If you’re not fully up to speed with the various commenting systems for your blog, I’ve done a lot of research now into the various commenting systems such as the standard WordPress comments system, IntenseDebate, Disqus and Facebook Comments for WordPress.
A short while ago, I made a decision to use Facebook comments for my blog knowing that there was a plugin available which could allow me to integrate a Facebook application within my blog using a few simple settings from Facebook. It seemed like a logical kind of idea at the time and I read on Mike Filsaime’s blog that he even thought it was a great idea, so I thought I would test it and see what results I got.
Briefly, if you’re not sure on the importance of why you want to get blog comments, allow me to explain the benefits:
- You get actual feedback from the people who are actually reading your blog. This gives you an insight into their mindset, needs, desires, fears and aspirations. If you are sensitive to these needs, you can develop a product and/or deliver a solution to meet those needs. Market research direct from those that matter… I like it!
- Blog optimisation: Ever since the Caffeine update of Google’s algorithm back in June 2010, one of the key factors for SEO is what Google calls ‘Activity’. Essentially whenever someone leaves a comment on your blog, it’s considered as activity and therefore is considered as a positive vote for your content. The more positive ‘votes’ you can get for your content (ie. blog posts), the more relevance Google will consider it and therefore the better the chance of your web pages appearing higher in Google’s search results which of course gives you a greater chance of getting free traffic from Google.
- Not many people know about this one, but another key factor for SEO is the speed of page load times. Google monitors how long it takes for pages to load on your site. The faster they load, the more relevant they are considered to be. This is why you can get Google Analytics for free. Google wants to have a way of tracking how your site performs. Google can determine how long people are staying on your site, how many pages they view, which pages they enter and exit from and the page load times. All of these factors determine page relevancy and ranking within Google.
Facebook Comments – Perceived Benefits & Actual Truth
Perceived Benefit: Viral distribution of content
Actual Truth: By the time the comment goes onto the commenter’s wall and news feed, the comment is irrelevant because the people who see the comment cannot see the context in which the comment was made, therefore the comment would appear irrelevant and you wouldn’t get the benefit of drawing the traffic from their network.
Perceived Benefit: People will “like” your content and more traffic will come to your site.
Actual Truth: This can (and does) happen as people will use the Facebook “like” button, however this can be achieved by simply installing the Facebook “Like” button without the full Facebook comments system.
Another drawback from Facebook comments is that it is the longest loading element on your pages which slows down load time, drains resources (even if cached) and ultimately means that Google will see your content as less relevant.
Conclusion
Facebook is an awesome way to leverage other people’s networks and spread your content over the web. Whilst we’re on the subject, so is Twitter.
I’d recommend that if you’re going to use Facebook as part of your traffic generation strategies, then simply use the Facebook “Like” button rather than the full Facebook Comments for WordPress plugin which enables you to integrate your WordPress blog to Facebook.
The exception to this is if you’re creating stand alone web pages using software such as Easy Video Player 2, or a purpose-built WordPress theme such as OptimizePress or Profits Theme.
Let everyone know about your experience with various blog commenting systems in the comments below.
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The mutt's nuts or the dog's drivel? I double dare you to leave a comment! :-)
This was very informative. I don’t like the facebook or twitter comments that are just a few words and links. Who wants to see this?
Tammy
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Thanks for sharing. I’ve been thinking of moving to Facebook comments and now will consider page loading time.
I am using wp comments, do follow and comment Luv.
Originally I did not approve all comments, then I got too much spam so now I review all comments.
I like the plug in that pulls in tweets and social comments as comments but it stopped working.
I also think mybloglog slows loading time and yahoo is discontuing it so time to take it off.
@clayfranklin
Thanks again.
I think FB comments work better for launch pages to build buzz around the launch.
I think WP comments are better for a blog.
I guess that depends on your following, hosting speed and caching setup for your blog though.
Very informative article. Thanks :)
I agree – for a blog Facebook Comments is not ideal. But for creating that initial hype for a website, it can be a good idea.
When maybe the main point is to get the attention of as many people as possible.
If comments become more important, then the switch back to WP comments are a must.
As a visitor I always love it when the blog/site uses Disqus or a similar system. I like the feel of being a registered user without having to fill in all the fields…
Agreed.
I did test Disqus at some point but eventually chose the standard WordPress comments system because it was the most customisable.
Thanks for your contribution. ;)
Wayne
Another downside of Disqus is its vulnerability of abuse. I see a lot of irrelevant comments using that commenting system. I also ditched FB comments a long time ago.
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Good choice Ronald. I think the default WordPress comments system is the best with modifications using CSS for styling and a couple of plugins for additional functionality.
Facebook comments does have its place but on launch pages or squeeze pages where you want to build buzz and leverage the social network of others through sharing.
Hi Wayne
I recently switched to WordPress recently and found it overwhelming to review and answer the comments. Now your article has helped me understand the importance of comments. It is worth my time spent. Thanks for the education.
Lalitha
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Hi Lalitha,
Your comment found its way to my spam folder which I very rarely check, so lucky it even made it here. ;)
No worries, the comments are massively beneficial to your search engine credibility, especially since Google updated their algorithm last June. Since then, they made ‘activity’ an important factor in determining relevancy which is Google’s watchword.
Of course since, Google has introduced ‘social voting’ (ie. tweets, likes, diggs and stumbles of content) as guides to what people really think are valuable.
If people consider it valuable enough to share, then Google will give weightage and due consideration of that and reward the blogger/marketer with rankings in the SERPs for their target keywords.
