Questions on blog comments for backlinking

[andyc]

Really liked Dan and Jon's module 7 videos on backlinking. Still a little confused on the best approach when it comes to making blog comments to gain a backlink though.

Have located some potential blogs through MS and feel that I can add value with a good comment. Is the approach we should take though to just add our url in the website box and not the comment box? If we do that then we will not have anchor text optimized to our keywords as it will link from our name. You could enter your keyword in the name box, but I'm worried that looks a bit spammy or is this acceptable?

Do people use different names on blog comments or do you always stick to your main pen name/real name? As Dan mentions things should look natural I was wondering if having lots of blog comments from one name would look unnatural.

[micronet]

You should go into a new blog you want to comment on with the intent to add to the conversation and build credibility for yourself as a market leader.
Its not about you. Its about serving your market first and then down the road maybe drop a link (if allowed).

If people on those blogs/forums like what you are providing they will look at the website connected with your name and come check you out.

***

[andyc]

Thanks for your input Ron, I understand the importance of making a valuable contribution and this is what I fully intend to do. Are you saying it is fine to put the url of my site in the url box, but I should leave it out of the comment?

In Jon's video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=us10fmx2fWo around the 3.30min mark he's at the kitesurfing blog and suggests using your keyword in the name field of a blog comment and then adding your url and a vaulable comment. To me this doesn't build market leadership as your using a keyword not your name, also it could look like spam to the blog owner as you might have a name such as "best lcd flat screen tv's". To me that approach seems to contradict what your saying about market leadership and also what Jon, Ed and Dan have all said about not being a bone head.

[micronet]

I can only speak for myself in that when I read a blog not only do I read the post itself I also read the comments as many times there is great information there too.

When i see a commenter that as you state has a user name of "best flat screen tv" it usually says SPAM to me and more often than not they just put something like "Great post"
What the hell does that add to the topic? Nothing.

Be yourself and join the community. Also as a note with Facebook commenting showing up on frickin everything now a days, you are going to find it harder to be "Best flat screen tv" anyways.

Might as well just be you.

Times are a changin.

Thats my take for what its worth

***

[Elizabeth]

I get quite a few comments on my blogs that have a URL in the text. That says to me, this guys is only interested in self promotion so guess what, I trash them all. If however it is a really good comment, not only do I approve it but I will most likely respond to it to keep the conversation going.

When it comes to using keywords in your comments, I believe that is best done within the text of your comment. Provided of course that it does make sense within the text. That way you're subtly promoting your niche without sounding spammy.

[sfgreg]

http://www.seomoz.org/blog/recommend...eting-strategy

[andyc]

http://www.seomoz.org/blog/recommend...eting-strategy

Thanks, informative article.

[Hashimoto]

Write a real and informative comment, put in your website address in the URL box, and put your name as "keyword andy" or similar.

Advantage of this is that you add to the conversation, you get some link juice w/ your keyword, and it's not spam.

[ExecAccess]

Where possible I put the name of either my blog or my key word in the "name" box, which then picks up the URL as a link and gives you anchor text.

I never put my url in the comment itself, just a meaningful comment.

I am so glad I set my WP blog to not allow comments without me authorising them, because frankly 99.9999% of comments I get are pure junk.

[challengerJason]

I agree, the comments I get are just spam to get a back-link and so I do not approve them.