PAGE 1 - Why comments are important for rankings
PAGE 2 - How to properly leave comments on a website
PAGE 3 - How NOT to leave comments on a website
PAGE 4 - What I do when getting low quality comments
All of us here at Wealthy Affiliate (WA) have a unique opportunity to boost the rankings of our website by getting “engaging comments” on our content. Notice I put “engaging comments” within quotes, because these are the types of comments we should be giving and getting.
NOTE: The instructions given in this tutorial is mainly for those who use the give and take comment threads. Many of the techniques I dscribe can also be applied if you should use Site Comments and not the give and take thread.
WHY COMMENTS BOOST RANKINGS
Google sees comment interaction as a small ranking factor. It shows Google that our content is of interest to others and that people are interacting with it. When people are interested enough to leave a comment, Google feels that perhaps they will boost your rankings a tiny bit.
The more website visitor interaction our content gets, the better, but the comment should be relevant to the topic you are commenting on. More about this on the next page. Another way comments boost rankings is to provide more content for Google to index.
Google does index all of your comments and replies to those comments. This will also increase your word-count. If your original post was 1,500 words long and you have a bunch of comment interactions totalling 1,000 more words, technically that post is now 2,500 words long.
NEXT UP = How to properly leave comments on a website
Join the Discussion
don1rock
Premium
Hey Boomergp08,
I'm really happy I found this training as I have been guilty of leaving a lot of poor comments. The excuse I used to justify it was I try to answer all comments and don't have the time to write a good comment on each of them.
What would be your advice on returning comments? I kind of figured out that I could answer the poor ones I get with short ones but do the right thing and give a good comment when I get a good comment. Does this sound about right or do I need to do it another way?
Don
I'm really happy I found this training as I have been guilty of leaving a lot of poor comments. The excuse I used to justify it was I try to answer all comments and don't have the time to write a good comment on each of them.
What would be your advice on returning comments? I kind of figured out that I could answer the poor ones I get with short ones but do the right thing and give a good comment when I get a good comment. Does this sound about right or do I need to do it another way?
Don
Reply
boomergp08
Premium
don1rock
Premium
That's good advice but how do you edit someone else's comment without them getting upset? I know if I found that someone had changed my comment I would be kind of mad about it.
I'm probably overthinking this. How would it be if someone thought they gave an honest comment, then discovered that it had been changed to say something more positive than they wanted to say.
Maybe I'm thinking this way because I'm new and it will change when I get some time & experience behind me.
I'm probably overthinking this. How would it be if someone thought they gave an honest comment, then discovered that it had been changed to say something more positive than they wanted to say.
Maybe I'm thinking this way because I'm new and it will change when I get some time & experience behind me.
boomergp08
Premium
More often than not the people leaving weak generic comments are not really interested in starting an actual back and forth comment engagement.
This means that they most likely will not be looking for your response. These are the comments I am talking about that you could edit.
As for the comments left in hopes of starting a comment engagement, where as they are a relevant question or something meaningful, these comments don't need any editing.
As you gain more comments from various sources, even here within WA, you will be able to see the differences and act accordingly.
This means that they most likely will not be looking for your response. These are the comments I am talking about that you could edit.
As for the comments left in hopes of starting a comment engagement, where as they are a relevant question or something meaningful, these comments don't need any editing.
As you gain more comments from various sources, even here within WA, you will be able to see the differences and act accordingly.
don1rock
Premium
I guess this makes some sort of sense although its not something I could see my self doing. Maybe in the future I'll think differently. Thank for the explanation & rationale. I appreciate it.
Don
Don
boomergp08
Premium
You are welcome Don. I thought the same way when I first started but came to realize later on that it was either delete the many generic weak comments or slightly edit some of them. This was just so I could have some comments on my posts, seeing how comments help to boost rankings.
SStubbins1
Premium
This is extremely valuable information. Thank you for being specific, giving examples and putting your personal spin on this article.
Peace💗
Peace💗
boomergp08
Premium
It was my pleasure to share this information. I had thought about creating this tutorial for some time now and only did so after getting some poor quality comments on a recent blog post.
LuigiCappel
Premium
That's really interesting. I had no idea that Google would see comments as extra content. I guess that also means they see it as current, which must also have value.
boomergp08
Premium
Yes to both of your statements. Google does consider comments and their replies as extra content and even indexes that content.
This is why it is possible to rank for certain keywords that may appear only in your comments. And Google does use comment interaction to measure the current state of a post.
This is why it is possible to rank for certain keywords that may appear only in your comments. And Google does use comment interaction to measure the current state of a post.
MineThatBird
Premium
This is very helpful! I was surprised to learn that a comment can be edited - I had no idea comments could be edited; I thought it was either keep or delete if you have a low-quality comment.
For comments versus feedback, I think many people could use feedback before comments -- real feedback that gives them specific areas (even grammar, typos, non-functioning links, etc) that should be fixed right away, before seeking comments on a post.
A year ago or so when I joined WA, there was a process for requesting and giving feedback; I took a lot of time and effort in giving specific feedback to help improve posts/websites of WA members who had requested feedback.
