Are You Commenting for Traffic or Relationships?

Dec 27, 2008
53 Comments

This is a guest post by Kimberlee Ferrell.

New bloggers receive this sage advice: Comment on other blogs within your niche to get noticed and gain traffic.

So dutiful new bloggers go out into the web and leave a smattering of comments on any blog that might bring readers back to their website. The bigger the blog, the more stray comments it attracts.

What is the harm in this practice? Doesn’t blog commenting bring out the best in the blog community by encouraging bloggers to engage one another in conversation?

I believe that blog commenting is an effective tool only when used correctly. If you are only looking at the bottom line – traffic – then you have missed the mark entirely.

Here are some blog commenting best practices:

  • Leave comments on blogs that you care about. If the post inspires you to speak up, then do it. Do not shy away from a blog just because it is not in your personal niche. If you care about what they have to say, chances are that their readers may care about what you have to say.
  • Write thoughtful comments. Do not spam blogs with “Hey blogger! Nice post.” Assuming your comment makes it through the spam filters, your efforts will be wasted as others see that you have not created any value. If you don’t think though your comments, people will assume you don’t think through your posts as well.
  • Do not worry about traffic. While it is fantastic when a comment brings a surge in blog traffic, do not obsess over it. Not all blogs have the same types of readers. Some will take the time to browse over others’ comments, while others absorb the information quickly and leave. If you avoid posting on a blog just because it hasn’t given you traffic, you are missing the point of blog commenting.

So what is the point of commenting? To engage other members of the blogging community. You are building relationships: with the owner of the blog, with the other commenters, and with the other readers of the blog. You are working on the social side of social media. You are establishing yourself as part of the online community.

While you are establishing your online presence, you will not often see the results of your blog comments. Looking at your stats, you may not get direct visitors from the blogs you commented on. Some bloggers will then see blog commenting as a waste of their time.

However, while you may not gain direct traffic, people will begin to notice you. Once they start to see your name popping up throught the blogging community, they will recognize you and your opinions. You are gradually becoming an authority, someone who has something meaningful to say.

Finally, after seeing your presence all over the internet, they may decide to visit your blog and see what you are all about. Then, instead of being a traffic statistic, they will become a valued reader, and leave comments of their own.

One comment will not make a difference in your blog statistics. However, a large amount of valuable contributions to other blogs will be the building blocks of your own blog community.

What do you consider to be the best practices of blog commenting? Do you believe that traffic is the bottom line, or do you strive for more social interaction on your blog?

-Kimberlee Ferrell is a freelance writer and blogger for Freedom Writing.

  • I agree with what you are said about posting on blogs your interested in..otherwise whats the point wasting time posting on blogs not related to you or what you are saying on your own blog. Marketing is about building relationships with like minded individuals and providing real value to your readers, thats the only way to build trust in the long run.
  • This post is so true. I am new to blogging and I had heard the same thing. Comment on other peoples blog cause thats a way to drive traffic. I have done this and those people that I have left comments on come to my blog. Sure its traffic but what was my motivation at first. Well it was really just to get them to my blog. Now though I have a different look on things. I really feel like I am building relationships with these people. I find myself visiting their blog to see what they are up too and learn from them. Hopefully they are learning from me also. This is great. It really feels great to build relationships with people. I think thats the way you really become successful.
  • *Stands up*

    Bravo! Well said!

    I couldn't agree more that marketing online is all about relationships. It doesn't matter whether you're commenting, Tweeting, or writing a product review... your marketing strategy just isn't going to work unless you take the time to genuinely connect with your readers, your fellow marketers, and your potential buyers.

    Better relationships, ultimately, bring better conversions. You don't *have* o bring in 10,000 hits a day if you market correctly - you can make the same (or more) money with a tenth of the traffic.

    Thanks for writing this inspiring post!

