So you want to know how to get traffic to your blog right? With all the penguins and pandas and the whole Google zoo…blog commenting is still one of the best, free, easy to master ways of getting traffic. TWO FOLD.
Now before you roll your eyes and start dismissing blog commenting, let me explain a couple of things.
There’s the right way to leave blog comments and the wrong way to leave blog comments.
There’s also the right mindset…yep you guessed it, and the wrong mindset. So let’s start here shall we?
Having the right mindset when leaving blog comments to drive traffic to your blog is having the understanding that you are building a business with the end result first. That being you want traffic, you want visibility; you want all the eye balls you can get.
It’s not enough to just make quality content that your readers want. It’s the marketing that you do after you’ve written your Pulitzer post. Oh and if you think that just writing the blog post is marketing think again. That’s only the beginning. The truth in getting traffic…is in your marketing.
Double Benefits of Blog Commenting
1. The back link – The first and most obvious benefit for most bloggers is the ever loving back link to your blog. Most bloggers see this is the only reason for leaving blog comments. I’ll show you why that’s not true in just a moment. But let’s say the there is a back link to your blog. When you leave a comment and then you’re allowed to leave your url back to your blog or preferable your blog post.
In some cases this link back to your post will be a “do follow” in some cases in will be a “no follow” The difference is will the SEO juice flow back to your blog or not. In the “do follow” case, that means the blog owner has allowed their SEO rankings to benefit your blog.
Now if your blog comment triggers a “no follow” back link don’t worry. You actually want both and over time the second reason for leaving a blog comment will appear. That being visibility.
2. Visibility – When the blog post you just commented on gets some visibility chances are good that your comment and visible link back to your post will get some traction.
This ever loving visibility on your blog comment is actually more powerful than you think. On some blogs your link is visible, this is preferred. But if the blog is real popular, then the link may be hidden. That’s ok, leave a comment any I’ll explain further.
How to Get Traffic to Your Blog by Leaving the Best Possible Blog Comment
This is my favorite part to share with you and where you can dominate over your competition. That is if you think you have competition. I see the blogosphere more as a collaboration tool than anything else. But that’s another post for another day.
A quality blog post comment does two things at the same time. You give props to the author of the post and you leave a little of yourself. It’s as simple as that. Those comments that say “Great post” or “Would like to know more” or “first” are not only lame but usually ignored, removed, thrashed, blown up, dismantled or just plain deleted.
If you’re going to take the time to comment…like you will on this post, then please follow this simple plan. Tell me what you liked about my post or a little of what you may have learned. Then tell me how you use blog commenting on your blog or in your marketing plan.
Ken Pickard
The Network Dad
P.S. If you do use blog commenting as a way to drive more traffic to your blog, then I have a couple of Facebook groups you might be interested in joining. Shoot me a Facebook message and ask about my free blog commenting group.
Now leave me that comment like you mean it and if you see someone leaving lame comments on your blog then send them this post so they too can learn how to get traffic to your blog!
Hey Ken! Definitely one of the most powerful relationship building strategies most often overlooked cos of it’s simplicity.
I was prompted to say ‘great post’ lol. Love it
Well Ken, I think you KNOW how I feel about this subject. Oh yeah!
For those people who say blog commenting is a waste of their valuable time then I’m here to tell you you’re nuts. My blog literally took off because of blog commenting and that was almost two years ago. Yep, it’s still going strong and did I even tell you about the awesome relationships I’ve built because of that?
Hey, Ken is one of them too and my blog was actually the first one he guest posted for. To say it was a hit is an understatement. That man go so many comments, people loved it.
That’s also because of the relationships we’ve both built up through this method. It’s so powerful and fun too. Man, I learn so much from other bloggers and I just love meeting new ones too.
Thanks Ken for pointing this out and I do hope that people will start to see the power in this method. Just come visit me if they still don’t believe.
Hey, have an awesome weekend.
~Adrienne
Adrienne recently posted..Permission Marketing, Back To The Basics
Ken that’s an excellent explanation of how Blog Commenting can bring traffic by Link Building and Visibility – it’s also a fab way to meet people who enjoy blogging to Business Build.
I’m also a great fan of tribes and networking groups – and it’s been great to visit you here
Jacs
Jacs Henderson recently posted..How Important Are Your Blog Comments And Your Readers?
Thanks Ken, some great ideas here that I hadn’t considered before – such as the visibility factor. I’ve known for awhile that commenting on blog posts is important, but hadn’t really thought about why! Going to look into your blogging group too!
Alexandria Barker recently posted..Get Your Gratitude On!
What I like about your post is it was compact and straight to the point.
Years ago, I didn’t understand the purpose of comments. Now I do. Adrienne Smith has been a big help.
I’d like to get more comments on my blog posts though I’m not concerned. I can see people are reading and forwarding most of what I’ve written on social media sites.
