Blog commenting best practices
Let’s chat about how to make the most of blog comments! Who’s blog? Mine? Yours? YES! Let’s dive into some tips on why you should leave comments on other blogs and why you want people to comment on your own.
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Why you should comment on other blogs
One of the best ways to get your name out there is to comment on other blog posts. This is a great way to gain some exposure to your site and to make new connections.
You’ll also be helping out a fellow content creator who will be appreciative and making friendly connections in this biz is never a bad thing!
What posts to comment on
Can you think of any blog posts that have been really helpful to you? Maybe you’ve saved some to Pinterest so you can keep referring back to them?
If not, no stress! Search Pinterest for something you need to learn about anyway (because why not kill two birds with one stone?) Find, read, and comment on posts you got something useful from. Easy!
Wondering what to say in your comments?
Don’t leave a generic comment like “great post!” That’s not really helpful to anyone.
You could try:
• Telling the blogger you loved the post, but explain exactly what you liked and how it helped you. Be specific. You’ll be more likely to get an enthusiastic response back.
• Ask a question. Leave a compliment on the post and inquire further about something.
• Respond to their call to action. More often than not, bloggers will end their post with an instruction, encouragement, or question posed to their readers. If they ask a question, answer them!
If they ask you to share the post, do it, and let them know you did, and why you think your readers will benefit from it as well.
Grow your own blog with your comment
Another really simple way to increase your own exposure is to include your blog name when you comment. I’m not suggesting you add your URL to your actual comment. That looks obviously spammy.
Most comment sections will ask for your Name, Email, Website, and Comment to be filled in. Personally, I like to add my blog name in the “Name” section.
So instead of just writing my name, I write: Karen | OnlineBlogAndBusinessHelp
I could also do: Karen @ Online Blog And Business Help or Karen – Online Blog And Business Help
You get the idea 🙂
Check out one of my recent comments below to see how that looks:
It doesn’t look spammy. Just a subtle way to look professional and get my blog’s name out there. This could lead to other readers seeing my name and being intrigued enough to do a search for my site.
P.S. My name is now a clickable link on that person’s blog. So if someone sees my business name and is interested in checking it out, they can click right through to my site. Bonus!
Would they do that if it was JUST my name there? Mmmm, not so much! Especially since the internet has a serious hate-on for “Karens” right now! 😉
P.P.S. This is why it’s especially helpful to comment on blogs that are also serving your key audience. If people are reading a post within your niche and see your blog name in the comments, they’ll be more likely to check out your content too.
Brand recognition within blog comments?
So, now we know other people commenting on posts can see my name. But how about getting my face out there?
You’ll notice my name and comment are accompanied by my photo as well. This is known as a Gravatar.
What the heck is a Gravatar??
Basically, it’s an image, headshot, or logo. And it follows you online.
Whenever you leave a comment or post questions on blogs/forums, your Gravatar will automatically be added. Which looks much more professional than the generic default images that will be used if you don’t have a gravatar set up.
This also gives you brand recognition and lets others know your comments are not spam.
Plus, the more that photo is viewed online, the more people in your niche will start to recognize it. This makes you look credible and trustworthy to others.
My photo is one that I use all over the web. It’s on my blog, my Pinterest account, my Facebook page, my email list, etc.
To be honest, I’d love to change it. But I’ve been using it on everything for so long, I don’t want to give up any brand recognition that could come from changing it.
How to create your own Gravatar
Here is a really helpful video by one of my favorite bloggers, Elna Cain. She further breaks down why you need a Gravatar and provides a great tutorial on how to set one up:
Why Every Blogger Needs a Gravatar – And How to Set One Up
Don’t worry, it is really simple. And it only takes a few minutes to do.
Make Commenting On Your Own Posts EASY
You want to make it super simple for people to leave a comment on your blog. DON’T use a commenting system. Please. Just don’t do it.
My mind instantly goes to Disqus. Disqus is a system you can install to allow your guests to leave a comment on your post. But you need to create an account and login to comment.
I used it on my site when I first started out. But was having other bloggers contact me to let me know they were having trouble leaving comments. Grrr…
I ended up asking about it in a Facebook group and was hit with a slew of responses about how they would ditch it ASAP. Most also said they never bother leaving a comment if they’re required to login.
See…we need to make it EASY for the average person to leave a comment, or they won’t. It’s just that simple.
And I totally get it now. I too, never leave a comment if it requires creating an account and logging in. Nope!
How your comment section can boost your SEO
Did you know your comment section can also help with SEO?
How so? For starters, comments add to the overall length of your post. Which Google tends to favor.
Also, having blog comments shows Google that the post is getting engagement. Another plus.
