SYLVIANE NUCCIO

83 thoughts on “Is Google Not Liking Blog Comments?”

1. HI Sylviane,

   Great share!

   I’ve been on Tim’s post today and where I saw the video related to “do follow or no follow” links by Matt cutts. We need to make a choice between do follow and no follow links in order for google bots to crawl(from) our blog.

   Few minutes back I switched to do follow links on my comment luv so that I can enjoy more conversation on our blog and most of fellow bloggers follow the same strategy.

   Like to see what others have to say on this.

   Sapna

   1. Hi Sapna,

      Would love to read the post you’re talking about. Do you mind dropping the link?

      I know a lot of people are still very confused about this dofollow and nofollow thing, but as long as we remember that we can break the do follow from links we don’t want to be associated with it’s all good.

      Thank you for your input here 🙂

      1. HI Sylviane,

         Here is the link.

         http://tim-bonner.com/dofollow-or-nofollow/

         Sapna

   2. Do follow links do not hurt blogs; however clear out possibilities of spam not to hurt you. Comments on your blog help to get more of your page fed with contents and Google loves contents to feed on.
      Bloggingbloggers invites you to read..Social Media Estate, the Business of the 21st Century

2. Hey Sylviane,

   So since you added my blurb from this you definitely know where I stand on this subject.

   From what Google has been doing lately I’m about ready to hang them out to dry. Penalizing people who are doing what they say to do so there comes a point when you can’t believe a darn thing they say anymore.

   Comments are social proof, they are what will help you become an authority figure in your niche, they are about building relationships with your readers and potential prospects and clients for your business. If none of that interests you then by all means, close your comments or for that matter don’t even bother with a blog.

   When you close comments and people can’t share their thoughts you’ll soon find them not even visiting anymore. In my opinion, the blog owner is the only one hurting him/herself, not the rest of us.

   Thanks for bringing this topic up because I feel it’s very important.

   Enjoy your week and see you soon.

   ~Adrienne
   Adrienne invites you to read..You Can Write But Can You Blog

   1. Hi Adrienne,

      Yes, I sure included your comment from our group and you ladies made my post look so good 🙂

      I agree, Adrienne, that’s what I said in this post. In this case, you don’t even really need a blog and spending the time and money that it takes to maintain such blog, you could just have an online journal instead.

      I can speak only for myself, but I am pissed off when I see a blog with closed comments, and frankly, I agree, it doesn’t make me want to come back.

      I guess it’s that feeling of giving for nothing in return that must affect me, but I bet I’m not the only one feeling this way.

      Thank you for coming and giving more of your feedback on this subject.

3. A good comment is worth its weight in gold. It adds to the post generates idea and stimulates thought. What is the point of having a blog without comments, I just don’t get it.
   Josh invites you to read..It Is Only Funny/Interesting When He Says it

   1. Hi Josh, and welcome to my blog. I personally DO love comments 🙂

      You are right on the dot with what you’re saying here. I couldn’t have said it better.

      Thanks for coming and see you around.

   2. Hi Sylviane

      I am still new to all of this, but I have learned that comments are for our benefit. It creates conversation and we get to see other’s opinions on the subject. But I love the idea of beginning new relationships.
      It can be confusing…. especially for us that are just jumping in.
      Thank you for this interesting article.
      Gladys posted A Perfect Pathway to Connect to God
      Gladys invites you to read..A Perfect Pathway To Connect To God

      1. Thank for coming Gladys,

         Yes, you’ve heard right, comments are for our own benefits; the one who comments and the one who receives the comment and it helps build relationships with other bloggers, of course.

         Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us 🙂

         1. Hi Sylviane

            There is so much to learn, but what I am finding out is that am enjoying reading other’s comments and then sharing my heart.

            As always…thank you
            Gladys invites you to read..A Perfect Pathway To Connect To God

   3. I agree with Josh. I would rather not have a blog than have a blog with no comments. Comments are the lifeblood of a blog!
      Carolyn invites you to read..The Mobile Tech Revolution after Five Years – Is Unfriending the Latest Trend?

      1. Hi agree with you Carolyn,

         When I’m busy and tired and I know I’ve got to write that post, the fact that it will be read is the motivator.

         If I don’t get comments, I may see my traffic stats, yes, but I have no idea about what people thought about my post.

         I can’t keep blogging without comments 🙂

         Thanks for coming by, Carolyn 🙂

4. Hello Sylviane,
   Your post is quit interesting and a one worth commenting on 😉 i’ll say blog commenting is worth more than a thousand words. It show’s how engaging and interesting a post is. But it is good to always check out the links your commentators are dropping and it is also great to make all first time comments a nofollow. Thanks 😀
   babanature invites you to read..Top Secret Tips On Writing a Really Good Title

   1. Hi Babanature

      That’s a good idea to make first commment no follow. With commentluv you can set it up so that the first 3 comments will be on moderation anyway.

