One traffic strategy for attracting new readers to your blog is commenting on other blogs in your industry.
My good friend Margaux (sadly spelled wrong on the coffee cup above – thanks Starbucks!) is here to tell you all about blog commenting and how she used it to grow her interior design blog at stylisholmes.com. Take it away Margaux…
1) Get traffic to your site by creating quality connections
You can get traffic to your site by writing comments that people want to read. Blogs are a platform for voices to be heard, and if you want people to care about your voice in a comment thread, then you have to say something worthwhile.
If your goal is to get traffic to your site, then it should be quality traffic that comes from people who appreciate your perspective.
The only way to get quality traffic is to say something that is related to the conversation, but adds a new perspective, fact, or point that hasn’t been considered.
Blog commenting isn’t much different than taking part in interesting dinner conversation. Like at a dinner party, you want to connect with people you have shared interests with, but also who you can grow and learn from knowing.
Likewise, they want to grow and learn from knowing you. If the connections you make are strong, they will stay with you. So in the blog world, that means interesting comment conversations lead to gained followers who regularly check up on your site.
Tip: Make a strong connection. Find a blog written on a topic you care about and then read it and its comment feed. Join the conversation by asking a question to those already involved, and also add to the conversation by bringing up something you know from your own experience.
Make friends and then be pleasantly surprised by seeing them pop up in the comment sections of your posts!
2) Create relationships with a community relevant to your field
Do this by being thoughtful about where you choose to comment. If you’re a fashion expert, it may not be in your best interest to comment on a gaming blog, even if the blog gets a lot of traffic.
For example, don’t be the fashion person who goes to a gaming blog and says something like: “games are fun, so are sundresses!” You will be missing the point of making Internet connections, and you will be annoying the people who came to the site because they really care about gaming.
This rule has an exception: if you have a perspective that relates to the post and adds value to the conversation, then by all means, comment away! However, you are much more likely to get further faster by commenting on industry related blogs, because you already know you have a shared interest.
If you are a fashion expert, there are thousands of fashion blogs with like-minded people who you can have a ball talking to and trading ideas with.
Or, you can have a ball browsing through interior design blogs and trading sewing tips. You don’t have to pigeonhole yourself, but you do have to make sure you can contribute to the conversation, because contributing to the conversation is what makes people decide they want to click your name and check out your site.
Quick Note From Galen: You can find other blogs related to your topic by searching Google or social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Keep a list of sites related to your niche and check back for new content often.
Becoming a regular contributor in the comments section is another way to build credibility and influence because people will grow to like and trust you when they see you consistently sharing your perspective.
3) Expand your own knowledge and perspectives
If you want to have a successful blog, then you always need something new to share. Being a part of a community will help you come up with new ideas, learn new things, and help stimulate your creativity. This is an amazing thing!
Sometimes it’s good to just enjoy blogging and commenting and not be so results oriented. Interestingly, often this can help you get the results you want, because you will be engaging in a way that will help you become a more genuine and exciting contributor to your field.
Commenting doesn’t have to be a chore – it can and should be a pleasure!
Dos and Don’ts for Commenting Effectively
Do:
- Be topically relevant and write something meaningful
- Use your own name when you comment and link to your own site
- Think about how what you write can add value to the conversation
- Comment on interesting blogs related to your industry
- Comment to build relationships and advance discussions
- Be the first comment on a post written by a respected blogger to get more visibility
Don’t:
- Link scheme comment
- Comment with the sole agenda to get traffic to your website
- Comment on a blog just because the blog gets a lot of traffic
- Write comments that are lacking depth
- And last, but not least, don’t be the Brick Tamland of blog commenting. He is hysterical when he has no idea what he’s talking about or why, but you’re not.
Building a relationship with bloggers is very important. There are probably another 33 reasons that I can personally recommend blog commenting.
Kaloyan,
You’re absolutely right! These reasons are just the tip of the iceberg. I’d love to hear some of your main reasons why building relationships with bloggers is an important thing to do.
Thanks so much Gaylen for this. Useful information – I love the dinner party analogy. Blogging is about building relationships as you say – you want them to come back and enjoy the few minutes in reading own blog. And their comments are always so interesting from which one (I) learn a little bit more. And when my book comes out, I want them to buy it!
Garden of Eden Blog
I like your blog Susan! It has a nice, clean design. And it’s true… when you give more to the conversation, you get more engagement on your own content in return.
It’s interesting that you compare blogging to a dinner conversation. About a week ago I turned on NPR and they were talking about blogging. The interviewer asked where bloggers come from, or something along those lines, and the response was great: bloggers have always existed they didn’t have blogs though, instead they were those fun people to have over for dinner.
Mike,
Sounds like a very cool interview. I love the idea that bloggers have been around forever!