The Simple Psychology Behind Why Your Website Needs Comments

The comment section of your website or blog is one of the most powerful tools in search engine optimization and social sharing. The biggest content websites out there never fail to neglect their communities input and neither should you. There is a simple psychology as to why comments are important to you.

To a web developer, SEO has become one of those buzzwords they have to put on their CV. Something you tick off just to make the interview, like a degree. Too many people trying to run an internet business, SEO is like a distant sound to your pet dog – they don’t quite know what it is or how to get at it but they feel the need to get it! As a matter of fact, SEO is quite a simple idea.

Google, in their guidebook to SEO, writes:

“Even though this guide’s title contains the words “search engine”, we’d like to say that you should base your optimization decisions first and foremost on what’s best for the visitors of your site”.

Here Google is saying the most important thing you should be doing to achieve search engine optimization is optimizing your website for your users, not for the search engines. If your users are having an enjoyable, informative and accessible experience on your website, the rest will take care of itself.

So how does this relate to your comments section you may be asking?

A busy and well maintained comment section makes your users feel valued. It makes them feel needed, listened to.

It makes them feel important.

Consider for a moment on how valuable the feeling of importance is to you. Consider all you’ve achieved because of it. I’d be willing to bet it forms the crux of many of your daily actions. A sense of importance is why one strives for a great career instead of an average career. Its the reasons people have children, start a company, write a book or deliver a speech. If you can make people feel important, they will queue around the block to be near you.

If you can invite comments onto your website you are sending the message that you value your readers and it creates a community of active contributors. Building this network makes people want to share your content and opens up countless opportunities for you. Not least of which is the opportunity to connect with your readers. To learn from them and make new contacts. People will stay on your blog longer to read the comments and it adds points that you may not have thought of. They add content!

The bottom line is your readers are important, so you should make them feel important.

Here are some of the many ways you can encourage comments:

1. Write at the bottom of your articles asking people to comment. Tell them their input is valued.
2. Reply to comments already on your feed – keeping the conversation going.
3. Publish collections of comments and letters as individual posts.
4. Comment on other peoples blogs.
5. Offer incentives and competitions.
6. Give your opinions.