How to Add Google+ Comments in WordPress

Not too long ago Google announced Google+ comments for their blogging platform, Blogger. Recently, one of our readers asked us if there was a way to add Google+ comments in WordPress. In this article, we will show you how to add Google+ comments in WordPress. We will also discuss the pros and cons of using Google+ comments on your site, so you can make an informed decision.

Advantages of Google+ Comments in WordPress

Even though Facebook is still way ahead in number of active users, Google+ has a fairly large number of regular users as well. Many of these users are highly engaged in their circles. So whether you add Facebook comments to WordPress or Google+ comments, one obvious advantage is that you may see an increase in visibility. Often users have a tendency to share their comments publicly on their walls or timelines which means their friends will see your site.

Another advantage is convenience. Since most people are already signed in with their Google+ account, they do not have to fill in their name or email. Some folks might find this more convenient.

We all know that Google has big plans of integrating social media (Google+) with their search ranking. A lot of Google+ posts are indexed in Google, and sometimes they rank pretty high for long tail keywords. We have heard from few that staying active and engaging with users on Google+ is part of their active long tail search strategy. If the user is sharing their comments from your site on their profile, then it shows up as a status, so it has a potential of having some SEO benefits. We already know that having verified Google+ authorship on the site has helped many see an increase in their traffic.

 

Disadvantages of Google+ Comments in WordPress

One of the biggest disadvantage of using Google+ comments is that right now there is no official Google plugin for WordPress. This means that some features like comment notifications are not available for WordPress users. What that means is that you would have to manually check all of your posts to see if there is a new comment unless ofcourse you were tagged in the comment.

Since most Google+ comment plugins are unofficial, there is always that scare of when will Google shut it down? It is pretty unlikely, but it can happen. If it does happen, then you lose all of your comments. There are hundreds of WordPress plugins for other Google products, and they seem to be working fine for a long time.

Last but not least, some people just aren’t comfortable logging in with their profile to leave a comment. They might want to remain anonymous. A solution to this problem is adding WordPress commenting system as an alternate option.

 

Adding Google+ Comments in WordPress

First thing you need to do is install and activate the Google+ Comments for WordPress plugin. Upon activation, the plugin adds two options under the Comments menu item in your WordPress admin. Go to Comments » G+ comments to configure the plugin.

Google+ Comments for WordPress plugin allows you to add a tabbed commenting area. This means that you can have Google+ comments along with other comment options such as your default WordPress comments, Facebook comments, and Disqus. You can arrange the order and the platforms you want to display. You can also change the label for each tab. Once you are done with the settings, click on the Save Changes button. Now when you go to any post in your blog, you will see tabbed comments like this:

 

Will you be adding Google+ Comments on your site? Let us know your thoughts on Google+ comments by leaving a comment below.