Rising Importance of Backlinks
The tremendous growth of websites and blogs just in the last two years has made it even more difficult for a site to rise to the top of search engines.
With the continuing rise in the importance of backlinks for SEO, website owners are exhausting every tactic to get backlinks to their site. Some of these tactics are considered Black Hat and others are legitimate.
Blog Comments as a Backlink Strategy
Blog commenting is an easy, yet effective way to achieve backlinks. But many blog owners are getting p*ssed off at all the spammy comments that this tactic has created on their blog. At least it seems.
Has the backlash against spammers swung so far to one side, even legitimate commenters have lost the do follow love (or luv)?
What is do follow love… and how can you lose it?
For those who do not know the difference between no follow and do follow, the most basic explanation goes something like this: links with a “no follow” attribute (including URL’s in the comments) means these links are not followed by search engines.
In other words, search engines do not count these as backlinks. They don’t see them. Even though readers can see the links and click on them, they are invisible to search engines. Therefore, there is no benefit for SEO purposes.
In that way, you lost the do follow luv – the SEO benefit of placing a link on a high-valued website.
Well, one way to take away the luv is to make your comments and links on your website all no follow.
Why Would Someone Make Their Blog No Follow?
This is a question I would like to ask the audience.
There are those blog owners who don’t realize that WordPress makes comments automatically nofollow unless they install a do follow plugin. Their blogs have always been no follow and no one pointed that out, or they don’t care to change it.
However, this question is addressed to the bloggers who have changed their blog to no follow.
If you look at dofollow directories, or blog posts with lists of do follow blogs, many of the sites that are listed are no longer dofollow. So something changed. Why?
No one wants spam!
True. But with spam filters, captcha, and comment moderating, why would you need to take that extra step and add the no follow attribute? And then punish EVERYONE who comments. I have even seen the Comment Luv link as no follow! An old saying that addresses universal punishment says, “When someone sh*ts, we all wear diapers.”
I understand it is not really a “punishment” as comments are meant to be engaging and all that. Okay, sure. I agree. Every blogger wants engaging comments and interaction with the readers. But let’s be realistic, there is also the added benefit of increasing your own site’s search engine rankings.
I rather manually moderate my comments anyhow – including the URL’s that are put in the comments. Maybe my blog doesn’t get enough comments to worry about it.
Another Option to Give A Little Bit of Luv to Legitimate Blog Commenters
The No Follow attribute certainly has its place. Should it be across the board? Instead of making all comments no follow, I have noticed that a few blog owners use a plugin that will add the do follow attribute after ‘x’ number of comments.
For example, after leaving 5 comments on a blog, you get rewarded with a do follow tag. This seems a little bit more reasonable. At least loyal readers and commenters are getting some SEO juice back to their site. These plugins can also block certain keywords and emails.
Has this not caught on as an option? Maybe there are other reasons to add no follow. I’d like to know, and I am sure other readers would to.
EasyAzon Plugin
Twitter: bloggingdojo
says:
Trust me, I got spammed from here to eternity. I remember one such car journey of 10 minutes whereby I received 30 spam comments. This was a blog with Akismet, BadBehaviour, switched off comments after 15 days & even custom coded comment form. It didn’t stop them!
That was after I made my blog dofollow enabled.
I do like the idea on the 5 comments, but even that doesn’t work.
Rhys recently posted..What You Can Learn From CRO When It Comes To Blog Optimisation
Interesting, I don’t see a huge difference in spam since I was dofollow and am now semi-dofollow. I get a lot of spam as well, but my spam filters catch most of it.
Julie McElroy recently posted..When Did I Become a Techno-Geek?
We absolutely use dofollow. We encourage and want to reward anyone who takes the time to read our blog and offer a comment that adds value. In fact I have in a few places asked our blog to be added to lists of dofollow blogs. In fact linking out is a part of our SEO strategy.
