to create related content , etc ... rather off-page factors . But as I say, the type of SEO we do will depend on the type of page we want to be.

Where SEO is applied

As we have already said, SEO are techniques that are used to make search engines recognize the content of our website and position it according to them. To do that, theyuse a series of internal parameters that, by the way, search engines like Google change every two by three.

The reason, in addition to improving its operation, is to separate the grain from the straw. In other words, see which websites are active and which are not, depending on whether they update their content and adapt to the new parameters or not. Thus, those that update frequently will obtain a better position than those that do not.

Its application can be carried out in:

SEO On Page: SEO On Page, is the optimization of the site's html code so that the search engine algorithm tracking gives it the best position in the results in the preference of internet users. What does this mean ?, because the better the internal code of our website, the better position will be given by browsers.

SEO On Content: SEO of Content of the sites, consists of the optimization of the written content of the pages of a site. This part of the SEO applicationrequires professionals who handle the correct use of the language and the best strategies that make the most of the analysis and use of the so-called Keywords . Commonly we consider it part of SEO On Page. That is, the better the content of our website is written, including the keywords that users type in search engines to find information, the better positioned our website will be.

Off Page SEO: Off Page SEO, are the actions that specialists in these techniques perform outside our website to improve its position in search engines. It is the most complicated part of SEO positioning since it involves the development of links to sites related to the one you want to position yourself in compliance with the requirements of good practices from search engines.

It is also very common to think that web positioning is the same as SEO. SEO is just one of his specialties.

Having a well-positioned website is vital for any business or project that requires visibility on the Internet.

And whereits relevance is most clearly seen is in electronic commerce ; According to the Study of eCommerce in Spain, in 36% of cases, the brand's website is the main source of information used by consumers before buying, even ahead of social networks! (which only influence the purchase decision by 27%). Do you understand now why it is so important for your website to have visibility?

And it isprecisely the way of acquiring that visibility that allows us to distinguish between different alternatives to do web positioning.

Thedifferent types of SEO and web positioning

Above we have already talked about SEO and the different types that exist. The great advantage of SEO? That the results last over time, as long as natural SEO positioning is worked, without incurring penalized techniques. You can readabout it here: How many keywords are recommended in SEO?

There are other positioning techniques:

SEM positioning:

SearchEngine Marketing (SEM) also seeks to position a site in the first results for certain searches or keywords. The difference is that with SEM , you position yourself based on a checkbook, through sponsored links on platforms such as Google Adwords.

This type ofadvertising works through a real-time bidding system that establishes a Cost Per Click (CPC). But in Adwords, the highest bid is not guaranteed first place in sponsored ads.

Google wantsto make sure that the ads are useful for the users and for this it adds a factor related to the quality of the campaign and the landing page to which itleads: the quality score . The position or ranking in which your ad will appear depends on the CPC and the quality score. and the success between the click and the conversion, on the landing page of the ad (the contact page, the landing page), etc.

The SEM has the advantage that it works! According to a survey , 40% of SMEs that invest in a marketing product do so in Adwords advertising .

Against him, and unlike SEO, the results disappear the moment you stop investing money.

Social Media Optimization (SMO)

This type ofpositioning is specialized in social channels (blogs, platforms, social networks ...). The SMO fulfills two basic functions.

Use social media to generate web traffic.

Position your page on the social networks themselves.

Bothapproaches are compatible and complement each other within a global marketing strategy. The actions within the SMO are focused on creating corporate content, diversifying it into different formats, sharing it on various channels, promoting their sharing, generating conversation, searching for virality, etc.

One of thebiggest advantages is that, in addition to generating traffic to your website and gaining visibility within other channels such as social networks, SMO is important for branding .

This opens the doors to another type of positioning, which is to install your brand in the minds of users. One of its main disadvantages is that, although it can provide you with peaks of visits, the actions have a very short life, which forces you to do constant work.

Which of these options is the best for my project?

All of them are complementary. The most advisable in most cases is a strategy that combines SEO, SEM and SMO. Because if you publicize your brand from minute one with social channels, you get short-term clients with sponsored links, and you do serious optimization work in the medium or long term ... what can go wrong?

And so far we come with this post about the different types of SEO that exist.

Saturday, March 28, 2020

What is SEO and how search engines work

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If you are an advanced user, you may not discover anything new, so do not waste time if it is what you are looking for.

