Blog Commenting as a Link Building Strategy

One of the most commonly seen backlink strategies is blog commenting with a backlink to your site. While it may gain you a few links, it generally comes off as very spammy and can often cause a deletion from the site owner or moderator.

In this article, we’ll be discussing what to do and what to avoid when using blog comments as a backlink building strategy.

Backlinks from Commenting Best Practices

Since commenting in backlinks is so popular, we’ve learned quite a few tips and tricks on the best ways to do it. Here’s a list of what to keep in mind when commenting on blogs and including a link.

Stay On-Topic

Actually read through the article and ensure that what you’re linking to is related to the topic. Make sure that what you’re trying to add is something that the author didn’t mention or didn’t go in-depth enough with in their article.

Be sure to include this explanation in your comment as well. Mention that you enjoyed reading the article, but you think that there is more to be said about X aspect of the topic, so you’ve included a link that explains it in more depth.

Remember, providing value is the name of the game.

Explain Why You’ve Added the Link

Just saying that you enjoyed the article and throwing a random link at the end appears as very spammy and will probably end with your comment being deleted.

The author is going to be curious as to why you feel a link is necessary, so let them know. If you can’t think a good reason to be posting the link, you shouldn’t be posting it in the first place.

Become a Regular on the Blog First

If an author has never heard of you and you show up throwing around your link on their site, it’s not a great first impression. If you genuinely enjoy their content, keep up with their posts and comment without throwing a link at first.

Authors tend to read all of the comments on their articles, so they will start to notice that you read most of what they put out and they’ll appreciate it.

That way, when you have a real reason to add a link, they’ll be more likely to give it a chance and leave it there for everyone to see, assuming that it’s valuable content. Another way to be seen is to reply to comments posted by other readers. If someone else says something insightful or that you can add to, reply and let them know. Have genuine conversations with people on the blog if you’re looking to become known and build relationships.

Obey the Comment Policy

Most websites that allow comments will have some sort of comment policy or rules section. There’s a chance that these sections will also include a note on how the author feels about linking.

Be sure to follow whatever they say. If they don’t allow links, don’t try to sneak one in. Either comment without a link or find another site.

Some websites actually have a section dedicated to linking back to your site, so check if that is there before linking in the comment body to show that you read the rules.

Include a Photo and Your Real Name

Assuming that the website or blog requires you to register to comment, be sure to include a professional photo of yourself and your real name.

Don’t use your company’s name or company’s URL to avoid looking spammy. From personal experience, most spammers try to throw URL’s in their name and almost never take the time to add a photo. Anything that you can do to differentiate yourself is a big plus.

Commenting Best Practices for Link Building

When it comes down to it, the author and other readers can tell when you’re being manipulative with your comments that include links.

If what you’re linking to doesn’t actually add value, it’s best to just stick with a regular comment or move along to a different post.

I’d love to hear what you think about this topic. Please comment below. 🙂