Is blog commenting still effective today?
The majority on the internet today will say blog commenting is dead. They are right to a certain extent. Let us discuss the pros and cons in this article. It boils down to using commenting for leverage, if done right. Done wrong, it can backfire very badly.
Blog Commenting From SEO Perspective
Anyone who has even dabbled in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) knows Google is the big Kahuna that sets the rules in the search industry. Their algorithms determine who ranks at the top of search results on Google.
The comments allow users to put in their name (hyperlinked to go to their web site) and content they can add to the blog post discussion. These backlinks do not pass link juice to the commenter’s site. Such links are called nofollow links. In terms of SEO, comments carry no value and do not assist in the ranking of the commenter’s site.
Blog Commenting From Human Perspective
The state of the web in its current form is an evolution over 25 years. In the decade starting in year 2000, towards the latter part of that decade, blog commenting was extremely popular. The links in the blog comments section carried good SEO value.
The problem with search engine optimization is that once there is a tangible feature that can be exploited to game the search engines and gain rankings at the top, it inevitably gets abused to a point of no return. This is what spammers, black hat link builders, spam bots and even SEO professionals ended up doing to comments that Google stripped it of any value.
Poor Quality Blog Comments With Keyword Rich Profile Links Are Worthless
Yes, this can be true if the commenter adopts his/her profile name with his/her business specific keyword. Instead of John Doe, the profile name becomes Organic Gardening. That’s some name for a human being.
On top of this, comments like Nice job buddy or Cool blog post or something along these lines, in response to a serious top quality blog post about soil types that are conducive for optimized plant growth, is not going to make the cut. This results in comment spam in all its g(l)ory.
How To Make Effective Comments Today
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Add Quality To The Conversation
If you are knowledgeable in your domain of specialization, then frequent the top blogs specific to your niche. Read through the blog post top to bottom. Add value to the conversation by leaving a detailed comment and posing questions. Other readers will gain value and will also be curious to know who you are. They click on your link profile and end up on your site.
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Comments Of Value Are Great Traffic Sources
Standing out with a genuine sensible comment is not hard. If this blog post ranks well on Google, your top quality comment is going to be a perennial source of targeted traffic flow from users in your niche. You can’t beat this.
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Build Long Term Relationships
If the popular author takes note of your “quality’ comment, she/he is bound to reply to your comment and perhaps you may grow a good relationship with an influencer, leading to guest posting on her/his blog in future.
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Use RSS To Be The First To Comment On Blog Posts
With blog comments, the order of commenting stays for good. Just like the early bird that gets the worm, you have to be fast and make a comment as soon as the article is published. The best way to do this is to subscribe to the RSS feeds of blogs that are of interest to you. You get notified the minute an article is published on such sites and you get to become the early bird who comments first.
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Use Your Genuine Name
Use your full genuine name when commenting. This becomes the clickable link to bring visitors to your site. Use John Doe and not Organic Gardening. This helps build your name as an authority in your niche and culminates in your name becoming a brand in its own right.
Comments As UGC A Strong Signal For Search Engines
When you network with other bloggers in your niche, when you post useful quality comment on a fellow blogger’s post, it adds value to that blogger’s site. The reverse holds true for your site when other bloggers do the same.
Comments are simple yet effective User Generated Content (UGC). This is a strong signal for search engines to gauge the engagement of visitors on your site. If you install Akismet plugin, it is the best automation to kill spam comments. With a moderated blog, the residual useful comments (the more the merrier) aid greatly in the ranking at the top of the Google SERPs.
Comments Source Of Keyword Rich Content
A user’s detailed knowledgeable comment is filled with topic rich keywords that are a directly correlated to your post’s content. It can also be a natural source of long tail keywords as well. All these bolster the intent behind the content of that article which is what search engines gauge when trying to understand the content.
Do Not Use Comments To Build Links
This is a strong negative. If your version of gaining backlinks is by posting spam comments with keyword rich crazy profile names, then it is time to get blacklisted by the search engines.
At Traffic Alignment, we offer content marketing services for small businesses that build traffic organically without adopting black hat techniques. We respect small businesses that are the true engine of the American economy and strive for excellence in offering dedicated services to small business owners without burning a hole in the pocket. Contact us today!
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