But if you are at the beginning, no matter how many tutorials you read and information you receive, you will not be able to do a good SEO job if you do not understand what all this means, how things have changed and what may await us in the future. If you manage to understand, lay the foundations and focus your efforts on the essential, everything else will serve to improve, otherwise, it will only confuse you.

To make an analogy, it is as if I gave you a trick to make fractions. Maybe you will, but if you don't understand the basics, which is adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing, it will be difficult for you to know that it is a fraction.

Yes, the path that I propose is longer and more tedious! (Come on, life itself!), But it is the same path that I and many other people who are experts today have followed. And deep down, that's SEO. A medium-long term path, full of much trial and error, evidence and conclusions.

Decide what is the right path for you!

We are going to learn the key SEO concepts for any business or website.

Definition of SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

It consists of the process of improving the visibility of a website in the main search engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.

The top-ranked sites generate the most visits and traffic. There are studies that show that the Top 3 take more than 50% of the existing traffic for a search. Imagine what this can mean for a company or a website!

SEO also has a great Branding value because users associate the position of the website as a brand value. The higher the positioning, the better! It is synonymous with relevance and authority in your market.

It takes into account two fundamental values . How search engines work and how users search. From this it follows that it is essential in an SEOtask to serve all the information relevant to the search engine on a tray and on the other hand, it is essential to find out how users interact with the search engine, when they make queries.

Who is SEO for?

Although apparently SEO is necessary for everyone, the truth is that it does not serve all in the same way or in other words, each company uses SEO with different strategies.

An institutional website, an e-commerce site or a blog use Seo differently, since their objectives are also different.

Seo has great advantages and uses for almost all types of business, however, there are a couple of details that we must keep in mind:

It is necessary that there are searches for a product or service if we want SEO to be useful , otherwise, if nobody searches for it, SEO is useless.

It should be part of the usual marketing tasks . We should not use it as a single strategy.

There are no guarantees of positioning , since regardless of our work, we completely depend on the decisions and changes that are made in the search engines. It is estimated that Google changes its algorithm almost daily and therefore, we always depend on what they consider good or bad.

In any case, if we use common sense, let's think that Google has no intention of annoying anyone. What it intends is to offer its clients (users) the best possible information and it is on this basis that they focus their efforts , improving their algorithms with experience.

Although innumerable techniques and resources are used in SEO, the truth is that if certain logical guidelines are met, it is very difficult not to obtain positioning .

This can also make us think that relying exclusively on SEO to get traffic can be a long-term problem, that is, we cannot put all the cards of our business solely and exclusively in SEO , which on the other hand is very common. Always remember that we completely depend on how the wind blows in Google, Bing or Yahoo and therefore, at any time, things can change and what works today will stop tomorrow. What is positive today can be negative tomorrow .

How does a search engine work?

Understanding this is essential to be able to map the right strategy with the website in the medium and long term.

There are those who dedicate themselves to look for each change in the algorithm and follow fads and trends that someone publishes as if that were something definitive. And maybe it is now, but it could stop being at any time.

If you only bet on these methods, perhaps you will get results more or less quickly, but it may happen (you will not be the first or the last) that tomorrow you completely lose your position.

If you understand and do what a search engine needs, it will be much easier for you to create your long-term strategy and not be afraid of updates that may be made over time.

You must understand that:

Search engines aim to satisfy the need for information . It is their main objective! From this it is clear that our objective must be to satisfy those needs.
The results are updated automatically using algorithms . So when the algorithm changes, it immediately affects the positions, depending on the new variables and the importance or relevance they give to each one.
Today the results are a mixture of websites, images, videos, etc ... Before, search results were simply links and keywords. Now it is necessary that our strategy adapts to each and every one of them.
Search engines take into account hundreds of variables for the positioning of a website . Many of these variables are either not actually known or are ambiguous speculation. For example, even today it is not really known what is the value that Google gives to social networks in terms of positioning. There are experts who say that the weight is too much and others who say that it is little.
Trying to run after all these variables is a futile race . On many occasions they will only confuse you and make decisions based on assumptions, which is always a big mistake.
What you really have to think about is using common sense , that is, think about how to make the information available to Google and users on a silver platter and fundamentally create a good experience for your visitors . So you can always create your long-term strategies and not thinking about Google and if they can penalize you for something.

Search engines work on three main processes

1st Tracking

Through robots or spiders that systematically browse the internet looking for relevant information day after day. Although the truth is that, only between 40-70% of the indexable Internet is tracked.

