Blog commenting is a safe link building method provided you don’t abuse it and many bloggers and webmasters know this already but what most people do not know is that there is a rule or guide to follow if you are to get the most out of blog commenting. Today I want to share with you the proper blog commenting guide that will ensure you get the best out of blog commenting.
But first let me ask you, “what do you intend to achieve while leaving a comment on another blog?” This is a question most people that leave comments on other blogs don’t bother to ask themselves before leaving their comments.
If you are leaving comments just for backlinks then you may have totally missed the real essence of blog commenting. You can use blog commenting as a tool to building lasting relationships with other webmasters, improve your site’s visibility and drive tons of traffic to your site, build authority and credibility for yourself and your brand and gain backlinks of course.
Blog Commenting Etiquette
Get a Gravatar: Ensure to always use a Gravatar enabled email while leaving comments on blogs so a picture of you will show when your comment is approved. This will appear everywhere you leave a comment using same email and could get you noticed easily and will help you build relationships.
I recommend you use the same photo you used on your Social media accounts like Facebook; using different pictures may defeat this aim as people may not easily reconcile you with the different pictures of you they see all over the internet. Ensure whatever picture you used shows your head clearly if you are to get noticed easily.
Use your real names: Matt Cutts Google’s head of search spam in a recent video publication advised that people should use their real names while leaving comments on blogs so Google don’t consider your comment as a spam. When you use company names or keywords you want to rank for as anchor text, Google sees it like you are leaving the comment for commercial marketing purposes and may consider such comment as spammy.
Google will raise a red flag for your links if they understand that all your links or majority of your links come from blog comments, so ensure to practice other link building methods as guest posting.
Don’t sound promotional: it is a bad blog commenting etiquette to use blog comments for promotional purposes. It is often considered as spam when you use blog commenting to promote yourself, products or services. Don’t go dropping links all over your comments else it won’t be approved as it will be considered spammy and you could get blacklisted.
Actually read the post: This is another mistake people make while leaving comments, most people don’t bother to read the whole article to grab what its saying, they just skim through and end up leaving comments that is totally unrelated to the subject of discussion. If you want to get the best out of blog commenting then I recommend you read every post you want to comment on so you can leave worthy comment that is related to the subject of discussion, this will help you build authority when people see that you know what you are talking about.
Be polite & respectful: Don’t sound rude on your comments, don’t abuse people or use adult rated words while leaving comments. Be polite and respectful and people will easily notice you. No webmaster will approve a rude comment on his site and you may never get approved on such site ever again.
Write a comment not a spam: Always ensure to add quality to the subject of discussion via your comments. Write useful and purposeful comments that could help someone, people will easily check you up when they appreciate your comments. Don’t just write a comment just because you have to write a comment, if it is not related, helpful and respectful it will easily be considered a spam and deleted.
Make comprehensible comments: What is the essence of leaving comment if it can’t be understood? If you want people to respond to your concerns then make your comments comprehensible. Write something people can understand, use simple terms and easy grammar so everyone will understand what you are saying.
Stay on topic: It’s easy for people to deviate from the topic of discussion while making blog comments, don’t go diverting the discussion to some unrelated topic, remember it’s a discussion and you are not the only one involved in it. Respect the other parties in it and keep to the topic of discussion.
Don’t start an argument: Often times you see people take things to heart while making comments and begin an argument, don’t be such a person if you are to get the best out of blog commenting. Simply leave meaningful comments and avoid arguments even if you are picked on.
Follow the rules: Some blogs have comment policies, always ensure to read such policies before trying to leave a comment so you don’t violate their policy. Respect their commenting policy and follow every rule in it if you are to make the best out of blog commenting.
I hope you find this guide useful and I hope it helps you to getting the best out of blog commenting. Always follow the right blog commenting etiquette as I have shard here with you if you are to get the best out of blog commenting.
Now over to you…
What other blog etiquette do you have to add to the ones I already listed if one is to get the best out of blog commenting? Use the comment section below to add your view; remember to follow the right blogging etiquette while leaving you comments.
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Hey Nwosu, the only Matrevor in the blogging town! :)
You have shared yet another mind-blowing article and am of course blown away with the manner with which you tackled this subject. What a class! I mean I read also a quality and fantastic posts by Siraj Wahid today as he also shared the same topic as you. That article was cool and I think this is more of a guide. (Wahid, in case you stumble upon this comment, please never get it twisted, I mean good okay.) Nice effort boss. :)
Speaking about this great masterpiece, blog commenting is highly paramount in the grout of every blog. That was what I learned during my first few months on using the wordpress.com blog and I also learned this trade from other great bloggers such as yourself and I bet it has been from one joy to another. I have in this cause met and networked with great and like-minded bloggers, with the likes of madam Adrienne, harleena, Sue Neal, babanature, Obasi, Suresh and a host of them and this connections have all brought success to my blog and the level of the interactiveness on my blog is relatively very high causing me to have a very low bounce rate of 32.33, for a 2months old blog. You know what that means, right?
