Sometimes as bloggers, we overlook a few of the most basic tools of the online community. Our commenting behavior can actually make a large impact on our reputation, our traffic, and our audience building.
One of the best ways to get others to discover your page is by visiting theirs and leaving comments about their posts and observations. Internet sites, especially the popular ones, often form small online communities and fan bases and comments play a huge role in the communicative function of website. People will read a comment made by John on Bob's page, and in return, start reading Bill's site as well. Bloggers tend to check the internet sites of those who have visited their favorite websites and you'll develop some regular readers just by making comments on other sites.
In many cases, one may leave the URL of your website in the comments, which makes it easy for all your blog’s readers to discover you, too. Be cautious to remember how your page comments may affect others, though - once you offer criticism to a blogger, take into consideration how that comment will be received. Do you think you're building a relationship or burning a bridge? Unless you're being anonymous (that is certainly never really recommended), every time you comment, you associate your name and reputation with your comment. Are you willing to stand by that comment and have it represent you within the blogosphere for an indefinite amount of time? Even when you consider the blogger you are commenting on in order to be a “competitor” - it is best never to set up controversy in such a way that you could potentially tarnish your reputation. Keep in mind thatawebsite content lasts a long, long time.
When leaving a comment on a site, there are two things you should consider regarding attracting traffic:
1. Length of the comment: Make sure your comment is at least two to three lines - up to a paragraph if your post is on a topic relevant to your area of expertise.
2. Quality: Make sure your comment is something like a mini-article - it has to be informative, unique, and offer a perspective or insight into the topic that the site post did not provide.
Making the Most of Comments on Your Own Website
Normally, as a blogger, it's important to allow comments from your readers, especially other bloggers. This inspires the sense of interactivity and community that makes blogging so attractive in the Web 2.0 world.
You might have to deal with website comment spam as a result of your willingness to accept comments unless you configure your website host to help you out - make sure you use the tools they offer to help you combat it. If you can apply a word or code verification, it'll filter out most. You can also decide to moderate your comments. This could become a time-consuming process down the line if your webpage becomes super-popular down the line - it could also slow down the commenting conversation.
Try to allow as much interaction as possible on your page - it keeps things interesting and interactive. As soon as you start getting comments, reply to them. Keep the dialog going.
Blogs are loved by lots of due to their interactive nature, so the more lively and interesting the comment section, the better the site. This, of course, in return, creates more traffic. If you do not respond to comments, you cut the the debate short, signaling that it was never a very important feature of the page anyway. That doesn't mean that a blogger should necessarily respond to every single comment, but you should always be visible in your own blogging community.
When somebody posts a comment on a page for the first time, surprise them by acknowledging their presence with a simple “Hello”. (Or, if you own a larger site, and have noticed an influx of new traffic, greet ALL the new readers.) Allow them to know that they are welcome. Site communities (and traffic) are built, after all, one person at a time. Never forget where that community was built from.
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