I have received a few question or come across questions at other forum where people are asking for advice on how to value a forum they are considering buying. In my book, here are some of the most important factors that will determine the cost of a forum.

  • What forum software powers the site? (vBulletin for example cost almost $200 whilst phpBB is free).
  • Niche of the forum (A Finance or Gambling forum for example is more valuable than a computer games forum).
  • Number of current members.
  • Number of threads.
  • Number of posts.
  • Does the forum rank well in SERPs for the keyword the forum is about?.
  • Does it have any income, if yes, how much?
  • How much advert does the current user have on other sites?
  • What is the pagerank of the homepage, do sub pages have page rank as well?
  • Does the forum rank number1 for its own name?
  • What is the atmosphere like in the forum?