Last, begin with the end in mind.
Steve Borek recently posted..How To Become A Leader, Followers Want To Follow
Hey Ken,
Thanks, this couldn’t have come at a better time! Leaving comments is so powerful and I have fallen out of the routine which a mentor of mine once taught me. He would drill into me the importance of commenting as you described.
He would always say that it’s all about time management.
Probably the best advice I ever received was to start my DMO each day with…
1. Use the early morning hours when phone prospecting can’t be done to leave comments, along with using that time to answer any comments left on my blog.
2. Use this same time of day (if you are using Twitter) to get back with people and thank them for their RT’s, Mentions and S/O etc.
3. When possible, use these hours for education, webinars, and creating new content.
So, thank you again for this great reminder, it’s time to get back into the swing of a routine, with blog commenting at the top of the list!
And for anyone who is skeptical about the power of commenting, just visit Adrienne’s website (who commented below). My last visit to her site I was shocked and very impressed to see many of her articles with 87 to well over 100 comments on her posts! Imagine what that can do for your websites traffic!
Have a great weekend!
Richard
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Well one of the things I’ve learned is how important blog commenting is and I’ve learned this not just from your article, but in the last few weeks, how it has driven more traffic to my blog. I’ve seen an increase in traffic to my blog as I’ve developed relationships with other bloggers. I’ve seen it increase my visibility and although it is building slowly, I do notice the difference so I know it will get better. I wish I had learned this two years ago when I started.
Regards,
Barbara
Barbara Charles recently posted..Entrepreneurs and On Being Superman
Thank you for this post Ken. I learn that leaving the best possible blog comment is a good way to get traffic. Also I think it is a good training to write the best possible blog posts.
Loic Thai recently posted..5 Ways to Build a Great Work Place
Hi Ken
You made some great points about blog commenting, it’s a really good way of increasing traffic to your blog, I have made some valuable connections by doing this. I think that building relationships with fellow bloggers is a must for your business and blog commenting is one of the best ways to do that.
I am interested in your FB groups so I am going to send you a message
Hope you have a great weekend
Pauline
Pauline recently posted..5 Ways To Make Blogging More Effective And Earn More Money Online
Well, as you know Ken, I love to comment!
I always believed that commenting was a very strong part of business. I met so many people by leaving a good comment on someone’s blog. People actually read them and find each other on the comment section.
I’m pretty picky about approving comments. I don’t accept one liners, nor anything irrelevant to what I have written. But when all is said and done, reciprocity is the key.
Someone comes to my blog and comment, I go to theirs. It is a beginning of new relationships and that’s what I enjoy doing the most. We take it on to our other social sites and Voila….visibility.
I actually had a friend ask me what was I doing all over the social sites? She is unrelated to the business, but said she sees me all over the place. Well that’s good news for me.
Blessings,
Donna
Hey; this is good info! I’ve been blogging for a while now and on FB too, and I’m so tired of the ‘like’ clicks that people have made in their thousands for total rubbish or even disgusting photos? You know the ones I mean? It’s just unbelieveable isn’t it? OK, Well, I think that Ken’s point is really going to sort the clickers from the writers. Writing a real responses means that you have to be able to think, understand and write. Those three things alone have set you above everyone else. There are millions of clickers and VERY FEW writers! How many people actually understand where they are at and where they can get to? A tiny minority. I’ve actually discovered the platform I was looking for in Empower to be able to help all the people on the planet that I can contact. I have had enough life experiences to prove over and over that I’m not your average guy, and neither is Ken, and together we with everyone else who is a thinker and a writer can bring real benefit to this planet by teaching people in the thousands or even millions, what we know. If you appreciate what I’m saying here, you can find me by Googling Jeremusic. I challenge you and promise you’ll like what you find!
Jeremusic
Great ideas Ken. Once again, you got the brain juices flowing! Thanks!
Michael Mistler recently posted..Google Authority What it is, how to get it, and how to use it to crush your competition.
Hi Ken,
I can’t agree more. Ever since i started my blog, blog commenting has giving me a significant traffic.
But just as you pointed out here, it can only work to your advantage if done well, and thats why they say that anything worth doing is worth doing well.
I don’t see any benefit of comming to a blog and leaving useless comments like WE SAID, WOW, WHAT A WONDERFUL POST, etc. At times, you will even discover that they didn’t even read the post.
Thanks for sharing.
Theodore Nwangene recently posted..Special Report: Can I really make Money Blogging?
Hi Ken
I am not sure how anyone would think they could build great traffic to their blog without commenting. I love visiting other blogs and I have learned so much doing it.
I schedule time at the end of the day to visit blogs. It is just part of my routine now.
Thanks for the great explanation on “do follow” and “no follow” I have never quite understood that.
