The Ultimate Guide Of Blog Commenting For SEO: Its Importance & Benefits

If you’ve ever read a blog post, book, eBook, or attended a conference session on “getting readers for your blog,” you’ve probably heard the following advice:

“Comment on other blogs.”

It was the first piece of advice on increasing readership that I can recall reading, and I have since heard (and given) it countless times.

Many people say that “commenting on blogs is no longer effective in SEO”, “If you comment a lot on blogs then google will penalize you for spam”, etc. In short, they argue that building links from comments on other websites and blogs is no longer effective, otherwise it makes the website ranking drop.

But many experts believe that if used properly, commenting on other blogs will still work well for SEO. It also contributes to building the relationship between bloggers.

So how does this really work? In this article we will discuss blog commenting and consider whether to use commenting blogs or not? Should you use the Exact match keywords to create a backlink pointing to your site, … I will help you understand more about this issue.

Is link building still a whitehat SEO technique?

Whitehat SEO, which means not using any tricks to bypass Google for ranking on search results. What you have to do is create valuable content, and somehow promote this content to everyone, creating good signals on your website.

Google will rely on a lot of different algorithms and factors to check if your content is good? And backlink is one of these factors. If your content is good, many people will share it on social networks, forums, websites and other blogs, etc. This sharing has created backlinks. So backlink is an important factor for Google to rely on to evaluate the content of your website.

So, creating your own backlink, which means you are faking the process. And your SEO method is no longer whitehat. Depending on how you build those backlinks, we will divide it into grayhat and blackhat.

However, when we talk about link building techniques in SEO, it is different. This technique can completely proceed in the method of 100% whitehat. With this technique, the backlinks pointing to your site fully comply with Google’s regulations.

For blog commenting, you might wonder:

“I read an article on another blog, I want to leave a comment in that post. And in the comment section, I enter my name, my website to let that blog owner as well as other readers know where I come from. So does Google think I am creating backlinks myself, and did I accidentally apply gray hat methods in SEO?“

The answer will be shortly.

You can completely comment on other blogs without worry, even with blogs in other fields with your website. But keep in mind the following points!

Comments on Other People’s Blogs Having Issues

The issue with using blog comments as a traffic-boosting strategy is that, if done incorrectly, they can really harm your blog’s reputation and brand in addition to having many positive effects. See more below on that.

You can get some tips on how to comment well and what to avoid from this page.

Is blog commenting still effective in 2022?

Many people believe that blog commenting (especially from sites that allow commenting with dofollow links) are very beneficial for SEO.

But in my opinion, its impact on SEO at the present time is very difficult to quantify. It is just a small algorithm like hundreds of other Google algorithms to evaluate the quality of your website content.

Related post: Things you needs to do after a Google algorithm update

I think its direct impact on SEO is minimal and there are no documents that confirm this. All views on the internet are predictable. But if I talk about indirect effects on SEO, I think there is definitely.

Blog commenting can help you a lot in building websites and creating many opportunities for collaboration, connection, community building. The two main benefits that can be mentioned are:

Connect more with other bloggers: There are many bloggers who know each other through comments on their websites. And they can collaborate by exchanging guest blogs or pushing traffic back and forth, creating backlinks for each other through posts … this is definitely good for SEO.

Later they may be colleagues with you in a new project. Especially in making money online, affiliate marketing, there are many bloggers who know each other through websites… because the website is usually built by themselves, every comment or interaction is managed by them.

You can get free traffic through comments: If your comment is good, many other readers will want to find out who you are, which site you own. They will click on the link in your name to visit the website, so you can indirectly attract traffic from other blogs to your blog.

But notice that you should comment naturally as I suggested, If you abuse blog commenting to build backlinks, it will soon be discovered by Google. And backlinks from blogs do not bring much value for SEO, so try to use blog comments to build reputation and relationships rather than to build backlinks.

In particular, stay away from tools that support mass comment creation!