      One of my blogs for some reason doesn’t even let comments go through directly no matte what I do 🙂 So, they are all in moderation until I manually approve them.

      Comments are very valuable and I love them, so thanks for coming here and leaving your comment with me 🙂

5. Hi Sylviane,
   Isn’t a blog about engagement and connection? I know that a few of the big guys don’t allow comments, but they have a huge following that will read their posts regardless of being allowed to comment or not. The majority of bloggers are not in the league of Leo or Seth.

   I don’t work for Google, but for my audience, so I will continue to have comments and engage with my readers regardless of how Google views blog comments.

   Stacy
   Stacy Claflin invites you to read..Celebrating Poison – A Book the Author Didn’t Live to See Published

   1. Hi Stacy,

      As a matter of fact, as I was doing some research for this blog post I couldn’t find anything “directly” from Google that said that they don’t like comments. On the contrary I read that they tend to see articles with feedback as a good thing. I think that’s the people who are spreading those rumors and maybe Google is confusing them too. I’m not sure where this all started, to tell you the truth.

      But frankly, I don’t care about all that and like you, I’m not about ready to close my comments, ever. So, you come when you want girl, I’ll be here 🙂

      Thanks for coming.

6. Hi Sylviane,

   Since you put my thoughts on this above (thank you very much) you do know how I feel about comments – they are the backbone of our blogs.

   Since Google has been so picky, I keep my eye out more often in managing my comments more than ever. Commentluv is excellent and I’m so happy most of my readers have it. If it links to a self promotional sales blog, I just remove the Commentluv.

   There are others that comment that do not have Commentluv, so before I approve them, especially if they are new, I have to edit their links in my back office if it goes to a sales site.

   Just playing it safe! I believe Google wouldn’t slap me for that one (fingers crossed)

   But I think that guy just got too carried away with the Google issues. If he is not going to have comments on his blog, I hope he has another master plan! I remember when you asked this question on our group. Oh my – we all jumped on like wildcats lol.

   Thanks again for sharing this with people. Seems like everyone is confused these days.

   Donna
   Donna Merrill invites you to read..Plan Your Day

   1. Hi Donna,

      Yes, it looks like Google has managed to confuse people quite a bit these days.

      As for me, I wouldn’t worry too much about every little thing I hear from Google as long as I know my content is good quality, original, and that I can control the comments that I let in.

      I think that people get way too wrapped up with those things 🙂 and carried away as you’re saying.

      Thanks for giving your feedback AGAIN on that topic.

7. Gosh…Google really stuck their foot in it this time, huh. There are soo many people not happy with them right now…

   I agree these great ladies. I saw an increase in traffic after i installed CommentLuv to my blog but more importantly I’m meeting great people in the process. And with this plugin giving us control over which comments and links to approve, I don’t see why anyone wouldn’t want to have comments on their blog…to each his own I guess…

   But you’re right Sylviane, comments are definitely worth having on our blogs. You can even get inspired to write a post from comments, I know I have been 🙂

   Have a great week 🙂
   Corina Ramos invites you to read..The Three Best Types Of Work from Home Jobs

   1. Hi Corina,

      Yes, that’s right, comment threads can be a huge inspiration for blog posts. Sometimes the comment thread can become even more interesting than the blog post itself. I’ve seen that happen.

      Thank for giving us your feedback.

8. Hi
   Commenting on blogs is the whole life blood of a blog and engages people with your blog and engages you with your audience. There will unfortunately be people who will spam everything and will try and automate everything as much as they can. If google penalises commenting then it would be a loss to everyone.

   Great post lee

   1. Hi Lee,

      As long as I can removed those who try to spam I’m OK. Actually Commentluv works is great to stop spammers before then even get it. That’s another great feature of commentluv.

      Thanks for coming by.

9. I agree with you pretty well Sylviane,
   Comments is worth having on ones blog indeed, and you can say that again. I can’t imagine what it will feel like after publishing a post on my blog and no one shows up to tell me what he thinks about my post.

   The truth is that i won’t even have the enthusiasm to post again. Just like you said, blogging is also about creating that conversation and i can’t use because of few spammers that i can easily wipe out and stop the wonderful conversations i gets on my blog.

   Thanks for sharing Sylviane.
   Theodore Nwangene invites you to read..Danger! Your Backup Folder Might Be Visible To The Public

   1. Hi Theodore,

      Amen to that. I agree. If I’d shut my comments down I wouldn’t have the motivation to post again. You’re right on that one. Commenters are actually a very important motivation for us to keep on writing.

