Comment Backlinks and SEO: 10 Things to Keep in mind while commenting for Backlinks

Ever compliment someone if their photo or video is good on social media?

Commenting is one of the fastest ways to engage with others and share your thoughts.

You’re a social media user, right?

Comments have been the backbone of every social media platform.

This is one of the main features that help such platforms understand how people are reacting to a post.

If you ask an old-school SEO specialist about different backlink types, they’ll definitely include “comment backlinks.”

Blog commenting for SEO is today’s topic.

I will discuss some of the main questions related to blog comments backlinks.

Not only that, I will also share some websites that allow comments.

And I will also discuss whether you should include comment backlinks in your SEO strategy.

So without further ado, let's get started.

What are comment backlinks in SEO?

A lot of websites allow their visitors to share their thoughts regarding the content they are reading.

This is an extraordinary thing that can help authors or even webmasters improve their content.

It is supposed to add value.

But comments come in different kinds.

Sometimes you mention something or leave a link to support your opinion.

It is the same as what people used to do on forums—interacting with others and helping them out.

In my previous guide, I discussed forum backlinks. The post will help you improve as an SEO professional.

Coming back to what we were discussing—“comment and when someone leaves a link in it.”

The action of leaving a link within a comment is called a “Comment Backlink.”

For example, this is a comment by a person who was reading the article:

The comment is on a blog page discussing “48in48 Spotlight.”

This is normal, and nobody is criticizing this. But let’s assume that person added a link here!

When someone adds a link within a comment – the radar is on.

You have to think about whether this is an intentional comment or coming naturally.

For instance, this is an article on Substack discussing “How do we handle plagiarism in the lit mag community?”

And this person left a link while commenting:

As I said earlier, the radar is on whenever there’s a link within a comment.

But this link is totally genuine and in context with the discussion.

It is good, and nobody’s criticizing this.

But under the same post, someone commented this:

You can see the post is totally irrelevant to the link the person added.

But since the link is coming from a genuine website, it isn’t going to hurt them at all.

Now that we’ve discussed comment backlinks, let’s find out why they were so popular in off-page SEO.

Why do SEOs do comment backlinking?

The most common reason SEOs use comment backlinks is simple.

They want backlinks.

For a long time, search engines relied heavily on backlinks as a ranking factor.

This made blog commenting an easy and accessible way to build links.

Besides this, SEOs also used comment backlinks for other reasons.

Some wanted to increase the number of referring domains.

Some wanted faster indexing of their pages.

Others wanted to diversify their backlink profile.

In the past, this approach worked to some extent.

But things are different now.

Google has improved its algorithms and can easily detect patterns that look unnatural.

Large numbers of comment backlinks created in a short time raise clear red flags.

This is why many professional SEO agencies have moved away from comment backlinking as a primary strategy.

Instead, they focus on white label guest posts, niche edits, and other authority-driven link building methods.

That does not mean comment backlinks are completely useless.

It only means they should not be used blindly or in bulk.

Understanding when and why they work is more important than simply building them.

What makes blog commenting in SEO problematic as a backlink strategy?

Google wants to see websites naturally linking to others using the best practices.

To achieve that, you have to build solid content and wait for others in your niche to link back to you.

Since you aren’t Brian Dean, who can create skyscraper content, you would have to wait for thousands of years to get attention from Google.

On the other hand, comment backlinks are easier to build.

And super easy to get caught as well.

The majority of websites now either do not approve links within comments or add a UGC tag.

This UGC tag within a comment stands for "User Generated Content" and signals to the search engine that the link is not coming from the website page.

You can simply check this by inspecting an existing link.

Instead, the link is added externally by the user themselves.

Now, the user could be you, and most of the time, “IT IS YOU.”

Good websites do have a solid audience, and people tend to discuss, but that’s a totally natural process.

It is something you can’t create or trick, especially when you are a beginner in SEO.

Before I move ahead, a super quick question: “Should you ignore comment backlinks for SEO growth?”

Definitely not. And for a comprehensive answer, read the entire post to learn more.

How to Build Comment Backlinks in a Way That Does Not Harm Your SEO

Comment backlinks become risky when they are used as the main off-page SEO strategy.

Relying too much on them can slow down your website’s organic growth.

We at Repute Post discourage using comment backlinks as the go to link building strategy!

But still if you want to use comment backlinks, here are some simple guidelines to follow.

1. Focus on relevance

Only comment on blogs that are closely related to your niche. Random comments on unrelated websites do more harm than good.

2. Add links only when they are needed

A backlink should support your comment. If the discussion does not require a reference, do not add a link.

3. Avoid being the first and only commenter

Leaving a backlink on an empty comment section is easy to detect. It rarely looks natural.

