Let's Change Those Comments - We Can Do Much Better

I came to WA pretty green about websites. Yes I could easily build one from scratch but that is the sum total of my knowledge.

I knew nothing about commenting on one and even though I never cut-and-pasted or copied anything but I did not start out by giving good comments.

Frankly I had no idea what a good comment looked like.
I read the information on every site and made suitable comments or so I thought.

I was crushed the first time someone disapproved my comment. One of those times I got caught up in the contents, clicked on a link for more information read another post, then made my comments.

Suffice to say my comment was not on point because I went on to comment about another post. DISAPPROVED!!!!

Another time I didn't ask any questions and the content creator wanted questions. DISAPPROVED!!!

Yet another time I left a feedback as a comment because the site was down and I wished to let the owner know. As I was expecting DISAPPROVED!!!

Once a site owner simply said she needed something that added value to her post. DISAPPROVED!!!

In more than 100 comments. I was disapproved four times. Three of those really bothered me.

You see I knew I had read their content and was sure I had left good comments.

The other didn't bother me because as I said I knew the site owner had no choice but to disapprove the one in which I gave feedback instead of comments. It was purely to let the content creator know their site was down.

In hindsight, I believe there were a few more times when I should have been disapproved. I had no idea what a good comment looked like.

Why Am I Rambling on About Site Comments?

Recently there has been a lot of talk about site comments (even from me), what we are experiencing and the need to improve them. So today I thought I'd get in on this topic in the form of education.

What can I say, I am an educator, and I believe everything begins with education.

For starters, I think that like me when I began this journey there may be a few people on this platform who haven't a clue what they are doing wrong.

I thought about creating a lesson but changed my mind. I'm no expert on the topic. None the less here is what I have learned.

What are Site Comments

Website comments are a way for readers to wade in on a topic to give you feedback on how they received your content, ask questions and even add information to what you already have.

Why Do You Need Comments

• Comments let you know what your readers think.
• It helps you to know how your content is being received and what your readers need from you.
• It is a way for your readers to build a relationship with you.
• Comments add value to your site. Comments add to the word count of your content. A good comment add to your SEO value. For instance if you have a site about Wealthy Affiliate but you didn't talk about the opportunities to earn on the platform but a reader asks if it is possible. This opens a door for new content. Or maybe you talked about it but did go into detail then a user asks for more information. This is something new that your content could rank for.
• Your willingness to interact with your readers through site comment builds trust.
• Visitors are more likely to return to a website where they are able to ask and have their questions answered.

What Type of Comments Should You Allow on Your Blog?

Both negative and positive comments should be allowed on your blog. Both add value.

Instead of refusing negative comments see it as an opportunity to add clarity and more valuable comment in your response.

Failure to post negative responses can make you appear dodgy. Instead, reply in a timely manner and spin it in your favor. DO NOT LIE!!!

We wish to retain all visitors and turn them into loyal followers/ customers. It is part of the job to turn this in your favor. If all else fail be honest. This works in your favor too. Remember we are in a business where trust brings in the customers and therefore revenue.

Failing to respond to negative comments does not mean you dodged the bullet. There are many places on the internet where visitors can leave comments about you and therefore your brand. When you respond you are taking control. RESPOND!!!

What Constitutes a good Comment?

A good comment can be either negative or positive.

A good comment is direct instead of general. It is about the actual content. Good comments adds to the content, asks for more information or clarification.

Some things to Consider When Leaving Comments

• Be detailed and informative
• Ensure it relates to the article. You should not comment on an article about pets with information about the road condition in Florida.
• Avoid place fillers like, "I enjoyed reading your interesting and informative post." or "I think you did a great job writing this review and I enjoyed reading it." Place fillers do not add value.
  

Why Should We Leave Good Comments On Other People's Blogs

Many Successful bloggers hire persons to comment on their website. This is because there is value in comments. They help to build the SEO rankings of a website. Site owners are part of your readership. Grab their attention!!! Your job is to make them curious enough to visit your site.

When your comment provides value the owner of that site is more likely to leave your URL intact.

Your target audience, are reading other blogs. So by leaving good comments on other person's blogs you can actually increase your SEO rankings and gain more traffic.

How, You Ask?

When people read your comments on other blogs they will be able to follow the URL to your website. Of course that will only happen if you leave a great comment. One that capture their attention and arouse their curiosity. So write well.

What is a Bad Comment

• Negative comments and bad comments are not the same thing.
• Bad site comments are often filled with place holders that only addresses the topic indirectly. They may go like this, "I love this review about Trinidadian culture. It is always good to know how other people live and work. I really enjoyed your review and will book mark your site so I can come back to read more later."
  
• They may also be filled with the content creators own words being cut and pasted into the comments. Something like, "this review is about how to get rid of dust mites and sleep better. I love the fact that you said we need to ..."
  
• Or it is completely off topic because the commentor simply cut-and-paste the comment from somewhere else. For all of you who may not know it the biggest problem with cutting and pasting comments is that another person's website can be flagged for plagiarism because you cut and pasted a comment and then used it on several other sites. This is bad for business.

Dealing With Site Comments

• Always respond in a timely manner
• Comments can give you ideas on what to write in your content. Readers will often let you know in the comments section what they would like to see next. Follow up.
• Your readers will be happy when you respond to their request for more information. This adds the human touch. You can do this by both adding to your content and responding in the comments section. If you make a practice of doing so readers will begin to expect it. They will leave questions more often and return for the answers. In this way, you can convert your readers into loyal followers/customers.

Conclusion

Site comments are great. They add value to a website. Do it well.

It is better not to comment at all than to leave a bad one.

As with everything practice makes perfect work at it.

Before I Go

I invite all experts to add their input to this post we will all learn from it. Additionally, it is my hope that this post will help all new commers and we will in turn do better with site comments in the future.

For Progress

Candy Benn