There are those who just don’t get it. One guest blogger on this site for example, takes advantage of getting followed links here, doesn’t have commentluv installed on his blog, but even more selfishly, removed the link from my name after I took the time to read one of his posts that resonated with me, and took the time to contribute a valuable comment to his blog.
It’s unfortunate that there are simply those out there with the short sighted approach of taking links from other sites, and not offering any return “love”. I think they do so at their own peril. For one, I won’t comment on his site again, and his site had almost no comments across the board. I would think a person like that would want to encourage participation so his blog didn’t look irrelevant. But also I think Google likes to see a percentage of outgoing links.
As far as spam, I haven’t seen a reduction in spam by having nofollow turned on. So I don’t think that works as a deterrent anyway.
As far as captcha, we feel it works as a deterrent from getting real comments. Some people find those tools too frustrating because often times even humans can’t read what it is they are supposed to type in.
In the end, I think many blogs are just in the hands of people who don’t really know what nofollow and dofollow is and why or why not they would care.
Norm recently posted..Six Clean New Site Styles
I agree, I don’t think most people know the difference, but I like to reward the regular posters who had something of value. If people are moderating comments anyhow, I don’t understand why the nofollow is added.
In the end, it doesn’t really affect your blog, so why people do it I don’t get – except to stop spammers, but I don’t think that works anyhow.
Julie McElroy recently posted..When Did I Become a Techno-Geek?
Happens all the time. I am also a blogger using Weebly and Livejournal, i used blogging as a way for advertising. But things get so out of hand when spammers attack my blog linking to sites that don’t even attached on my topics.
Thanks for the posting hope this should help me solve my problem
Brayden Seekamp recently posted..Hello world!
Does you spam plugin not catch the spammers? I use G.A.S.P. by Andy Bailey himself and do not seem to have a major problem with them getting through. Spammers will always be around, but why not give the love to the legitimate bloggers?
Julie McElroy recently posted..When Did I Become a Techno-Geek?
Well, when commenting, I really don’t look if I get do-follow or no-follow backlinks as I know that I will get some good anyway. For example, most of my site’s traffic is just from other websites that are referring and I`m fine with it because I get more traffic than I would get by seeking only do-follow links.
Of course, I know that there are these called SEO guys who get tons of targeted traffic, but for regular person like me, regular users coming from other sites are just fine.
Great article and I appreciate the do follow directory. It’s hard to find a combination of a site you actually want to read and interact with that actually allows do follow links. I’d count this site at the top.
Dr_McGahey recently posted..Active Release Technique – 5 Reasons ART Therapy Is Better
Twitter: richescorner
says:
Spam does tend to run rampant on do follow blogs. I find it sometimes difficult to moderate so many spam comments. A good plugin like GASP or Akismet did a decent job on cutting down the spam on my blog. I think it’s definitely a must to have some kind of anti spam plugin if you decide to go do follow.
richescorner recently posted..90 Tools for All Your Blogging Needs
I honestly didn’t see the difference when I was no follow and am now do follow. The few that get past the plugins are easy enough to trash or spam. I use GASP as well.
Julie McElroy recently posted..When Did I Become a Techno-Geek?
Twitter: wordpresswb
says:
I use dofollow on all my blogs and I do get spam but I also got spam when I had no follow. So I think it is better to give my visitors a do follow link because it is not affecting my page rank, so why not?
Mitz Pantic recently posted..9 SEO Tips to Dominate Google Search Results
I agree!!
Julie McElroy recently posted..When Did I Become a Techno-Geek?
I run a couple dozen websites and every time I log into my wordpress dashboard it seems I’m overloaded with comments, so the time it takes to sift through them versus simply discouraging them as much as possible is a no brainer for me. However, if I had an active blog atmosphere while building a community I’d keep dofollow on, not really sure why a lot of bloggers are so protective of their comment link juice really.
Ryan recently posted..How to Choose a Carpet Color
Do you have GASP or another spam plugin?
Julie McElroy recently posted..When Did I Become a Techno-Geek?