That is why it is essential to maintain a good web structure and frequently take care of telling Google to stop by our website (Search Console) , because there are news ... and obviously when it is new, "invite" them to come and meet us.

2nd Indexing

After the crawl the indexing work begins, with all the information that the robot has found. An analysis of this information is produced and stored so that it can then be classified.

With all this immense database, Google decides how a website positions with respect to the keywords of user queries and through algorithms they give us the “points” that will make our website appear in one or another place in the search ranking. .

3rd Searches

In this step, the user seeks to satisfy a need for information . The job of the search engine is to interpret that need to offer the best possible information to that user. In this way, said user will be happy and will use the search engine for other queries again.

What is the importance of positioning yourself in Google?

It is true that it is important to position yourself in all search engines , since they all represent a market share of millions of users.

However, it is no less true that positioning yourself in Google is essential for any SEO strategy and particularly important for several reasons.

1º It is the main search engine worldwide . Concentrate most of your efforts on positioning yourself on Google. With this you will also indirectly achieve positioning in the other search engines.

2nd Except in Russia and China (Yandex and Baidu), its market share is exceptional . More than 90% of searches, especially in Spanish-speaking countries.

3º We all look for information about products and services. From curious to users who are determined to buy any item. The potential market is huge.

4th Google advertising is not invasive . The need for information means that users are looking for us and therefore they are actively interested in seeing our results.

5º Generate brand image and depending on our positioning, the user can perceive us as something to take into account.

6º Qualified traffic is obtained , that is, users interested precisely in the services or products that we are offering.

What are the differences between organic and sponsored results?

You almost certainly use the search engines and you will be familiar with the interface.

What I want now is to explain in more depth the differences between the two .

Sponsored results, or ads, are those that appear above or to the right of organic results.

They are managed from Adwords, which is Google's advertising system. Customers who advertise pay each time a user clicks on their ad.

The organic results are those that appear under the ads and belong to the free results that the search engine offers.

What are the main differences?

Well, the most obvious is that sponsored ones are paid and organic ones are free and you cannot pay to influence them .

Sponsored ads compete according to the Adwords auction system and organic ads rank according to Google's PageRank algorithm .

Advertisers have full control over the Adwords ads, the landing page, for which searches they want to show the ads, the geographical area where they will be shown, the type of audience and a long etc of possibilities.

In organic results, this level of control does not exist since it is Google who decides with its algorithm where and how they will be displayed . Through Seo we can influence how those results will be displayed, but Google always has the last word .

Advertisements are displayed as long as a quote is available. The advertiser can manage a daily budget that will be adjusted each time clicks are received until they are exhausted. At that time they are no longer visible until the next day. Organics are always displayed permanently .

The ideal in a well-defined SEO strategy is to complement both options in order to obtain the greatest number of searches and clicks possible . But fundamentally it is necessary that you work the SEO to avoid having to be investing in Adwords in a systematic way. And if you do not plan to invest in Adwords, then I will not tell you!

SEO benefits and utilities

Seo doesn't have just one goal of getting clicks. In reality SEO is moldable to our business model, depending on the type of activity .

For example, Seo is not used in the same way in an e-commerce store as it is in a blog.

A store aims to sell products and uses a specific strategy to generate high quality traffic , that is, traffic that is really interested in the products they sell.

For a store it is preferable to have less traffic but of quality, than to have a lot of traffic that does not buy anything . It would be like having a cafeteria full of people who don't drink coffee. So they use concrete and concise keywords based on the products they sell .

Instead, other business models search a lot of traffic of any kind , for a large number of keywords, since they obtain their benefits through advertisements on their platform.

A blog also seeks to get the most traffic possible, but through content marketing , which allows them to achieve visibility, new customers, sale of products or courses, affiliations, etc. To do this they must contribute a large amount of content, value and update it frequently.

Brand image is also a benefit of SEO . Reputation and authority can endow a company with great notoriety, relevance and trust among users.

Seo is also used for Direct Marketing . This type of strategy is sought, for example, when it is not possible to interact with the potential customer completely online and one or more sections of the website are dedicated in order to capture data on those potential customers through forms so that a salesperson can then contact he.

The most common mistakes that occur in SEO

Do not combine Seo with the rest of the marketing actions

Treating Seo independently of other marketing actions is a more frequent mistake than it seems. Seo is one more part of the company's marketing strategy.

