Comments on: Blog Comment Spam Advice From Google http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/index.php/comment-spamming/ A Scottish SEO Company Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:55:17 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Shaun Anderson (Hobo) http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/index.php/comment-spamming/#comment-19255 Shaun Anderson (Hobo) Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:28:08 +0000 http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/?p=3749#comment-19255 @Consultor SEO I have a post in my drafts about that ;) @Consultor SEO I have a post in my drafts about that ;)

]]> By: Consultor SEO http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/index.php/comment-spamming/#comment-19253 Consultor SEO Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:44:56 +0000 http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/?p=3749#comment-19253 Google is used to do that: "we want you to do OUR job". Why should I Block comments pages using Robots.txt? That is GOOD content. Why should I go and contact every webmaster that has a spammy link to my website (even if I didn't create it) and lose TIME sking him to remove it. If they want me to do THEIR job... start paying me. Google is used to do that: “we want you to do OUR job”. Why should I Block comments pages using Robots.txt? That is GOOD content. Why should I go and contact every webmaster that has a spammy link to my website (even if I didn’t create it) and lose TIME sking him to remove it.

If they want me to do THEIR job… start paying me.

]]> By: Business Logos http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/index.php/comment-spamming/#comment-19181 Business Logos Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:23:23 +0000 http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/?p=3749#comment-19181 It is important to moderate comments and acertain whether they were posted by a bot or someone who genuinely read a post and added value to it when commenting. It is important to moderate comments and acertain whether they were posted by a bot or someone who genuinely read a post and added value to it when commenting.

]]> By: Shaun Anderson (Hobo) http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/index.php/comment-spamming/#comment-19170 Shaun Anderson (Hobo) Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:12:23 +0000 http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/?p=3749#comment-19170 Sounds as if you know what you're doing Roger :) Sounds as if you know what you’re doing Roger :)

]]> By: Roger Migently http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/index.php/comment-spamming/#comment-19169 Roger Migently Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:02:25 +0000 http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/?p=3749#comment-19169 I get heaps of comment spam but I don't have a problem. My blog uses WordPress and I just use Akismet. It picks up everything and it's very accurate. I can't recall one false positive in thousands and thousands of spam comments in several years. My options are set up to automatically moderate the first comment from a contributor - and I check for bad smells very carefully. For example, it has to be a thoughtful contribution about the actual topic of the post. But I don't do no-follow and it doesn't seem to have hurt me. I read an SEO guru (no, a really good one...) who said not to bother. I don't allow anonymous posting. I would install captcha except that I find it frustrating filling those things in all day soi I don't want to subject others to it if I don't have to. I get heaps of comment spam but I don’t have a problem. My blog uses WordPress and I just use Akismet. It picks up everything and it’s very accurate. I can’t recall one false positive in thousands and thousands of spam comments in several years.
My options are set up to automatically moderate the first comment from a contributor – and I check for bad smells very carefully. For example, it has to be a thoughtful contribution about the actual topic of the post. But I don’t do no-follow and it doesn’t seem to have hurt me.
I read an SEO guru (no, a really good one…) who said not to bother.
I don’t allow anonymous posting. I would install captcha except that I find it frustrating filling those things in all day soi I don’t want to subject others to it if I don’t have to.

]]> By: Comment spam: using Backtype to spot it » malcolm coles http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/index.php/comment-spamming/#comment-19158 Comment spam: using Backtype to spot it » malcolm coles Thu, 26 Nov 2009 21:13:08 +0000 http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/?p=3749#comment-19158 [...] written some hard facts about comment spam (Andy Beard and Shaun Anderson have some interesting follow ups - and it's good to be aware of how comment spam can get your blog [...] [...] written some hard facts about comment spam (Andy Beard and Shaun Anderson have some interesting follow ups – and it's good to be aware of how comment spam can get your blog [...]