Thanks Ken
Sue
Sue Price recently posted..Habits to Support Your Ideal Life
Hi Ken,
I would have to say that 95% of comments on my blog are quality and well thought out. I do get the occasional “great post” by the author named “SEO business.”
I took a few months off last year from blog commenting and my traffic did go down as a result. I even switched to LiveFyre for a couple of months and then I switched back to WordPress commenting system.
It seemed that many of my readers did not like using LiveFyre.
Either way, I like to comment and I welcome comments on my blog as well.
Take care.
Justin recently posted..Read This if You Want to Survive 2012
Hi, Mr Ken. an interesting opinions I find here. I have a question for you,because I’m a newbie blogger, and i really do not understand this issue. after a google and penguins and pandas, many blogs are affected by it. one avoid being affected by google pinguin and panda, blogging comment from the very good to improve their impact. is this true or not?
Many Thank to you.
The Kampret recently posted..Surewi Wardrobe Tempatnya Pemesanan Seragam Kerja
Hi Ken,
I love that blog post and it goes incredible well with my last post as well. You get that right, there is a right and a wrong mind set when it comes to leave a blog comment and I’m always shocked when I see people who still haven’t gotten it by now.
I love what you’re saying about competition… competition is only in the head of the beholder as a life coach explained to me a while back!
Sylviane Nuccio recently posted..Don’t Fool Yourself Content Alone Is Not All You Need To Generate Traffic
Oooh, Ken, it’s always a little nerve wracking to leave a comment on a post about how to leave good comments! I hope I get a little gold star
I agree with you here, comments are at their best when they say something useful. Of course, I always like the props, but even when people disagree that’s ok as long as they say why and give me something I can respond to.
“Great post” is sort of props but not entirely useful. Why is it great? Or did ya just want that link, hm?
People like you who care about their blog and their readers wouldn’t need a “how to comment” post because you already know how to talk to people and grow a relationship. The same extends to other people’s blogs – you speak to them as people, share your thoughts and it doesn’t have to be any more complicated!
I’ll leave you with my favorite type of horrible comment: when someone comments but addresses me by the wrong name. “Hey Jen, great post!” Um… you’re welcome?
Carol Lynn recently posted..Hey Businesses, You’re Doing Twitter Wrong!
Thanks again Ken for your wonderful insight, instruction and leadership. I realize that success will come as I apply your instruction daily and look forward to reading all your blogs.
Thanks again Ken! Tremendous insight and instruction that I have come to expect from your leadership.
Hi Ken,
Graet content. I love your emphasis on putting out quality comments. I have seen the most ordinary comments. Yes, that is getting back links. Yet, the relationship building and engagement part is missing.
Commenting is one of the best way to share what we know… hence, adding value to the marketplace.
Great work, Ken!
Viola Tam – The Business Mum
Viola Tam recently posted..Top 50 MLM Blog Contest
I love to comment on blogs but the reason I am keeping my self away from it is because I am not really good in english. I believe the main factor for your comment to get approve is to have a proper english, correct grammar and spelling and I’m not good on it. As a matter of fact, it takes 5 minutes or more for me before I make a single blog comment which is really annoying me. I have to take a look for the dictionary online and make some research about words I need to use. But I think those are worth enough!
I’m glad I happened upon your blog today.. I have been looking at additional methods for driving traffic to my blog and this is such a simple one that I have neglected for a while. I know it works because I have put in the effort before and seen the results, but I must push this up my list of marketing priorities.
Thank you for the reminder, Ken!
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Ken,
As I read articles like this – and I always do – the one thing I always want to see is and example. The part that is critical is whether or not your leave a visible URL in your comment or if that is forbidden or if the website URL you fill in as part of the requirement to actually comment is enough. That question goes through my mind EVERY time.
Thanks for the post,
Hale Yes!
Hale Yes recently posted..Blogging and Internet Marketing Overwhelm – How do They Connect?
Ken,
Love your stuff, although I just found it a couple of days ago.
This subject is something I’ve not focused on and is a key part of my growth for the coming year. Yeah, I want backlinks, I want traffic, but mostly I have a lot of content I’m really proud of and want to SHARE!
Here’s to an amazing 2013 for us all!
Jon R. Patrick recently posted..Vision Board 2013 Cheap and Easy Idea!
Ken, I feel fortunate that I actually enjoy blog commenting – so it makes it easier to make those new connections by commenting. It’s a hard thing to do if you don’t enjoy the process.
By the way, I found your blog because of a comment you left on Adrienne’s blog – as others will find, it does work.
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Leora,
First off welcome to my blog, thanks for stopping by! Yes blog commenting works! This is how I’ve met so many great bloggers…like Adrienne and now yourself. I’ll be looking forward to heading over to your blog to. I’ve also built a few groups just for this very purpose. Let me know if your open to joining a blog commenting group.
Ken