PAGE 1 - When, where and which links you should focus on
PAGE 2 - How to insert links in comments using SiteComment
PAGE 3 - How to insert links in comments using WordPress
PAGE 4 - When you should and should not insert affiliate links in comments
In my last training tutorial I explained how we should leave comments on member websites to help with website engagement and thus boost their SEO. Comment engagement is an important ranking factor and Google DOES INDEX our website comments.
By leaving a relevant comment and even one that would ask a question, it helps to show engagement. Generic comments should not be used and comments should be at least several sentences long. If you haven’t read my tutorial on leaving comments, click the link below.
How To and How Not To Leave Comments on a Website
WHEN & WHAT KIND OF LINKS
These are the kind of links you can use in comments and when to leave them. They should be links to other pages and posts of content on your website. If someone comments and asks a question about something you have already covered in your website, provide them with the link.
You can also use affiliate links but ONLY within the comments of a review that already has affiliate links within the content. Google does not like sites with a lot of affiliate links in content of every page and post. They certainly do not want them too much in your comments either.
When deciding to insert affiliate links within the comments of a related review you want to do so VERY sparingly. You do not want to seem like you are forcing the reader to click the link. An occasional link will help to nudge them in the right direction. More about this on the last page.
WHAT ABOUT MY WEBSITE URL?
There is still talk on the internet, mainly from SEO gurus who have made their living selling some sort of backlink software, that getting quality backlinks to your website is crucial for SEO. This is absolutely NOT true anymore. It was a big factor a few years ago but not anymore.
Does this mean that if you should get a quality backlink that it will not be beneficial to your rankings? On a rating scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the most beneficial, a backlink nowadays is rated at a 1 but only if it is from a high quality source like a Wikipedia or major news outlet.
Trying to obtain backlinks is now a waste of time and even if you get any they will rate a 1 or less if at all. Kyle wrote a blog about this saying it has no benefit and Matt Cutts (formerly of Google) hinted many years ago that Google was eventually going to lessen their importance.
Even WordPress has confirmed this in a subtle way, see image above. It is no longer required to leave your website URL when posting a comment. Only your name and email address are required, as noted by an asterisk next to each field.
NEXT UP = How to insert links within comments using Site Comments
Reply
When this happens to me and the comment is relevant to my post, I will most times do a Quick Edit of their comment and take out the link. If their comment is not relevant to my post I just delete the entire comment.
Most of my comment replies are made without links to other pages or products. But, when it comes up in the reply, I will add a link to more information - or, a product that I recommend - to give the commenter more to go on. I don't think too much about keeping links to 10% or less - but, it probably works out that way.
The one thing that bugs me is my theme automatically makes my links red. I can change them in my posts to the familiar blue, but, SiteComments and WordPress don't give me that option for the comment section. Any ideas on that?
Jim
Your approach to commenting is the way it should be done. Only provide the link if the comment warrants that you do so. When the link is an affiliate link, like Kyle says in his training, it should only be in the comments of the relevant review.
Wow! That is a head-scratcher. I have never seen something like that before. Have you looked into the theme settings to see if there is a default color for links that you can change? What theme are you using?
Jim
I believe backlinks still play some roles but as you mention it has to be from sites that have higher authority(Not necessary Wikipedia).
I believe Google is going to slowly reduce its importance but for brand new websites how do they judge the value of the site?
I believe it still comes back to the number of quality links + brand mentions online + engagement.
Regards
ZhengYu
He says that Google considers backlinks as a very minor ranking factor because they are no longer needed to determine authority and SEO rankings.
Google judges the value of a website based mainly on the quality of your content first and foremost, your target and LSI keywords second, click data third, and comment engagement last.
To read about what David told me about SEO and how Google is now ranking websites, you can read my parts 1 & 2 blogs called I Had Dinner With Google Last Night at the link below. I Had Dinner With Google Last Night But in short, backlinks are no longer needed to get high rankings and authority on Google and the search engines.
