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Wednesday

Boost your blog's readership by commenting


Writers write for readers. OK, I may sound like the proverbial broken record, at least to those who actually remember records. I have certainly said that before. But it’s true.

What can bloggers do to encourage readers to visit their sites?

Quality content, consistent posts, niche writing, and appealing images are critical. Search engine optimization (SEO) is important.

Eventually, however, devoted bloggers discover that the weblog community tends to foster itself. Those who blog seem to enjoy reading other blogs. So how can participants invite other bloggers (and their readers) to visit and follow their posts?

Here’s a simple step, all too often missed, that sends readers to blogs like children and little critters to the legendary Pied Piper of Hamelin.

Commenting is a key to successful blogging.

I belong to a few online blogging groups, primarily for networking and technical tips. Often, we share ideas for promoting our blog sites.

Sure, we may Tweet links to our blog posts. We may include them in Facebook posts or put them up on Google+, Linked In, or similar social sites. Every link helps, if it positions a blog out there.

As vast and sterile as cyberspace may seem, a personal approach still works. Savvy bloggers read blogs a-plenty and leave pertinent comments on every post they peruse. 

Here’s a secret. (OK, maybe it’s not really a secret.)

Every blog comment form offers the reader an opportunity to provide a link to his or her own website. What’s more, the commenter’s name (either a real name or screen name) is usually hyperlinked to Google+ or another site of choice.

Ideally, a smart blogger will leave one hyperlinked title, leading the host blogger and that blog’s subsequent readers to a relevant post. (Click here to read Super-Simple Linking (how to make HTML hyperlinked blog comments.)

The blogger who reads, but does not stop to comment, are simply skipping an opportunity to share a link to his or her blog.
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What makes a great blog comment?

Bloggers generally welcome intelligent and cogent comments that refer to their posts, revealing that readers have actually absorbed their content. Considerate readers try to incorporate keywords from blog posts in comments. This can give such entries a boost in search engines.

Comments on blog posts may be controversial or constructive, but they need to be courteous, or they may be deleted.

The biggest danger is for a blogger’s comment to be tagged as spam. Comments like “Nice blog” and “Why haven’t I seen this before?” may end up in trash folders or be robotically flagged. Likewise, those containing too many links are likely to be removed.

Consider these two pairs of commenting examples. Which of these comments would you rather see on your own blog?

“Fine post. Glad I stopped by.”
or
“I wish I had read your helpful observations about post-operative care for an appendectomy before I went through it myself.”

“Sweet blog! Have you tried the new XYZ techno-gadget with whiz-bang features?”
or
“Your insights on organic fertilization options for azaleas are practical and helpful. My garden flowers thank you.”

An intelligent and appropriate blog comment, including a hyperlink to a pertinent post (or to the commenter’s own blog) can reap benefits for both blogger and readers. Why miss the chance?

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Image/s:  
Pied Piper
ClipArt ETC
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3 comments:

  1. I don't always comment, because I don't always feel I have something intelligent to say. (And sometimes, because I'm a little afraid to disagree with the person who posted.) I know I should probably comment though, so that's what I've been trying to do. :D

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  2. I couldn't agree more, but do find myself often frustrated. I may visit, read, and comment on 20-25 blogs daily and get 5 responses in that people actually return the favor by coming to my blog and leaving a comment. I also get frustrated when people send an email instead of visiting the blog. I purposely have left my email off 2 of my 4 blogs and will sometimes get a nasty comment like. I tried to email you but you have that feature turned off. Email to me is only appropriate instead of a return blog visit/comment when it's personal...and if it's personal, those folks have my email addy. Same thing with people who join linky's. The whole point is more readership. Argh...I do though keep trying.

    And now am your newest follwer.

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  3. This is one thing I've known for a while, but haven't really put into practice. I always get a little tongue-tied when trying to comment, probably (as Rena said) because I don't feel like I have anything intelligent to say.

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