Everyone knows that blogging is an excellent strategy to share information about your industry or business and to establish trust, but it’s a one-way street in that you’re the only person doing the talking. You need to open up that other lane – and you do that by allowing blog comments. When you permit comments, you are no longer just relaying, you’re also encouraging that two-way conversation with your audience!
Are Blog Comments Good for a Blog, or Just a Time-Waster?
It’s a valid question: Do comments on blogs help in any way, and do they even still matter– especially now, when there’s a gazillion social media podiums to debate an article’s content? Well, that depends on your goals. And many still want to know this: why are blog comments great for SEO?
Many organizations are choosing to move the conversation to social media while removing blog comments, because they feel more can join in the conversation.
8 Ways that Blog Comments Can Benefit Your Marketing Efforts
However, if you’re a small organization just starting online, having a comment section is encouraged to grow your social media following. A comment section has many proven ways of being beneficial to your business. Take a look at how..
1. Direct Interaction with Your Audience
When individuals don’t have access to a human viewpoint, they find it simpler to dismiss the blog, seeing it as being from a “faceless” brand that does not care.
The blog comments section gives you the unique opportunity to do free Digital PR and link building by appearing human – and reachable. By having a comment section where you interact with readers, your actions prove to your audience that your brand believes in a two-way street!
You certainly don’t want your readers to believe you’re just another blog that blasts out the content, but is unwilling to hear what readers have to say. And if you’re attempting to expand your blog traffic, that is very important.
You can expand it further by interacting with readers. So, take the time to read the comments and answer any questions or concerns. Your goal is to show that you know what you’re talking about, and that you’re proficient in your field.
3. The Delight of Being a Regular
Everybody loves being someone that other people remember. It’s nice to go to places that you frequent, where people remember you by name, with your likes and dislikes, right? Well, your blog’s comment section is where your regulars gather.
After some time, they’ll chat with one another, and get to know each other and your blog. Your regulars can take your blog (what may be seen as a chronological posting of articles), and turn it into a discussion with every new piece you post.
In other words, consider your comment section to be your own personal coffee shop where your readers gather for conversations on your latest topic.
4. Makes Following Conversations Easier
While it’s true that social media is indeed the world’s platform for conversations, it’s also true that these conversations last a very short time. That is because chit-chat on social media fades as the topics change.
What’s even more important to note is that one conversation taking place in several places becomes diluted, fragmented, and tough to follow. Various people may be saying some good stuff about your content on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, but you don’t always know it, and that can be frustrating.
Therefore, adding a comment section makes it simpler for those who find your content to tag along and understand how the conversation goes. There are options you can try to help bring discussions to your blog from the outside world, such as Livefyre and Disqus. These programs tie your comments into the social buzz.
5. Build Your Own Community
As odd as this sounds, you do not own or cannot control your presence on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Platforms such as these come and go, but your blog, however, is yours forever! If you rely on social networks for conversations on your content, what will you do when these data silos pack up and move? All your hard work and great content would be gone forever, and you’d have to start over. That really does not sound comforting, does it?
6. Social Proof of Your Content
When you see a crowd somewhere, your natural instinct is to go check out what’s so exciting, right? The same goes for a blog. When people see you have a crowd, they’ll want to see what you’re posting that’s so great.
Additionally, they’ll be enticed to join in because there are plenty of others in the conversation. That is social proof: When you see a crowd, you believe there is something fantastic happening there – just like in the outside world.
If you add a comment section, be certain you do all you can to encourage readers to add to the comments. Naturally, this will help boost even more comments!
7. A Great Way to Gather New Ideas for Fresh Content
When you’re searching for new content ideas, the comments themselves are an excellent “library” for idea generation. Take advantage of the additional advice, the questions, and various tips that readers offer to create new exciting posts for your blog.
8. How Comments Can Boost Your SEO
Comments from readers are not merely beneficial to your marketing efforts. Comments can make all the difference in your SEO efforts too. By now you understand how Google works, and how much it loves high-quality content. That refers not only to the content you generate, it also means the content your readers produce – meaning their comments.