]]> By: Harder Facts About Comment Spam http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/index.php/comment-spamming/#comment-19156 Harder Facts About Comment Spam Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:38:26 +0000 http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/?p=3749#comment-19156 [...] night I found out from my friend Shaun who runs a UK SEO Company that Google are now advising about comment spam and reinclusion requests.Here is the official proclamation of best practice in the eyes of GoogleI should note that Google [...] [...] night I found out from my friend Shaun who runs a UK SEO Company that Google are now advising about comment spam and reinclusion requests.Here is the official proclamation of best practice in the eyes of GoogleI should note that Google [...]

]]> By: Oisin http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/index.php/comment-spamming/#comment-19149 Oisin Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:15:14 +0000 http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/?p=3749#comment-19149 Conflicting advice from Google? Never!!! Conflicting advice from Google? Never!!!

]]> By: Terry Van Horne http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/index.php/comment-spamming/#comment-19148 Terry Van Horne Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:13:21 +0000 http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/?p=3749#comment-19148 BTW I wasn't referring to your piece Shaun... more the way Google has put it out there. BTW I wasn’t referring to your piece Shaun… more the way Google has put it out there.

]]> By: Shaun Anderson (Hobo) http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/index.php/comment-spamming/#comment-19147 Shaun Anderson (Hobo) Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:12:27 +0000 http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/?p=3749#comment-19147 Terry exactly! :) If you look at the comments on that Google post as well, you'll see just how confused the Sheeple are! Terry exactly! :)

If you look at the comments on that Google post as well, you’ll see just how confused the Sheeple are!

]]> By: Oisin http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/index.php/comment-spamming/#comment-19146 Oisin Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:12:25 +0000 http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/?p=3749#comment-19146 I agree it's gonna be hard for Google to actually put any penalty against a site for the incoming links however I'm thinking too many of these could contribute to a shady link profile maybe? I agree it’s gonna be hard for Google to actually put any penalty against a site for the incoming links however I’m thinking too many of these could contribute to a shady link profile maybe?

]]> By: Terry Van Horne http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/index.php/comment-spamming/#comment-19145 Terry Van Horne Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:08:35 +0000 http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/?p=3749#comment-19145 Nice one Shaun! Here's what I don't get... Google says "don't build pages for Searcgh Engines" then turn around and for the last few months have done nothing but tell us how and what to do on our sites. IMO, a big NOYFB should be the resounding cry. By the way isn't this kind of a way to say heay... "nothing we can do" please help us by making your comments less useful to you and a pain to use for your audience. Of course the sheeple will see this fear mongering and shut off comments or some other act only the mentally challenged endeavor. Nice one Shaun! Here’s what I don’t get… Google says “don’t build pages for Searcgh Engines” then turn around and for the last few months have done nothing but tell us how and what to do on our sites. IMO, a big NOYFB should be the resounding cry. By the way isn’t this kind of a way to say heay… “nothing we can do” please help us by making your comments less useful to you and a pain to use for your audience. Of course the sheeple will see this fear mongering and shut off comments or some other act only the mentally challenged endeavor.

]]> By: Shaun Anderson (Hobo) http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/index.php/comment-spamming/#comment-19144 Shaun Anderson (Hobo) Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:47:28 +0000 http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/?p=3749#comment-19144 David - NO. Example. You leave 4 comments, you don't get a link. When you leave your 5th comment, all your signature link becomes active. That's how the Hobo custom wordpress comments plugin works. :) @David Robertson - I get scraped all the time. I leave comments on a few blogs too and the same thing happens. I wouldn't worry about it at this time. ACTUAL INTENT is a big thing with Google these days. If your comments pass a manual review you would be OK, I think. @Bill indeed @Oisin thaks a lot - yeah this blog is a bit of a labour of love and my MD is always asking if I should be hard selling you lot but I can't be bothered :) @Léo, Propulsr - I used cookie for comments but I found a lot of my comments heading for the spam. I just moderate myself these days. It's a bit of work but so is anything worthwhile. @Brett was it this recent post at <a href="http://seogadget.co.uk/google-page-penalty-for-comment-spam-rankings-and-traffic-drop/" rel="nofollow">SEOgadget</a> you were refering too? Yeah, that's totally unrelated adult spam on poorly moderated blogs - that's not hard to detect and frankly folk with comments like that should get nuked..... @Bill | Edward Rayne - Exactly - sometimes the big G's advice is as clear as mud :) David – NO. Example. You leave 4 comments, you don’t get a link. When you leave your 5th comment, all your signature link becomes active. That’s how the Hobo custom wordpress comments plugin works. :)

