Comments used to be the heart of blogging. Today they’re an active question, with many serious blogs turning them off entirely. The reasoning has shifted with how readers behave online and how spam has evolved. This post is the honest case for each side.
What comments used to do
Through the late 2000s and 2010s, blog comments were the primary engagement signal:
- Showed that the blog was alive.
- Gave readers a way to respond directly.
- Built community around bloggers who replied.
- Generated content (replies and discussion).
- Signaled social proof to new readers.
The model worked when blogs were the primary social platform for reading and writing online.
What changed
Several shifts:
1. Engagement moved to social platforms
Readers who would have commented now reply on Twitter/X, share in Slack groups, or DM directly. The comment box on the blog itself sees less use.
2. Spam became overwhelming
Modern comment spam is automated, sophisticated, and high-volume. Without Akismet or equivalent, a typical WordPress blog can attract hundreds of spam comments per day. Moderation becomes a real time cost.
3. Comment quality dropped
The comments that get through often add little: “Great post!” “Thanks for sharing!” Useful comments — actual discussion, additions, corrections — are rarer than they used to be.
4. Trolling and harassment increased
For some niches, comment sections became liability. Personal blogs, opinion-driven blogs, and any blog touching politics or social issues attract bad-faith commenters.
5. SEO benefit faded
Comments don’t help search rankings the way they once did. Google’s algorithms have gotten better at distinguishing meaningful engagement signals from comment quantity.
When comments still help
Cases where keeping comments on is right:
- Discussion-driven topics. Philosophy, opinion, controversial-but-substantive topics. Comments add to the post.
- Community-led blogs. If the blog’s value is partly the community, comments are infrastructure.
- How-to posts with troubleshooting. Readers ask specific questions that future readers benefit from seeing answered.
- Niche technical blogs. Where experts add corrections and edge cases.
- You enjoy the conversations. Genuinely. If you reply to comments and it feels good, keep them.
When comments hurt
Cases where turning them off is right:
- Solo bloggers without time to moderate. Unmoderated comment sections decay fast.
- Topics that attract bad-faith argument. Politics, parenting, lifestyle choices.
- Blogs where most engagement happens via email or social. Comments become an empty box that signals “nobody’s reading.”
- Visual blogs. Comments below a photo or recipe often clutter the reading experience.
- Bloggers who never reply. One-sided comment sections feel abandoned.
The third option: closed comments, open email
The pattern many serious blogs have adopted: no comments, clear email contact.
At the bottom of each post: “Have a question or correction? Email me at [address]. I read every message.”
Why this works:
- Readers who genuinely want to respond will. Casual commenters won’t.
- You get higher-quality feedback because emailing has slightly more friction than commenting.
- No spam to moderate.
- No empty comment sections signaling low engagement.
- You build email relationships with engaged readers.
The trade-off: lose the visible “this post got 47 comments” social proof. For most modern blogs, that signal mattered more in 2012 than it does now.
If you keep comments on
Best practices:
- Use Akismet or similar. Stops 99%+ of spam automatically.
- Hold first-time commenters for moderation. Catches what Akismet misses.
- Close comments on old posts. WordPress can auto-close after 30, 60, or 90 days. Reduces spam and prevents stale threads.
- Reply to early comments. The first 2–3 comments shape the tone. If you reply substantively, others will.
- Have a comment policy. Brief, clear. “No personal attacks. No promotional links.”
- Delete bad-faith comments without guilt. It’s your blog. You set the standards.
If you turn comments off
Best practices:
- Add a clear contact email at the end of every post. Or link to a contact form.
- Mention you read replies. Adds warmth.
- Remove the empty “no comments” placeholder. Don’t show “0 Comments” — looks worse than no section.
- Don’t apologize for it. “Comments are closed” without explanation is fine.
The third-party comment systems
Some blogs use Disqus, Commento, or similar. Trade-offs:
- Pro: better spam handling, social login, threaded replies.
- Con: tracks your readers (Disqus especially), adds page weight, third-party dependency.
For most blogs, native WordPress comments with Akismet beat Disqus. Disqus added tracking issues and slowness that outweigh the UX gains for blog-scale comment volume.
Migrating from comments to no-comments
If your blog has years of comments and you want to close them:
- Don’t delete existing comments. They contribute to page content and SEO.
- Use WordPress’s setting to disable new comments on all existing posts.
- Set new post default to “comments closed.”
- Add the email contact line.
- Optionally add a one-paragraph note explaining the change. Not required.
The transition is smooth. Old comments remain visible; new ones simply can’t be added.
What about for SEO
The “comments help SEO” advice from 2012 hasn’t held up. What matters now:
- Engagement signals (time on page, return visits, sharing).
- Content quality.
- Page speed.
Comments can affect (1) but heavy comment loads can hurt (3). Most blogs see neutral or slightly negative SEO impact from open comments today.
The honest summary
Comments helped early-internet blogs more than they help modern ones. Keep them open if your blog is discussion-driven, community-focused, or has a genuine engaged commenter base. Turn them off if comments are dead, spam is overwhelming, or moderation is a chore. The strongest modern pattern: no comments, clear email contact. Higher-quality feedback, no spam, builds direct relationships. The “blogs need comments” assumption deserves a fresh look for every blog.
