Spam is a fact of life for those whose job description includes moderating comments. Just this morning I checked the comments for moderation for one of my blogs and was greeted with laughable attempts to get me to approve the obviously generic and spammy comments.

Here are just two examples of the daily spam I have to deal with:

“Thank you, I have just been looking for info approximately this subject for a while and yours is the best I have found out till now. However, what concerning the conclusion? Are you sure in regards to the supply?|What i do not realize is in fact how you’re now not really a lot more neatly-preferred than you may be now. You’re very intelligent.”

“You could certainly see your expertise in the paintings you write. The arena hopes for more passionate writers such as you who aren’t afraid to say how they believe. At all times go after your heart.”

While these silly comments gives me an opportunity to get my daily dose of laugh, it never fails to amaze me how people can get stuck in using strategies that just no longer work. While it is true that some old link strategies still can produce results, it is no longer the case for comment and forum spamming.

One of the reasons why comment and forum spamming just doesn’t work anymore is because of the much improved spam filters. Sure, spam can still get through automatic filters, but the filters still detect and catch more spam than they let pass. Once a spammy comment/forum post does get through the automated spam filters, there are the moderators that they still need to get past, and unless you have one truly naïve or stupid moderator, then the chances that spam comments will get through is almost none.

Now, assuming that you are smart enough not to put up a blatantly spammy comment, and so got your comment approved, you’ll still have to consider if the link you got from that comment is even truly worth it. First of all, if you are gunning for loads of inbound links and are using this method, then you should have realized by now that leaving comments that are meaty enough to pass moderators means at least skimming blog and forums posts to make your comment believable. This means spending way too much time to get the tons of link you need to make a significant impact in your link building efforts, especially if you are commenting on low ranking pages. You have to ask yourself if the time you spend is really worth the returns.

Last but not least, you should realize that SEO is evolving. While technical SEO is still valuable, the emphasis is clearly shifting from link building strategies to more organic methods, not least of which is social SEO. If you get stuck using old strategies that do not give substantial returns, you are wasting your time, not just now but also in the future, which is when you will again have to refocus and change your approach just to catch up with the rest of the world.

Now stop it!

Vic Carrara
MasterWebSoftware.com