Truth is I set out into doing blog commenting for the back-link sake but as time goes by it soon wear out that I had to focus on building quality and lifelong relationships with fellow bloggers and I am glad I made that conscious effort to staying focus on this trade, “Blog Commenting”.
I can go on and on sharing with you the different testimonials of great bloggers and what they have to say about blog commenting but I’d rather stop here.
Thanks for this great share brother. Hat off! :D
Sam
Hey Nwsou,
I agree with you, many bloggers do blog commenting for the sake of backlinks and they really miss the big thing which they can achieve by leaving insightful comments.
This post is perfect, the etiquette you taught for blog commenting is necessary. By using Gravatar and Real Names people can add up some plus points to their online presence.
I’m an interactions freak and commenting is best for interactions. Commenting on different active blogs have helped me to improve the number of interactions on my blog and added some potential to my online presence.
Thanks for sharing this awesome piece of writing :)
-Siraj
Hi Nwosu
I must confess that i didn’t know how important blog commenting is until few months back. Since then, my blogging life has changed (though I’m not where i want yet).
I was commenting on WordPress blogs without gravatar until i got to Harleena Singh’s blog. She was the one that told me the importance of gravatar. I guess i owe to her.
Of course, Self promotion can be very irritating. Though there are ways you can do it without it being too obvious.
I don’t accept comments without names except it’s an ‘Open Id’.
When it comes to commenting, there are people like Harleena, Adrienne, etc that always stand out. Long and valuable comments is very attractive.
I don’t always write long comments but i try my best to give my honest opinion.
This is a very detailed post. thanks for sharing!
Hi Mavtrevor,
some valid points here.
I think that having a real picture as gravatar and a real name is a Must.
After this, as you said, “actually reading the post” is important in order to add an interesting comment.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Sam for your awesome contribution, i have also made some nice connections and friendships via blog commenting and apart from the free one-way backlink one can get from making comments on other blog’ one can also gain a lot of other things by his contributions to other blogs via comments. thanks for your compliment and from the way you are going about blogging, you will get to the top in time.
it is so wonderful to see us connected via blog commenting, i read your post on similar topic earlier and was glad someone was thinking like me and here you are showing that apart from backlinks, we can also benefit in other way when we leave comments on other blogs.
Best blog comments must not be long to be valuable, it could be short and precise, some people in a bid to write long comments and impress or be noticed deviate from the topic of discussion. Long comments will definitely stand you out just like it has done for Adrienne and harleena only because they respect and keep to the etiquette.
thanks or your worthy contribution.
Hi Nwosu,
Excellent article and some great tips for anyone who wants to get started with blog commenting. I know what when I first got started with commenting I was just doing it for the backlink and the traffic.
While I still enjoy the traffic I get from commenting, I now focus on building relationships. I have met some really great people and learned quite a bit from visiting other people’s blogs.
I never knew that building these types of relationships could be fun. Now I know that whenever I have an issue I can easily turn to someone who knows more about that issue than I do.
Thanks for sharing these tips and I hope you have a great day.
Thanks Susan for leaving such an amazing contribution. yes blog commenting can actually bring two people closer and connect like minded people. Thanks for vising, i hope you visit more.
Hey Nwosu,
Yes blog commenting is the best way to interact with the reader and it’s also a great way to build relationships. I’m really enjoying the commenting system and it’s the best way to gain lot of information from the blogs.
Thanks for sharing
Hey Nwosu,
Great write! Ettique is very important. When you want to comment, make sure you are sharing proper tips and feedbacks. It could be short but make sure it holds at least a little value in it.
You nailed it buddy!
Thanks for sharing!
Aha! Thanks for those kind words boss, they really meant a lot to me. :)
hi nwosu. fortunately, i rarely encounter commentators who start arguing with other commentators and authors. i hate those kind of commentators cause it ruins my day. i do not also approve any comments that sounds “advertisement” even though the comment is related to my article. for example, they shared their thoughts about the article then they will put an affiliate link in the end of their comment.. that is considered as a spam for me
Thanks Marilyn\for your comment and yes such comment can be considered as spam once its has a link not related to the topic of discussion in it.
Hello Nwosu,
Mindblowing article on blog commenting. And, I think I am following most of the tips out there. I will concentrate more on them. Thanks for sharing this coll article bro. Have a nice day :-)
Thanks Ganesh for your contribution. the guide will help you get the best out of blog commenting.
Hi Nwosu,
You explained the etiquette associated with commenting brilliantly. I think the fundamentals to be followed while commenting are- to read the whole post and not to spam! I deal with it each day. Thanks to Akismet that it filters out spam :)
I think commenting can be used as a medium of networking. Through it, bloggers can build relations that are beneficial. What say?
You are very right to say that blog commenting can be used for networking and its always a fight everyday fighting with spam comments to keep them out of our bogs.
Hi
I read your Blog you wrote nice way how should be blog commenting… But I realise that some people Comes at blog to get back link I hate people of that kind..