Then, WA seems to have switched to a system of requesting and receiving comments .... instead of feedback. Do you know whether WA still offers a feedback request mechanism (instead of comments directly to a webpage/post)?
Sometimes I'll click on a comment request link, see a lot of typos, grammatical errors (the kind that make a reader click away pretty quickly), format issues, broken links, and I'd like to help that WA member improve their website/post, but I won't add that kind of feedback as a comment (of course, no one would want feedback like that in the comments for everyone to read).
So in that case, I won't leave a comment, and also don't offer feedback since, as far as I'm aware, there no longer seems to be a WA mechanism for getting points/credit of some kind for taking the time and effort to offer these kinds of corrections/feedback for improvement etc. It is a lot of work and takes time and effort to offer real feedback like this, but it's probably more important in many cases than comments, as the feedback can lead to immediate and direct improvements that may keep real visitors/readers on the page/website longer.
Thanks again for your post, always look forward to reading your tips, suggestions and points of view.
Kate
For comments versus feedback, I think many people could use feedback before comments -- real feedback that gives them specific areas (even grammar, typos, non-functioning links, etc) that should be fixed right away, before seeking comments on a post.
A year ago or so when I joined WA, there was a process for requesting and giving feedback; I took a lot of time and effort in giving specific feedback to help improve posts/websites of WA members who had requested feedback.
Then, WA seems to have switched to a system of requesting and receiving comments .... instead of feedback. Do you know whether WA still offers a feedback request mechanism (instead of comments directly to a webpage/post)?
Sometimes I'll click on a comment request link, see a lot of typos, grammatical errors (the kind that make a reader click away pretty quickly), format issues, broken links, and I'd like to help that WA member improve their website/post, but I won't add that kind of feedback as a comment (of course, no one would want feedback like that in the comments for everyone to read).
So in that case, I won't leave a comment, and also don't offer feedback since, as far as I'm aware, there no longer seems to be a WA mechanism for getting points/credit of some kind for taking the time and effort to offer these kinds of corrections/feedback for improvement etc. It is a lot of work and takes time and effort to offer real feedback like this, but it's probably more important in many cases than comments, as the feedback can lead to immediate and direct improvements that may keep real visitors/readers on the page/website longer.
Thanks again for your post, always look forward to reading your tips, suggestions and points of view.
Kate
EdwinBernard
Premium Plus
Kate,
When you click the Website Tab, the next page will show you two options. Site Comment. And Site Feedback.
It seems that people request less feedback than comments.
If you see a really bad post, I suggest ignoring it or just focus on parts you like so that you can engage it in a positive manner. If you really want to help the author, I suggest you send them a PM and ask if they would like some feedback privately before offering anything. If they do ask, then go ahead. If they don't want feedback, that is their loss. Move on.
I fell foul of giving feedback with the intention to help the author. Only to get my comments disapproved with the reason they weren't asking for feedback. Fare enough.
Take care.
Edwin
When you click the Website Tab, the next page will show you two options. Site Comment. And Site Feedback.
It seems that people request less feedback than comments.
If you see a really bad post, I suggest ignoring it or just focus on parts you like so that you can engage it in a positive manner. If you really want to help the author, I suggest you send them a PM and ask if they would like some feedback privately before offering anything. If they do ask, then go ahead. If they don't want feedback, that is their loss. Move on.
I fell foul of giving feedback with the intention to help the author. Only to get my comments disapproved with the reason they weren't asking for feedback. Fare enough.
Take care.
Edwin
boomergp08
Premium
I agree Kate that many members, especially those new to affiliate marketing, have a greater need for feedback than comments. However one can be as blunt or critical when giving feedback, whereas this is something you do not want to convey as a website comment.
When I give website comments and I notice things (grammar, bad links, not enough white space,...) wrong with the content, I make a note of it and proceed to give a quality comment. I then send a PM to the member describing in detail what I had seen wrong.
Personally I do not use Site Comments to get my comments nor do I use Site Feedback. I am sure I will with a new website but not with my current sites. You can still access Site Feedback by clicking on "Websites" in the left side menu and then selecting it from the popup menu. The link is below.
https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/website-feedback
When I give website comments and I notice things (grammar, bad links, not enough white space,...) wrong with the content, I make a note of it and proceed to give a quality comment. I then send a PM to the member describing in detail what I had seen wrong.
Personally I do not use Site Comments to get my comments nor do I use Site Feedback. I am sure I will with a new website but not with my current sites. You can still access Site Feedback by clicking on "Websites" in the left side menu and then selecting it from the popup menu. The link is below.
https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/website-feedback
MineThatBird
Premium
Great points, Edwin. Very helpful. Feedback is such an invaluable path to improvement; I am a member of Toastmasters (the public speaking organization) and thanks to Toastmasters I look forward to feedback since I know it always helps me to improve.
Thanks again,
Kate
Thanks again,
Kate
MineThatBird
Premium
Thanks, I agree about not ever having any feedback in a comment, especially nothing that could sound in any way negative.
Including when it comes to constructive feedback that someone has requested to help them improve, as we do every week in Toastmasters (public speaking) meetings.
