Comments on: The Etiquette For Leaving Comment Links

By: Steven Bradley

Steven Bradley — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:52:31 +0000

Thanks Paul. Keep in mind this post is 4 years old. Today with rel=”nofollow” added to most every link in a blog comment you probably aren’t getting much value in the link. I would look at blog commenting as a way to build links.

However you can still add a link where appropriate. Real people do click them including the people who published the blog post.

By: Paul

Paul — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 22:38:57 +0000

Thanks for this great article. I recently started using social media as a way of building up my seo presence but I put off link building exercises as Im always worried I’m giving off the wrong impression. I’ll follow your suggestions of trying to leave a decent comment before I link. Appreciate the read

By: Steven Bradley

Steven Bradley — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 00:59:03 +0000

It counts as a link. Many blogs including this one have the rel=”nofollow” attribute added to the link so in theory it shouldn’t pass any value, but it still counts on a link.

People will add an additional link in the actual comment for different reasons. Ideally it’s because they’re linking to some page that adds something to their comment and the post itself. Perhaps they’ve written an article on a similar subject. The URL field might point back to their home page and the link in the comment might point to a specific pages.

Others with less genuine intention might just be trying to gain a second link or promote a second site. Each link could use different anchor text (the words that become the link) and in that way hope to get a page or pages to rank for different keywords.

By: Steffen Ruefer

Steffen Ruefer — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 13:28:02 +0000

I agree with your views concerning leaving links in comments; however, what I am wondering is, anybody who leaves a comment and adds a URI in the form (not in the text area, but in the text input labelled “URI”) will automatically get a link to his/her site. Should search engines not pick that up as well? If so, there would be no need to add additional links in comments (unless more is better). I just started reading up on SEO and could not find good information on that so far.

By: Robert Olmstead

Robert Olmstead — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:23:13 +0000

Thanks for the great information. I have been reading plenty of artilces, blogs and books as I begin my new business. You have been very helpful.

By: Steven Bradley

Steven Bradley — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 01:35:51 +0000

I feel the same. Self promotion often makes me feel uncomfortable so I pick and choose my moments.

I think when commenting on any blog the best thing to do is read that blog for awhile to understand what’s ok and not ok. If you show respect for the blogger, the blog, and the community you should be ok.

By: Scentsy

Scentsy — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 06:05:02 +0000

I always feel a bit uneasy leaving links, but at the same time, I know comments help SEO ratings and therefore I love them. So, if someone wants to leave a comment and it might help their SEO, I’m happy to help.

By: scubesolutions

scubesolutions — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 11:41:57 +0000

Thanks for sharing the ways on how to do it. I have a small business and I use social media. I’m the only one who maintains it, I do the blogging, the articles, etc. And I always seek for an online advise and tips. And I find your blog so useful and helpful.

By: Steven Bradley

Steven Bradley — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 16:42:47 +0000

I think as long as your comment ads something to the discussion and the link is to something that offers more detail on what you were saying it’s fine.

Even if you continue to comment the link is ok as long as you don’t keep adding the link to every post.

Sometimes it’s a judgment call about the intentions of the person commenting. I tend to look at it from the perspective of does it add value to people visiting the site. If it does the link stays. If it doesn’t the link and probably the comment goes.

By: U. Tapila

U. Tapila — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 10:04:10 +0000

It would seem to me etiquette-wise that when leaving an initial substantial comment to an article that it would perfectly fine to leave a link to your website below your name, especially if the site you are commenting on does link to your site from the name listed above the comment. But if you continue commenting then that link would be left out. What do others think about that?