As an experienced WordPress professional with over 15 years building websites, I‘ve seen the comment system evolve in tandem with blogging and digital publishing.
Recently in WordPress 4.4, the comment textarea was moved to the top of the form. This small change caused confusion for many site owners accustomed to the previous style.
In this ultimate guide, I‘ll provide customization tips to move the field back down…plus bonus tricks to take your WordPress comments to the next level.
Contents
A Brief History of WordPress Comments
To understand the change, it helps to know how we got here. WordPress powers over 40% of all websites, but it wasn‘t always the CMS juggernaut it is today.
The first version launched in 2003 with basic comment functionality. At the time, most systems like Blogger required you to host comments externally.
Built-in comments were part of what set WordPress apart. The feature expanded over time with moderation, threading, and integration with social networks.
All of this comment infrastructure had to be optimized for speed and scaled across millions of sites, leading to changes like those found in WordPress 4.4.
Why Move the Comment Field Back Down?
Simply put, for many site owners, the new 4.4 position just felt a bit awkward:
It moved the textarea up top, which took some adjusting too if you were used to the previous layout.
While improved for accessibility, for sites with lots of engagement, it could bury the actual comment threads themselves further down the page.
Fortunately, with one quick code tweak, we can reposition it back to the classic style:
function wpb_move_comment_field_to_bottom( $fields ) {
//move comment field to bottom
return $fields;
}
add_filter( ‘comment_form_fields‘, ‘wpb_move_comment_field_to_bottom‘ );This can go in your theme‘s functions.php file or a custom plugin.
After the change, you‘ll see the comment field moved back down once again:
I recommend previewing it front-end as a logged out user to test the customized form.
Bonus: Take Your WordPress Comments to the Next Level
While you‘re customizing your comment form, why not take it even further? Here are some of my top tips:
- Moderate comments to filter spam using plugins like Akismet
- Set up comment notifications to stay on top of responses
- Use a front-end commenting system like Livefyre for threaded conversations
- Integrate comments with social networks like Facebook and Twitter
- Disable comments on specific posts within WordPress
- Develop a custom commenting plugin tailored to your needs
If you‘re looking for even more features and customization, I recommend a dedicated comment plugin like De:Comments or Disqus.
For example, here‘s a comparison between the default WordPress system and Disqus:
| Feature | Default WordPress | Disqus |
|---|---|---|
| Threaded comments | Yes | Yes |
| Admin moderation | Yes | Yes |
| User management | WordPress accounts | Disqus or SSO |
| Notifications | Email only | Web, email, mobile |
| Data ownership | Self-hosted | External service |
While external services like Disqus offer more options, it comes at the cost of giving up your data and relying on a third-party.
Overall, don‘t be afraid to experiment to find what works best for your community!
Final Thoughts
As an experienced WordPress webmaster, I‘ve learned that comments are a vital part of building an engaged audience.
Minor changes, like moving the form field position, can throw off your community if not addressed. But with a few tweaks, you can customize the default experience to best suit your site needs.
What‘s your approach for WordPress comments? Feel free to leave feedback below!
