When including a blog on your website, one question inevitably comes up: Should you allow comments? This is something on which even the experts can’t seem to agree. Even influencer Michael Hyatt took some time to decide. He removed his comment section for a year and then ended up putting it back. The fact is, there isn’t a right answer. You will have to decide for yourself what works for your website. Here are some things to consider when deciding.
How a Comment Section Benefits your Blog
If you have time and love interacting with your audience, perhaps having comments on your blog is the way you want to go. Many people advocate for keeping them. Here are a few reasons why:
- Comments keep the conversation going.
- Comments and responses to them can deepen your relationship with your readers
- They provide social proof of what you are saying in your post
- When Readers comment, they may also engage with your site in other ways
- Allowing comments can make visitors feel more welcome.
- It is an opportunity to network
- You can get new ideas for fresh blog topics
Why a Blog Comment Section isn’t Worth it
While 90% of your readers will never comment on a blog, 90% of your comments will come from 1% of your readers.[1] That is a disproportionate representation of your audience in your comment section, which could skew the way you see your audience and write for them. Those aren’t the only reasons to cut the comment section.
- Lots of low-quality, spammy comments are frustrating to deal with
- Moderating blog comments is time-consuming
- Comments allow the reader too much control over a conversation that is yours to direct.
- Comment volume does not correlate with the number of visitors to your site
Options to Consider
Neil Patel has a great article on whether comments help your blog’s SEO. Here are some options:
- Allow comments. This involves spending more time answering questions and moderating the discussion, but many people find it worth the time.
- Skip the hassle. If you want more of a one-way conversation with you sharing information with your readers, you don’t need comments. If they aren’t helping you achieve your goals, why bother with them?
- Move the conversation to social media! You will still have to use your time and energy to keep up with the conversation there, but low-quality social media comments won’t make your website look unprofessional.
Still want social proof?
The best social proof is a high-quality review. Reputation Management Services from Iceberg Web Design can gather all of the web reviews into one place. You can use these reviews on your website and respond (which you should always do when someone reviews your business or product). To learn more, give us a call or fill out our convenient contact form.
[1] Neidlinger, Julie. “10 Reasons You Should Be Using Blog Comments.” CoSchedule Blog, 26 Jan. 2017, coschedule.com/blog/blog-comments/.
