Does Blog Commenting Supercharge Your SEO Strategy? It Absolutely Does!

Once upon a time, not too long ago, blog commenting for SEO had completely disappeared as a strategy. The only comments you could see were the spam ones selling stuff.

Now, was it due to Google’s policy of nofollow links or laziness on the bloggers’ part? I am really not sure. But somehow, bloggers collectively decided to write off this trick from their list of  SEO strategies.

And what did that lead to? People started missing out on a wonderful way of creating brands, networking, and driving traffic to websites.

So, do you want to know how you can use the blog commenting trick for supercharging your SEO? Let’s dig in.

What is Blog Commenting?

It is a simple strategy to build links and relationships with similar people in your industry.

In short, if you ask what a blog comment is, I will say that it is something like an exchange of ideas and opinions on a certain blog that lends value and extension to the topic.

If done correctly, you can drive hundreds of visitors to your website and pave the path for several link-building opportunities.

So, let me show you how to use nice blog comments for building backlinks and why they should be an integral part of your SEO strategy.

Also Read: Use Skyscraper Technique to Build High DA Backlinks to Your Content

Why You Should Start Using Blog Commenting for Your SEO

Everyone has their own set of reasons to start blog commenting. It can be for building the profile and brand or to earn some backlinks to the website.

But irrespective of what your primary goal is, once you start leaving behind nice comments on a blog, you will find yourself reaping these benefits:

• Brand Awareness

Let’s start with the basic advantage you get – more digital presence. As you leave a comment behind, the blog audience may want to get a look at your profile. And with a consistent presence on the list of blog commenters, you can slowly build your brand awareness.

What’s more? When your comments add value to the topic that is being discussed, people will start noticing you.

And if you choose the right blogs in the right niche, you will be able to leave an impression on your potential customers. So, even if they don’t reply, they’ll definitely consider this the next time you appear on their search results.

• Building Relationships

Commenting on blogs will at least ensure that you get a brief once-over from the writer, especially when you share your experiences or expertise that builds your credibility. 

Consistently appearing in their comments section is a good way to get on their radar. This will gradually help you forge strong relationships with other bloggers or site administrators.

• Direct Traffic

Comments with links, especially a well-written one that entices readers to know more about the topic, can lead them to your website. But make sure you are genuine about the information and don’t just spam the comment with links.

Another reason for people to check your page is your expertise in the subject matter. So, if you know something more that can add value to the content, don’t shy away from mentioning the same with your name and webpage link.

There are other benefits of using a blog comment section too, like generating new ideas, staying up to date with your industry trends, and recognizing new opportunities.

But for me, the top benefit is the link-building opportunity and the traffic that comes back to my website.

With so many benefits, why do people refrain from leaving comments on other people’s blogs?

Because it has one problem. If you don’t do it the right way, this trick might end up hurting your reputation.

So, what is the right way? Let’s find out.

Types of Blog Commenters

Before we find out how to indulge in blog commenting services, let’s take a look at the 4 common types of blog commenters, and which ones you shouldn’t belong to.

• The Spammers

I don’t need to explain them much. We have all come across spammers one time or the other.

These are people who leave behind comments that are irrelevant and completely stuffed with keywords and links. It is a fruitless attempt to scale their rankings on search results pages.

Basically, there’s nothing much to say about them, as they are spammers, and any serious blogger should identify them as such.

• The Self-Promoters

They are the ones who make some effort to manually leave behind their comments (and at times their comments are relevant to the topic). But they make their intentions too obvious – which is to promote their websites and get a link back.

Also Read: 21 Proven Hacks To Promote Your Blog and Get Traffic Faster

For example, their comments don’t have personal names, but rather look something like ‘Maldives Accommodation’ or ‘Best Protein Supplements’ etc. Moreover, they might just leave comments like ‘nice post’ and a link back to their website. Or they might also comment on something controversial to grab attention.

In short, this group of commenters is often irrelevant, impersonal, self-promotional, and adds no value to the content.

• The Ones That Add Value

This groups consists of people who are doing it right (at least according to me).

They read the blog, have something to say that contributes to the topic, and adds to the conversation.

It may be a story, an example, or simply their point of view – but this allows the blog commenters to build their profile. And at times, the audience may follow the commenter back to their weblink (so cheers!).

Though this group may leave behind fewer comments, it is the most effective of all the groups.

• The Anonymous Value Provider

The last group is composed of commenters who provide value, but for some reason do not promote themselves.

There’s nothing wrong with this group apart from one thing – this method won’t do anything for your SEO. So, if you are interested in blog commenting to power up your SEO, it’s better to avoid this group.

Also Read: Grow Your Brand Community with Facebook Group Marketing

How to Write Effective Blog Comments?