7 Advantages of Commenting on Other People’s Blogs

1. Creating your own profile – getting noticed by posting a comment. Making a thoughtful comment can get people’s attention.
2. Putting your knowledge to use by sharing your experiences or your knowledge will help you establish credibility.
3. Getting to know other bloggers: Leaving a comment can frequently be a terrific method to catch someone else’s attention.
4. Increasing the number of people who visit your blog — As a consequence of your interaction, you frequently attract new readers.
5. Idea generation – You frequently come up with ideas for your own blog entries when you participate in discussions in other blogs’ comments.
6. Maintaining my mental acuity – I’ve found that reading and leaving comments on other blogs is an useful daily practice to keep me informed about developments in my field and stimulate my interest in the subjects I write about. It’s also an excellent way to practice writing!
7. Opportunities Could Follow: Just last week, I invited someone to write a guest post after they left a comment on my photography blog that I found to be incredibly wise. Actually, now that I think about it, one of our top-selling eBook authors on dPS originally came to my attention through a fantastic blog comment. You never know where a clever comment will go!

4 Categories of Commenters

I’ve observed a wide range of commenting strategies during the past ten years on blogs. Most of us, I believe, fall somewhere along this spectrum.

1. Ones who spam

They write irrelevant comments on your page that are jam-packed with links that are rich in keywords in an effort to rank for those terms in Google, and we’ve all seen them. These are frequently automatically created spam systems that never function anyway since they are detected in your spam filters.

The validity of these comments isn’t really up for question; any blogger with half a brain would flag them as spam.

2. The self-promotional spammer

At the other end of the spectrum, we get commenters who typically at least make the effort to manually submit their comments and who occasionally even make the effort to keep them somewhat on topic (sometimes).

However, it is very clear from their comments that they are merely attempting to gain a link to boost their search rankings or gain a few additional clicks to their website.

This group employs a number of revealing techniques that reveal their true motivations.

One example is that people frequently don’t write comments with their names attached, instead using names like “Best Dog Biscuits” or “Hawaii Accommodation.”

Additionally, they seldom ever contribute anything to the debate other than meaningless “nice post” remarks. Alternately, this group will occasionally engage in contentious behavior in an effort to garner attention (such as criticizing the author or other comments), hoping that people will be curious enough to check them out.

Additionally, they frequently include links in their comments that have no bearing on the topic.

In a nutshell, this group is impersonal, irrelevant, adds nothing, and promotes itself.

Even while spam filters occasionally miss these comments, most bloggers will delete them as soon as they are identified. Given that most sites use nofollow links in comments, which eliminate any search ranking benefits, plus the fact that their links are so plainly spammy, it is unlikely that the comments actually assist the commenter.

3. The commenter who establishes a reputation for providing value

This commenter, in my opinion, is doing it correctly.

They obviously read the post and have worthwhile insight to share. Even though they don’t usually go on for very long or in-depth, their remarks always bring something meaningful and pertinent to the discourse.

This group might offer a tale, an example, a different viewpoint, an answer to a question, or something else of value to the blogger and their audience.

While providing value, this commenter also raises their profile and trustworthiness. They are seeking a win-win situation where the blogger and readers benefit from their comment and they also have a chance to gain exposure and recognition.

According to my observations, the most helpful of these reviewers frequently utilize a name (and where possible use a personal avatar). They often comment less than the groups mentioned above, but their comments are more impactful.

Note: Since many blogs utilize Gravatar accounts frequently for avatars, it may be worthwhile to sign up for one if you’re interested in avatars.

4. The Value Provider Who Receives Nothing in Return

On the other end of the spectrum are a select group of commenters who all strive to add value but, for one reason or another, refrain from self-promotion.

There’s nothing wrong with this, but lately I’ve noticed a few bloggers who are either too shy or too afraid of being perceived as spammers to ever post a link back to their own blog.

I can partially see the “shy” problem, but I would advise this group to understand that most writers won’t object if you leave a link back to your blog if you provide value, or they won’t have a space in their comments area for you to post a link.

One blogger I recently saw said that he never left links because he had heard that doing so could get him into trouble with Google.

