Development of forum sites

Several years ago, social networks were able to push web forums out of the market, but never became a full-fledged replacement for them. As a result, after a short pause, forum sites began to gain popularity again.

Today they help companies interact with audiences at all stages of communication – from familiarization with the brand and motivation to make a purchase, to after-sales support. In this article we talk about the advantages of launching your own forum, the stages and features of its technical development.

A forum site is an online platform where users can communicate on topics of interest, exchange experiences, or help each other. To make it easier to find messages in the general thread, content on web forums is divided into special sections devoted to different topics – so-called topics, which anyone can join.

You can manage topics on the forum – open new ones and close outdated ones. Thanks to this, the user can quickly get an answer to his question, collect recommendations and reviews about a product, or simply start a new thread for discussion.

The structure of the forums may vary. There are three main types:

• Tabular, also known as ribbon, is distinguished by a strict hierarchy, which simplifies moderation, as well as the search for the necessary topics and messages.
• Tree-like – in this structure, each answer and subsequent comments can create a new discussion thread.
• Universal – provides users with the ability to choose a structure.

For users, the advantages of the forum are obvious – here they can get answers to questions, or simply spend time comfortably among like-minded people. But what does the business itself get? Let’s look at the points:

• Potential customer base – during registration, users provide their contact information: name, phone number and email address. This information can then be used to solve marketing problems.
• Effective feedback channel – on the forum you can communicate directly with your target audience and receive timely feedback, which will help your business develop successfully and better meet customer needs.

• A tool for promoting the main site, the forum generates a huge amount of unique content that search engines love. Therefore, one of the results of launching such a platform may be an improvement in ranking positions.
• Increase loyalty – Launch threads with valuable recommendations, reviews, tips and other useful content to engage your target audience and increase their brand loyalty.
• Relieving the support department – forum users often help each other and answer many common questions. This is a great opportunity to reduce the burden on your full-time staff.

When developing a web forum, it is very important to choose the optimal stack that can provide high throughput, performance and data security. Let’s consider the main technologies that can be used for implementation:

• For the frontend part: the Vue and React JavaScript frameworks are perfect, as they provide maximum speed and responsiveness of the interface. However, depending on the size of the project and its budget, the frontend can also be built on standard HTML/CSS/JS technologies.

• For the backend part: the most commonly used programming languages are Python/PHP and their frameworks – Django/Flask and Yii2/Laravel, respectively. However, the server part can also be built on Java or the Node.js JavaScript platform – everything here depends on the chosen project architecture, business logic and planned functionality.

Creating a forum website is a complex but exciting process that consists of six successive stages. Let’s look at what work is performed on each of them:

• Collection of information. The team studies the client’s request, analyzes his business and target audience to find the best technical solution.
• Prototype. A prototype of the forum is created, visualizing its structure and the logic of the key components. As a rule, such a mockup includes: interface warframes, a table describing the functionality and block diagrams of the main modules. Taken together, this allows us to assess the viability of the project, as well as accurately calculate the cost and speed of its implementation.
• Development of UI/UX design. The design of a web forum should be simple, clear and attractive. A successful visual design will become a pleasant backdrop for user dialogues and will make the company recognizable on the Internet.

• Frontend and backend. At this stage, the technical development of the site is carried out, which consists of two parts: front-end and back-end. The frontend part is responsible for the correct display of content in the browser, the operation of visual effects, animations and user input. In turn, the backend part ensures reliable storage and processing of data, implementation of business logic and functionality.
• Testing. The functionality of the forum is thoroughly tested and debugged.
• Technical support and development. After release, the web forum must be constantly developed and improved. This will maintain stable user interest in the platform and its effectiveness for business. Our qualified technical support team can solve these problems.

A web forum is a tool through which a business can interact with its audience. With the right approach, it will allow you to gain new customers, increase the loyalty of existing ones and ensure brand recognition on the Internet.

If you are planning to launch your own forum website, contact AVADA MEDIA. We will provide high-quality technical implementation and further support of the project, which will increase the chances of its success. To contact us, fill out the form below. Our specialists will study your request, select the optimal technical team and help turn your idea into reality.