    Lee, Blogger's Workshop

    Lee, Blogger's Workshop
  • I have to admit that I was more traffic oriented when I first started commenting. But, with more experience, I have subsribed to a number of bloggers I really respect, and I work on contributing value and learning from those bloggers and their readers. I agree with you that the less I worry about my own traffic and focus on the above, the better off I will be.
  • Social interaction by far. I admit that being new to blogging, I started off doing it to get more traffic-and it has worked-however, I have gained such invaluable insight from the responses that I've gotten that now I eagerly comment to join a community of bloggers. I have people that now subscribe to my blog for exactly the reasons you've mentioned. It's kind of like traffic has become a happy side-effect of blogging, whereas, the primary reason I do it now is to learn, grow and network with like-minded people.
  • @Derek - Okay, I just went to your site and clicked on your Twitter link, and s-l-o-w-l-y put 2 and 2 together. Of course I know you, sheesh, we chat on Twitter all the time. Sorry for the mishap.
  • Its okay. Its the internet. I have thick skin.
  • @Derek - I thought your name seemed familiar! That's why I wasn't a jerk to you. :) In that case, then, I pretty much agree with your comment. I don't comment too much anymore on other blogs. I find I strengthen my connections with my network more by interacting here and on Twitter.
  • That was actually an autofill accident Michael. I've commented here before and I've used my real name before. Unforutnately, I spotted that it was putting success factors about an hour ago after I made a few comments on blogs.

    I apologize, you can manual edit it to my real name if you have the time!
  • @Success factors - Terrific sentiment, so why are you using keywords as your comment name? How is that supposed to help you connect with people when we don't even know your name? Let me politely remind you that's a violation of my comment policy, too. Please be aware for next time, thank you.
  • Comments are pretty much the worst way to build traffic. The time investment is simply not worth it.

    I prefer to comment to meet new bloggers and make new friends. Unfortunately, many of the people who comment, rarely read other peoples remarks. So, it's hard.

    @Michael I think the traffic comes from the relationships, which then goes hand-in-hand with side-effect. If you build strong relationships, people will talk about you and your blog.
  • Commenting on blogs that I enjoy reading, learn from or have a general interest in has been the #1 way I've connected with people online.

    I don't have a blog to drive traffic to at this point so my only aim is to connect with the blogger and their visitors - then see if I can connect more personally via Twitter.

    I don't think many folks would want to talk to me, if i didnt work on commenting thoughtfully and with a desire to benifit the conversation.

    Now that said, let's be honest ... most of the time people want to drive traffic to their blog (even if it's not the MAIN reason they are commenting on others blogs).

    My thought would be ... if you goal is to drive traffic to your blog then it's probably even MORE important to be thoughtful, add value and consistently come back to the conversations you join. If you didnt do these things people would forget you pretty quickly.


    Thanks Kimberlee & Michael ...


    --
    http://twitter.com/franswaa
  • @Frank - Your thinking is in line with mine on this. The paradox is that to get the traffic benefits, you have to forget about the traffic benefits (in a manner of speaking). There are no traffic benefits to thoughtless "hit and run" comments. There are no relationship benefits to those comments, either. In the end, if you focus on providing value and building relationships and make those your goals, you will accomplish the traffic as a side-effect.
  • Hi Michael! I couldn't have said it better myself. :)

    Hi Jim! That is indeed a good goal for a blogger to have. Write blog posts that are worth commenting on. The engaging comments will surely follow.

    Hi Grant! Those are all key points in good conversation (online and in the real world.) There is one that I believe more people need to focus on: listening. We can become wrapped up in the need to add to a conversation, to the point where we miss the point that the blogger was trying to make in the first place. If we all take a moment to think before we speak, our conversations will naturally improve.

    Thank you all for your excellent contributions to the conversation!

    Kimberlee
  • "Hi Grant!

    I agree the two goals can work in concert. Driving traffic and building relationships should work together hand in hand. Yet with the multitude of “Gain Thousands of Links Now!” websites, it is easy to lose focus. 100 genuine evangelists of your blog are more valuable than 1000 hits that leave as quickly as they come."

    Kim -- Exactly. That is why it is so important to build a relationship not only with those who read your blog, but also with other bloggers in your niche. And with bloggers who blog about topics you are passionate about. As bloggers we need to do 4 key things:

    Find the conversations
    Listen to the conversations
    Engage in the conversations
    Empower or Enable our readers to do the same.