      Thanks for your great feedback.

10. I have also read that commenting “links” can hurt but till now I have not paid too much attention to it. This is because in the SEO industry, there are too many rumors. As some bloggers are saying that unless the link is about a product or sales then its ok and if you feel that the link can be harmful, then its worth removing them. But unless it is confirmed by the “daddy” lets assume its safe. But who knows what will happen. Please do keep us posted on this situation.
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    1. Hi Shalu,

       Well, I don’t know much about those rumors, my post was just about what I’ve just heard this person tell me and why he decided to close his comments.

       I don’t worry too much about those things as long as I know I’m not doing anything wrong.

       By the way, I am still waiting for you to show me where I write that review on the link you sent me 🙂 I couldn’t find out. Please, let me know and I’ll do it 🙂

       Thanks for coming.

11. I’ve known people who close comments permanently because their business has taken off and they simply do not have the time to reply to them all, or because they are working on other projects and (again) just don’t have the time to commit.

    I love my commenters and I learn so much from them. It’s also a place where I can “give back” in answering their questions. I would rather have my readers in my community and lose ranking (or whatever) because they are just that important. Like you, most of my readers don’t comment, but out of those that do most do not have sites or blogs of their own. Those who do are my blogging friends and I know I can trust their content.
    Julie Barrett invites you to read..Apologies, Dreams, and Birthday Goats

    1. Hi Julie and welcome here.

       First off to those who “think” they don’t have time to reply to comments, I would tell them to come and see MY schedule. If I can they can. If they are that busy, they might want to hire help. The real busy successful people I know do.

       Like you I so value those 1% that do comment. Like you most of them are my blogging buddies which I truely appreciate, and like yourself they are new people who give me an opportunity to get to know them, as I am always trying to expand.

       Thanks for coming by 🙂

12. Hi Sylviane,

    This is an interesting read on the same day I just had a major SEO conversation with a client who is constantly in a state of Google-induced panic.

    It’s ridiculous to be so hamstrung by Google that you change your site to an extent that can harm your purpose and your business. Google does what it has always done – it ranks sites then it changes how it ranks site then it changes it again.

    Good commenting systems control for spam anyway, and the vast majority of them are set to nofollow by default so if you don’t chance that setting Google won’t care.

    I’ll add this: have you ever seen the comments on major sites like Mashable or the Huffington Post? 3/4 of them are crap and I don’t see them disappearing into obscurity. We live in a new search world where social sharing and interaction can trump SEO on any given day.

    If you want to blog without comments then blog without comments. But that should be a business decision not a Google decision. For me, I don’t care if one person a day comments on my blog – I want to know about it. I’ve met tons of people, started tons of conversations, learned things, discovered new sites and new ideas… all because of that 1% who say something.

    So that’s my 2 cents. It’s really silly to shut off comments because you might get a bad link? There are a hundred things you could do – block them, moderate them. Sounds like an excuse to me! I am with you on this one. No blocking!
    Carol Lynn invites you to read..How To Write Product Descriptions That Sell

    1. Hi Carol, and welcome back 😉

       Well, I certainly appreciated your comment full of great insight.

       That is right, as you are mentioning here, how many big sites such as Mashable and many more do have crapy comments/links. Now that you’ve mentioned it I remember that. It’s because of people wanting to get some juice. And yet, you’re right again, they don’t seem to be affected.

       I can’t stand people who keep worrying so much about Google. I know I don’t, and nothing has made a difference for me because of that anyway.

       Starting to connect with people because of blog comments is the best thing that I’ve done online. And I’m not kidding!

       Thanks for your great feedback.

13. Hi Sylviane

    Clearly I had been part of the conversation in our group (albeit it just me agreeing).

    To me the purpose of a blog is to have a conversation. If we were to only have a one way conversation then that makes no sense. I would hate to write posts thinking no one is going to join the conversation. I remember starting my blog and feeling like I was just talking to myself 🙂

    People who leave valuable comments do not usually have spammy links. On my blog they go to spam usually anyway or I can spam them.

    I am glad you wrote about this Sylviane as I am sure there are other bloggers who are confused and concerned.

    Sue
    Sue Price invites you to read..Is What We See in Others Really a Reflection of Ourselves?

    1. Hi Sue,

       Yes, you brought me back to my earlier blogging days where I was writing and thinking… Wow, I wish someone would read this… that’s a good post LOL!

       If I’d close my comments not only I would have no more proof that people actually read my post (except for my stats), but I’m sure that the 1% that do comment would eventually get tired and stop coming all together. No way on earth I would do this.

