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How to Handle Blog Comments in Your Blog Site and Other Best Practices
Making full use of your blog site's comment section helps strengthen your online presence. It doesn't matter if you're responding to your own blog comments or someone else's. Allowing comments on your blog improves SEO through backlinks. As long as readers learn something from your comments, you can cement your reputation as an authority.
Why Should You Allow Comments on Your Blogsite
Many bloggers are wary of allowing comments on blog posts because of spam messages. This can be avoided if you're managing blog comments regularly. That doesn't mean you should spend every five minutes moderating the comments; give yourself reasonable time to filter out spam so readers won't be put off by the spam.
Adding well-crafted comments lets you:
- Demonstrate your expertise
- Build relationships with readers
- Provide a better user experience
- Get ideas for new content
- Build credibility
- Boost organic traffic
- Build an online community
- Acquire valuable insights from readers
- Attract more readers
Responding to comments adds to your social proof. As an added bonus, fellow readers could interact with others in the comments section, which keeps the conversation flowing.
Letting people exchange ideas and opinions on your blog site makes people feel valued and heard. You're allowing everyone to participate in the discussion, which fosters community.
That said, blog comments could work on some sites but not all. It could work on personal sites but not business sites, for example. If your blog site is transitioning into an online business by selling a product, service, or membership, you can allow comments on specific posts but not others. You can also moderate comments before they are published or delete them completely. If the discussion gets out of hand, you can disable the comments section of a specific post and block users who post inappropriate comments.
Best Practices for Managing Comments on Your Blog
Comments help boost user engagement and improve SEO. Here are tips that'll help manage blog comments and spark conversations:
Moderate comments
This is the obvious first step: avoid spam by activating the filter and preventing spam from being posted on your blog section. This also helps avoid inappropriate or offensive content from being read by commenters. One irrelevant or inappropriate comment will affect the overall atmosphere of the comments section.
That said, don't be too heavy on the moderation because it can put off other commenters and affect discussions or debates. Just take action when needed and be transparent with your moderation guidelines.
Provide helpful comments
Offering your insights on areas where you're an expert is one way to help readers. To start, use a friendly tone to match a welcoming comment section. Helping others with your advice and insights will encourage others to provide helpful contributions.
Encourage healthy discussion
Ask questions that encourage healthy conversations between readers. Give constructive criticisms, ask open-ended questions, and provide links and other resources to support the forum. Opinions will differ, and that's okay. But set guidelines so commenters remain respectful towards each other and look out for hateful or offensive comments. Pin the guidelines so visitors know what's acceptable behaviour in the comment section.
Respond to Comments
Ignoring comments will discourage others from giving their insights on your blogs. Don't lose potential comments by failing to respond to comments, especially those contributing to the discussion. Respond right away and engage with commenters. Thank everyone who's adding their insights into the discussion to build relationships and foster community.
Remove Spammy Comments
It's normal for other bloggers who want to gain more followers to flock to the comments section. They would post generic comments like “Great post, now read my blog” or “This is well-written; I discussed the same thing on my blog.” Most of these comments do not add to the conversation and are obviously made to gain a backlink and a follow. Remove these comments, and don't respond.
Should You Post Comments on Other Blogs?
Leaving comments on other people's blogs helps build relationships with personalities within your industry. It's a great way to add to the conversation, gain recognition from fellow bloggers, and demonstrate your expertise without sounding spammy. It's also an excellent opportunity to generate backlinks. But before posting comments on other people's blogs, keep these best practices in mind:
Be civil: Don't be rude; avoid disrespectful responses if your opinions differ from other commenters. Avoid correcting someone's grammar, using a condescending tone, or going on a lengthy online spat with other commenters or with the author. Treat other people's blog section as your own and treat others the way you want to be treated.
Stay on the topic: Understand the purpose of the comment section. It's there to post relevant and insightful comments to drive conversations. Stay within the topic; never use this space to post spammy links and unrelated content. Do not post anything that does not contribute to the conversation at all.
Short and sweet: Keep your comments brief and straightforward. Use simple terms, avoid complex jargon, and avoid excessive self-promotion. Otherwise, your comments could be filtered out by the mods.
Provide value: Engage in meaningful conversations by leaving insightful and constructive comments. This helps spark a conversation and build relationships with other commenters. Gradually, you'll establish yourself as an authority and gain followers. And if your comments get a lot of replies, follow up with further responses.
Commenting lets you get to know your readers, make them feel valued, and foster community. It's one of the most effective ways of attracting new readers and keeping regular ones engaged. While responding to every comment takes effort, it inspires the commenters to join the conversation and learn something new.
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