With Google calling for quality content and authentic guest blogging, the days of any form of paid or spammy linking and blogging are long gone. Google has recently been taking action against blog networks and sites it believes to be low quality. However, what about blog comments, comment linking and digital PR? If you have any experience blogging, chances are you’ve received a few comments that don’t make sense, are in other languages, include a long mysterious link or all of the above. While some may choose to use these negative, spam-filled techniques in their blog comments, there is actually a way to turn it around and make comments valuable.
What Exactly is Comment Linking?
Comment linking is the act of visiting a blog and adding a comment on a specific post, including a link back to your website. Of course, the blog should be related to your business and the comment you leave should be genuinely interesting to blog readers. Otherwise, you should not leave a comment or a link at all. If the link does not add value to the user, that is a red flag.
How Do I Find a Blog?
To make sure your comment is appreciated and your link is accepted, it’s important to find a blog post that is closely related to your business or website. To do this, visit websites that are in your industry, but not direct competitors (out of general respect). If you need assistance finding these sites, try Google (of course) or try visiting a high quality blog directory. Technorati is the largest blog directory, and one that we recommend. Before choosing a blog to comment on, make sure it is high quality! Typically, sites with a page rank of 3 or higher are recommended. In addition, the site should have high quality content and be focused on a topic in your niche.
What Should My Comment Say?
Think of your comment as an addition to the conversation. Does it enrich the article and provide additional information people in that community will appreciate? If not, don’t comment.
You can provide a fact or additional information not mentioned in the article, and then provide a link back to your blog post or web page that gives the full story (if you blog post does not have the right information, you can reference a site that does). For example, let’s say you are a car expert and have a blog post dedicated to how to fix a certain car part. You might find a blog post that focuses solely on vehicle maintenance or car restoration, but it’s missing some information about a particular part. You can then comment, saying you enjoyed the article and would suggest a certain strategy for fixing up a car. Add some specific details, as well as the link to your blog where you explain the process fully.
By adding in valuable tips, you accomplish three things: helping other readers, proving yourself as an authority in your industry and earning a link back to your website.