       Well, I appreciate your comment and your participation in the making of this post 🙂

14. I agree Sylviane that our blogs should be our biggest social media website – they are our “core”. Comments are great to know what people think of your points and discussions on them are vital to a blog.

    Carol makes a very good point, why doesn’t Huffington Post get penalized like we would on the bad comments by Google? Google doesn’t seem to punish the big sites anymore for anything and that really upsets me. They seem to go after the little guys.

    That’s why I’ll be using Bing a lot more for my searches.
    Lisa invites you to read..Let’s All Bing It While We Search Online and Get Rewarded

    1. Hi Lisa,

       Yes, it seem to be a recurring theme. The big guys get alway with murder. But at the same time, we “the little guys” shouldn’t get too much warped up by Google PMS 🙂

       You know even something as big as Google can tire out people and lose lots of money in the end, so THEY should watch it themselves. Who knows one day Bing could be the big guy out there!

       Just my thoughts.

       Thanks for coming and appreciate you point.

15. There is a blog that I follow and read almost daily, I saw that he shut down his comments. I thought it was a shame because his information is thought provoking and I think a lot of people would like to have a discussion about it. I don’t get a lot of comments but I am grateful for the ones that I have. I could not imagine not getting any or feeling the need that comments are not important. I admit that I read a lot more than I comment because a lot of the sites that I frequent are for learning. I do read the comments on those sites because a lot of the time, the people are experts in the field so they will add to the topic or if the person has comment luv, it will lead me to someone else that is just as wonderful as the person that I am reading.

    1. Hi Cynthia,

       I hear you and I know what you mean by reading stuff where you don’t feel that you could add something that would be of value, but there are really no rules, you could always add something even a question.

       As for that guy you mentioned who closed his comment, I think it’s foolish. I know some very successful marketers who hire help to reply to comments. That how valuable they think that is.

       Thanks for coming and hope to see you around.

       PS: Di you think about getting an avatar?

16. Hi Sylviane,

    This is definitely a debatable topic. As someone who do SEO I know the value of links and also the danger of having bad links on your site. This is really one problem that one can have with a blog if you don’t exercise control over it.

    Late last year after much consideration of Google’s various updates and it’s impart on SEO, I took to remove dofollow from my blog. I only actualized that decision about a few weeks ago because I was concerned with what other bloggers who have developed a relationship with the blog would make of it. But I must say that I’m happy that I have done it.

    Believe it or not, comments can have problems on your blog SEO-wise. Links pointing away from your blog are only bleeding your blog of the much needed SEO juice. But removing comments completely from the blog is not the solution. If you are using commentluv like me, go with the nofollow! This way, you will still be linking out (which of course is good for SEO!) but you will not be losing much.

    Thanks for sharing.
    Chadrack invites you to read..How NOT to Create Marketing Content that Sucks!

    1. Hi Chadrack,

       Well, thank you so much for coming here and giving me such valuable information. Wow, you have to have a nofollow blogs now? That is news to me, but I will certainly look it up.

       So, does this mean that it’s no good for visitors who leave comments?

       Really can’t stand this bunch of annoying things
       🙂

       1. Hi Sylviane,

          Removing the dofollow does not mean it is no longer good for visitors who leave comments. In fact, by default the comment sections of every blog is set to nofollow. This is what Google recommends. I only used a plugin to open it up making the site a dofollow which means everyone who post a comment gets some SEO juice! But that has really affected the blog because many of those who post comments only do so for the dofollow links.

          Also because I’m using commentluv which also was set to dofollow everyone who post a comment gets two dofollow links, one the link in the url section and the other the blog post referenced on the commentluv section. So, over the years while it encouraged more people to post comments, the blog was suffering from the SEO juice pouring out every day.

          For now, I’ve removed the plugin that make the blog dofollow and also set commentluv to nofollow! You still get your links. Google recognizes them but gives them less weight.

          Did you say this is annoying?
          Chadrack invites you to read..How NOT to Create Marketing Content that Sucks!

          1. Yes, I said annoying because all this SEO annoys me so bad.

             But anyway, so I have to set the commentluv stetting to nofollow?

             What about that plugin you’re talking about what plugin is this?

             1. Oh, got that! I’m really surprised that many bloggers are “allergic” to SEO 🙂 We could just refer to it as a necessary evil, right?

                The plugin is “SMu Manual DoFollow.” It helps you choose to make all comments dofollow or choose a particular commenter or a group as nofollow.
                Chadrack invites you to read..Inbound Marketing Misconceptions Unveiled – The Sure Path to Succeeding As an Inbound Marketer!

