Recently we have been discussing backlinks and the benefits that they provide for your website. Backlinks are an essential part of the SEO process because they help your site’s search engine visibility and web rank. A backlink, also known as an inbound link is a link on another website that is directed to one of your web pages.
When search engines like Google determine a website’s relevance for an associated keyword, they consider the quantity and quality of inbound links to that site. Inbound links with content related to your site they are thought to be more relevant and a more valuable SEO factor. In short, websites with the most relevant content to your website will produce the best quality inbound links.
High quality links are obtained through a number of different methods, one of which is leaving comments on other blogs. In addition to looking good in the eyes of the search engines, leaving your website’s URL on industry related blogs is a good way to direct new users to your content. For several reasons however leaving blog comments will not always produce the preferred results. The following are explanations why blog comments don’t always help your search engine optimization efforts as well as some of the things you should look for when pursuing blog comment backlinks.
Why Blog Comments Sometimes Don’t Help:
The impact that blog comments have on SEO depend on both the blog’s restrictions and the type of comment that you post. Some of the reasons why the comments that you leave on blogs might not contribute to your SEO are
- If Your Comment Appears As Spam:
Most blogs require that you use a human name when leaving a comment on their posts. The name you use to post is extremely important, having a too common name or using a company name will often be ignored. Sometimes blogs will even state that you must use a real name in order for your comment to be approved, however some do not and feel that it is an implied rule. Some blogs use anti-spam filters that reject comments that use business names or slogan. Although, using a name like “Maryland’s Best SEO” may sometimes be accepted if you contribute to the conversation and provide meaningful insights. Other ways that make your comment seem like spam is only saying “nice posts” or “great tips” because it can come off like you’re only leaving that comment to gain the backlink. Another major factor when identifying spam comments is spelling and grammar. If English is not your first language or your comment is jumbled together with improper spelling or grammar mistakes it can appear as a spam and be flagged for deletion.
- If Website URL’s Are Not Allowed:
Typically when leaving a comment on a blog it will ask for four key pieces of information, your name, your email, your website URL, and your comment. In some cases though, the blog will only ask for your name along with the comment. Excluding the location to place your URL is probably a sign that the website doesn’t want people to post their URL’s on their blog. Your comments have the potential to be removed if you decide to add your URL to the comment entry area. Even though adding a URL into the comment field does not create a hyperlink the blog owner may still mark your comments as spam.
- If The Blog Comments Are “No-Follow”:
The biggest waste of effort when it comes to blog backlinks are No-Follow links. No-Follow links basically link to your site but do not pass on any value or “Link Juice”. Since these types of links do allow traffic to still visit your website they can still be helpful in that sense. However in order to attract the visitors the comments must be thought out, clearly written, and display your expertise. If you are only worried about obtaining links that pass on value then you should first look at the website’s source code to ensure that the comment links are set to “Do-Follow”.
Most of these issues can be avoided by reading the comment directions as well as the comments of other users. If the user names of the other comments are hyperlinks then you know that the blogger allows people to post their URL. To check if the URL passes juice to their website you can open the page source by right clicking and scrolling until you reach the comment section, if the there is a “No-Follow” attribute then you know that it might be a waste of time to leave a comment.
The other reasons why your blog comments might not provide any SEO value can be resolved by first building a relationship with the author of the blog. By explaining who you are, the content of your website, and why it would be beneficial to place a link on their website they might consider allowing you to place a link. Build a mutually beneficial link relationship by trying some of the following blog comment tips.
Suggestions for Leaving Positive Blog comments:
- Actually read the blogs and comments before leaving your own.
- Add Value to the conversation.
- Know what you are talking about.
- Create a descent size response (one word responses appear as spam).
- Link carefully, if allowed link to a related page on your website.
- Be respectful, don’t get personal and respond about the ideas not the person.
- Address the author by name or the other commenters by their user name.
- Create an appropriate user name.