Lack of value proposition

We should not only want to position ourselves. We must also make merit for it. Google has to decide between millions of websites which should be placed in the rankings. For this you have to follow some fair rules and based on them you decide (remember that it is automatic).

A search result that is highly clicked by users, with a low bounce rate and a high dwell time, tells Google that the information you offer is relevant and interesting to users. That is why it is necessary that you work your content as much as you can, to compete and offer what others do not offer. You must add value to your "clients".

Use outdated and outdated techniques

For example, use massive generation of links in directories . Before this had a great weight in Google searches, however now it does not contribute anything.

So it is good to be updated and know what users and search engines need, to meet the expectations of both and avoid problems in the future.

Slow implementation of news

Google continually updates new possibilities and it's a shame not to take advantage of them as soon as possible. This makes us lose competitive advantage .

Performing bad practices (the worst of all mistakes)

It is very common to read tricks on many sites to try to deceive Google's algorithms. Doing this may cause it to work for you now, but at any time you can fall with the entire team. Remember that Google updates its algorithms almost daily, because it also knows perfectly well that they are trying to cheat it. For more inri, he also tracks that information, hehehehe, anyway!

If we avoid bad practices, we will not have to worry about the changes that are made continuously . We will ensure the positioning of our website or business in the long term.

How can we solve them?

Integrate Seo into your marketing strategy , in conjunction with the other actions you want or should take.

Stay up-to-date on SEO trends and the news that Google continually offers.

Build long-term value . Don't think of the now only, do it in the future too. Remember that Seo is like a marathon, it is a day to day, week to week job. If you want immediate results, you have Adwords.

Quickly implement (as far as you can) changes and improvements to your website as well as the news that Google offers for organic results.

And never, never, never! take risks with bad practices.

Obviously this is not an advanced tutorial. It is more thought for people who start in this incredible world and still have a long way to go. What I have tried is that you reflect and understand the whole operation of this conglomerate of things.

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

10 Steps to start a business or start a business

If you are considering creating a company in the middle of the digital age , and it is your official year as an entrepreneur , you must take several steps into account before doing so. To start a business today, it is no longer enough to open your business and wait for customers to arrive. The competition is greater and the offline business must be completed with an online version that accurately represents the values and services of your business project.

Therefore, to make your way easier and that you do not waste time diving among thousands of posts, here you will find the essentials for your business to start in the right direction.

Marketing Contents10 first steps to register your company

Regardless of the type of legal form in which you are going to incorporate your company, you are going to need to carry out a series of steps and procedures. Here we guide you in the essential steps to register a company:

1. Choose the legal form

The first thing is to determine the type of company that you are going to create and determine the legal form: limited company, limited partnership, cooperative ... You can see here the one that best suits your situation according to your characteristics.

2. Negative certification

You must obtain in the Central Mercantile Registry the negative Certification of the name of the company (CNN) that proves the exclusivity and non existence of another company with the same name. It can be processed in person with a form at the Mercantile Registry offices, by mail or through the web .

3. Share capital

Deposit an amount of money in a bank, which will vary depending on the required capital stock in each case. For a limited company the minimum is 3,000 euros, and for a corporation the capital may not be less than 60,000 euros.

4. Request the NIF

Obtain the Tax Identification Number at the Tax Agency, first provisional presenting the necessary documentation (form 036, copy of the deed of constitution and copy of the statutes), and then the final one (no later than 6 months) presenting the deed.

5. Creation of the company

You must make a public deed before a notary in which the partners sign the constitution of the company .

6. Registration in the Commercial Registry

Registration of the company in the Provincial Mercantile Registry to obtain full legal competence. It will take place at the Mercantile Registry office in the same province where the company is domiciled.

7. Registration in IAE

You have to register in the Tax on Economic Activities with the business activity that is going to be carried out, in an office of the Tax Agency.

8. Company books

Legalize the company books (inventory book, annual account book and daily book) in the corresponding Mercantile Registry of the province. It consists of putting an official certificate on the first page of the books and marking the rest of the sheets with the seal of the Registry.

9. Registration of patents and trademarks

Registration of distinctive signs such as words, phrases, images or symbols in the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office, since having previously registered a name in the Commercial Registry does not mean having it protected as a trademark.

