Should You Enable Comments on Your Website?

For more detailed show notes, visit https://www.skyrocketradio.com/blog/should-you-enable-comments-on-your-website. We get the question often about enabling comments on the radio station websites we create. Are they worth the time? Do they work? What options are there? Personally, I never thought about comments that much because they took a lot of time to moderate, approve good comments and remove the spam comments. However, Lou Vito at his group of stations at peakofohio.com is very passionate about including website comments. Blogging experts out there are divided in their conclusion on the importance of comments. Some say that comments are essential for online success, while others will make a point that they are not so important. So, who to believe? Consider Your Visitors Comments Add to Your Content Comments Enhance Your Content Be Careful of Weak/Spam Comments Dealing With Negative Comments Dealing With Spam Comments Here are a few ways to combat spam comments: 1. Enable comment moderation 2. Turn off trackbacks 3. Automatically close comments after 30 days on all your posts. 4. Use a comment blacklist. 5. Use comment moderation plugins to monitor your site: These options include Akismet, CleanTalk Anti-Spam, AntiSpam Bee, Titan Anti-Spam, and WPBruiser. Third-Party Comment Systems If you have a WordPress website, comments are built into the website ecosystem. However, there are other options like Facebook comments, Jetpack, Disqus, Intense Debate, and Thrive Comments. Wrapping Up So, are comments good? For most radio station websites, absolutely.  If your readers love the news and blog posts you’re creating, they will keep coming back. Comments are just one aspect of building trust and keeping that connection. We hope this episode helps you. Please help us by sharing this with a colleague and signing up for our newsletter.  Need help with your radio station website?  We’d love to help.