{"id":5430,"date":"2019-10-16T10:47:01","date_gmt":"2019-10-16T08:47:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.presspadapp.com\/blog\/?p=5430"},"modified":"2020-02-11T12:36:31","modified_gmt":"2020-02-11T10:36:31","slug":"wordpress-comments-news-app","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.presspadapp.com\/blog\/wordpress-comments-news-app\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Add a WordPress Comments Section to Your Website?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Generating digital publishing revenue has moved from an ad concentrated model to monetization strategies based on paid subscriptions and paywalls. For publishers, this shift means a necessity to concentrate on building an online community gathered around their content. The goal is to transform engaging readers into paying subscribers. Enabling the WordPress comments section, available on desktop as well as on mobile app, can help achieve this goal.<\/h2>\n

Everyone who has once tempted to read a discussion on the Internet below any article can understand why some publishers decide to disable comments. The reasons seem quite obvious: fear of hate speech, unreasonable criticism or just impolite statements. Constant moderation process requires extra work and, quite often, hiring new employees. It\u2019s easier to close the comments section or\u2026 move a discussion to social media channels. The second option means voluntary resignation from keeping readers on publishers\u2019 sites and giving them in the technology giants\u2019 hands.<\/p>\n

The possibility of writing (and reading!) comments doesn\u2019t just mean participating in the discussion with the author or other people. It\u2019s an extension of the article, improvement of the journalism value and finally, transformation of passive readers into active ones, which has a huge impact on building a sense of belonging to the group. From here it’s a very short journey to trusting the brand and staying longer with the content, which will result in subscribing and paying. Consequently, you as publishers, journalists and authors face a challenge to be community organizers today.<\/p>\n

Where should you start? From making it possible for people to express their thoughts under articles, using different devices they read on. You can do it thanks to tools like Disqus<\/strong> and Facebook Comments<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Get to know how to install the WordPress comments section to start building a circle of your supporters.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Do comments attract readers?<\/h2>\n

Saying simply \u201cyes\u201d would be a gross understatement. That\u2019s why we\u2019d like to show you how discussion functions in real digital publishing life.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrand Prix 247\u201d<\/a> is an independent project based on providing non-stop Formula 1 news coverage. Their content is delivered via the website and the mobile app. In both cases, the comments section is enabled and supported by Disqus.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how in-depth are the discussions under their articles and how an engaged community gathers around their content.<\/p>\n

\"Disqus
The comments section on the GrandPrix247 website<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What does publisher and editor of “GrandPrix247” Paul Velasco say about the possibility of commenting?<\/a><\/p>\n

Over the years a community has evolved around the site and the comments section is where our gang of readers congregate to shoot the breeze, vent themselves, discuss, criticise, praise, lament\u2026 (\u2026) As the editor of this site I really like the fact that the news we put out there gets enough reaction for readers to make comments. I wish this will continue and hope more people are inspired to share their thoughts going forward.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There\u2019s no doubt that his positive approach contributed to building a huge and active audience around the content and the brand. But there\u2019s still one important question without an answer.<\/p>\n

What is the role of an engaged community in the monetization strategy?<\/h2>\n

Simon Owens, tech and media journalist, in one of his articles put on \u201cWhat\u2019s new in publishing\u201d website<\/a>, explains it in the following way:<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say only 5 percent of your readers choose to register and comment; those readers will punch far above their weight in terms of driving traffic and revenue to your site. Those are your chief evangelists, your repeat customers, your paying subscribers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

To better illustrate the situation, he gives \u201cThe New York Times\u201d example.<\/p>\n

Currently, its digital subscribers only account for 3.6 percent of the newspaper\u2019s monthly online audience, and yet that 3.6 percent drove over $400 million in subscription revenue in 2018.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It shows how enormous is the power of online readers\u2019 and what is the advantage of a digital publication over a printed one. Then, taking care of the most engaged readers is worth the investment.<\/p>\n

