Want to get your blog posts ranked well in the search engines?
Of course you do! But did you know it’s not ALL about keywords and links… there’s another dead easy trick to improving the rank of your individual blog posts… and it also works really well for Facebook Fan Pages!
Your blogs and Facebook fan pages will rank better in the search engines (particularly Google) if they receive comments from visitors.
Think about it… Google sees this as evidence of your page being “current” AND real people actually reading the content and taking the time to make a comment. So posts that have tons of comments must be better content than posts that have none, right?!
Well…. that IS the way Google sees it!
The same goes for Facebook Fan Pages (you DO have a Facebook Fan page don’t you?!)
The more “likes” you get for your content on your Fan Page, the more “authority” Google will give your page, and the more often it will show up in relevant searches.
How To Get More Blog Comments
Often it’s as simple as just asking for them. Always make a point of finishing your posts by asking your readers what they think. Ask them to leave a comment about what they thought of the article, and what other articles they would like you to write.
One other thing… it doesn’t matter if the comments are good or bad. A comment saying “I hated it” still counts as a comment in Google’s eyes, so don’t be afraid to ask for comments, even on posts you think might get negative reactions!
Sneaky ninja trick: You could even incentivize people to leave a comment by offering them a “bribe” for adding their view. There is a WordPress plugin that will handle all this for you, and send commenters an email automatically once they’ve left a comment. This means more comments, happy visitors and better Google rankings… triple win! The comment is called Comment Relish – download it from here.
What About Facebook?
On Facebook there’s 2 types of interaction that Google likes to see. The first is “likes,” the other is comments.
You want both.
There isn’t really a way to incentivize people to comment on your Facebook page (and Facebook REALLY discourages incentivizing people to do anything on the site) although statistically people are more likely to comment on Facebook than on a blog. BUT just follow the tips above about asking for a comment. Don’t forget, people can comment on anything… a photo, a status, a note, a video, etc!
The trick to getting more “likes” and comments is to see what people like and comment on… and post more of it! Sounds simple, but do you really do it? Or do you post whatever you want and hope people like it?
My advice is to occasionally ask (in your statuses and notes) what content people liked and what they didn’t, and to tell you by “liking” and commenting. Make a special effort to take note and post more content that’s similar. You’ll soon be rewarded with better search rankings and happier readers too!
So, what did you think of this post? Post a comment (good or bad) and if you liked it, please tweet or email about it!
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Great Advice, I also like the plug in.
Keep up the good work,
Take care,
Ray Gollis
Thanks Ray. Let me know what info you’d like me to cover on the blog!
Very well-written post with great advice; I like the idea of “incetivizing” your visitors – as long as you provide good value to them, why not?
Ana Hoffman/YourNetBiz
I like the post it was useful. Sounds basic but very true