10. Commissioning

After completing the previous steps, you will be almost ready to start your business, although depending on the type you may have to do some more, for example, if you are going to have workers, you must communicate the opening of the work center to the Provincial Directorate of the Ministry of Employment and Social Security and obtain a guestbook for inspections. In addition, it is highly recommended to obtain an electronic certificate to be able to electronically sign documentation and streamline processes.

This whole process may seem tedious, although all of us who have set up a company have gone through it and in the end it is getting down. But I have good news.

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

How To Get Government Grants For Free Wedding

Organizing your wedding day is a wonderful experience that you definitely deserve to enjoy from start to finish. From the choice of the date on which the ceremony will take place to the destination of the honeymoon, everything is part of a unique experience that we long to remember with special affection and not as a headache. Therefore, in this article we want to show you a series of keys so that you can plan this special event without anything escaping you and keeping your finances under control with our wedding loans

There are weddings that are lush and intimate, relaxed or true to tradition, packed with guests or reserved for a small group of loved ones. Whatever idea you have in mind, we want to help you carry it out. Thus, we have designed a totally flexible wedding loan that you can adapt to the economic needs of each moment.

With the Creditea wedding credit you can access 5,000 euros, quickly and without paperwork, which you can comfortably return within a period of between 61 days and 36 months; Furthermore, if we grant you an amount greater than what you need, we will only apply interest for the amount you withdraw instead of for the total loan. Likewise, if you return the part of the credit that you have used ahead of time, you will once again have the full amount of the credit line at your disposal so that you can use it in new items that arise.

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

how to apply for government grants

Every year, aid for entrepreneurs with small businesses is published in the Official State Gazette and on the web platform of different institutions. These offer the opportunity to grow your company and enjoy good financial support. The grant calls are called both annually and in specific periods. The government is aware that the economic engine of the country is small companies, since they are the ones that truly move the economy, for this reason it aims to improve the economic conditions of these companies and give them the opportunity to grow progressively. It should be noted that:

These grants are usually quite generous, however, they should not be what supports your entire business because they do not cover all expenses and are not always awarded. A company must be minimally solvent on its own.

It should be borne in mind that they usually take time to deliver, so if you are urgent it is not convenient that you depend on it exclusively. And it is essential to find out both the amount granted and the conditions of the concession.

read how to apply for government grants

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

government grants and loans for individuals

really if we search well and we advise ourselves correctly we can find enough help to create a company. On the one hand, we will have the specific ones that are usually offered to all new self-employed, a necessary condition if you want to open your own company:

These grants when establishing yourself as a self-employed person may vary depending on different factors and the autonomous community to which you belong.

The amounts can range from 2,000 euros to 10,000 euros depending on your personal situation

Some of the conditions to qualify for these measures are to remain self-employed for a minimum of 2 years and that will be given until all the money is exhausted, which means that if you request it, you are not guaranteed to receive government grant and loan

Monday, December 9, 2019

How to create a WordPress forum (in 3 easy steps)

Forums are one of the pillars of the internet. And despite the fact that people spend most of their time on "normal" websites, forums are one of the most attractive types of platforms you can create. In fact, many modern social networking sites are basically forums with additional features. The problem is that creating a WordPress forum can take a lot of work, since the platform itself was not developed with forums in mind.

Fortunately, we are here to help you. In this article, we will look at the three steps necessary to install a WordPress forum, including:

Install and configure the Asgaros Forum plugin.

Create the WordPress forum structure.

Test the functionality of the forum.

In order for your forum to work, we'll have to add a whole new set of features to WordPress. Which can be a lot of work, so let's get started!

Content

Why create a WordPress forum?

3 popular plugins to create a WordPress forum

How to create a WordPress forum (in 3 steps)

Why create a WordPress forum?

The WordPress.org support forum.

Regardless of what your hobbies are, there are likely to be many internet forums explicitly created to discuss them. Simply put, forums are websites where you can post new topics or 'threads' and expect people to reply to you. They are the perfect place to have detailed discussions on almost any topic you can imagine. For example, there are full forums dedicated to web hosting, cooking, and even more specific hobbies like knitting.

A knitting forum.

You will often find that most of the content comes from user discussions. Unlike sites like for example the Hostinger blog where, although each article has a comment section, the main attraction is the content.

If you are a user of forums, you have probably noticed that they have many characteristics in common with social networks . Take Facebook for example: in addition to uploading photos and keeping up to date with your friends, one of the main attractions is the ability to share content and discuss it with others, like in a forum.

