Blog commenting is a well known strategy to get traffic and build backlinks. Yet it’s been around for so long, some people think it’s dated and obsolete. This is not actually the case, as it’s still possible to use blog commenting to your advantage.
But because so many bloggers and online marketers are using this technique, it’s become more important than ever to do it the right way. In this article, we’ll be discussing effective tactics to make sure you blog comments get noticed and help you with your own marketing efforts.
1. Choose the Right Blogs
If you don’t choose the right blogs to comment on, it won’t make any difference how brilliant your comments are – your efforts will be wasted. You should, first of all, choose blogs that are relevant to your niche or topic.
This might seem obvious, but it’s worth noting all the same. The only exception to this is that some very large sites have multiple categories. In this case, you would make sure to leave the comment in the proper section.
You should also stick to blogs that are active and popular.
2. Leave Relevant, Insightful Comments
Once you’ve chosen the right blogs, you have to make sure that your comments are considered legitimate so they don’t end up deleted as spam.
One thing you should never do is leave one or even two short sentence comments. These are almost always dismissed as spam, no matter what you write. Longer comments that are well thought out, tell the blog owner that you are taking some time to reply and not just blasting as many blogs as you can with your links!
You can check this fact on my blog. You never see any short and general comments. All approved comments are insightful and related to the article.
3. Personalize Your Comments
This may seem like a small detail, but it can make a big difference in how your comments are perceived. When replying to a comment, or even starting a new discussion, use the blog owner’s name. Or you could use the name of the particular person you’re replying to. It’s fine if it’s just a username.
This shows that you are actually replying to a real person and not just spamming the blog. It also increases the chances that someone will reply to you, which keeps the conversation going.
4. Start New Topics
This is not always possible, but on some blogs you can start comment threads of your own. This is a way to generate multiple responses and ongoing discussions. Starting a new topic will cause more people to notice you and check out your website.
Naturally, when starting topics you should choose subjects that are consistent with the blog’s theme. You should look over recent threads so you aren’t duplicating other topics. This will increase your chances of having your threads read and replied to.
5. Don’t Put Links in the Comment Itself
This is a mistake some beginners make. A link in the comment field will almost certainly be deleted as spam. The only proper place to put links is in the field provided. Have you seen any comment on Webtrafficroi.com with a link in the comment itself? None. 🙂
Some blogs don’t provide a place for a link. These are ones you can’t do anything. But never attempt to place links where they don’t belong!
6. Become a Regular Commenter
It’s better to find a few good blogs and comment on them regularly than to scatter your comments all over the web. When you comment consistently on the same blogs, you can start to establish a presence there. It’s similar to a forum, where you can build relationships with people.
For me, you can see that I am a regular commenter here. I enjoy this quality blog and thus I frequent here and share my comments. 🙂
Blogs can be online communities, and when people start to recognize you they are more likely to check out your links. It’s also more convenient for you to have a few blogs that you comment on frequently. You then don’t have to spend time searching for new blogs.
Conclusion
The key to blog commenting is to comment on the right blogs, do it in an interesting way and to do it consistently. This is not a technique that yields instant results.
The purpose for blog commenting is two fold – get direct traffic and build backlinks. Both of these occur gradually, and your results will accrue over time. In this way, it’s like many other traffic and link building tactics.
Keep the above tips in mind when you engage in blog commenting and you’ll find that it’s an activity well worth your time! Happy blogging and commenting!
Image Credit: Dharma Sphere
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