    Just as we want our visitors to become readers and engage in our conversations, we should do the same on these other blogs. It will be the engaged readers that will be those 100 genuine evangelists who will promote, push and talk about your blog.
  • Wow, a lot of comments. I just wanted to add that I think comments are for conversations. The post asks a question and it gets answered in the comment..

    People will be attracted to the commenter who makes a statement worth reading.
  • Using dofollow is a bad idea. CommentLuv is one way of "rewarding" your commenters, too, but I don't care for it.

    The secret to using blog comments to promote yourself is to forget that you're promoting yourself. Providing value and engaging with others promotes effortlessly and unconsciously, and that's the best way to do it.
  • Hi Ryan!

    I do believe that this has been used as a tactic for a long time. In the process, there have been more unhelpful spam comments, making things difficult for everyone. Also, genuine people get lost in the comment shuffle, and are disappointed when they don't get immediate results.

    There are other ways to get links back to your blog. Writing guest posts or writing articles for article submission sites often give you a chance to link back to your blog. Also, writing "pillar" posts that others want to link back to, will give you a slight boost in page rank.

    I have considered dofollow links, but have not yet made the decision to use them. I'd like to hear everyone's opinions on their value as well.

    Thanks for the great question!

    Kimberlee
  • Hi Kim! This was a great post. I think that its about building interaction, and then the traffic will naturally follow. Everyone is always trying to find the fastest, easiest way to optimize their site for search engines, and this is one of the tactics they use. It simply doesn't work. What upsets me is that those folks have ruined it for everyone. I don't spam blogs, and I would like to get a link back in some way to help increase by PageRank - over time. Even my WP blog came standard with the "rel=nofollow" setting for posts, but I may turn that off and allow links and moderate the blog, until maybe it gets to be out of control, or too much work.

    What do other people have their posting setting to?
  • Hi Michael!

    Thanks for giving me the opportunity to start a great discussion here at your blog. I agree that many blogs do not offer dofollow links, so it is difficult to pinpoint when commenting will give you that boost.

    Hi LEADSExplorer!

    Thank you for your opinion. I agree that everyone has some agenda they are trying to promote, whether it is products, services, or simply the desire for readers at their blog. However, I do not believe that should be the primary goal of blog commenting.

    As I mention in my e-book, "you cannot sell your goods until you sell yourself." In the Web 2.0 community, people are looking for more than just goods. They are looking for connections with other people.

    Buyers want to trust the person they are buying from. In the real world, one can evaluate their seller in person, face to face. Online, the only way to determine trust is by evaluating what the seller says. This can be done by visiting their website, watching their interactions on social networks, or by reading their comments.

    Thanks again for expressing your viewpoint here. I really appreciate it!

    Kimberlee
  • Aren't we all in Sales?
    Thus aren't all comments in one way or another a form of promotion?

    You can hide your sales pitch by posting a valuable comment. Still the goal is to create interest or branding.
  • Kimberlee, thanks for such a great guest post! And thank you to everyone for your thoughtful comments. Comments are content. Comments are miniature guest posts (and sometimes, not so miniature).

    I will offer a word of caution regarding comments and SEO. Sorry to contradict you, Susan, but most blogs do not let Google "see" the links left by commenters. Technically, this is because the "nofollow" HTML attribute is automatically placed in the anchor tag in the code by the blog software.

    Nofollow can be removed with various plugins, but if you do that, your blog will likely be added to a list of blogs targeted by comment spammers who are looking to create followed backlinks to their own sites. The comment spam you will get because of this will be unbelievable. Dofollow plugins (as they're called) are not worth it in my opinion.

    So, by and large, there is no SEO benefit to commenting. However, people will visit the blog of a commenter who piques their curiosity. Building relationships naturally leads to traffic, as the above commenters have said in their various ways.
  • Hi Susan!

    That is an excellent point. Especially on blogs that don't use no-follow links, your comments can improve your page rank greatly.

    (For those who don't know: when no-follow links are used, none of the blog's page rank is used to influence the rank of your site via comments. When the blog doesn't use no-follow links, your page rank may be boosted a little bit.)

