Back in March of this year, Facebook rolled out a new plugin that improved on its previous comments box. The hype surrounding this particular update was that it kept discussions synced and consistent across the network. This means that the thread on your website would present the conversation in full, even if some comments were made there and others were made on Facebook. The good thing is that this activity showed up in the user’s news feed. The bad thing is that it lacked the value that makes comments such a powerful SEO tool.
Comments and SEO
If it is one thing blogging has taught us, it is that comments can serve as a boost for a page’s SEO appeal. This is because blog posts are typically focused on a specific topic, which prompts readers to utilize keywords related to that particular topic in their responses. Unfortunately, the presence of iFrames and JavaScript prevented Facebook comments from being indexed and included in the search results. This was not exclusively a Facebook issue because comments made via Disqus, Intense Debate, and other JavaScript-based plugins were also blocked. Thanks to a different approach on the part of Google, conversations made through the popular social network now have more visibility.
Google has decided to proactively use its so-called “Googlebots” to index Facebook comments for inclusion in the search results. According to various reports, the new approach was actually discovered when a reader conducted a search using a piece of text from a comment left on a blog equipped with the Facebook comments widget. Low and behold, that search directed the reader back to the original post where the comment was made. Shortly thereafter, the update was confirmed in a tweet by Google SEO expert and head of Webspam team Matt Cutts.
With Google actively seeking out Facebook comments, there is not only a chance of new conversations being indexed and included in the search results, but old conversations as well. This means that if you have the plugin installed on your website or blog, that integration could start paying off in other ways outside of engagement. Now you can you have your conversations streamed through Facebook and your own domain, and get exposure from Google search in the process. All in all, this is great news from a marketing standpoint.
In Closing
It has been confirmed that Google has also decided to support comments made via third-party tools other than Facebook in its search results. No one is quite certain what led to this change of heart, but it is probably safe to say that SEO managers and social media marketers will embrace it without asking too many questions. Brands would be wise to seize the moment and encourage their audience members to join the discussion. Their involvement is more important than ever.
Rick Kane is an advocate for http://www.benchmarkemail.com/Features-Comparison">email marketing provider best practices for permission-based email services.
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