In fact, if you take a look at the five most popular websites on the internet, you will notice that two of them have forum functions (or similar to a forum). We have already mentioned Facebook, but Reddit is also basically a forum with many additional features.

In general, having a forum poses a different set of challenges than a website, although it also has its benefits. For example, with a forum you don't have as much pressure to post original content. They're also better when it comes to fostering discussion and engagement, which makes many users want to come back.

However, forums are not a viable option for most web projects. For example, if you want to create a portfolio, obviously a forum will have no place and you will get better results by creating a standard website.

However, if your website has a strong social component, or if you offer online services, implementing a forum may be a good idea. You can even have one along with your regular website and use it to fuel discussion of your content and services.

Creating an online forum generally requires specialized software. With WordPress, you can add forum features to your website using plugins, and there are many options. In the next section, we'll take a look at a couple of popular plugins, and then we'll show you one of our favorites!

3 popular plugins to create a WordPress forum

First we'll look at some of the most popular solutions when it comes to WordPress forum plugins. These are often the options preferred by many WordPress users, so it's worth discussing them before talking about one of our favorites.

1. bbPress

The bbPress plugin.

When it comes to WordPress forum plugins, bbPress is possibly the most popular option. In fact, it's the software behind WordPress.org's own support forums, so it comes with a stellar backup.

As such, bbPress is highly customizable. You can extend its functionality with other plugins and even configure dedicated themes for your WordPress forum. Overall, it's a great option if you're looking for a forum plugin with a lot of advanced features, although it looks a bit dated in terms of style.

2. wpForum

The wpForo plugin.

Next on the list, wpForo offers an experience that falls somewhere between bbPress and the next plugin (Asgaros Forums) in terms of features. It is a little more complex to configure than the latter and has a lot of advanced features. The plugin even offers its own set of extensions, although not as many as bbPress.

And in terms of style, wpForo gets high marks. It looks as elegant as Asgaros Forum, although it has more visual components. If you want to use a forum plugin that offers advanced features while looking great, this is an excellent option.

3. Asgaros Forum

The Asgaros Forum plugin.

Let's see now the solution that we will be using for the rest of this article. Asgaros Forum is one of the many free WordPress forum plugins. However, it stands out for its ease of use. In practice, it will only take a few minutes to configure the plugin and have a fully functional WordPress forum ready.

If you want to have more control over the user experience in the forum, the plugin also offers a large number of settings that you can adjust. Once the plugin is active, you will be able to set up a dedicated WordPress forum page on your site. Then you can use it in much the same way as any other forum and create threads, comment on existing ones, configure subforums and more.

You can also add individual forum sections to virtually any page using shortcodes, which can be useful if you don't want to set up a full discussion board. Furthermore, the plugin also includes basic moderator functions. This means that you can delete content if necessary, and even suspend users for repeated violations. If your WordPress forum grows, you can also designate other users as moderators to help you keep everything under control.

Finally, Asgaros Forum allows you to customize the style of the forum using themes, and supports multiple languages by default.

Main features:

It allows you to set up a fully functional WordPress forum in minutes.

Allows users to comment as guests.

It allows you to moderate the content of the WordPress forum and designate other users to help you.

Provide reports on specific posts and suspend users if necessary.

Although easy to use and configure, the Asgaros Forum is not far behind in terms of functionality either. It offers pretty much all the features you'd expect from any modern forum in 2019. Unless you're looking for some fairly specific feature, Asgaros Forum is our recommendation.

How to create a WordPress forum (in 3 steps)

In this section, we will show you how to create a WordPress forum using the Asgaros Forum plugin. Although the other plugins we have introduced will have similar steps, (obviously) the process may vary. This means that you may need to consult the documentation for specific instructions.

Step 1: Install and configure the Asgaros Forum plugin

Of course, you will first have to install and activate the plugin . Go to the WordPress panel to the Plugins> Add new tab and look for the Asgaros Forum plugin:

Installing the plugin from the Asgaros forum.

Click the Install Now button next to the plugin name, then click the blue Activate button . At this point, a new Forum tab will appear on your WordPress dashboard.

Here you will find a Settings option . You must configure which page to include your WordPress forum on. You can do this using the dropdown menu that lists all of your pages. While you're here, you can also configure the number of responses and discussions you want to show on each page:

Setting the location of your forum.