             2. Thanks Chadrack,

                Interestingly, we talked about this yesterday in my mastermind group, and it was said that making one’s blog nofollow, unless you’re CopyBlogger or Problogger is a big mistake, because we don’t want to care ONLY about SEO, but about the value we are giving to other visitors who help us building social proof as they come visit and comment.

                I tend to agree with that. Of course I care about SEO, but that is not ALL I care about.

                Do you follow us on that point?

             3. Of course, I agree that we shouldn’t be concerned only with SEO. While I opened my blog to be a dofollow in the first place and installed commentluv was because I recognized the importance of rewarding those who visit and made comments. However, the generosity is today being abused by those who simply want to post comments for the dofollow links they get from the comments.

                The questions is, should you only post comments because you will get a dofollow link? If that is the only thing that motivates you to post comments then that is wrong.

                I don’t care only for SEO. I desire true community that is not focused on what you will get out of it. Commentluv is still installed on the blog. You still have links to your articles and home page. I think I’m offering enough to you as we interact through our comments. No, I don’t think only CopyBlogger or Problogger should that. If they are doing it and they are successful, then I think I should copy them. Or don’t you think so?
                Chadrack invites you to read..How To Use Free Classified Ads For Online Promotions!

             4. I totally agree with you Chadrack about not commenting for the link. I do not comment for the juice, frankly. I comment more to build relationships, and bring people over to me blog and, therefore, get to know them more. I’ll still go to your blog 🙂

                But also, I do not like the mentality of big blogs such as CopyBlogger, Problogger and even smaller blogs that feel too important to value anyone. While I have commented there when I felt like I wanted to comment, I tend to not waste my time with those blogs because they offer nothing besides content.

                Nofollow, no friendship, not even guest posting since they have become so darn difficult. All in all, I don’t really like them, and have no much use for them, eventhough I may have a good read once in a while. But I can also find this in smaller blogs who appreciate me. Those guys don’t.

                See where I’m coming from?

                So, yes, they are successful, but I DON”T want to be like them.

                Great discussion we had here 🙂

17. Hi Sylviane,

    What an interesting post Sylviane and I just learned a lot from it and it answered a question I just asked in Adrienne’s blog.

    A good comment is worth it and can give ideas for future blog posts. It adds value to the original post for sure. What is the point of having a blog without comments, I just don’t get it. Why am I blogging then and for whom?

    I have to add that I learn a lot of stuff from people’s blogs and comments. That means a lot of value for me and my blog. I just learned something new here in this post that I can remove the commentLuv link if I don’t like it or if it leads to a sales page. I never knew this before. Then it’s worth it to read blogs and comment on them.

    Thanks Sylviane for such a great post. I enjoyed reading it and the inputs of all the wonderful ladies you had.

    Be Blessed,

    Neamat
    Neamat Tawadrous invites you to read..10 Tips For Effective Social Networking to Build Your Business

    1. Hi Neamat,

       I agree with you. The bottom line of a blog post is that people not only can read but can comment. Otherwise it’s called a website.

       Yes, you can get rid of any link you want with commentluv while keeping the comment or you can opt for the nofollow instead of dofollow. Great stuff, right?

       I’ve never been so worry about what Google think as much as the average marketer, but it has never hurt me so far.

       Thanks for coming and glad you enjoyed this and learn something. We all learn every day 🙂

18. Sylviane, I feel comments are important for many other reasons. If you are worried about the bad links then you need to have a system to monitor like you suggest Commentluv.

    If you are getting rid of comments because it make your life easier, then that is the wrong reason. Just like most of your mastermind members suggest, comments are your only means for conversation.

    If you turn the comments off, that sends me a message that you are not interested in conversation.

    I know a blogger who was not interested in comments. She said she would rather have the visits. I think that sends the wrong message.

    But, you do have the authority to do what you want with your blog.
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    1. Yes, you are right on all of that, Micheal.

       Cutting off the comments cuts the conversation so it’s only a one way street for blogs with no commenting area.

       And yes, everyone can do what they want with their blog, but if you block your comments I can also stop coming. So while our blog is ours, we depend on others for traffic and money for the blog. So the ownership is very much depending on other people in my book.

       Thanks for your feedback.

19. Hi Sylviane,

    Great headline, by the way – just had to read this one! I’m glad you’ve raised this topic because I must admit I get concerned about bad links from comments – there are some very smart spammers out there leaving comments that look genuine, with pictures and everything, and it can be really hard to tell the wheat from the chaff. Maybe sometimes you have to dish a comment that might be genuine, just in case.