I am aware that Google searches for unnatural connections, so anyone who fall into the first two types of spammers should be on the lookout, but they don’t seem to mind sincere remarks. In fact, Google’s Matt Cutts made this film on the subject.

How to Comment on Other Blogs Effectively

• Be the early bird: comments made earlier will be noticed more often than ones made later. Being the first on every single post, though, can get tiresome.
• Share an Example – expand on the blog article with an example that supports the author’s arguments.
• Add a Call: If you think the blogger has overlooked something, kindly point it out.
• Disagree. You might not want to express your disagreement politely on every comment you make, but doing so might leave a positive impression.
• Writing with conviction, emotion, and personality makes your comment stand out and demonstrates your concern for it.
• Use humor to draw readers’ attention who are skimming the comments.
• Ask a Question — I’ve always observed that folks who ask insightful questions frequently find themselves at the center of discussion in comments.
• Formatting Comments: Use caution here. You may be able to bold or italicize comments in some commenting systems. Don’t go overboard, though, as it could come out as spammy. You can post photographs to comments on commenting platforms like Disqus, which can help draw attention to your comment.
• Links That Are Beneficial: If you’re going to include a link, make sure it is highly relevant and valuable.
• The length of each comment on a post is important to consider. Leave a brief message; it will stand out. Are there any additional brief comments? Again, it will stand out if you leave a long one.
• Make lists or break it down; carefully consider how your comment will appear. Will there only be one lengthy text block? If so, think about splitting it up into smaller paragraphs or maybe making a list.

One other comment that I’ve frequently utilized is to share the URL to a blog article that you believe adds a lot of value with your own social networks.

This demonstrates to the blogger that you’re willing to communicate with them and help them market their blog (which creates a great impression). The blog article and your comment provide your readers something helpful to read, plus it demonstrates to them that you are engaged outside of your site, both of which can help build your brand.

You can go one step further by writing a blog post regarding the article you commented on. It can have a significant influence, but I’ve only ever done it a few times and only when I believe the blog article and the comment thread to be extremely valuable.

Oh, and I might add that leaving consistent comments on the same blog can be beneficial. A single, excellent comment can have an influence, but over time, this impact increases tremendously.

Tips for getting the comments that you leave on other blogs to stand out

Always use your real name to comment

Many people enter the Exact match keywords into the name section in the comment section with the thought of anchor text as Exact match keyword will make the website ranks TOP faster.

This is wrong. Google is smarter than you think. Google’s algorithms are increasingly improved, it knows how to distinguish between natural links and unusual link manipulation. In real life, no one will be named “Affiliate marketing blog”, or “best restaurants in New york”.

In the process of building this blog, I have encountered a lot of such cases. I have deleted their comments many times because I know their purpose is not to exchange and contribute ideas but to create backlinks. Even many people use tools to create a series of comments with the same content.

So if you comment on other websites and blogs, always use your real name. Your name and website will represent yourself.

Always link to your homepage

The URL section when you comment is the section where you enter the site you represent. It is the behavior you introduce your identity to the blog owner and other readers:

• My name is…
• My website is…
• I want to say…

If you fill into that the subpages or other articles, it will no longer be natural and it is likely that Google will also discover this and assume you are deliberately creating backlinks for the keywords on the subpage.

Keep the raw URL if you want to add a link into the comment

In the comment content, if you want to give a reference, or a certain article source from your site to that blog owner and see it, leave the URL intact. Do not insert links into any keywords but leave your link intact!

The comment section of most websites and blogs hides the function of inserting links into keywords. If you want to insert a link into a certain keyword in the comment, you must use a code to insert it. Depending on which source code the website is designed, that code will have different structure.

In my opinion, if you use these code, google will detect that you are deliberately creating a backlink by:

• Check the source of the website: Do not allow to insert links into anchor text
• Check your comment: Insert the link of the anchor text => Google will assume that you are deliberately creating an anchor backlink.

This is just my personal opinion, I presented it here so that you know Google can easily know if your link inside the comments is natural or unnatural. And it is best to be careful!