Writing effective and perfect blog comments depends on a few factors. If you are short on time, here’s an overview:

• Setting up the basics
• Right website
• Right time
• Right length
• Right questions
• Create discussions
• Mix and match ideas

Now, let me explain to you what they mean.

Step 1: Setting Up the Basics

The first thing you need to do is set up your profile even before you start looking for blogs to comment on.

You may not be aware of it, but having a Gravatar profile can have a huge impact on the credibility of your comments. So, set up an account with them.

Make sure that you provide the correct links, social media handles, and other information while setting up the account.

Or else, you can set up a similar profile on other commenting platforms like Disqus, etc.

Step 2: Looking for the Right Website

When people start commenting, they think that any site or blog is a good place. But you cannot be more wrong.

You should be specific about the website you choose. This will help you focus on building a relationship with specific bloggers over a time period. And that will ensure you get better returns.

Also, if you focus on commenting on blogs with topics related to your expertise, it will help you create the desired hype.

For example, if your blogs are around social media marketing techniques, then the topics you should focus on are:

• Productivity
• Posting schedule
• Content creation
• Apps to help social media marketing

So, how to find blog commenting sites?

Well, you can use any tool or platform in the market that helps in searching for blogs similar to your expertise. For me, it is Feedly. I can find high-ranking websites related to my blog topics here.

And once I find these websites, the next thing to do is keep a tab on them. And look for any opportunity in the new blogs that they post every morning.

Step 3: Commenting at the Right Time

Experts usually stress on how important it is to comment as soon as a blog gets published. The higher up your comment is, the more return you can expect.

And if you only believe in stats, then Neil Patel’s experiment will help you with the proof that the sooner he commented on a blog, the more traffic he received.

So, the best time to comment is when there are not more than 5 comments on a post.

Though you could comment later, especially if the comments made before are one-liners (more on this later), results will start diminishing. 

Step 4: Writing A Comment of the Right Length

Another thing that Neil Patel’s test proved was that one-liner comments are no good. They hardly bring any traffic or conversions.

But once you write a comment around 4-17 sentences long, and add value to the conversation, it will give you more results.

Also, if you think that a comment is getting a bit long due to more value, make sure to break it down for better readability. After all, no one wants to read a huge chunk of text in the comments section.

Step 5: Asking the Right Questions

The best way to do this is by taking a portion of the blog and asking a related question. But make sure that the question continues the discussion and gives it depth.

Another tip is to think about these two concepts before asking the question:

• Does it add depth to the topic written?
• Does it answer readers’ questions?

While asking the question, you should also look forward to creating a topic open for more discussion.

Few Tips to Leave Perfect Comments on Blogs

So, by now, you know about the steps to write a comment. But here are a few bonus tips that will help your comments stand out and increase response rates.

• Personal – Being personal and aiming comments towards the author is the easiest and most effective way to get a response.
• Use Humor – Try humor to make the conversation look real and grab some attention.
• Take Interest – Ask real questions and not just for the sake of doing it. Taking real interest is the key.
• Example – Share an example that explains the point the author is trying to make.
• Add a Point – Add some point that the blogger might have missed but you think it might be useful for the audience.
• Disagree – Courteously disagreeing and then explaining why you disagree can be a real discussion starter and help you grab attention too. But you need to limit this strategy to a minimum for building a positive profile.
• Break it Down – Imagine how your comment will look on the page. No one wants to read a lot of text. So, list down your points or write small paragraphs to explain the point.

Things to Avoid While Using Blog Commenting for SEO

You may be tempted to use all the tricks and techniques to get the audience back to your website – but stop right there. That’s a complete no-no.

And with that, here’s a list of things you need to avoid while writing comments on other websites.

• Using Signature, A Little Too Many Times – This was famous a few years back, but do not try it now. Just rely on link space that bloggers allow you to. That should do the trick.
• Excessive Use of Links – Use the link of the page that is relevant to the comment and the post. But do that only once in a while and not in every comment you post.
• Not Reading the Blog – Always take time to read the blog before you comment. In fact, I would suggest you read 2-3 more blogs of the author before you comment on anything. This will help in making your comment valuable, genuine and personal.
• One/Two Words Comment – It is good when you appreciate the work and say so. But the blogger would like to know more about it. For example, why do you think it is a great post?
• Not Adding Value for the Audience – Remember, your goal is to entice the audience to visit your weblink too. So, if you do not add any value for the audience, why will they visit your page?

Lastly, understand that you should leave behind comments because you genuinely think that’s a good response to the blog. It shouldn’t be just a strategic move.

Summing It Up 

According to experts, a content marketer should be where attention is. And, trust me, there’s a lot of attention in your niche (especially on the big blogs).

While your competitors are still using their traditional SEO tricks, why don’t you jump the gun and gain some benefit with commenting?

So, when are you starting? And which blog commenting practices are you planning to use? Let me know. 

Need more guidance to get blog commenting right? Get in touch with our SEO experts.