    Like other people, I don’t see the point in having a blog with no comments – they’re what makes it all worth while, as far as I’m concerned,

    Sue
    Sue Neal invites you to read..Google Reader Rest In Peace: Long Live Feedly!

    1. Hi Sue,

       Yes, I agree, comments are what make a blog all worthwhile because we blog for others to start with.

       I know what you mean. Some spammers are clever, but when in doubt I don’t hesitate to cut off all their links. Sorry, but I have no choice until I know for sure.

       Glad you liked my headline 🙂

20. Adrienne and I had a small discussion on Facebook about comments, links and whether the “juice” is lost if you read each others blog and comment.

    I like the comments, because I’m still learning and sometimes people who comment leave some information that wasn’t covered in the post, extra helpful if they give the info so you can go to their source and read.
    It is interesting when people comment (I go look at their blog before approving if I don’t “know” them) and when I get there, I read a post and get to the bottom…
    Comments are closed.

    What are they doing?

    1. Hi Cararta,

       yes, there so much to talk about when it comes to comments right?

       There is a lot to learn from comments and they take a life of their own. I learn a lot from them too.

       By the way, your link was broken, so I had to remove it, if you want to come back and attach a good like that’s fine with me.

       1. Hmm
          I noticed on another blog where I commented that the
          comment wasn’t posted. Don’t know what I have done, but will try
          again!
          Cararta invites you to read..Barry Explains How to Add Affiliate Banners to Your WordPress Blog SideBars

          1. Oh really? Where? I’m not even seeing any comment in the spam folder!

             Let me know if that happens again. Sorry about that 🙁

21. Hi Sylviane,
    Glad you’re discussing this.
    I am one of the ones still a little confused about do follow and no follow issues. I’ll read the post Sapna left the link for in a bit later to try and understand more about this.
    I do know that I had someone leave a comment on my last post and he left one the time before. The time before his link was legit but this past time the link was suspect. I reluctantly approved the comment but couldn’t help but feel he only commented to get link juice to his money making page.
    I should have gone with my first impression.
    I fell commenting has opened up a whole new blog experience for me and I really do love the comments and commenting…so not gonna stop.
    Thanks for this great discussion,
    Tonya

    1. Hi Tonya,

       You are using commentluv so you can actually go in under “comments” in your dashboard and remove the commentluv link while leaving the comment. I do this with any link that I’m not sure about or that are linking to a sales site. If the comment is purely spammy on top of that I delete the whole thing.

       As far as the nofollow, you don’t want to have a nofollow blog, you want to have a dofollow blog, unless all you care about is SEO. We talked about this yesterday in my mastermind group.

       That’s why commentluv was even created by Andy Baily, to give love back to our visitors by giving them some juice. The life of a blog is NOT only SEO it’s about relationship and social proof which is greatly improved by being a dofollow blog.

       Hope this help you understand a bit more 🙂

22. Hi Sylviane.
    Great job explaining the benefits and reasons why we do commenting. By far, many more people leave comments or prefer comments or aim to get comments than the few who don’t. I personally think people don’ want to take the time to build it the right way and what may work for them (by shutting off their comments) will probably not work for long. It has been proven over and over that commenting is good for all your perfectly, valid, listed reasons. Thanks for bringing it up so that others may learn the right way to do this.
    Barbara
    Barbara Charles invites you to read..To Blog Or Not To Blog

    1. Hi Barbara,

       I’m certainly not at the level I can afford to shut off my comments, but who knows some people may feel that they are.

       This said, even if I were or feel that I was at that level I still wouldn’t do it, because it cuts off that wondeful discussion that I love so much.

       Like this post, for example, which has now well over 50 comments and will probably get more 🙂

       Thanks for bringing your 2 cent in 🙂

23. Hi Sylviane,

    I think the root is we are depending too much on external factors. Some bloggers do care when Google don’t like your blog, but not when Bing or Yahoo does. When I come across such discussions, I feel they are trying to impress Google than their own audience 🙂

    We need to aware of Google as it’s a popular search engine and else we might not find targeted audience. As like you, sometimes I wonder when I hear from a person that never commented on my blog, saying my blog was useful. They did (Except for spammers) but never commented 🙂

    Eventhough Google or any brand penalize or trying to kill your blog, the audience will be there always. I believe it’s about the relationships we build with others, even unwittingly Sylviane 🙂

    It’s alright for not having comments and getting lot of traffic 🙂 We can see how popular media sites doing and earn a lot. It’s for business. But if someone doesn’t care when you can attract others to get genuine comments, it would be missing the opportunity.

