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Blog Commenting for SEO
Anyone who has been doing SEO for a while likely knows how blog commenting has traditionally been one of the more popular link building strategies.
Unfortunately due to changes Google has been making, it definitely isn’t as effective as it once was.
Google Cracking Down on Blog Commenting
With the influx of spam blog comments, it was just a matter of time until Google devalued these kinds of backlinks. By giving credit for blog comment links, Google was giving spammers incentive to pollute blogs with lousy comments. I’m sure you’ve seen the blog posts with dozens of generic comments thanking the author or telling them they like the writing style.
In short, if a link is extremely easy to acquire, it is usually less beneficial for SEO. Since some blogs auto-approve comments, commenting certainly fits the bill.
Google may still technically give credit for these links, but they sure don’t help as much as they previously did. There’s no way that you’ll power rankings with this strategy alone.
So Does That Mean Commenting Is Pointless for SEO?
Well if that was the case, we could cut this article short. The truth is that there are still benefits to continue commenting on blogs.
Here are some of the reasons that you should keep on commenting as part of your marketing strategy:
Google is Not the Only Search Engine: this may be easy to forget but there are still other search engines that can send you traffic. In most instances, these other search engines aren’t as picky about how you build your backlinks…at least not yet anyway.
Top Commentator and Recent Comment Widgets: Comments at the end of a blog post may be easy enough for Google to detect and devalue, however, things change when the blogger uses any widgets that give commenters a link elsewhere on their blog. Google may have already devalued links from common areas that these widgets are displayed, but it can still result in extra exposure.
Direct Traffic: Many SEO pros get caught up chasing search engine rankings and overlook direct traffic that their link building can generate. While targeted search engine traffic is quite valuable, remember that the visitors on niche related sites are also your target market. Traffic coming from your comments could very well turn into sales.
Brand Recognition: Ideally you are doing commenting within your niche so that you are getting your brand name in front of potential visitors to your website. Even if they don’t click on your comment links, having your brand name hammered home can help with developing trust and closing sales. Later when they go to make a purhase they may recall your brand name.
Making Inroads with Bloggers: This is probably where most website marketers totally miss the mark with blog commenting. They fail to realize that bloggers can help them in all other kinds of ways. The trick is to break the ice and then get on their good side. From there you might be able to score guest posts, social media shares or other links.
So even when comment links were helping SEO directly, most marketing pros weren’t getting full value of their efforts. By making better quality comments and getting in touch with the bloggers, we can take blog commenting to the next level. What’s your excuse?
Author Bio: Jeremy Biberdorf is an SEO pro by day, blogger by night. Check out his blog Modest Money for all your personal finance needs: quality money management advice, investment tips, learning how to compare gas credit cards and review of financial products such as this: Prosper Loans Investing Review
