Ask David
I want to create a website where the main feature is a forum – i.e. a forum website, with members, topic polls, file attachments that you can add to topics, etc. And of course spam control. So, what is the best way to create a forum website?
If the main feature of your website is going to be a forum, you have several ways to build it. You can use a hosted forum or community platform, install standalone forum software on your own hosting, use separate software for your website and forum, or use a website builder with a built-in forum.
Especially for the type of forum website described in the question, the best approach is to use a website builder with a powerful, built-in forum – and UltimateWB is the best choice.
UltimateWB has the forum functionality you need built in, including member accounts, topics, polls, file attachments, spam control, and extensive customization and permission options. You don’t have to assemble those features from separate products.
But let’s look at the different ways you can create a forum website and why the approach you choose matters.
1. Use a Hosted Forum or Community Platform
One option is to use a hosted forum or community platform. The provider supplies the software and hosting, so you don’t have to install and manage the forum yourself.
This can make getting started easier, but you are dependent on that platform’s features, design options, pricing, policies, and infrastructure.
If the platform changes how something works, removes a feature, raises its prices, or discontinues the service, your forum is affected.
This is actually what happened with Wix forum users – Wix just decided to discontinue the forums app and set a deadline on when it would be removed from their customers’ websites. You can read more about this in Wix Forums App Removed: What Happened, and What’s the Best Alternative?.
In these hosted platform cases, you clearly have less control over your website and hosting environment.
For a forum that is going to be the main part of your website, especially if you want extensive customization and control, that can become limiting and really affect your website.
2. Use Separate Forum Software
Another approach is to use separate forum software for your community rather than having the forum built into your website software.
You might install standalone forum software on your own hosting, or use a separate hosted forum platform alongside your main website. In either case, the forum is a separate system from the rest of your website.
Standalone forum software can provide extensive forum features and customization. But you don’t need a separate forum application to get a powerful, highly customizable forum.
When your forum is separate from your website, you have multiple systems to manage. You may have separate administration areas, software updates, design systems, and member management. If you want the two systems to work together, you also have to deal with integration between them.
And if your website includes e-commerce, a blog, photo galleries, a directory, memberships, or other features, those systems have to be managed alongside the forum rather than being part of the same platform.
Why create that separation when you can have extensive forum functionality built directly into your website?
With UltimateWB, the Forum App is built into the website builder. You get extensive forum features and customization while keeping your forum, members, and the rest of your website in one system.
If you want to compare different forum software options in more detail, see What Are the Top 10 Best Forum Software?.
3. Use a Website Builder With a Built-In Forum
The other approach is to use website builder software that has a forum built directly into it.
This gives you the website and forum in the same system, rather than requiring you to install and connect separate applications.
And that doesn’t mean settling for a basic forum.
With the right website builder, you can have a highly customizable forum with the features needed to run a real community, while also having the flexibility to build the rest of your website around it.
This is the approach we recommend – and this is where UltimateWB fits.
UltimateWB Has the Forum Features Built In
For the forum described in the Ask David question, you need more than a basic message board. You need members, organized topics, polls, file attachments, and effective spam control.
UltimateWB has all of these forum features built in.
Forum Structure & Permissions
You have granular control over how your forum is organized and who can access different parts of it.
You can create unlimited forum categories and subcategories and set detailed permissions for different users and member groups. You can control who can view topics, post replies, create polls, vote in polls, and post or download file attachments.
You can also choose whether to allow posting by registered members, guest visitors, or both.
Topics, Polls & Attachments
Users can create polls within topics, including multiple-choice polls.
You can enable file attachments on posts and control which file types are allowed and the maximum file size.
You can also pin topics, open or close topics for new comments, and enable topic ratings and individual post likes or unlikes.
Finding & Sharing Forum Content
As your forum grows, helping users find useful discussions becomes increasingly important.
UltimateWB includes Related Topics, Quick Search, and Advanced Search functionality.
You can also integrate social sharing options such as Facebook Like and Twitter Share.
Built-In Spam Control
Spam is one of the biggest concerns when running a forum.
UltimateWB includes built-in moderation and spam controls. You can require a configurable number of approved posts before a new user’s posts are automatically approved, and you can choose whether posts are automatically activated or require administrator approval.
These controls can be configured for both members and visitors.
So the functionality described in the Ask David question isn’t something you have to assemble from separate forum plugins or applications. It is already part of the UltimateWB Forum App.
There are also other considerations when choosing forum software, including security, customization, and how the forum fits into the rest of your website. See Why UltimateWB Offers the Best Forum Software for Your Website for more.
A Forum Can Be Your Main Website – Or Part of a Larger One
One of the advantages of UltimateWB is that you aren’t restricted to a particular type of website.
If your forum is the main feature of your website, you can build your website around the forum.
If you want your forum to be just one part of a larger website, you can do that too.
You can also use UltimateWB’s other built-in features for things such as memberships, e-commerce, blogs, photo galleries, directories, and other types of website functionality.
The forum and the rest of your website can use the same overall design and member system instead of being separate websites that you have to connect together.
A Real-World Example: Gym Chat
Gym Chat is a sports network with a forum as one of its major parts. Its message board has hundreds of thousands of posts across sports including gymnastics, baseball, basketball, football, soccer, hockey, motorsports, and many others.
The site also has other features alongside the forum, including articles, a sports directory, classifieds, photos, videos, and a calendar.
It’s a good example of how a forum can be a major part of a website without being the entire website.
You Also Have Hosting Flexibility with UltimateWB
UltimateWB gives you flexibility in how you host your website.
You can purchase the software with a one-time payment, host your website with UltimateWB or with your own compatible hosting provider, or use UltimateWB Cloud that combines the website builder with web hosting.
That gives you an alternative to being completely dependent on a hosted forum platform.
What Else Should You Consider?
Once you’ve chosen how to build your forum, there are other questions you’ll need to consider – such as how you will organize and grow your community, technical requirements, and whether you want to charge for membership.
We cover those topics in more depth in our other forum articles.
For the technical side of setting up and running a forum, see Technical Considerations for Setting Up a Forum Website: Size Matters (But Not That Much).
If you’re starting a new forum and want to learn how to attract members and build an active community, see What Strategies Are Best to Start a New Online Forum and Be Successful?.
If you’re considering different forum software options, see What Are the Top 10 Best Forum Software?.
And if you want to create a forum with a membership paywall, see How to Create a Forum with a Membership Paywall: Platform Comparison.
So, What Is the Best Way to Create a Forum Website?
There are several ways to create a forum website. You can use a hosted community platform, install standalone forum software, combine separate website and forum systems, or use website builder software with a built-in forum.
But if you want a powerful, customizable forum that you can use as the main feature of your website or as part of a larger website, UltimateWB is the best choice.
You get the forum features you need – including members, topics, polls, file attachments, spam control, and extensive customization – along with the ability to build the rest of your website in the same system.
You don’t have to piece together a forum from separate applications or give up flexibility to get an integrated solution. With UltimateWB, you can build the forum website you want and customize it to fit your needs.
Ready to design & build your own customized forum website? Learn more about UltimateWB! We also offer web design packages if you would like your website designed and built for you.
Got a techy/website question? Whether it’s about UltimateWB or another website builder, web hosting, or other aspects of websites, just send in your question in the “Ask David!” form. We will email you when the answer is posted on the UltimateWB “Ask David!” section.