Google views your readers’ comments as part of the content, and a positive signal when they are engaging and insightful to the conversation. Great comments are a positive thing for a blog.
Watch Closely – Comments Can Turn Spammy
Just as you make sure your post content is high-quality and adds value to the conversation, you also need to be aware of the comments you receive. While good comments boost a site in search engine results, poor comments can do the opposite – and project a negative impression of your website.
If you allow “get rich quick” spam messages that are auto-approved, both people and Google will perceive your blog to be a low-quality website. For this reason, it is vital to review your comments regularly and reject those low-quality spammy comments that bring your reviews down.
Keep the comments interesting and useful so they will add value to the conversations, and keep readers joining the topic.
Embrace the Power of Blog Comments!
If you’re blogging for a living, understand that true value results from a community discussion that leads to emotional, loyal connection. You cannot accomplish that if you’re stopping your audience from networking with each other – and you – on your blog. If you have a fear of comment issues, consider moderating the lower-quality ones rather than removing them altogether.
Now that you understand just why blog comments are actually great for SEO, it’s time to choose some great topics and engage with your audience. Guard against spam and cultivate quality content, and see just how much fun – and how many benefits – you can harvest from this back-and-forth interaction!
Created in a joint partnership with Advice Local, this guide — What You Need to Know About SEO — provides an introduction to SEO concepts, strategies and best
practices for optimizing a website. Complete the form below and get instant access.
“Rocks Digital knows how to build local business websites that convert prospects to customers. Not only do I recommend them to work on my reputation management client’s websites, but they work on the Reputation Sensei brand, too.”
“Rocks Digital customizes to meet their client’s needs. We needed our existing website optimized for search. We are now placing for more industry keywords and continue to improve. They consult with our in-house team on content optimization, manage our GMB listing & more.”
“Rocks Digital manages not only the Association of Directory Publishers website, but our Trusted Local Directory. From helping us get our event information on the website to producing guides, blogs and new content, they have what it takes.”
“As a long-term client, when it was time to change the primary focus of my real estate business, and my website, I knew Rocks Digital was the way to go. They took my existing website, gave it a complete new look, and still managed to keep my existing content.”
“Rocks Digital came highly recommended. Once I started working with them I knew why. They took my ideas for a beautiful website and brought them to the screen. From the design phase to content creation, each component was thoughtfully considered and addressed.”
“Rocks Digital manages two of my websites. They produce our blogs, our service pages and manage our paid search campaigns. Conversions are up and new patients are coming in the door. I highly recommend their digital marketing services.”
“We shifted to Rocks Digital agency services earlier in the year. We are so glad we did. Our website sessions are up, page views are up, and bounce rate is down. Now we can easily see how many form fills we have had at any given time through their real-time reporting.”
“Rocks Digital knows how to build local business websites that convert prospects to customers. Not only do I recommend them to work on my reputation management client’s websites, but they work on the Reputation Sensei brand, too.”
“Rocks Digital customizes to meet their client’s needs. We needed our existing website optimized for search. We are now placing for more industry keywords and continue to improve. They consult with our in-house team on content optimization, manage our GMB listing & more.”
“Rocks Digital manages not only the Association of Directory Publishers website, but our Trusted Local Directory. From helping us get our event information on the website to producing guides, blogs and new content, they have what it takes.”
Local SEO is a digital marketing strategy focused on boosting a business’ local search visibility within a particular area. With the successful implementation of proven
Staying ahead of search engine updates and marketing trends is a constant challenge, so it’s no surprise that businesses frequently turn to digital marketing agencies.
A common misconception among business owners is that creating and optimizing a Google Business Profile (GBP) is a set-it-and-forget-it task but unfortunately, that’s far from
Is your Google My Business listing helping or hurting you? Is bad data causing consumers and search engines to lose trust in your business? This is information you simply must know.
To get these answers right now, just enter your business name below to run our FREE visibility report.
Need a facelift
for your website?
More search traffic?