4. Keep it limited

Comment backlinks should be a small part of your overall strategy. Do not rely on them for rankings.

Since Google’s perspective about guest posting has also changed. Links in comments can help you diversify a bit more.

5. Use comments for branding, not link building

Your primary goal should be to participate in the discussion. Brand visibility is more valuable than the backlink itself.

6. Join active discussions

Engage where people are already talking. This increases the chances of your comment being seen and trusted.

7. Stay natural and non promotional

Avoid selling, pitching, or pushing services. Helpful comments build trust while promotional comments don't.

8. Avoid comments in web 2.0 websites

Most of the time web 2.0 websites are not indexed by Google and other popular search engines. Including a link within a comment will only result in waste of time and effort.

Furthermore, web 2.0 backlinks strategy is something which Google and top SEO specialists discourage. So, think accordingly!

Following these steps reduces risk and keeps your backlink profile balanced.

How to find websites for doing comments?

I would rather recommend exploring our guest posting marketplace to build authoritative backlinks.

But, if you are already doing guest posts and niche edits, you can find comment rated websites by applying Google search operators.

Some of the top search operators are:

inurl:blog "post a comment"

inurl:comments "leave a reply"

intitle:blog "submit a comment"

inurl:discussion "add comment"

inurl:forum "post a comment"

"powered by WordPress" "leave a reply"

"leave a comment" "name * email"

inurl:blogspot.com "post a comment"

"comment form" inurl:blog

"leave a comment" site:.edu

inurl:blog "add comment"

inurl:post "leave a comment"

"comment section" inurl:news

"respond to" "add comment"

"join the discussion" "add your comment"

Note: These search operators can help you find websites that allow comments. You have to find websites manually that allow backlinks within the comments.

List of 200+ Blog Commenting Sites

Here’s a list of verified high DA blog commenting sites. But since it isn’t the right way to build links, some of the websites may not work now:

