For bloggers, comments are wonderful to receive. It's heartwarming to know people read your blog & have something to say about it. But there's something you should be aware of: spam comments! I want to talk to you about how to identify spam comments & why you shouldn't publish them on your blog.

Now I'm not talking about those generic comments from fellow bloggers that go something like this: Great post! Follow me on Bloglovin. Here's my Facebook page & don't forget to check out my blog! Those comments are pretty annoying too & the author ought to read up on the DOs & DON'Ts of Leaving Blog Comments, but they don't have the same level of harmful spam. Keep reading to learn more!

identify spam comments


What does a spam comment look like?
Spam comments may seem genuine but they are often copied & pasted, can be vague & even plain old dumb. For example the comment below sounds like it could be real. They start out by saying they rarely comment & then making a remark about readers, so it sounds like it could be a genuine comment.



But here's how you know that it's spam: the second part of their comment asks about my social media profiles because they supposedly want to follow me. Well if you actually read my post -- or any of my posts -- I always include a list of my social media profiles, so obviously this is some sort of generic spambot comment with no thought value. Followed by a random link to a strange site. No thanks!

How do I identify a spam comment?
Spam comments are often created by spambots & sometimes humans too. A spambot is an automated computer program designed to send out spam. The first & most obvious way to identify a spammy comment is if it landed in your spam comment area. That's why I make sure to approve every comment before it's published so I can monitor & control the content on my blog. 

The second way to know if it's spam: most spammers use anonymous comments. They don't leave their email, their name or any way to get back to them. 

Now take a look at the comment itself.  It's usually generic, vague, & nonsensical. Does it have any relevance to the post or your blog at all? Do they mention things that don't pertain to you or the post? DELETE IT!



A quickie guide to identifying spam comments:
+ lands in your spam folder
+ anonymous 
+ no email address or name
+ generic, vague, nonsensical comment
+ includes random link or keywords

Why shouldn't I publish spam comments?
You may want to increase the number of comments on your post, but publishing a spammy comment is toxic to your blog. Spam comments are a way of spamdexing. What the heck is spamdexing? It's a way of manipulating search engine indexes. I whited out the spammy links on the comments (uh hello, I don't want to perpetuate their websites!!), but the links are often long, have random keywords, numbers & letters, & overall, don't seem right.

According to Wikipedia, when you publish their comments you indeed help them increase their ranking; the spammer's commercial site gets listed ahead of other sites for certain searches, which increases the number of visitors & possible customers. Don't help them out & don't publish their comments!

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Spread the word about spam comments. When you publish these robotic comments, you help spam sites get more views. Blogging should be exciting & engaging. Take note & don't let those spambot comments fool you!  Have you had any spamdexing comments? Did you learn anything new? :]


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