Does Blog Commenting Help SEO?

By Ian | Blogging

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Blog commenting is a strategy that has been widely used over the years. When its popularity exploded, people took advantage of this strategy to build backlinks, which soon got out of control because people started to leave comments for the sole purpose of building links instead of adding value. 

Google soon caught on to this unethical practice and introduced the nofollow attribute that can be applied to every blog comment. The nofollow attribute tells Google not to follow a link or drive any “SEO value” to a URL left within a comment. 

Along with Akismet, a WordPress plugin that helps filter out spam, Google helped to resolve the spam problem.

But does blog commenting still help SEO? 

Maximizing Blog Comments for SEO PurposesSEO

The basic relationship between blog comments and SEO is simple: when someone comments on an article or blog post, they can usually add a link to their own website. In SEO jargon, this is called a backlink.

Unless the website owner has told Google NOT to pay attention to backlinks (thus, the nofollow attribute), the commenter will earn a little bit of what’s referred to in the industry as “link juice.”

There’s an exception, though – some websites don’t allow links in comments. So, if you leave a comment with a link to your blog on a website that has the nofollow attribute turned on, then that comment won’t help with your SEO. 

It’s understandable why some websites have this feature — they’ve been victimized by spam. Some websites are overrun by useless, pointless, and annoying comments that are left for the sole purpose of link building.

Choose Relevant Websites

To strategize your blog commenting plan, look for websites with a “dofollow” attribute. This can be done by simply googling “dofollow blogs.” Keep in mind that there are websites that claim that they’re “dofollow,” but in reality are not.

“So how do I strategize my blog commenting plan?”

Don’t use blog commenting as a link building strategy.

The purpose of blog commenting has changed, but it’s still relevant. Look for websites that are related to your niche. Read articles and blog posts and share thoughtful insights in the comments section. Add value to the conversation.

Other users who see your comments might look you up and stumble upon your website. 

Don’t Simply Advertise

Avoid leaving a comment for the sake of advertising your product. That’s just rude and will get your comment instantly deleted.

This is unprofessional. The best practice is to only mention your products when asked.

Stop Focusing on Anchor Text

Anchor text is the clickable text in a hyperlink. You tend to want to hit target keywords with anchor text, but don’t focus on this when commenting on other blogs. Instead, use naked or branded links.

A naked link is the URL itself (e.g., www.stoppingscams.com) while branded links contain the name of the business (e.g., Stopping Scams). Both types of links are transparent and straightforward, which is why you should stick to either whenever you link to your blog.

Blog Commenting Isn’t Useless

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Although blog commenting as a strategy for link building has now become almost obsolete, it doesn’t mean that it’s completely useless. Blog commenting can still be used as an effective marketing strategy as long as you always remember these main points:

  • Choose relevant websites
  • Don’t simply advertise
  • Stop focusing on anchor text

If you comment on other blogs expecting good SEO results, you’re going to be greatly disappointed. On the other hand, if you use comments as a means for lead generation, then you’re on the right path.

About the Author

I've been in internet marketing for over 10 years, and I've purchased dozens of illegitimate products for the sole purpose of evaluating them and exposing the truth about these products to anyone who's thinking about purchasing it. I never let money influence my rating of a product and your success/safety is my absolute highest priority. Don't want to buy a product? Register for one of my 100% free internet marketing training courses>>

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