https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/

https://manvsdebt.com/

https://blog.iese.edu/

https://www.thebooksmugglers.com/

http://growmap.com

http://bloggingtips.com

http://www.allbloggingtips.com/

http://www.alltop.com/

http://www.alwayswellwithin.com/

http://www.androiddelta.com/

http://www.angelamccall.com/

http://www.another-blogger.com/

http://www.barbaracharles.org

http://www.basicblogtips.com/

http://www.beamoneyblogger.com/

http://www.beerbloggersconference.org/

http://www.beginatzero.com

http://www.blogelina.com/

http://www.bloggergo.com/

http://www.bloggingwhiz.com/

http://www.bloggingwithoutablog.com/

http://www.blogstash.com/

http://www.blogville.us/

http://www.blondish.net/

http://www.bluehatseo.com/

http://www.businessgross.com/

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/

http://www.cybernaira.com/

http://www.pmpnews.com/

http://www.damayanthijayasinghe.com/

http://www.dearblogger.org/

http://www.deardrfreelance.com/

http://www.democratherald.com/

http://www.digitalvani.com/

http://www.directory.blogaz.net/

http://www.divinecopywriter.com/

http://www.dmiracle.com/

http://www.donnamerrilltribe.com/

http://www.emoneymarketing.com/

http://www.empowermentmomentsblog.com/

http://www.enstinemuki.com/

http://www.famousbloggers.net/

http://www.findtheluv.com/

http://www.freebloghelp.com/

http://www.fuelmyblog.com/

http://www.geekfellows.com/

http://www.divinecopywriter.com/

http://www.dmiracle.com/

http://www.donnamerrilltribe.com/

http://www.emoneymarketing.com/

http://www.empowermentmomentsblog.com/

http://www.enstinemuki.com/

http://www.famousbloggers.net/

http://www.findtheluv.com/

http://www.freebloghelp.com/

http://www.fuelmyblog.com/

http://www.geekfellows.com/

http://www.globeofblogs.com/

http://www.gradmoneymatters.com/

http://www.grassrootsinternetstrategy.com.au/

http://www.grovetimes.com/

http://www.growmap.com/

http://www.happybloggerplaza.com/blog/

http://www.heiseidemocracy.com/

http://www.helenair.com/

http://www.host.madison.com/

http://www.hownottoraiseaserialkiller.com/

http://www.interactiondesign.sva.edu/

http://www.iphone6update.com/

http://www.journalstar.com/

http://www.joyhealey.com/

http://www.just-ask-kim.com/

http://www.justcreative.com/

http://www.justinrlevy.com/

http://www.kabenlah.com/

http://www.kaiserthesage.com/

http://www.kikolani.com/

http://www.links.org.au/

http://www.madlemmings.com/

http://www.missoulian.com/

http://www.monetizeblogging.com/

http://www.movabletype.org/

http://www.mtstandard.com/

http://www.mybloggingideas.com/

http://www.newcritics.com/

http://www.notopoverty.com/

http://www.onenaijablog.com/

http://www.passivepanda.com/

http://www.paulguzmanblog.com/

http://www.performinsider.com/

http://www.poststar.com/

http://www.rebekahradice.com/

http://www.revellian.com/

http://www.richpotpourri.com/

http://www.robertwdempsey.com/

http://www.santamariatimes.com/

http://www.savvy-writer.com/

http://www.seo-hacker.com/

http://www.seotechyworld.com/

http://www.shobhaponnappa.com/blog/

http://www.simplifytechnologyblog.com/

http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/

http://www.slymarketing.com/

http://www.smartmarketerz.com/

http://www.socialtimes.com/

http://www.stopdropandblog.com/

http://www.superbloggingtips.com/

http://www.teachgoodstuff.com/

http://www.thefutureisred.com/

http://www.thepodcastersstudio.com

http://www.trueinventor.org/

http://www.unbounce.com/

http://www.w3blog.dk/

http://www.wassupblog.com/

http://www.weblogbetter.com/

http://www.weblogtoolscollection.com/

http://www.wordingwell.com/

http://www.wpslideshowplugin.com/

http://www.3ptechies.com/

http://www.abovealloffers.com/

http://www.adriennesmith.net/

http://www.aha-now.com/latest-posts/

http://www.amfastech.com/

http://www.animhut.com/

http://www.annieandre.com/

http://www.articpost.com/

http://www.awesomebloggers.com/

http://www.becomeablogger.com/

http://www.benspark.com/

http://www.besttipsforblogging.com/

http://www.bizchickblogs.com/

http://www.bizsuccessguide.com/

http://www.blog-directory.org/

http://www.blog.brsoftech.com/

http://www.blogclarity.com/

http://www.blogdir.co.uk/

http://www.blogdirectory.ws/

http://www.blogengage.com/

http://www.blogflux.com/

http://www.blogfolders.com/

http://www.bloggersideas.com/

http://www.blogging-techies.com/

http://www.bloggingcage.com/

http://www.bloggingtips.com/

http://www.bloggingways.net/

http://www.bloggingwizard.com/

http://www.bloggitips.com/

http://www.bloggodown.com/

http://www.bloghints.com/

http://www.blogorama.com/

http://www.blogpreneurs.com/

http://www.blogtap.net/

http://www.blogtoplist.com/

http://www.blogtrafficexchange.com/blog/

http://www.blogtrepreneur.com/

http://www.blogussion.com/

http://www.boxertechnology.info/

http://www.brainymarketer.com/

http://www.britblog.com/

http://www.caricatures.org.uk/blog/

http://www.communityspark.com/

http://www.comptalks.com/

http://www.copyblogger.com/wf-pamela-wilson-file/

http://www.cravingtech.com/

http://www.currybet.net/

http://www.daddydewberry.com/

http://www.dailyblogtips.com/

http://www.dailymorningcoffee.com/

http://www.dollarsblog.com/

http://www.effectivebusinessideas.com/

http://www.enchantingmarketing.com/

http://www.entrepreneurs-journey.com/

http://www.epreneur.tv/

http://www.estellaeffects.com/

http://www.ewebtip.com/

http://www.exceptnothing.com/

http://www.exeideas.com/

http://www.ez-onlinemoney.com/

http://www.fatfightertv.com/

http://www.finweb.com/

http://www.gazettetimes.com/

http://www.geekblogtips.com/

http://www.grokdotcom.com/

http://www.hanfordsentinel.com/

http://www.heraldextra.com/

http://www.intenseblog.com/

http://www.itechcode.com/

http://www.japantoday.com/

http://www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/blog

http://www.johnchow.com/blog/

http://www.kaarinadillabough.com/

http://www.keepinspiring.me/

http://www.kinbloggers.com/

http://www.kongtechnology.com/

http://www.lisathomsonlive.com/

http://www.mackcollier.com/

http://www.magemojo.com/

http://www.makemenoise.com/

http://www.mediacrayon.com/

http://www.meetup.com/

http://www.mydailylifetips.com/

http://www.myrecycledbags.com/

http://www.onlyloudest.com

http://www.papablogger.org/

http://www.peramburkumar.com/

http://www.dailytekk.com/category/reviews/

Wrapping up

I am really happy that you read this post till the very end. Blog commenting was popular, but over time it lost its importance.

These days, it is just another tactic to spam and invites Google to take strict action.

In this guide, I discussed comment backlinks and whether you should use them in your link-building strategy.

SEO is an ongoing process, so try to follow the right practices that can help, not the ones that further hurt your organic SEO growth.