Need to blog, but don’t
have time?
ROCKS DIGITAL BLOG
Get a Boost from Blog Comments – Here’s 8 Reasons to Use the Comment Section
Everyone knows that blogging is an excellent strategy to share information about your industry or business and to establish trust, but it’s a one-way street in that you’re the only person doing the talking. You need to open up that other lane – and you do that by allowing blog comments. When you permit comments, you are no longer just relaying, you’re also encouraging that two-way conversation with your audience!
Are Blog Comments Good for a Blog, or Just a Time-Waster?
It’s a valid question: Do comments on blogs help in any way, and do they even still matter– especially now, when there’s a gazillion social media podiums to debate an article’s content? Well, that depends on your goals. And many still want to know this: why are blog comments great for SEO?
Many organizations are choosing to move the conversation to social media while removing blog comments, because they feel more can join in the conversation.
8 Ways that Blog Comments Can Benefit Your Marketing Efforts
However, if you’re a small organization just starting online, having a comment section is encouraged to grow your social media following. A comment section has many proven ways of being beneficial to your business. Take a look at how..
1. Direct Interaction with Your Audience
When individuals don’t have access to a human viewpoint, they find it simpler to dismiss the blog, seeing it as being from a “faceless” brand that does not care.
The blog comments section gives you the unique opportunity to do free Digital PR and link building by appearing human – and reachable. By having a comment section where you interact with readers, your actions prove to your audience that your brand believes in a two-way street!
You certainly don’t want your readers to believe you’re just another blog that blasts out the content, but is unwilling to hear what readers have to say. And if you’re attempting to expand your blog traffic, that is very important.
2. Build Authority into Your Blog
When you run across a blog with a large number of comments, this typically indicates a specific authority. However, authority is not established merely by publishing a fantastic post and getting tons of comments from readers.
You can expand it further by interacting with readers. So, take the time to read the comments and answer any questions or concerns. Your goal is to show that you know what you’re talking about, and that you’re proficient in your field.
3. The Delight of Being a Regular
Everybody loves being someone that other people remember. It’s nice to go to places that you frequent, where people remember you by name, with your likes and dislikes, right? Well, your blog’s comment section is where your regulars gather.
After some time, they’ll chat with one another, and get to know each other and your blog. Your regulars can take your blog (what may be seen as a chronological posting of articles), and turn it into a discussion with every new piece you post.
In other words, consider your comment section to be your own personal coffee shop where your readers gather for conversations on your latest topic.
4. Makes Following Conversations Easier
While it’s true that social media is indeed the world’s platform for conversations, it’s also true that these conversations last a very short time. That is because chit-chat on social media fades as the topics change.
What’s even more important to note is that one conversation taking place in several places becomes diluted, fragmented, and tough to follow. Various people may be saying some good stuff about your content on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, but you don’t always know it, and that can be frustrating.
Therefore, adding a comment section makes it simpler for those who find your content to tag along and understand how the conversation goes. There are options you can try to help bring discussions to your blog from the outside world, such as Livefyre and Disqus. These programs tie your comments into the social buzz.
5. Build Your Own Community
As odd as this sounds, you do not own or cannot control your presence on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Platforms such as these come and go, but your blog, however, is yours forever! If you rely on social networks for conversations on your content, what will you do when these data silos pack up and move? All your hard work and great content would be gone forever, and you’d have to start over. That really does not sound comforting, does it?
6. Social Proof of Your Content
When you see a crowd somewhere, your natural instinct is to go check out what’s so exciting, right? The same goes for a blog. When people see you have a crowd, they’ll want to see what you’re posting that’s so great.
Additionally, they’ll be enticed to join in because there are plenty of others in the conversation. That is social proof: When you see a crowd, you believe there is something fantastic happening there – just like in the outside world.
If you add a comment section, be certain you do all you can to encourage readers to add to the comments. Naturally, this will help boost even more comments!
