This week, Matt Cutts (@mattcutts) released a quick 1-minute video on YouTube, answering the question, “Should I correct the grammar of comments on my blog?” While the focus of the video is about misspelled comments or comments that use bad grammar, the bigger takeaway was the acknowledgement that bad spelling and (or) bad grammar is in fact frowned upon by Google.
Does this mean you will be penalized for using the wrong there/their/they’re? No, probably not, but it certainly could be a negative ranking factor, which you never want.
User generated comments are fantastic for SEO. They keep a page fresh and allow for interaction. Matt claims that it’s fine if your commenter doesn’t write the best. That’s not your problem, nor will it be held against your website!
If you’re concerned about the content on your website or would like it refreshed, please contact Efferent Media for a free consultation.