If you are familiar with this website you will know that the Facebook ‘Comments Box’ plugin was enabled on here. The plugin can be beneficial to brand awareness due to the viral nature of Facebook by getting into users’ news feeds. However there are drawbacks, the content goes on Facebook and stays there, the plugin just pulls the content from Facebook so your site doesn’t benefit from the content that’s generated. Also not everyone is necessarily logged into Facebook all the time on all their devices, laptops, desktops etc. nor does everyone have an account – controversial I know, but it’s not uncommon for users to go ahead and delete their accounts because they are unhappy with the service due to changes or privacy.
SEO blog comments? What does that mean? Well, we’ve all heard it by now, panda, penguin, content, freshness…. the list goes on. Well, you should be aware that having a blog comment stream on your website will help your SEO efforts. For one thing you get content for free, by that I mean user generated content from your commenters. If you spark a debate and keep the conversation going think of the amount of content you can generate for free! If you post articles regularly and if your audience is commenting regularly you are ticking the freshness box that Google promotes too.
Since using the Facebook ‘Comments box’ plugin the comments on this website more or less ceased to exists hence the reason for re-enabling the core WordPress commenting system. Also, Facebook changes all the time and I never seemed to get notification! This way I get notification and I can monitor the comments in one place.
Now I’m hoping to get some comments, if not then bang goes my theory huh! What do you think? Do you use the Facebook ‘Comment box’ on your website?
Very interesting article and great to see it from your perspective, as web designer and site creator.
From mine, being sales focused, it seems a no-brainer for a site owner to take time to publish engaging content, propagate interest and interaction from their audience in that content, and then retain their audience’s “comment content” within their own site, growing intellectual/SEO value in that site.
Seems like a very sensible decision, if ownership of the comment value and the opportunity to grow website potency is your intention.
Very interesting article and great to see it from your perspective, as web designer and site creator.
From mine, being sales focused, it seems a no-brainer for a site owner to take time to publish engaging content, propagate interest and interaction from their audience in that content, and then retain their audience’s “comment content” within their own site, growing intellectual/SEO value in that site.
Seems like a very sensible decision, if ownership of the comment value and the opportunity to grow website potency is your intention.
Hi Elliott,
Interesting post – Personally I like to keep facebook separate from work, So I would always steer away from any type of plugin that incorporates facebook into anything involving work. I can’t see how having a plug in such as the facebook comment one would be beneficial especially if the comments are separate.
In terms of SEO I think it’s important to keep comments in the same destination either using the WordPress default commenting system or plugins like Discuss. I noticed last year that alot of people went onto my site (www.garyrevell.co.uk) through a post I wrote about coffee shops in london, although not directly traffic that resulted into direct work. It boosted the rankings of my site when someone searched for “coffee london” as I think there is always a notion that when writing blog posts who will read it. So from that view it was nice to see the popularity. I also got commissioned to do some work with a client who found me from a blog post I wrote about Night photography in London, he saw that I was local and got in touch.
Strange how people stumble onto sites eh! – Personally the oddest thing that I have noticed I put a simple video on youtube about how to get a stuck CD out of a drive on a Macbook pro, and it has had 43,653 views in reflection I should have hosted it on my site.
the video -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hat8kz-O9U
Hi Elliott,
Interesting post – Personally I like to keep facebook separate from work, So I would always steer away from any type of plugin that incorporates facebook into anything involving work. I can’t see how having a plug in such as the facebook comment one would be beneficial especially if the comments are separate.
In terms of SEO I think it’s important to keep comments in the same destination either using the WordPress default commenting system or plugins like Discuss. I noticed last year that alot of people went onto my site (www.garyrevell.co.uk) through a post I wrote about coffee shops in london, although not directly traffic that resulted into direct work. It boosted the rankings of my site when someone searched for “coffee london” as I think there is always a notion that when writing blog posts who will read it. So from that view it was nice to see the popularity. I also got commissioned to do some work with a client who found me from a blog post I wrote about Night photography in London, he saw that I was local and got in touch.
Strange how people stumble onto sites eh! – Personally the oddest thing that I have noticed I put a simple video on youtube about how to get a stuck CD out of a drive on a Macbook pro, and it has had 43,653 views in reflection I should have hosted it on my site.
the video -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hat8kz-O9U
Good post! I’d agree with you there. Facebook is great but it does limit efficacy of comment boxes. Posting comments on blogs, forums and other sites definitely has a more far reaching effect on SEO. It is hard to keep up with the changes on Facebook and what most people forget………. your Facebook page and profile DO NOT belong to you nor will Facebook ever give up using the information you are pouring into it. Much safer and effective to push your blog. Even better to embed your blog into your website or just develop an all singing, all dancing blogsite like this one!!!
Good post! I’d agree with you there. Facebook is great but it does limit efficacy of comment boxes. Posting comments on blogs, forums and other sites definitely has a more far reaching effect on SEO. It is hard to keep up with the changes on Facebook and what most people forget………. your Facebook page and profile DO NOT belong to you nor will Facebook ever give up using the information you are pouring into it. Much safer and effective to push your blog. Even better to embed your blog into your website or just develop an all singing, all dancing blogsite like this one!!!
Good points well raised. And look! It works! call me daft, but I never put two and two together on the wordpress comment feed and how it could drive your SEO. It really rather makes sense now I think of it. The problem I’ve found with Facebook is the delay in notification and general lack of control of content on my part. I much prefer the wordpress comment system – instant, fast, and I can keep track. hang on a minute! Maybe I’m not so daft after all. Well, maybe…Top post.
Good points well raised. And look! It works! call me daft, but I never put two and two together on the wordpress comment feed and how it could drive your SEO. It really rather makes sense now I think of it. The problem I’ve found with Facebook is the delay in notification and general lack of control of content on my part. I much prefer the wordpress comment system – instant, fast, and I can keep track. hang on a minute! Maybe I’m not so daft after all. Well, maybe…Top post.
Very interesting article and great to see it from your perspective, as web designer and site creator.Seems like a very sensible decision, if ownership of the comment value and the opportunity to grow website potency is your intention.
Thanks for your comment Link,
I think it’s better to retain your own content for sure 🙂
Very interesting article and great to see it from your perspective, as web designer and site creator.Seems like a very sensible decision, if ownership of the comment value and the opportunity to grow website potency is your intention.
Thanks for your comment Link,
I think it’s better to retain your own content for sure 🙂
I really enjoyed reading your blog. It was a very good writer, and easy to undertand. Unlike additional blogs I have read really not tht good. I’m also very interested in your posts. In fact, after reading, I had to go to show that he is my friend and he ejoyed it as well!
I really enjoyed reading your blog. It was a very good writer, and easy to undertand. Unlike additional blogs I have read really not tht good. I’m also very interested in your posts. In fact, after reading, I had to go to show that he is my friend and he ejoyed it as well!
Hi Elliott,
SEO related and Interesting post .
In terms of SEO I think it’s important to keep comments in the same destination either using the WordPress default commenting system or plugins like Discuss. I noticed last year that alot of people went onto my site (www.rot-solutions.com) through a post. I also got commissioned to do some work with a client who found me from a blog post .
Hi Elliott,
SEO related and Interesting post .
In terms of SEO I think it’s important to keep comments in the same destination either using the WordPress default commenting system or plugins like Discuss. I noticed last year that alot of people went onto my site (www.rot-solutions.com) through a post. I also got commissioned to do some work with a client who found me from a blog post .