Encouraging User Comments

We are now living in a time in which content is King; in all honesty, content has been important to the success of online marketing for many years however, once the lure of link purchasing came about, it soon dwindled into the background. Fear not however, as Google's latest algorithm update said 'enough is enough' with the poor quality content; I want high quality content and if you do not provide it, your rankings will be dearly affected!

Ok, so perhaps Google didn't 'say it' in such a condescending tone however its latest algorithm update has indeed made clear that content must once again regain importance. Websites must now submit daily updated, high quality and highly relevant content, to their blogs, websites and social media sites and thus forth; content has rightly regained its thrown.

Producing daily news feeds and onsite and offsite blog posts is all good and well but how can businesses ensure they are making the most of their content? How can businesses ensure that content is inducing credibility and brand growth? To put it simply; user comments.

User comments are a fantastic way to establish content uniqueness, allow a blog post to stay 'fresh' for longer and, unofficially many argue, a great way to boost rankings (although the latter is questionable), however many struggle to get one, if any blog comments.

Want to encourage more user engagement within your onsite and offsite blogs? Here are our top tips that, that may hopefully be off great help.

• Simplify the process- Many website comment sections have more hurdles to cross then a hundred metre Olympic Race! Simplify the process and don't ask for too many details or you may find that your readers will run in the opposite direction.
• Prominence- Does your comment box retain any prominence? Many sites will often leave the comment box at the bottom of the page, underneath a heap of jargon and other such site links. Give your comment box more prominence; you will be surprised how many people will take the plunge if a box is visible!
• Social Plug In's- If you require data for a comment then stick to asking the user to log in from their Facebook profile; they will be more likely to do this then to provide any further details.
• Engage- There is nothing worse than leaving a comment and finding yourself talking to a brick wall…the odds are that you will not be returning! If someone takes the time to leave a comment then be kind enough to reply back and you could soon find yourself building a loyal following.

Content is no doubt sitting comfortably on its throne but do not fear it and certainly refrain from seeing it as nothing more than a method of SEO! Online marketing is exactly what it says on the tin; marketing, so keep that in mind and create pieces designed to encourage user engagement…nothing is greater for brand growth!