Honestly I think a lot of people are not even aware of the terms dofollow and nofollow not to mention what the difference is. No matter what kind of website they run or maintain. Even more so if they are new to the whole world of running their own website. I don’t think it is something someone tends to stumble across or look up if they are not specifically looking for it or interested in it. There are a lot of topics and discussions out there, but if they run a gardening blog I kind of doubt it would be something they would be looking into. I prefer dofollow and use dofollow on most of my sites, but as a visitor to others I have nothing against nofollow either.
Ray recently posted..What do you mean it’s a hoax
That is why the NOFF plugin is great – it rewards return and legitimate visitors!
Julie McElroy recently posted..When Did I Become a Techno-Geek?
Spamming is old age strategy but still it is used today. Reality is they are just opportunist and they see the complacency so they grab the opportunity. I am thankful for this post anyway..
Timothy Smith recently posted..DoUpTo- The Fastest Way to Make Money Using Your Talent updated Tue Jul 26 2011 1:56 am CDT
Twitter: wpwebhost
says:
When there’s a do-follow, it’ll be full of spam. I don’t think there’s much do follow blogs now except for some do follow forums
Ricardus recently posted..How to trigger ideas to write new article
My blog was dofollow, but after being bombarded with spam for months, I finally decided to go nofollow. However, I thought it wouldn’t be fair to legitimate commentators. So, I dofollow everyone with 5 approved comments. I think that is a fair way to deal with the spam problem while rewarding legit commentators.
satrap recently posted..Make Money with Google Places- Step by Step Guide
I do the same, after 3 comments. Most of my spam was caught by my plugins, so while I did get a lot, it was never really an issue. Did you see a significnat drop on spam when you went nofollow. I am not sure most people pay attention to that.
Julie McElroy recently posted..To Big Dreamers and Those Who Love Them
Twitter: funtainmentclub
says:
I have a do follow blog and i feel everyone should atleast dofollow the comments so that the readers and the commentors get a reward…
aritraroy recently posted..PC Crash: Top 10 Solutions Which Can Save Your PC From Getting Dumped!!!
Does Google really ignore ‘no follow’ anymore? There is the theory that he doesn’t which I can support to a degree. Too many outgoing links on any page dilutes PR, so another on page seo factor to consider, unless your comments are behind a wall, as many are.
Sara recently posted..Dog Car Harness or Dog Seat Belt?
Actually, PR has to do with incoming links, not outgoing links. PR is just one small factor in your traffic. It fluctuates all the time and even Google has said it should not be a major part of your overall website plan. If too many outgoing links affect your site, than many of the dofollow blogs would see that, but I am pretty sure sites like Kikolani and DumbLittleMan are doing just fine.
Julie McElroy recently posted..When Did I Become a Techno-Geek?
Not entirely as simple as you state, PR does indeed have something to do with outgoing links and specifically the ratio of outgoing links v links to other pages on your site. Agree PR fluctuates and is not on it’s own a measure of success. One factor that many people do not realise is that if backlinks are not indexed, irrespective of whether the ‘no follow’ has been removed or not, the backlink is useless. How many blog pages are unindexable (usually due to poor seo – namely canonical urls), and ironically many of these sites are seo forums! It annoys me when on page seo is less than perfect on any site that claims seo as its specialism!! Yes I’ve looked on this one, no H2 tag and today very poor loading time! Thanks for replying
Sara recently posted..Puplight Review-See Your Dog in The Dark
Twitter: techmunchies
says:
i myself never use Dofollow,i don’t want my blog to get bombarded with spam’s.
Abhishek recently posted..Samsung Galaxy S2 Epic 4G Touch Available Now
Twitter: Ileane
says:
I use DoFollow on my WordPress blogs too. I’ve been trying to get added to the DoFollow directory for awhile and eventually I just gave up. But just for the record, my WordPress blog also allows keywords after a few approved comments.