You can comment on blogs in other fields

For backlinks from guest posts, forums,… you need to choose source from blogs / websites in the same field as your blog. However for backlink commenting, you absolutely do not need.

Regardless of link building, when you interact, leave comments on other blogs / websites, you don’t have to choose blogs that have the same niche as your blog.

For example, if your website is about travel, but you need to improve your knowledge of WordPress, you can absolutely find blogs about WordPress to join discussions with other bloggers.

However, you should also focus on blogs with the same topic to better connect with these blog owners / websites for the purpose of creating a relationship.

Just be careful not to contribute excessively and take over the blog (see below).

What to stay away from when commenting on other blogs

I also wrote a post about how commenting on other blogs can actually damage your brand several years ago. I included a list of ten things to steer clear of (there are differing viewpoints because this did spark some debate on a few of them):

• Excessive use of signatures is a practice that was more popular a few years ago, but it entails linking to your site both in your comment and in the link field that bloggers provide.
• Excessive self-linking – Don’t leave links in every post you make; only leave links that are pertinent.
• One- or two-word comments: It’s acceptable to express gratitude and say “excellent post,” but it’s more helpful to the blogger if you explain WHY you believe the piece is great. Boost the value.
• Not Reading Posts Before Commenting—this one should go without saying. I also suggest reading the other comments that have already been made.
• Flaming and Personal Assault are bad manners. Be positive even if you disagree.
• ’Anonymous’ When flaming, put your name to whatever you have to say.
• Always Being The First To Comment — Over the years, I’ve seen a few people do this, and they always wind up irritating the blogger and other commenters. It’s not polite to constantly speak first in a conversation; listening to others is an important part of politeness.
• Dominating Comment Threads: In a manner similar to tip #7, pay attention, let others speak, and let your comments bounce off them a little.
• My personal preference is to know a person’s name when I’m chatting to them rather than using their business name. I’m aware that this one is controversial.
• Not adding anything to the Comments – This one is ultimately what it’s about. You will receive value back if you are adding value. Your brand may suffer if you don’t provide any value.

Last but not least, comment from commenting merely for the sake of commenting.

While there are several advantages to commenting Most individuals, in my opinion, get into difficulties with commenting when they merely use it as a “tactic” rather than when they are actually interested in engaging.

Further reading: 8 Blog Commenting Mistakes You Need to Avoid

Conclusion

How to do Blog Commenting Effectively?

Dos

• Comment Early
• Share an Example
• Add a point
• Respectively Disagree
• Write with personality
• Use humour
• Ask a Question
• Add Helpful Links

Don’ts

• Excessive Self-Linking
• One or Two Word Comments
• Profanity/Personal Attacks
• Keyword Stuffing
• Valueless Comments
• Commenting without reading a post
• Dominating a comment thread
• ’Anonymous’ Flaming
• Keyword Stuffed Names
• Excessive use of Signatures

You should focus on building good relationships with other bloggers by commenting instead of getting more links because the blog commenting SEO’s effect is negligible.

Even if you overuse link building with blog commenting, Google’s algorithm will keep an eye on your blog.

Let’s see what GoogleGuy said about blog commenting, he also confirmed that there is nothing to worry about when you comment and discuss naturally as I mentioned:

There is a lot of confusion in Blog commenting that many people suffer from:

• The more dofollow backlinks from blog commenting, the better
• Using Exact match keywords in comments will be good for SEO
• The main benefit of commenting is creating backlinks

Currently this knowledge is no longer true! Instead of applying blog commenting to your backlink building strategy, use it to build relationships. Create sympathy with people with your comments, they will bring traffic to you.

At this blog, I am currently using jetpack plugin to avoid spam comments. But if you want to participate in the discussion, discuss any issues, feel free to leave a comment here. I will reply as soon as possible.

I’d really appreciate your thoughts on this.

What methods of commenting have you used or observed others using that are either useful or annoying?

I’m hoping for some insightful comments on this post.