    Thanks for reminding us of that, Susan!

    Kimberlee
  • One aspect that you didn't mention, Kimberlee, and I don't see referenced in the comments is SEO. A big part of effective search engine optimization is having inbound links to your blog or website.

    Each time you comment on someone's blog, you are gaining a link to your own. These links can help you rank higher on search engines, and that higher ranking will result in more traffic.
  • Hi Larry! I love the word you chose: polite. Many people online forget their manners and attempt to spam their way to greatness. Thank you for reminding us of this fact.

    Hi Se7en! Excellent point. Language is a difficult barrier to cross. Maybe you can say how you love the post, and copy a line or two that you liked the best.

    Hi Angie! That's a good idea to try. I was also thinking about using an online translation service like Babelfish so people could write in their native language and translate their comments back to the original language. Or maybe someone could come up with a WP plugin that could serve different languages?

    Hi Krissy! Thanks for the sincere attitude on commenting. People forget that the online community is about giving as much as you can. Once you give, then the returns happen naturally, in time.

    Hi James! I agree that the blogging environment that you and other bloggers produce often leads to more insightful comments. That's a great point for bloggers to consider. Are they doing everything they can to make commenters feel 'at home' enough on their blogs? Will the readers feel comfortable enough to express themselves?

    Hi Kelly! People do forget that a lot of strategies are long-term investments. With the fast pace of the internet, people expect instant gratification, or even sooner! That's why so many give up before they see the results of their labor.

    Hi Arjen! That is a very balanced view of blog commenting. It should serve you well in the long-term.

    Thanks to everyone for sharing!

    Kimberlee
  • I'm commenting for both relationships and traffic, or let's put it this way: I comment to join the conversation, and to tell them I liked the post, and the potential traffic coming to my blog is a nice addition.
  • Kimberlee,

    You really made a point of something that's tough to believe at first: any comment "strategy" is a time commitment—long term. It's vital, but not a quick fix by any means.

    You are gradually becoming an authority, someone who has something meaningful to say.


    The key word is "gradually," but folks are hoping that the key word is "authority." You might be an authority already, but it takes quite a while for people to build that relationship with you and start paying attention when you type a comment. (Just as it takes time at your own blog!)

    Fresh thoughts on one of my favorite subjects. Well-said.

    Michael,

    Thanks for inviting Kimberlee to post!

    Regards,

    Kelly
  • We're definitely big proponents of building relationships with our readers. We love hearing people's thoughts and views, even when they don't agree with ours. I think this type of social interaction is what blogs are all about.

    And interestingly, we very rarely get cheap comments on our site. People put thought into what they say, because of the environment and what they see others doing. It's very cool.
  • When I first began blogging, almost five years ago, I commented back on everybody's blog who commented on mine. I also went out and commented as I went about the blogosphere. I did this before I ever heard people say it would "help you to get traffic to your blog." I did it to be part of the community. I especially commented on those who commented on my blog. i felt that if they were going to take the time to comment on my blog, I'd reciprocate. Often I'd comment first. I also helped bloggers whenever they needed me to help them with something. I did it because I wanted to help.

    After a certain number of months or maybe a year I noticed I was getting a nice number of coments and that my readership was growing. It was because other bloggers knew I was genuinely concerned about them. I was amazed how loyal my readers were.

    Sometimes when I hear blogging strategists say to use certain "tactics" like "give comments to get comments," I'm kind of stunned. I thought the point was to give.

    If you do give, however, others will eventually give back to you.

    Receiving is not the reason you do give, I tell newbies. But it is a nice byproduct...
  • @SE7EN

    That was something I never really considered. However, just like you did here, you offered value. I don't think it's the length of the comment, but the quality.

    In your response, for example, you didn't say a large amount in words, but the point you brought up is a definite challenge.

    You do need a solution for instances that require more input. Maybe you could get help from someone who knows your native tongue and English? You could trade for a skill that you have, and this way you both benefit?

