The Hello Bar is a simple web toolbar that engages users and communicates a call to action.

Are You Commenting for Traffic or Relationships?

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.

Did you enjoy this article?

Don't miss the next one! Get on the list. You'll also get my free report on the 10 Tragic Blogging Mistakes you may be making.

53 Responses to Are You Commenting for Traffic or Relationships?
  1. Jim Hardin
    August 7, 2009 | 12:34 pm

    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.

  2. Avis Williams
    August 13, 2009 | 7:36 am

    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.

Remarkablogger is powered by Headway

Get Headway Themes

The Headway WordPress theme framework gives you total control over the appearance of your WordPress site without writing any code.

  • Create a color scheme "automatically" based on your header image colors with Headway's Quick Start Wizard
  • Headway's Visual Editor lets you build your site live and watch it happen
  • Everything managed easily via drag & drop
  • Use, create & save your own style sets and templates to easily change the look of your site without code
  • Social media integration and search engine optimization built-in
  • Friendly Headway user community with active forums and outstanding support
  • "Plain English" documentation (including lots of screenshots and videos)
  • Automatic updates
  • 100% GPL-compliant

Headway lets you design your site your way. It's about control, not code.

Check out Headway now to see the full list of features and showcase gallery.