The feedback in Toastmasters is the #1 way in which Toastmasters members (around the world) all improve our public speaking; even the people listening to the feedback for someone else's speech, learn ways to improve their own future public speaking.
Feedback osmosis :)
Thanks again,
Kate
Including when it comes to constructive feedback that someone has requested to help them improve, as we do every week in Toastmasters (public speaking) meetings.
The feedback in Toastmasters is the #1 way in which Toastmasters members (around the world) all improve our public speaking; even the people listening to the feedback for someone else's speech, learn ways to improve their own future public speaking.
Feedback osmosis :)
Thanks again,
Kate
boomergp08
Premium
You are welcome. Your learning through feedback osmosis reminds me of how people can learn things here in WA by reading though the comments/questions left by others and the replies.
MineThatBird
Premium
That's exactly right! You just made me feel a lot better about all the time I have been spending reading and learning from all of the questions/comments/replies : ) I'm gaining more skills and knowledge via WA osmosis :)
EdwinBernard
Premium Plus
Hi Kate,
What District are you in? I am in District 52. Not as active now. But was extremely active until 10 years ago after I completed my stint as District Governor (called District Director now) and gradually reduced my involvement. I'm just a member of two clubs now.
You are correct how Toastmasters can help us give feedback. A word of caution. Do not use the Toastmasters evaluation techniques in giving comments. That is more applicable to Feedback.
All the best to you.
Cheers.
Edwin
What District are you in? I am in District 52. Not as active now. But was extremely active until 10 years ago after I completed my stint as District Governor (called District Director now) and gradually reduced my involvement. I'm just a member of two clubs now.
You are correct how Toastmasters can help us give feedback. A word of caution. Do not use the Toastmasters evaluation techniques in giving comments. That is more applicable to Feedback.
All the best to you.
Cheers.
Edwin
boomergp08
Premium
This is one of the reasons why WA is a great learning experience beyond the initial training from Kyle and Jay. Knowledge is shared here through additional tutorials like this AND in the comments / replies to other WA posts and tutorials. I personally have gained extra knowledge in this way.
MineThatBird
Premium
Hi Edwin, District 37 :) I agree, the important distinction is that any kind of constructive feedback should be given as feedback (via WA feedback when someone has asked for feedback), and NOT as a comment on someone's website.
Boomer's post gives great examples of how to give comments!
I also wouldn't give any unrequested feedback via PM here at WA, either. I only have given feedback when a person had submitted their webpage specifically asking for feedback. (Even when I see lots of typos, grammatical errors, broken links ... I just would never want to offend anyone so I don't offer feedback unless someone has specifically requested feedback.)
Cheers,
Kate
Boomer's post gives great examples of how to give comments!
I also wouldn't give any unrequested feedback via PM here at WA, either. I only have given feedback when a person had submitted their webpage specifically asking for feedback. (Even when I see lots of typos, grammatical errors, broken links ... I just would never want to offend anyone so I don't offer feedback unless someone has specifically requested feedback.)
Cheers,
Kate
manna4star2
Premium
Once again I have learned some very important info from you 2 days in a row.
I got started back in Site Comments on 27 April and out of 36, I have had 2 disapproved simply because of the reasons you cited above. Low quality, gave feedback instead of a comment, or totally off point.
This tutorial is really going to help me henceforward to give better quality than what I have been.
Thanks for the tutorial Boomer.
Sonny
I got started back in Site Comments on 27 April and out of 36, I have had 2 disapproved simply because of the reasons you cited above. Low quality, gave feedback instead of a comment, or totally off point.
This tutorial is really going to help me henceforward to give better quality than what I have been.
Thanks for the tutorial Boomer.
Sonny
boomergp08
Premium
You are welcome Sonny. Leaving quality engaging comments is a win-win for the website owner as well as the person leaving a comment with hopes of receiving one in return.
Triblu
Premium
Hey Rob,
Great tutorial once again... Thank YOU.
When getting lame comments on my local business website (Ontario, Canada) from those in India, I simply tag them as spam and then delete them... adding the IP address to to Blacklist so that those using that IP address can no longer make comments.
So, the problem of lame comments is more than those of us who are new to WA, I'm sure.
Thanks to your great tutorial, more of us will now know better... that leaving quality comments really will pay off in the long run. :-))
Great tutorial once again... Thank YOU.
When getting lame comments on my local business website (Ontario, Canada) from those in India, I simply tag them as spam and then delete them... adding the IP address to to Blacklist so that those using that IP address can no longer make comments.
So, the problem of lame comments is more than those of us who are new to WA, I'm sure.
Thanks to your great tutorial, more of us will now know better... that leaving quality comments really will pay off in the long run. :-))
boomergp08
Premium
Though this tutorial is aimed solely at WA members commenting on other member websites, most definitely does the problem of lame comments extends beyond WA.
In those instances if they are either really poorly written and/or they contain a link, I immediately delete them as trash. I like the idea of adding the IP address to a blacklist.
In those instances if they are either really poorly written and/or they contain a link, I immediately delete them as trash. I like the idea of adding the IP address to a blacklist.