The beginning is in commenting possibility.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019d like to present you with short guides explaining the WordPress comments installation on the example of Disqus and Facebook Comments tools. Thanks to them, your readers will be able to comment on your articles in a quick and easy way and you\u2019ll gain a discussion section with an aesthetic look and a moderation option.<\/p>\n

Disqus Comments System on WordPress<\/h2>\n

Disqus is a community platform used by different types of websites and blogs, allowing readers to comment on the content. This system is complemented with social network integration, advanced administration, and moderation options. Disqus works (and looks!) great on various platforms and supports devices from desktop to mobile. Adding this tool to your site or app increases direct traffic, time spent with the content, and page views per visit.<\/p>\n

How to add Disqus plugin to WordPress?<\/h3>\n

Note:<\/strong> We\u2019re talking about self-hosted WordPress.org<\/a> sites. If you want to install Disqus on WordPress.com<\/a> sites, here<\/a> you\u2019ll find instructions.<\/p>\n

Step 1. Create a Disqus account and register your site.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Go to the disqus.com<\/a> and click \u201cGet started\u201d.<\/p>\n

Then, create your account. Fill in: name, email, password (you can also sign up with your social media accounts).<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll be asked to choose the purpose of your account: do you want to comment on sites or do you want people to be able to comment on your site?<\/p>\n

If you want to add Disqus to your WordPress site and allow people to write comments, select: \u201cI want to install Disqus on my site\u201d.<\/p>\n

Then, fill in the required fields: website name and its category.<\/p>\n

\"How
One of the steps of the Disqus installation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pay attention to the website name \u2013 it includes two elements: \u201cyour shortname\u201d + \u201cdisqus.com\u201d. Your shortname will be used later (look at: Disqus Plugins Settings).<\/p>\n

Now, you have to select the plan best for your needs: basic, plus, pro, business.<\/p>\n

After the choice, you\u2019ll see the list of publishing platforms where you can install Disqus. Among them, there are Blogger, Tumblr, Drupal, Joomla, Weebly, Wix, Hubspot, etc.<\/p>\n

Our aim is WordPress. After clicking on it, you\u2019ll see installation instructions. We explain them below step by step.<\/p>\n

Step 2. Download and install the Disqus WordPress Plugin.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Go into your WordPress admin account.<\/p>\n

From the left sidebar choose Plugins > Add new.<\/p>\n

Use search box and type in \u201cDisqus\u201d.<\/p>\n

What you\u2019re looking for will be on top of the list of results: \u201cDisqus Comment System\u201d.<\/p>\n

Click \u201cInstall Now\u201d.<\/p>\n

After a short and quick installation, you can click \u201cActivate\u201d.<\/p>\n

The new plugin will appear on the left sidebar.<\/p>\n

Step 3. Disqus Plugins Settings.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Click on your new plugin to go to the settings page.<\/p>\n

There are two options to install Disqus: manual (faster) and automatic (easier). If you want to import your existing WordPress comments, we\u2019d recommend choosing an automatic one.<\/p>\n

Manual method<\/strong><\/p>\n

Make sure you\u2019re now in Disqus Plugin Settings in WordPress (you should be there after clicking on your new plugin from the left sidebar).<\/p>\n

On top of the site there is a bar with \u201cInstall\u201d as the first position from the left; the second is \u201cSite Configuration\u201d. Choose the second one. Then, click the lock icon at the bottom of the site to unlock the form fields first.<\/p>\n

Fill in your shortname (here\u2019s the moment when you need your shortname we talked about earlier; think back to when you registered your website and created your two-part website name: \u201cshortname\u201d + \u201cdisqus.com\u201d; use it now).<\/p>\n

Click \u201cSave\u201d.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s it, you did it!<\/p>\n

Automatic method<\/strong><\/p>\n

Make sure you\u2019re now in Disqus Plugin Settings in WordPress (you should be there after clicking on your new plugin from the left sidebar).<\/p>\n

On top of the site there is a bar with \u201cInstall\u201d as the first position from the left. Click on it.<\/p>\n

Here are the questions you will have to answer at this point:<\/p>\n