How to Make a Forum Website Like Reddit in 8 Simple Steps

With nearly one in four US Internet users participating in forums, it’s easy to see why forums are a great way to build an engaged community, which can help you grow your business. Whether you want to create a user-generated content site like Reddit or Tripadvisor, or simply make your existing website more interactive, here’s how to create a forum website in just eight steps:

1. Choose the right CMS for your forum

To get started, you need to choose which content management system (CMS) you will build your forum on. A CMS serves as the foundation of your website, so how you build your forum will be determined by the CMS you choose to use. While WordPress is the most popular CMS, it is far from the easiest compared to Wix for web design newbies or building a large community forum website using Vanilla Forums.

Click the tabs below for more information on the major CMS platforms. for forums:

Since using the WordPress.org CMS is the most popular way to create a forum website, we’ll use WordPress in the following steps.

2. Get web hosting

User registration and roles: Each forum user must be registered with one of the following roles: Keymaster, Moderator, Participant (default), Viewer, or Blocked. As a forum administrator (or Keymaster), you can manually choose user roles or configure bbPress to automatically set user roles when new members join your forum.

Posting Anonymous: This setting allows any forum visitor to post or reply without having an account on your forum. This can help increase forum activity as it makes it easier for users to participate. However, it can lead to abuse of the forum, including trolling and spam, so it is generally not recommended.

Subscriptions: Give users the ability to subscribe to all forum updates or just updates. to specific forum pages and categories. Allowing subscriptions helps keep users actively engaged in the forum.

Search: Enable the search option in your forum to allow users to search for specific topics and answers.

Reply Threads: Threads allow users to reply to other replies on your forum. This is common within forums, as threads provide more context to a discussion, which is useful for any user who decides to join a discussion after it has started.

Forum gamification : Some of the Top forum plugins come with upvotes, as well as user levels and badges. These help users engage more, helping to create a more active forum.

While there are settings that almost every forum includes, consider which of the above fit your specific forum. . There are also many more settings available to help you create a forum that works exactly the way you want it to.

6. Create your forum page

After updating the settings, you must create a page on your site that will host your forum. To create your new forum page, click on the “Forums” option in the left menu and then select “New Forum”. Enter your forum name and click “Publish” to save your new forum.

Next, add this forum to a web page by clicking “Pages” and selecting “Add New”. Enter your page title, then add the bbPress shortcode “[bbp-forum-index]” in the main content box. Finally, click “Publish” to save. For more detailed information on how you can set up your forum and customize the screen, go to the new bbPress user forum.

7. Customize Your WordPress Site

Even with the best WordPress theme, you still need to customize it to fit your brand and forum. These customizations transform your generic theme into a full-fledged brand site, complete with company history, contact pages, a blog, and more. Start by customizing the style of your menu, header, footer, and any element throughout the site. Then add any additional pages and plugins you want.

Each forum will have different needs, but consider including basic website features and sections, such as an About page, Contact page, information about your products and services, a page with staff biographies and web forms to obtain subscriptions or request information. Get all the help you need to fully customize your forum website with these step-by-step instructions on how to create a WordPress website.

8. Publish Your Forum

When you’re ready to get started, simply click the “Start Your Site” button under the “Bluehost” tab at the top of the vertical menu on the left. Confirm that your site is accessible on the web by entering your domain name in the address bar of your browser.

After you create a forum, you need to advertise and promote it so that it gets traffic, new users, and most importantly, actively engaged users. Once you’ve generated traffic to your forum, you’ll need to continually moderate it to ensure it’s a positive community free from spammers and trolls.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I create a forum? forum on Weebly?

Yes, Weebly can be used as a forum. While most think of Weebly when they need an ultra-easy-to-use interface and eCommerce capabilities, it also offers users the ability to create forums. Add a forum to your Weebly site by going to the “Create” tab and then clicking “More.” Find “Forums” in the list of items, then drag and drop it onto a site page.

Where can I find someone to make me a forum website?

There are number of ways to outsource the construction of your forum website. One of the best options for finding and hiring low-cost freelance forum creators is through Fiverr. There, you can search for web design and development experts, read freelancer reviews, and hire a freelance WordPress web developer to build your forum website starting at about $50.

How much does it cost to build a forum website?

The cost to build a forum website will vary depending on the website building platform you use to create it and, if you do, do it yourself or hire a professional. The cost can range from a few dollars a month for web hosting with a DIY forum built on WordPress to $6 a month with Weebly, and well over thousands of dollars if you outsource the work to a web design company. For more information, read our article detailing the costs of various websites.

How do I monetize my forum website?

The main ways to monetize a forum are through through on-page ads, memberships, and affiliate sales. For those just starting out, it is recommended that forum creators monetize with ads using Google Ads.

Conclusion

Forums provide tremendous opportunities for small business websites to better engage site visitors and connect with the target audience. Additionally, forums give you the ability to build active communities that have led to major forums such as Reddit being estimated to be worth in the billions. Build a WordPress forum website for as little as $3 per month with Bluehost and turn your forum idea into a reality.

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