Every blogger wants their readers to interact with their website. More than just clicking, reading, and viewing, commenting is one of the best user interactions bloggers want to see on their websites. Comments are great for SEO, and bloggers can use them as a tool to improve their website performance. It is essential in being visible on the internet. So, blogger or not, everyone must learn how to write comments. Not only write them but ensure that they stay relevant, credible, and useful. There are many techniques to write a good comment. With the right tools, it can boost a commenter’s expertise and popularity if it is done often enough.

The problem is, every blogger has one enemy – THE SPAMMER. Be it that you own the blog or your comment on another blogger’s website, spams are never welcome. The main principle in writing a good comment is to avoid looking like a spammer. To do so, here are the best tips to write comments with substance:

Enjoy the discussions

One way to ensure that you write meaningful comments is to choose topics that are enjoyable for you. If you think that it is worth discussing your point of view with another commenter, then go ahead. Don’t just comment just for the sake of visibility, add a comment because you have ideas to share. If you are building a brand or personality online, making sure that other people interact with your comments is essential. It also builds your credibility and expertise. One way to keep enjoying the discussions is to stay within niches that are similar to your blog or expertise.

Avoid nonsense comments that do not add value to the blog or content, the likelihood would be that no one else would interact with you. Likely, nonsense comments are on the auto-spam radar. Here are some examples of nonsense comments:

• ‘First Commenter Here!’
• ‘Thanks for your post, OP!’
• ‘Please like my comment’
• ‘XX Likes and Comments, I will share this post’ 

Never go off-topic

This is why it is important to comment on topics where you are familiar with the niche, so you will not go off-topic. Finding posts similar to your content and commenting on them will ensure that you keep to the topic. However, there are times that shifting a bit is okay.

Here are some situations when it is alright to shift but staying to the topic:

• “I read on another article that _____, the ideas are completely opposite but I think that ____”
• “I really enjoyed your article, thank you so much for posting it. I have learned that ____” 
• “I have learned so much from your article. I encourage you to keep on posting” 

It’s all about the persona – Get a Gravatar

Gravatar has been around for a while. Quite simply, it’s a service providing image avatars for blog commenters. When you comment on a blog and submit your email address, this address is taken to Gravatar to check if there’s a picture connected to it. Being a ‘real person’ on the internet can surely increase a commenter’s credibility. In fact, having a credible email address can also result in a no-spam impression. Using your real name, avoiding vulgar words, and keeping your email ‘spellable’ – are ways to ensure that you won’t look nor sound like a spammer.

You can spend 10 minutes getting a Gravatar. This will be time well spent because when a blog owner sees a picture next to the comment, they’ll get an immediate no-spam impression. Especially now that there are spammer monitoring tools, you would not want your comments to be marked as spam and have the administrators delete them.

Treat comment writing as content creation

It is essential to edit a comment as if you are editing a blog post. It is important to use formal words, even in very offensive scenarios. Always crosscheck the words, spellings, and mistakes in your comments. If English is not your first language, it is alright to just state it outright and apologize for the possibility of uncorrected grammatical mistakes. Even English speakers get grammar errors, too.

Step out when it gets ‘too negative’

You will not have the same views as everyone, and this is understandable. In fact, some bloggers like it when commenters disagree (albeit politely) with their post as it gives them a fresh perspective on the topic. It’s okay to disagree as it leads to a healthy discussion.

However, sometimes, other commenters get too personal and critical not only with the post but also with other people’s comments. If you think that a discussion has become ‘too hostile’ or ‘too negative’ for your comfort, step out of the discussion. Staying polite and calm, even in these kinds of situations, is very important.

Lastly, regularly revisit your comments

How can you interact with the writer and other commenters if you don’t return to the page you commented on? Just like how you do your posts on your blog, checking how well your comments are performing is important. Not only do you get to interact with other commenters, it also teaches you how to further improve your comment writing skills in the future.

There are more tips to remember when writing comments. They could be technical, SEO-related, or more. However, if you think you need to improve on your comment writing skills, these are the first few steps you need to take. Keep commenting!