    Just my 2 cents...
  • It's hard to me to write thoughtful comments, one of the reasons is that I can't express my feelings well in English.
    sometimes I just want to show that I love the post.
  • I agree regarding the value of content. When writing a new post, or leaving a comment it is important to provide quality information. Not only is it important, but it is polite. We all work hard to produce our blogs, and it is nice to have thoughtful comments provided onour handiwork.
  • Hi Tracy!

    Excellent comparison. Blog commenting is a lot like forum posts. The only difference is that the blogger is the only one allowed to start threads (posts). That's another reason why it's important to comment well with the author, to bring up related topics that could lead to a new post.

    Hi Robert!

    Thank you! I agree that Mark did a fine job of categorizing different kinds of comments.

    I also sign my name to the bottom of each comment. Like a letter or email, I find it adds a personal touch, as well as a common courtesy. That is just my personal preference, however.

    Thank you both for joining in the conversation!

    Kimberlee
  • Robert Greenawalt
    As a rule, I do my best to be objective and complimentary to the writers which would be my objective here. Really nice job Kimberlee. I also thought Mark did an excellent job summing things up with comment etiquette.

    I regret that I was unable to type my real name as there wasn't enough room.

    Robert "Butch" Greenawalt
    MRHYPERPCS

    Thank you for an excellent post.
  • Excellent post. I view commenting as an extended conversation or debate. A blog entry in itself is never complete and people will make their valid points. Then the author will mane amendments and put in his two cents. Then it continues. You know how in a forum a thread can go on for pages and pages? The comment section is similar.
  • Hi Mark!

    Those are all excellent types of comments that people should remember when contributing to the conversation. Also, thanks for pointing out Problogger's posts, I enjoy his blog as well.

    Glad to hear from you!

    Kimberlee
  • "Leave thoughtful comments" has a few subcategories that could be considered, such as:

    - Adding helpful information
    - Directing people to other resources
    - Addressing any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions
    - Continuing to discuss a point that was raised by one of the other commentators

    Problogger.net also has at least two posts related to blog commenting.

    Very good post, Kimberlee!
  • Hi Tim!

    Those are all great reasons for commenting. Writers need a lot of support, it is very discouraging to blog with no response.

    Thanks for the insights!

    Kimberlee
  • Tim
    Hi Kimberlee!

    You are absolutely right that comments should be about building relationships. I think that people new to blogging, or marketing for that matter, are led to believe certain things, but aren't really told the "inside" stuff. Comments are ok for traffic, but that should really be the by-product.

    For the most part, I comment on blog posts because the writer said something significant (like in this case), something thoughtful or something that I wanted to congratulate them for. More often than not, that leads to me revisiting the site and continuing to converse with the owner and other readers.

    The traffic is something to think about, but is not the "main" reason for commenting.
  • Hi Toma!

    I agree that no matter what technique you use, it will boil down to traffic. However, I believe that genuine, valuable comments will lead to more targeted traffic. These people will already know that they like your voice, and want to learn more about you.

    Thank you for posting to support the writer! Many talented voices give up because of the lack of support. We should do what we can to encourage them to share their knowledge.

    Hi Jim!

    I would like to believe it is just ignorance, but their will always be spammy people in the world. The best we can do is try to help people learn from their mistakes.

    I agree that a URL can be included in a comment when it is very relevant. I have heard of some spam filters that will catch those comments as spam, however. Use that technique carefully.

    ~Kimberlee
  • Hi Kim.

    You are right about balancing relationship building and traffic generation.

    I run several blogs and I am lucky to find 1 out of 100 comments worth approving.

    It is so obvious when the commenter never read or thought about the post they are commenting on. Spam? Or, ignorance? I believe it's a bit of both.

    I do NOT agree that it's spam to include a url to another blog within the comment IF the comment has real value.

    We need to support each other.

    Jim
  • Hi Kimberlee,

    In the end we all comment in hope to get something in return. And no matter what it is, in some way it will come down to traffic. I have my blogs where I comment almost on every post but I always try to say something constructive.

    In my analytics there is to small direct traffic from blogs to be noticed or to matter. But maybe posting on different blogs help indeed to get your name known to the community.

    The main reason for which I comment on a blog is to support the writer. If I like what he says I post a comment with my feedback because a blog without comments, in my vision, it's empty and becomes a monologue which soon no one will listen.