    Anyway I’m not in the position of “You comment, then I comment”, but I have set of blogs I really like visiting including both of yours, due to interesting information and how I treated in there 🙂

    However different people has different opinions Sylviane 🙂 If you close comments when I say, “You are missing the opportunity and readers has no way to express thoughts”, you are making the choice 🙂 Sometimes we have to let ’em experience and find what’s best for ’em as they don’t take advice.

    Cheers…
    Mayura invites you to read..3 Reasons to Use SlideShare to Promote Your Blog

    1. Hi Mayura,

       The only thing I agree on with him is that, I don’t want to comment on a blog JUST because they comment on mind. I like to go beyong that! And I do.

       As a matter of fact, we were talking abou that yesterday in my mastermind group. I used to belong to a group where I could tell that people came to my blogs just out of pure obligation. Well, let me tell you that I do NOT like or want that.

       I’d say to those people, please, do not come to any of my blogs by obligations.

       As for the genuine ones, some come only to my travel blog, some come only to this one and some come only to my personal development blog. Then some come to a combination of two and some come every week too all of them, such as Adienne, Donna, Carol Lynn, Sue Pride, Barbara, and even a couple of still new people who I’ve seen on al three. But it’s because they appreciate all three!

       I love those great relationships that I’ve built through blog commenting. Wouldn’t want to do it otherwise.

       Thank you for coming as always, Mayura 🙂

24. Hi Sylviane,
    I think the issue with comments and SEO are the links involved and commendluv is most sure the plugin to let us control these links.

    We are excited about approving these comments and boosting social proof, care should be taken while moderating comments from link-hungry readers.

    I’m glad I read this post
    Enstine Muki invites you to read..How CommentLuv Plugin is Damaging Your SEO!

    1. Hi Enstine,

       I totally agree with you, and I sure do look twice before I decide to accept a link. I find myslef deleting a lot of links, because I know them not to be good for my site.

       Thanks for coming and nice meeting you 🙂

25. Hi Sylviane,

    Great topic for discussion here my friend. I nearly got finger cramp scrolling down all the comments so it would seem you’ve already proved your point ha ha.

    I see from the other comments that we’re all pretty much in agreement: Comments are good…. AS long as we are in control of them and the links attached to them. Obviously we’re talking real comments here and not the single liners that we (should) all delete.

    I’m really strict when it comes to comments and what i’ll allow. I have my rules that i keep in my head and when I see an offending comment it’s gone, either trashed or sent to spam. I do check the sites before approving any comment, until i know the person, and if it even looks suspicious I won’t approve the comment.

    I’ve had my hassles with spam comments and track back spammy links and I’m not going there again, but REAL comments from REAL people of course they’re welcome.

    I was always under the impression that comments were viewed as fresh content by the search engines and as long as they’re not spam comments with spammy links then they’re positive and help improve our ranking. OK, that should be the search engines pleased.

    Now move onto the real PEOPLE that we interact with and get to know…. Through comments!! We build relationships via our commenting, just look at all the comments above for proof of that, which helps grow our readership, our lists, our knowledge, our support network, our friendships, our sales and ultimately our BUSINESS.

    I view my blog as only PART of my business and if people come there only to find I’m UNAPPROACHABLE what good is that going to do for my business?

    As you rightly said Sylviane, our blogs are our number ONE social media site.

    Everyone: You’re welcome to comment on my site…. As long as you’re REAL!!

    Thanks for a fantastic post Sylviane,

    Barry
    Barry Wells invites you to read..Marketing Mini Classes: All Is Revealed

    1. Wow, Barry, fantastic comment of yours and welcome back!

       I started commenting on blogs only short to two years ago and I’ve built a tremendous thread of relationship just by doing this.

       All my 3 blogs have seen an increase in traffic and comments just this past year, and I really love to see this.

       As you’ve seen on this post at now 60+ comments (incuding mine) but all from people I already have built some type of relationship with. So, I certainly have no problem deleting the ones that are comming just to spam. that’s all we have to do really. I love my comments and not about to block them any time soon 🙂

       I’m so glad you’re feeling better and to see you here 🙂

26. I really like your article thank you for doing the research and sharing.
    I have a request to make from you.
    I am one of those boomers that I now need glasses to see small print. Even with glasses it is eyestrain to read print that is very small.
    I use the zoom capabilities quite often to read web pages but when I zoom your web page the text gets covered by the social sharing bar that appears on the left.
    maybe move it to the right or somehow make it not cover text?
    Just a suggestion for use with bad eyes.

    1. Hi Tammy,

       First off, sorry about that, but the print on my blog are actually not small at all, I’m guessing it’s the setting of your computer. You might want to check this out.

       Over at your blog I noticed that there are no photo of you or avatar (of you), you might want to put one as people tend to trust more someone they can see.