Ileane recently posted..Get Tracking Statistics for Multiple Video Services with Tube Mogul
Twitter: 20milesnorth
says:
So much spam to delete is definately a hinderance to the dofollow. The growmap plugin eliminates like 99% of spam for me.
Steven M recently posted..Review Your Fitness Club Insurance Rates
So doesn’t the plugin help with spam, not making your blog no follow?
Julie McElroy recently posted..5 Reasons Why Niche Blogs Fail
Twitter: muratos
says:
And one more addition from me. We should be careful on not exaggerating getting backlinks very fast from such do follow blogs. I had once a nice blog went to Google sandbox eventhough all my comments were useful and well written. Now, I build them slowly.
Murat recently posted..Solidline Rightshift Review
great explanation about do-follow blog (“,)
anastasyea recently posted..Aku Dah Try Yang Lain Kecuali..
You have an outstanding point of view about dofollow blogs. I guess this is why dofollow blog are the target of the spammers because they do benefit a lot from it. As well as the SEO guys uses dofollow blogs to get more traffic and quality baclink but they are totally different to spammers who’s aim is just to mess around. The idea of Luv gives the justice for them.
Spam can drive a blogger nuts. I used to write a make money online blog that was do follow but the spam drove me crazy. I had many comments such as: Nice tips thanks, great tips and such comments not counting track back spam and comment bots. I eventually made the blog no follow. I don’t own that blog anymore by the way.
When I visit a dofollow blog I try to write something interesting and that adds to the topic. If I get the blogger to respond to the comment it makes me feel that the comment was worth it since it can open a very good conversation between the blogger, other readers and me. Usually a good comment followed by a question about the topic or a related topic does the trick.
Rapiddash recently posted..Investing in Preferred Shares: Preferred Stock Basics
Twitter: 2009Taxes
says:
I have my blogs as no follow but have setup comment luv to give link juice. This seems like a really good alternative. The number of comments has not been as great as when the blogs were do follow but the workload of filtering all the bad comments has dropped to almost nothing.
Also, running your site through CloudFlare blocks many of the comment spam makers as I saw some sites go from 10 spam comments a day down to zero after setting up CloudFlare.
Steve recently posted..Tax Carnival Ecstasy – September 27, 2011
Although bloggers may be rewarded with the do follow tag after a series of comments on a no follow blog, that is still a high price to pay. I think with proper usage of filtering techniques, it is a safe bet to allow the do follow links. That way everyone wins. Thank you for sharing.
Twitter: Exabytes_SG
says:
that tool not a good option because anyone can make comment more than 5. How about those spammer spam in your everyblog and you still allow dofollow backlink to them. That not worse and not fair to others.
I also spend most of my time which i will delete or set no follow manually to those comment that may harm to my blog.But it usually take time.
That why most of people stated their blog as do follow and use plug in to auto filter themselves.
Twitter: NelsonWayne
says:
There are plenty of Comment Luv blogs that do not require a minimum number of posts to become a Do Follow commenter. Simple moderation by the admin is really all that is needed in order to effectively approve or disapprove a given post. This, of course, is my opinion.
I consider myself a serious blogger and commenter, which means I take my time to insure spelling and grammar are as close to accurate as possible. And, before submitting a comment – and especially before posting a new post or article to my site – I check and double-check my work. Proper capitalization is important, as well.
I absolutely take pride in what I do and I thoroughly enjoy it.
For the record, I have a plug-in I use with Firefox that allows me to determine if a Comment Luv blog has Do Follow switched on or off.
Unfortunately, this blog does not – it is a No Follow.
So, why did I choose to comment?
Because of the inherent irony… and the opportunity to write.
Best to all,
Wayne Nelson
Redmond Reflexology
Wayne recently posted..Reflexology Method Comes To The Philippines
Twitter: markngaz
says:
We were getting loads of spam, the nofollow tag killed that, instead we have other ways to reward loyal readers. But being in a small niche their tends to be a regualr group of commenters more like a little community so the spam stands out so much more.
Gaz recently posted..Working with Existing Structures