What is the best commenting system? There are several factors to be included:
- Most commenting systems are indexed by Google. Even Facebook comments. Indexed comments are not always a good thing - they can seem too spammy (have too much links), they can be off-topic, they can include curse words... All of this is manageable with some moderation features but you still need to be aware of all the comments that are being posted.
- The CS design depends on your website's design. If you have a simple, minimalistic design then the default WordPress CS would be great since it doesn't have a very diverse design. But if you have a "powerful" website design (like most Magazine style sites have), then I wouldn't go with the default WordPress CS.
- It's rare that a comment system will allow anonymity. For the most part, you have to register a new account or connect your social profiles just to comment, which is a hassle and a privacy issue. Allowing anonymous comments requires A LOT of moderation and attention, but with anonymous comments you get more comments in quantity
- Some CS lack features, like the default WordPress one. One of the most important missing features is Rating.
IMO, using the Google+ CS is obviously the best for ranking on Google, but you wont get more traffic. However, if you use the Facebook CS you will get a lot more traffic since the comments get seen by more people on Facebook too. Using Disqus is ideal if you want a lot of features and options for the users to interact, but you wont get more traffic like with the Facebook CS and you wont rank as good as with the Google+ CS. I would avoid the default WordPress CS unless I have a website in the WordPress niche. It is too minimalistic, you don't get rating features and you don't get more traffic from the comments. You can still use third party plugins to enhance the WordPress CS though.
So what CS are you using and why? What CS would you recommend for good SEO?
- Are the comments indexed by search engines?
- Does the system have good design and is it user-friendly?
- Does the system require registering?
- Does it have enough features?
- Does it allow anonymity?
- Does it look good with your website's design?
- What kind of an audience you have?
- Most commenting systems are indexed by Google. Even Facebook comments. Indexed comments are not always a good thing - they can seem too spammy (have too much links), they can be off-topic, they can include curse words... All of this is manageable with some moderation features but you still need to be aware of all the comments that are being posted.
- The CS design depends on your website's design. If you have a simple, minimalistic design then the default WordPress CS would be great since it doesn't have a very diverse design. But if you have a "powerful" website design (like most Magazine style sites have), then I wouldn't go with the default WordPress CS.
- It's rare that a comment system will allow anonymity. For the most part, you have to register a new account or connect your social profiles just to comment, which is a hassle and a privacy issue. Allowing anonymous comments requires A LOT of moderation and attention, but with anonymous comments you get more comments in quantity
- Some CS lack features, like the default WordPress one. One of the most important missing features is Rating.
IMO, using the Google+ CS is obviously the best for ranking on Google, but you wont get more traffic. However, if you use the Facebook CS you will get a lot more traffic since the comments get seen by more people on Facebook too. Using Disqus is ideal if you want a lot of features and options for the users to interact, but you wont get more traffic like with the Facebook CS and you wont rank as good as with the Google+ CS. I would avoid the default WordPress CS unless I have a website in the WordPress niche. It is too minimalistic, you don't get rating features and you don't get more traffic from the comments. You can still use third party plugins to enhance the WordPress CS though.
So what CS are you using and why? What CS would you recommend for good SEO?