    That is why I would advice all of you who like what you read on a blog to post a comment especially if you don't see any comments. How many bloggers gave up just because they weren't patient enough ?

    Thank you for bringing this discussion up.
  • Hi Phil!

    That is often a stumbling block I've seen on many blog comments. People try to turn the comment box into their own personal ad space, not realizing that it is a blogging no-no.

    Thank you Phil! I'd be honored to do further guest posts in the future, if the opportunity presents itself.

    ~Kimberlee
  • Hi Grant!

    I agree the two goals can work in concert. Driving traffic and building relationships should work together hand in hand. Yet with the multitude of "Gain Thousands of Links Now!" websites, it is easy to lose focus. 100 genuine evangelists of your blog are more valuable than 1000 hits that leave as quickly as they come.

    Hi Karen!

    I agree, the smaller blogger appreciates new comments, and has more time to respond individually. It is too easy to be lost in the crowd on larger blogs. Individual interactions often bring better results than widespread broadcasts.

    Thank you both for stopping by!

    ~Kimberlee
  • I completely agree with you Kim! Blog comments are all about building relationships, and if you can add value in a comment, you should definitely do so. You should also be sure to stay on topic with your comment, and not try to steer the conversation toward your topic and your interests...unless you have something that adds more value to the conversation (hence the need for trackback/pingbacks).

    Great guest post! Hope you'll be back for more!
  • I got the same advice when I started my blog a little over a year ago. I went out and left comments on some big blogs, always trying to add value, but not understanding that putting my URL into the post was a big no-no.

    I now never go looking for posts to comment on. Rather, I comment when I read something and feel the need to throw in my 2 cents.

    One thought - most of us that have blogs with small followings just LOVE comments of any kind. If a new blogger wanted to have a chance for a visitor to click through to their site, it would be more likely when they post on a site with few comments rather than being comment #59 on a mega-blogger's post. Comments on newer/smaller blogs really stand out. We also appreciate it so much more than an established blogger that we are more likely to link back to the the site in a future post.
  • While I would agree, you should not post comments to just post comments. And you should do so on blogs in your niche or on blogs you care about. It is also an important way to get noticed and get traffic.

    I would also suggest the two can work in concert if done right. Just like we should blog about something we are passionate about, we should also post comments on other blog post we are passionate about.

    Thanks for posting your guest post on Michael's great blog. And thanks for touching on a subject that is so important.
  • Hi Michele!

    I also comment on a wide variety of blogs, because I have a wide variety of interests. It is possible than a foodie might have dreams of becoming an aspiring writer, and notice that your blog is a writing blog, for example.

    Thanks for all your kind words!

    ~Kimberlee
  • Hi Angie!

    I agree, that visitors take their time before becoming committed followers of a blog. Every interaction you have with your visitors is a chance to gain a new member of your online community. You never know what might lure them in, or what might drive them away.

    Thanks for commenting!

    ~Kimberlee
  • Excellent advice, Kim! I totally agree. I've commented on food blogs and all sorts of blogs simply because the post stood out to me and I just had to jump in and add my thoughts.

    I'm not up for giving blogging advice (my own blogs are currently neglected) but what I've cherished most about the blogging community is not traffic to my site, but the friendships I've made with folks from all walks of life, from all over the world - including you!! :-)

    You are wise beyond your (blogging) years, girl... Go, you!!

    *smiles*
    Michele
  • Lots of valid points Kimberlee. I find that I often delete quick comments since so many spammers use that method.

    As a wise blogger once told me: "treat a comment like a blog post." It has served me well.

    I also find that visitors who click through from blogs rarely subscribe and stick around the first time they visit. I've noticed it generally takes several visits (usually through the same portal) to get 'hooked' on a site.

    However, once they arrive on my blog and make a comment, my sole purpose it to keep them there by commenting in the same fashion and encouraging others to participate. It often starts future friendships and priceless opportunities!

    On a side note, I'm subscribing to the new comments via email. It attracted interesting comments to my email last time. The Canadian conflict felt like home ;)
blog comments powered by Disqus