In general, the default values are a good choice. However, you can safely increase the number of responses per page, if desired. The Asgaros Forum plugin then uses its own built-in editor for new topics and comments, which is enabled by default. We will show you how this works in a minute, so we recommend that you leave this setting enabled.

Later, there is an option to enable the use of shortcodes in the editor, which we recommend disabling since it can cause security problems:

Disable shortcodes within your editor.

You can then configure the plugin to highlight the moderator and author names within each topic. This is usually a good idea, so users know who to contact in case of problems, so let's keep both settings turned on. While we're at it, let's also activate post counters, as they encourage users to be more active:

Activating the publication counters.

Keep scrolling down and you will find some options to display the login, logout and registration buttons for your forum. We recommend activating these options so that users can easily find the buttons:

Add login and logout buttons to your forum.

The next section includes settings that take care of the basic functionality of your forum. Here you can enable user mentions, reactions and a screen that shows who is online. You can also enable guest posts, although we recommend not doing so, as it makes it easier for people to spam your forums:

Enabling the publication of guests in your WordPress forum.

Below, you will find the option to enable subscriptions for your users. This means that they will receive notifications when there is new content in the publications to which they are subscribed:

Enable subsequent subscriptions.

We only have two sections left to cover now. The first includes settings related to the profile. In most cases, it is advisable to allow users to create profiles, as it is a feature that people expect to see. You can also configure if users who are not logged in can see those profiles, which is up to you:

Forum profile settings.

Finally, if you scroll to the bottom of the Settings page , you will find the option to enable reports and receive notifications when users send them. This should facilitate the moderation of the forums, so we recommend activating both:

Enable forum posting reports.

If you like to keep your mailbox clear, we recommend creating an email just to address forum related issues. Otherwise, as you have more users it will be more difficult to locate the forum notifications in your inbox.

And that's it for your WordPress forum setup. Now save your changes and go to step two!

Step 2: Build the WordPress forum structure

Now that you have configured the way your WordPress forum will work, we can start working on the basic structure. To do this, go to the Forum tab > Structure within WordPress. There you will see that the plugin has already configured a basic forum:

The Structure tab.

At this time, the forum is empty. If you see it from the front-end, it should look like this:

Your new WordPress forum.

At this stage, you can already post new topics in the forum and people can reply. However, a serious forum should have several unique sections to keep everything organized. For example, you can set up a welcome forum where people can introduce themselves, which is what we are going to do now. Click the Add Forum button to get started:

The Structure tab.

To add a new forum page you just have to choose a name, a description and a parent topic if you want it to be a subforum:

Adding a new forum.

You can also configure the order in which the plugin will display your forums using numbers:

Setting the order of the forum.

Now we are going to edit the forum that is already configured for us, so that we can use it. To do so, click the Edit Forum button to the right of the name. Rename it and write a description. While you're here, you can also assign a new number to it in the Order field .

Now you already have two forums running and you know how to create a new one if you wish. If you want to create a subforum, click the Add sub-forum option to the right of the parent forum:

Adding a new subforum.

When the forum structure is ready, you can advance to the final step, where we will test if everything works correctly.

Step 3: Test forum functionality

The first thing you will want to do is create a new theme to check if everything is working correctly. To do this, click the New Topic button on the right side of a specific forum.

As we mentioned earlier, the Asgaros Forum plugin uses a reduced version of the WordPress editor. Here, you can define a title and write the description of the new topic:

Creating a new forum topic.

Since this is a test topic, you can write whatever you like. While we're at it, tap the Subscribe to this topic option so you can test if the plugin emails are sent correctly.

When the theme is ready it should look like this:

An example of a forum topic.

Note that there are multiple options to interact with your theme. As an administrator, you can fix, delete, and close threads, which is something normal users can't do. You can also reply to any topic in your WordPress forum by clicking the button at the bottom right, which will open the editor again.

If you can post new topics and posts, you will know that the forum works correctly. You just need to inform your users so they can register!

conclusion

When people think of WordPress, forums are not usually the first thing that comes to mind. However, with the correct plugin, anyone can set up a WordPress forum. You have many options to choose from, but if you are looking for something simple, Asgaros Forum may be your best option. With this plugin, you can set up a functional forum in a matter of minutes, including all the features you need.

And if you are not a WordPress fan, there are plenty of other options to choose from. For more information, see our article on the best software solutions for online community building forums.

Have a question about setting up a WordPress forum? Let's talk in the comment section below!