@David Robertson – I get scraped all the time. I leave comments on a few blogs too and the same thing happens. I wouldn’t worry about it at this time. ACTUAL INTENT is a big thing with Google these days. If your comments pass a manual review you would be OK, I think.

@Bill indeed

@Oisin thaks a lot – yeah this blog is a bit of a labour of love and my MD is always asking if I should be hard selling you lot but I can’t be bothered :)

@Léo, Propulsr – I used cookie for comments but I found a lot of my comments heading for the spam. I just moderate myself these days. It’s a bit of work but so is anything worthwhile.

@Brett was it this recent post at SEOgadget you were refering too? Yeah, that’s totally unrelated adult spam on poorly moderated blogs – that’s not hard to detect and frankly folk with comments like that should get nuked…..

@Bill | Edward Rayne – Exactly – sometimes the big G’s advice is as clear as mud :)

]]> By: David http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/index.php/comment-spamming/#comment-19143 David Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:11:39 +0000 http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/?p=3749#comment-19143 Apropos your custom wordpress comments plugin, which changes nofollow to dofollow after a certain number of posts have been approved - My thoughts are that it would be as easy to use the dofollow-case-by-case type of plugin so that you have manual control over who I dofollow to. So, with your plugin, is there a manual disable button to stop or retract a dofollow of someone the plug in has previously dofollowed? Apropos your custom wordpress comments plugin, which changes nofollow to dofollow after a certain number of posts have been approved –

My thoughts are that it would be as easy to use the dofollow-case-by-case type of plugin so that you have manual control over who I dofollow to.

So, with your plugin, is there a manual disable button to stop or retract a dofollow of someone the plug in has previously dofollowed?

]]> By: Bill Marshall http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/index.php/comment-spamming/#comment-19142 Bill Marshall Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:34:13 +0000 http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/?p=3749#comment-19142 Given that the links in webmaster tools have been rubbish ever since they changed the system a few months ago their advice seems pretty worthless (no change there then). The number of links listed fell dramatically. A number of people mentioned this at the time it happened but they all got a canned response of "it's more accurate now". They can't even get the internal links right let alone the external. And since when did spammers ever spend hours dropping links? Have Google ever heard of robots? Given that the links in webmaster tools have been rubbish ever since they changed the system a few months ago their advice seems pretty worthless (no change there then). The number of links listed fell dramatically. A number of people mentioned this at the time it happened but they all got a canned response of “it’s more accurate now”. They can’t even get the internal links right let alone the external.

And since when did spammers ever spend hours dropping links? Have Google ever heard of robots?

]]> By: David Robertson http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/index.php/comment-spamming/#comment-19141 David Robertson Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:30:24 +0000 http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/?p=3749#comment-19141 I'm a little confused - but that is nothing new! I recently referred to and linked to an article on my own blog and there is now a trackback link displayed on the other website. If I look in Webmaster Tools I see that this one trackback has resulted in 62 back links from the other site (from unrelated tags, categories and posts). Is this the kind of thing Google is talking about, is this a spammy link and what can I do about it? PS Thanks for the free Google SEO and Linkbuilding guides. I have a lot to learn! I’m a little confused – but that is nothing new!

I recently referred to and linked to an article on my own blog and there is now a trackback link displayed on the other website.

If I look in Webmaster Tools I see that this one trackback has resulted in 62 back links from the other site (from unrelated tags, categories and posts).

Is this the kind of thing Google is talking about, is this a spammy link and what can I do about it?

