Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just getting started with your blog, one thing is for sure – you want increased traffic. While there are many ways to go about this, one of the best ways is to use blog comments. By taking the time to comment on other blogs in your industry, you can build relationships with other bloggers and attract new readers to your blog.
Commenting on popular blogs can greatly increase your visibility as a blog writer and content creator. Not only will commenting on an existing blog with high traffic put your name and your blog in the minds of the existing blog readers, but you are also likely to connect with other bloggers working in your niche. You can connect with the authors of the blogs you are commenting on.
Commenting on blogs in the right way can open the door to networking opportunities with creators, increase your blog’s readership, and drive traffic to your blog if done correctly. But how can you ensure your comments effectively drive traffic to your blog?
What are the benefits of commenting on blogs?
A great blog commenting strategy doesn’t mean posting those spammy comments on blogs we have all seen before. Forget comments such as “thanks for this article” and “great work!” – these comments will never give you the desired response. For the comments you leave on blogs to have any impact or to help you gain any traffic to your own blog, they must be insightful, knowledgeable, and sincere. Take a point in the article and expand on it, or raise a sharp further point that is relevant to the article. start a discussion, ask questions or provide links to further reading or statistics.
Putting the time and effort into leaving exceptional blog comments can help you add value to the conversations that are taking place within your niche, help you to build connections, and grow your network.
Grow your network
Commenting on blogs is a fantastic way to grow your network. By leaving thoughtful comments on popular blog posts, you can open the door to building relationships with other content creators and promoting your name and brand. Blog commenting allows you to build connections with other bloggers and readers, which can be invaluable in growing your online presence.
When you comment on a blog, add value to the conversation. Simply saying “great post” is not enough. Take the time to read the post and leave a detailed comment that adds to the discussion. By engaging in thoughtful conversations on other blogs, you are almost guaranteed to be noticed by the author of that blog. If your comment is well-timed, thoughtful, and adds to the conversation, the blog’s author will be more inclined to respond to you and begin a conversation.
After a few of these interactions, it will become easier for you to reach out to other creators via email. They will know your name, remember your interactions, and be far more likely to respond than they would to a cold email.
Generate Traffic
You may not gain a tremendous amount of traffic immediately from commenting on other blogs. Yet it is likely that if you are commenting effectively, you will gain enough traffic to make commenting on other blogs worthwhile.
Having said this, by commenting early on a blog post from a famous creator, your comment will get a good amount of views. Many famous blog writers have an extensive list of subscribers, many of whom will receive an email as soon as a new post is published. Leave a thoughtful, insightful comment that expands upon the post’s content and includes a link to your blog in the comment. The blog’s author, some of their keenest readers, and other bloggers will click on the link to check your content out. This may only happen sometimes you leave a comment, but by commenting frequently and building a consistent strategy, your traffic will likely increase.
How to comment on blogs effectively
There are multiple factors to consider when thinking about how to comment on blog posts effectively and gain traffic to your site. There are a few key points you should address to ensure that your comment is the best it can be. Assuming you have the basics set up — your profile and some existing content to promote — you are ready to start commenting.
When writing a blog post, keep the following pointers in mind:
The Right Blog: Commenting on high-quality sites with good traffic gives your comment the best chance of generating traffic and attention.
– The Right Time: Commenting early — as soon as possible after the blog was originally posted — will increase your chances of being seen and heard. This will put your comment at the top of the comment chain, allowing audiences to discover you.
– The Right Length: You will attract more positive attention by commenting longer, well-thought-through and relevant comments. A simple sentence is unlikely to engage any people and may suggest insincerity.
– The Right Questions: Continuing the discussion through well-thought-out follow-up questions will increase engagement with your comment. Don’t be afraid to respond to other comments, too, or tag other readers. They will return to read your comment, driving engagement.
- Creating Discussion: Express your opinion confidently and with conviction. Ask questions of other readers. Don’t be afraid to politely disagree, as long as your opinion is supported and relevant, a dissenting opinion can be a fantastic discussion starter.
How to structure your comment
When writing blog comments that get reciprocal views, there’s a lot to think about. It can be a little confusing when you begin to ensure that your comments include the right things! If you are looking for a foolproof way of ensuring that you are commenting in the best possible way, try following this handy structure for forming your comments to ensure length, ask questions and create a great discussion:
The Greeting
Your goal with your comment is to introduce yourself and set yourself up as an expert on the topic you are discussing. Begin your comment with a proper greeting: introduce yourself confidently and address the blog author by their first name. You should also think of a funny opening or an interesting fact about yourself to ensure that your audience keeps reading your comment!
The Compliment
Let the blogger know that you enjoyed their content, and tell them what you found informative and what you learned from them. It doesn’t have to be anything complicated. Something as simple as “I really enjoyed reading about your views on this topic” is enough.
Add Value
Your goal with any comment should always be to add value. This can be simple enough. You should always strive for your comment to be informative, entertaining and showcase your knowledge or opinion on the topic. Try asking some meaningful questions to get the author to expand on their point, share your insights and elaborate on areas the author has discussed. You could even add to the discussion if there is something the author has skipped or glossed over.
Before you click ‘post’ on your blog comment, as yourself, does this comment bring anything new to the discussion? If it does, you’re good to go! If not, go back and revise.
The Sign-Off
After showcasing your knowledge, reinforce that you enjoyed the author’s content. This is a great time to let the author know that you will be linking to their work in your own blog posts.
Follow up on any promises you make to link to the author’s content — breaking a promise is never cool and will likely hinder your blog comment strategy. Resist the temptation to link directly to your work here in the comments unless you have written specific information about the topic that the author or their readers may find helpful or interesting.
Other Ways to Increase Blog Traffic
Blog commenting is a long-term strategy. While it is proven to help you succeed, you need to make it a regular part of your promotional activities to see the benefits. A commenting strategy might not be the only way to build an audience. Well-known blog writers also use SEO and social media tools to grow their blogs.
To take advantage of SEO and capitalise on an audience, it may be wise to invest in a WordPress SEO Agency. A specialist in SEO can help you create a long-term keyword strategy and introduce you to more complex blogging SEO tasks such as link building and website optimisation.
In addition, you should begin a social media strategy and encourage your content to be shared on social media and blogs. The average American spends 90 minutes daily on apps owned by Meta and is much more likely to engage with content from users they have found on social media. An excellent blog strategy will also incorporate this.
Final Thoughts
Using blog comments to increase traffic is almost as old as the internet. Take the time and effort to comment on different, high-profile blogs in your niche regularly. You can quickly grow your network, build new relationships, find new opportunities, and drive more traffic to your blogs.
However, commenting on blogs may only be part of your strategy to build an audience. The best bloggers also use SEO, including social media and sharing buttons, and write regularly. Blog writers should employ all these ideas to build an online presence and a large audience in today’s world.