       Thanks for coming 🙂

27. Common people, comments are what make Web 2.0 (user contribution that is). Without comments internet will go back to Web 1.0 (passive reading only) !!!
    Nadeem Khan invites you to read..8 of the Best Penguin Proof Link Building Ideas

    1. Hi Nadeem,

       very good point. That’s right, that’s what Web 2.0 is all about comments and conversations, and that’s why it’s “active”, I have no desire to get back to passive internet. Yuck! 🙂

       Thanks for your feedback.

28. I was shocked about this issue. I don’t think I can totally block comments though I’d filter comments thoroughly first before they are posted.
    Alexis Marlons invites you to read..How to Get Rid of Negative Thoughts

    1. Hi And welcome Alexis,

       Yes, filter comments and the links is what I do, and just did now with your own.
       If someone get approved by error, I’ll go in and trash the comment if I have to.

29. My goal is to have others comment on my blog. To me it’s all about building a community. Comment Luv was the first plugin I installed when I started using Word Press. On Tuesday I am releasing a quick little video about it.
    Toni Nelson invites you to read..Scenic Sunday in Punta Gorda, FL

    1. Hi Toni,

       I love commentluv and I purchased the premium version right off the bat. That’s one thing I never regretted.

       Looking forward to see your video 🙂

30. I haven’t got any website penalized by good for bad blog commenting such as i had for buying few thousand links for a secondary blog of mine. I don’t know if he like something lately but it can be a great thing in the long run. Keeping a safe, clear and quality internet is not an easy task.

31. Hi Sylviane, Like Josh, I would very much prefer to have a blog with an active commenting community than be popular with search engines. Engagement matters and comments are engagement!

    But that being said, it is important to screen commenters who are leaving spammy links and not just because of Google. I don’t want my readers clicking on spammy links so I do try to screen commenters carefully!
    Carolyn invites you to read..Fun Apps to Make You Look Fabulous or Hideous!

    1. Yes, spammy links are like the plague for the blogger, for the other readers, and for the blog itself. We must watch for them.

       I sure do, and delete them all with a smile 🙂

32. Wow, that is crazy. I never heard of that, but I do watch out for spammers and comments that link back to something bogus. For a while I was on a roll of getting spam comments like crazy and put my moderation system back into place. Anyone that I have approved, have no problem leaving comments, but I just got sick of deleting comments that were promoting crap. I had to go as far as complain to my hosting company to permanently blog his ip address. Not sure if it worked, but I haven’t seen him back since.

    In regards to your friend, what’s the point? If you aren’t going to accept comments, then its simply a journal. I would rather leave a comment if I had questions to keep the conversation going rather than tweet his post. Why? I tweet his post, people come looking to read and comment only to find that he closed it off. To me I would never come back or read it. Just my 2 cents.
    Sonia invites you to read..How to Avoid Wasting Money on WordPress Themes

    1. Hi Sonia,

       To tell you the truth, since I have so many blogs to go visit, if that one person has shut comments, that’s going to be the last blog I’m going to go to, because something is so missing if I can’t comment. I don’t even care so much if your blog is a no follow as much as I care if you have your comment closed.

       Sadly, the comments that I had on my guest post on his blog are now gone 🙁 But that’s part of the online life I guess, you can only control what you do, right? Once your post is on someone else’s blog it’s not really yours anymore.

       Thanks for coming Sonia and for your input 🙂

33. Sylviane, Great post with in-depth knowledge on blog commenting. indeed, our blog is our No.1 media site. I too believe that system of commenting should be maintained with highest standard. Its not only google but person with normal stature would also hate that.
    Regards.

    1. Hi Koj, and welcome here.

       Yes, it’s worth repeating this over and over, our blog is our number one media site and we want to remember that as long as we are online writing content that is going out there.

       Thanks for coming and for your comment 🙂

34. Hey Sylviane,

    great article, but I’m still not sure if I understand what are the consequences, and is it enough to just use COmmentLuv as a commenting platform, and I guess Aksimet for spamm? I would think that Google woudl recognize links in comments to not be of the same value as the links you as an author make, in sense that they know others might put all kind of rubish, and not everything might be prevented.

    1. Hi Dankas,

       Commentluv has an excellent spam checker and rejects spammy comments like a charm. I never have to deal with spam comments anymore.

       I am not exactly sure how Google judges links in comments as opposed to other ways to link, but a link is still a link.

       I like commentluv because you can remove the link completely, or turn it into a nofollow. You can control everything.

35. In this case there are various reasons and statements, The first Google doesn’t like Spam comments or we can called not Relevant comments such as doing promotion then the second If we have many comments to the post it will be good for SERP.

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