PS Thanks for the free Google SEO and Linkbuilding guides. I have a lot to learn!

]]> By: Oisin http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/index.php/comment-spamming/#comment-19139 Oisin Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:21:58 +0000 http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/?p=3749#comment-19139 Hey you know what I'm not even sure how I started receiving these emails but I do look forward to them, you are about the only SEO person whose stuff I actually read cos it doesn't bore me and you're not hard-selling me. I'm looking for new ways to promote my site and I've used a few of your ideas so far, still a lot of hard work getting links in mind you. While I'm here I thought I might point out a typo in your page ("post doesn’t realy tell us anything", really ), keep the good stuff coming mate Hey you know what I’m not even sure how I started receiving these emails but I do look forward to them, you are about the only SEO person whose stuff I actually read cos it doesn’t bore me and you’re not hard-selling me. I’m looking for new ways to promote my site and I’ve used a few of your ideas so far, still a lot of hard work getting links in mind you. While I’m here I thought I might point out a typo in your page (“post doesn’t realy tell us anything”, really ), keep the good stuff coming mate

]]> By: Léo, Propulsr http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/index.php/comment-spamming/#comment-19138 Léo, Propulsr Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:59:39 +0000 http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/?p=3749#comment-19138 Using the plugin given by Matt Cutts in one of it's videos has worked wondered for me. Its name is 'cookie for comments'. Off course the moderation is essential and I guess the problem of of blog spamming happens a lot on blog that are no longer kept up to date. Finally putting a limit of 2 (or less) links before the comment should be moderated is great also. By the way, Shaun, you use nofollow free, right ? Has the blacklist feature and limit in comment number kept 'human' spammers at bay ? Using the plugin given by Matt Cutts in one of it’s videos has worked wondered for me. Its name is ‘cookie for comments’.

Off course the moderation is essential and I guess the problem of of blog spamming happens a lot on blog that are no longer kept up to date.

Finally putting a limit of 2 (or less) links before the comment should be moderated is great also.

By the way, Shaun, you use nofollow free, right ? Has the blacklist feature and limit in comment number kept ‘human’ spammers at bay ?

]]> By: Brett Pringle http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/index.php/comment-spamming/#comment-19137 Brett Pringle Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:35:42 +0000 http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/?p=3749#comment-19137 Trying to think of the post and for the life of me can't remember it. Recall reading a writeup on comment spam, and how it actually does effect the blog in the index, based on the text used in comments. Could result in a penalty using "adult" phrases for example that would trip the safe search filter. Wouldn't it be great if the spammers actually got with the times and realised the blog comment spam is fruitless :) Trying to think of the post and for the life of me can’t remember it.

Recall reading a writeup on comment spam, and how it actually does effect the blog in the index, based on the text used in comments. Could result in a penalty using “adult” phrases for example that would trip the safe search filter.

Wouldn’t it be great if the spammers actually got with the times and realised the blog comment spam is fruitless :)

]]> By: Bill | Edward Rayne http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/index.php/comment-spamming/#comment-19136 Bill | Edward Rayne Thu, 26 Nov 2009 04:57:31 +0000 http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/?p=3749#comment-19136 I agree with you that this seems like much ado about nothing. Google can't really penalize a site for inbound links. As you said, it would be really easy (and way too much fun) to take down your competition that way. Also makes no sense to penalize a popular blog for getting comments. This just seems like another case of Google trying to get us to do something only because its whats best for Google. We run about a dozen blogs that each get daily comments and we manage to moderate them all just fine. Never had a single problem with comment spam. I agree with you that this seems like much ado about nothing. Google can’t really penalize a site for inbound links. As you said, it would be really easy (and way too much fun) to take down your competition that way. Also makes no sense to penalize a popular blog for getting comments.

This just seems like another case of Google trying to get us to do something only because its whats best for Google. We run about a dozen blogs that each get daily comments and we manage to moderate them all just fine. Never had a single problem with comment spam.

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