7. A Great Way to Gather New Ideas for Fresh Content
When you’re searching for new content ideas, the comments themselves are an excellent “library” for idea generation. Take advantage of the additional advice, the questions, and various tips that readers offer to create new exciting posts for your blog.
8. How Comments Can Boost Your SEO
Comments from readers are not merely beneficial to your marketing efforts. Comments can make all the difference in your SEO efforts too. By now you understand how Google works, and how much it loves high-quality content. That refers not only to the content you generate, it also means the content your readers produce – meaning their comments.
Google views your readers’ comments as part of the content, and a positive signal when they are engaging and insightful to the conversation. Great comments are a positive thing for a blog.
Watch Closely – Comments Can Turn Spammy
Just as you make sure your post content is high-quality and adds value to the conversation, you also need to be aware of the comments you receive. While good comments boost a site in search engine results, poor comments can do the opposite – and project a negative impression of your website.
If you allow “get rich quick” spam messages that are auto-approved, both people and Google will perceive your blog to be a low-quality website. For this reason, it is vital to review your comments regularly and reject those low-quality spammy comments that bring your reviews down.
Keep the comments interesting and useful so they will add value to the conversations, and keep readers joining the topic.
Embrace the Power of Blog Comments!
If you’re blogging for a living, understand that true value results from a community discussion that leads to emotional, loyal connection. You cannot accomplish that if you’re stopping your audience from networking with each other – and you – on your blog. If you have a fear of comment issues, consider moderating the lower-quality ones rather than removing them altogether.
Now that you understand just why blog comments are actually great for SEO, it’s time to choose some great topics and engage with your audience. Guard against spam and cultivate quality content, and see just how much fun – and how many benefits – you can harvest from this back-and-forth interaction!
Click To Tweet
Think it’s time to expand your one-way street and allow two-way conversation? Do share your own valuable comments or concerns in the comment section!
Bradley Shaw
Bradley Shaw is your Local SEO Expert since 1997. He has a proven track record of driving over $100 million in sales.
More Posts
Download Our SEO Guide
ROCKING DIGITAL SERVICES
Web Design & Development
Your website needs to be aesthetically pleasing and functional. We build websites for desktop and mobile that are both.
LOCAL SEARCH & SEO
Your website needs to attract search engines and consumers. We are experts in local search and SEO, and can make that happen.
CONTENT CREATION & MARKETING
Anybody can write words on a page, but can they write content that integrates SEO best practices and converts? We can.
PPC & Paid Search
Need more customers? We create paid campaigns to reach your target audience and increase sales.
Tracking & Optimization
You need a solid foundation for success online, and our tracking & optimization services get it done.
Graphic Design Services
From logo design to your business card, brochures – and everything in-between for print & web – we can help!
Here’s What Our Client's Have to Say
Their Local Business Websites Rock
They Customize Their Solutions
Highly Recommend
Rocks Digital Is the Best Choice
Brought My Ideas to Fruition
Conversions Are on the Rise
Agency Services Are Top Notch
Their Local Business Websites Rock
They Customize Their Solutions
Highly Recommend
LATEST BLOG POSTS
What Does a Local SEO Company Do?
Local SEO is a digital marketing strategy focused on boosting a business’ local search visibility within a particular area. With the successful implementation of proven
Why Hire a Digital Marketing Agency
Staying ahead of search engine updates and marketing trends is a constant challenge, so it’s no surprise that businesses frequently turn to digital marketing agencies.
Why Hire a Google Business Profile Optimization Service
A common misconception among business owners is that creating and optimizing a Google Business Profile (GBP) is a set-it-and-forget-it task but unfortunately, that’s far from
Browse Our Blog By Category
Local Search and SEO
Social Media
Mobile and Web
Branding and Marketing
Biz Tips
Ebooks and How Tos
LOCAL VISIBILITY REPORT
Is your Google My Business listing helping or hurting you? Is bad data causing consumers and search engines to lose trust in your business? This is information you simply must know.
To get these answers right now, just enter your business name below to run our FREE
visibility report.
Need a facelift
for your website? More search traffic? Need to blog, but don’t have time?