Thanks for dropping by and commenting. :-)
Wayne
I had considered using the Facebook comments, but now probably won’t. Thanks for the detailed explanation of why this plugin isn’t a good idea.
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Hi Allison,
I haven’t seen you here before, so welcome to my blog. :-)
I think the best commenting system is the standard WordPress system. In my opinion, it’s a good idea to pick a highly customisable WordPress theme such as Thesis or WooThemes.
From this point, it’s good to enhance the commenting functionality with some additional plugins such as ReplyMe, Comment Luv, Keyword Luv and Nofollow free which will help you reward commentators and build community.
Thanks for commenting.
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I’ve always used the standard commenting system, and although not really a fan of Thesis, I love my WooTheme. I’ll definitely check out those plugins! Thanks for the tips!
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Hi Allison,
There’s good and bad points about Thesis and WooThemes. My theme is also a WooTheme and I really love it too.
You’re welcome for the tips. :-)
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Facebook can be a tricky tool to leverage. I’ve used the pay per click feature in order to get participants for a critical thinking survey. I had success for that project but other projects weren’t that successful. The right plugin can be useful if it fits into the marketing plan.
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Hi Don,
Welcome to my blog.
It can be a tricky tool but when used correctly, it is great for both traffic and increasing conversions. Worth learning how to use it well.
Wayne Lambert invites you to read Best Premium WordPress Plugins
Comment Luv definitely seems like a good way to get traffic, where Facebook comments are practically useless.
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More important than the traffic is the ability to use it to build backlinks to your content, thus making your content more credible in the eyes of the search engines.
The traffic is just an incidental bonus.
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I was thinking of using the facebook plugin on my blog.. I heard that it had SEO link value (links from facebook wall pages) but seems like the like button is easier. I am now wondering about Google + … Maybe there will be a plug in on the horizon that is similiar to the facebook one.
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Welcome to my blog Carl.
Facebook comments simply loads too slowly and I prefer offering tools for commenters to link build using CommentLuv.
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Thanks Wayne,
Lots of great stuff you have on your blog, I’m learning some new things. Thanks for the turbo traffic course! That will be my homework for this weekend. Are you using the premium version of CommentLuv? Do you have a big problem with spam comments?
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Hi Carl,
Yes, I do run the premium version of CommentLuv and I am having some problems with trackbacks.
I have turned off the setting just tonight to disable trackbacks altogether which I had previously overlooked, so it should be OK now.
You’ll always get some people who actually fill in the form and check the box manually in an attempt to get a backlink.
If the comments aren’t relevant for the post, then I just spam them and move on.
Commenters with Gravatars are also more likely to get their comments approved too because it shows sincerity.
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Facebook marketing is among the most sought after knowledge by internet marketers and small businesses.
Facebook marketing is a fascinating subject. Can anybody advise me how to do this without being dubbed a spammer?. Thank you.
I would rather prefer Disqus or livefyre over FB comment system.
I have few doubts on how Facebook comment system works. Do those comments get indexed? Apart from that I will be loosing the casual reader who is not logged into Facebook at every time. The same problem exists with Disqus and livefyre.
The default wordpress comment system is a better choice
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I have turned off the setting just tonight to disable trackbacks altogether which I had previously overlooked, so it should be OK now.
Facebook marketing is really expanded a boom in everyone’s mind and and marketing great.
This is very informative. But I still love facebook and twitter comment box :)
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When working on a WordPress blog, posts often take center stage. However, the comments are often just as important – they create valuable discussion. And yet the default WordPress comment box is simplistic and uninspiring.
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Funny you are discussing this topic. Just last night, I install a SEO Facebook plugin for WordPress.
Here is the link:
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/seo-facebook-comments/
Let me know if I made the correct decision or if I should go back to WordPress comments.
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I use use the default WordPress comments system. It’s up to you whether you think you’ll get greater benefit from Facebook comments. In my experience, this is not the case but this is down to you.
Interesting post, i recently had the facebook like box on my site and did find the loading time ridiculous which effected the appearance for a moment thats why i switched it to a pop out so its hidden while it loads and doesnt show the delay, but im still debatting whether to get the comments literally so people can just comment on my wordpress site without having to enter all the info
I tried that plugin and could never get it to work right so i ditched it as well.
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Facebook is one of the best for social media commenting.
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I have been contemplating on trying this out myself to maximize my blog’s potential. Thanks for letting us in on the drawbacks of utilizing facebook comments for wordpress.
I never researched on the cons of using facebook comments for wordpress, I’ll check out other alternatives as well. Thanks for the relevant info.
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I think it makes sense to use both Facebook comments and regular WordPress comments on a site, that way everyone is more likely to comment depending on if they want to remain anonymous or show their friends what they think.
I never use facebook comment system but i think it’s very great commenting system you can save your Wp database size with the help of fb comment system
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I never connecting my blog to facebook. Because i feel comfortable with comment box that default from wordpress or blogger.
But now i want try to make differences in my blog on the comment form. After i read this article, i get idea to don’t make my comment form with facebook plugin.
Thank you Wayne!
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Thanks for sharing! This article is simply very helpful to both starters and experts. Keep posting!
Anywhere i have been opportuned to air my view about the best and smartest social comment plugin, i have will only stick to the facebook like button than the comment streaming
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I myself tried facebook comment plugin in my blog. I didn’t get a single comment in my blog through this. Also, it doesn’t serve the purpose of SEO. Right now I am using Intense Debate comment plugin and is quite satisfied with its performance. It even supports comment luv also.
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Standard wordpress comment box is my choice because of using Commentluv plugin.
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