Do they still work?
Most forum backlinks and blog comment backlinks are nofollow and don't pass direct authority. Their real value is relevant referral traffic and genuine community presence — not ranking power.
Use them genuinely
- Participate authentically in relevant communities
- Link only where it truly adds value
- Never mass-post automated comments — that's pure spam
What to build for authority
For links that actually move rankings, focus on relevance-matched exchanges, guest exchanges and contextual links instead.