- Spell check and proof read out loud.
- Don’t sell your services or products.
- Ask Questions to clarify any misunderstandings.
- Support your response.
Thanks for reading
Dustin
Internet Beacon
Tags: blog, blog comments, inbound link, link juice, no follow
This entry was posted
on Friday, September 23rd, 2011 at 12:29 pm and is filed under Backlinks, Blog Hints, Search Engine Optimization SEO.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Why Blog Comment Backlinks Don’t Always Help Your SEO
When search engines like Google determine a website’s relevance for an associated keyword, they consider the quantity and quality of inbound links to that site. Inbound links with content related to your site they are thought to be more relevant and a more valuable SEO factor. In short, websites with the most relevant content to your website will produce the best quality inbound links.
High quality links are obtained through a number of different methods, one of which is leaving comments on other blogs. In addition to looking good in the eyes of the search engines, leaving your website’s URL on industry related blogs is a good way to direct new users to your content. For several reasons however leaving blog comments will not always produce the preferred results. The following are explanations why blog comments don’t always help your search engine optimization efforts as well as some of the things you should look for when pursuing blog comment backlinks.
Why Blog Comments Sometimes Don’t Help:
The impact that blog comments have on SEO depend on both the blog’s restrictions and the type of comment that you post. Some of the reasons why the comments that you leave on blogs might not contribute to your SEO are
Most blogs require that you use a human name when leaving a comment on their posts. The name you use to post is extremely important, having a too common name or using a company name will often be ignored. Sometimes blogs will even state that you must use a real name in order for your comment to be approved, however some do not and feel that it is an implied rule. Some blogs use anti-spam filters that reject comments that use business names or slogan. Although, using a name like “Maryland’s Best SEO” may sometimes be accepted if you contribute to the conversation and provide meaningful insights. Other ways that make your comment seem like spam is only saying “nice posts” or “great tips” because it can come off like you’re only leaving that comment to gain the backlink. Another major factor when identifying spam comments is spelling and grammar. If English is not your first language or your comment is jumbled together with improper spelling or grammar mistakes it can appear as a spam and be flagged for deletion.
Typically when leaving a comment on a blog it will ask for four key pieces of information, your name, your email, your website URL, and your comment. In some cases though, the blog will only ask for your name along with the comment. Excluding the location to place your URL is probably a sign that the website doesn’t want people to post their URL’s on their blog. Your comments have the potential to be removed if you decide to add your URL to the comment entry area. Even though adding a URL into the comment field does not create a hyperlink the blog owner may still mark your comments as spam.
The biggest waste of effort when it comes to blog backlinks are No-Follow links. No-Follow links basically link to your site but do not pass on any value or “Link Juice”. Since these types of links do allow traffic to still visit your website they can still be helpful in that sense. However in order to attract the visitors the comments must be thought out, clearly written, and display your expertise. If you are only worried about obtaining links that pass on value then you should first look at the website’s source code to ensure that the comment links are set to “Do-Follow”.
Most of these issues can be avoided by reading the comment directions as well as the comments of other users. If the user names of the other comments are hyperlinks then you know that the blogger allows people to post their URL. To check if the URL passes juice to their website you can open the page source by right clicking and scrolling until you reach the comment section, if the there is a “No-Follow” attribute then you know that it might be a waste of time to leave a comment.
The other reasons why your blog comments might not provide any SEO value can be resolved by first building a relationship with the author of the blog. By explaining who you are, the content of your website, and why it would be beneficial to place a link on their website they might consider allowing you to place a link. Build a mutually beneficial link relationship by trying some of the following blog comment tips.
Suggestions for Leaving Positive Blog comments:
Thanks for reading
Dustin
Internet Beacon
Tags: blog, blog comments, inbound link, link juice, no follow
This entry was posted on Friday, September 23rd, 2011 at 12:29 pm and is filed under Backlinks, Blog Hints, Search Engine Optimization SEO. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.