Your comment section also gives you an opportunity to gain more keywords. Ideally, you want your readers to leave a comment that mentions the topic of the post or a keyword you’re hoping to rank for.
Even if they don’t, you can work in a few keywords when you reply to their comment. Just try not to keyword stuff or make it sound forced.
See the example below:
This was from my post about Unique Ways to Use Secret Boards on Pinterest. When I replied to the comment I was sure to include “Pinterest Secret boards” in my reply, as well as the word “tips”.
Why do this? The more keywords Google can find in your post, the better. If someone searches for “Tips for Using Pinterest Secret Boards”, adding those keywords into my reply may help me rank for it.
It may also be helpful that Janice referred to them as “Private Boards”. If she calls them private boards, others may search for info on them that way too.
So she gave me a keyword variation with her comment. Thanks, Janice!
Need more SEO help? Try this FREE Intro to SEO Course!
Tips to get blog comments
So, we know that comments are our friends. They can lead to more blog traffic and help our SEO. Here are a few tips to help you get meaningful comments on your own posts.
Add a Call to Action
Finish your post with a call to action (CTA). Ask a question you’d like your audience to answer. Maybe ask if your viewers felt you left something out. Or if there’s something they wished you had addressed.
For example, let’s say you had a post called “25 Genius Camping Hacks”. You could end the post by saying something like, “Do you have an all-time favorite camping hack? Share it in the comments below!”
Be Helpful
Solve your reader’s problem. When you address a pain point and offer a solution, people will likely be excited and want to thank you. Especially if it’s unique enough that they’ve never heard it before.
Providing original, high-quality content will gain blog comments naturally.
Be Real
Talk to your audience like they’re real people. Make them feel comfortable and safe. Ensure your blog is a fun easy-going place.
If you come across as genuine, helpful, and friendly, your readers will be more inclined to engage with you!
Ask a friend
When all else fails, ask a friend or family member to leave you a blog comment.
You’ll likely gain some blogging friends along your journey. They are great friends to go to for comments as they understand why it’s important. Plus you can reciprocate and leave comments for them as well. Win-win!
Participate in Facebook Group threads
Some Facebook groups provide threads specifically for getting blog comments.
Here’s a few I have used:
• Blogging For New Bloggers – Thursdays and Sundays
• ASelfGuru Biz Blog Community – Wednesdays
• Blogging Babes Collective – Fridays
• The Helpful Blog & Business Group – There are daily request threads. Ask for comments any day.
Related Reading – 10 Best Facebook Groups to Grow Your Blog
Final thoughts on blog comment tips
Not only are blog comments a fantastic way to grow your blog, but they are also an important part of your blog’s regular maintenance.
Check your comment section regularly, delete any spam, and approve the genuine comments. Make an effort to reply to anyone who takes the time to give you feedback on your post. Respond to any additional questions they may have.
I hope you found some helpful tips to give your blog a boost using comments.
Do you have any other hacks for getting lots of engagement in your comment section?
Let me know below!
Want more blogging tips? Check out:
Common Blogging Mistakes to Avoid
Reasons to Frequently Review Old Content
10 Minute Blog Tasks to Grow Your Blog
Like This Post? Share it!
Hi Karen,
You shared some great tips in this post. I never made the connection with blog commenting and SEO, thanks for showing me something new today. 🙂
I have to admit that I haven’t been visiting my favorite blogs lately because things have gotten so busy on the business side. Now that it has calmed down some, I can go by to visit my favorite bloggers and leave a comment on their blog posts.
What has worked for me is leaving a call to action in the copy of my social media post. I’ll say something like “leave a comment in the blog post to let me know…” or “I’m looking forward to reading your blog comments”.
Thank you for sharing your tips. Definitely sharing this on social media!
Have a great day and rest of the week.
Cori
Amazing! I love hearing you learned something new with the tip about using blog comments to help a post’s SEO. I like your call to action ideas too. Thanks for commenting and sharing 🙂
I’m not really a commenter, but I see now that I should be. I never realized it could benefit the person posting the blog and myself. I’m pinning this to help remind me since I know that helping others, will help me in the end. Thank you.
Thanks for the comment and the pin Kimberly! I’m glad you learned some new info about how blog commenting can be beneficial to everyone!
These are really interesting tips! I’d forgotten how beneficial it can be to comment on other blogger’s blogs, so here I am doing that very thing on your lovely blog. Love this helpful post and appreciate the easy, actionable suggestions. I’ll definitely be pinning and sharing for my readers too. Thanks!
I love this post so helpfull. I started commenting under my blogs name a couple months ago and I have seen results, People started comenting on mine too.
Im not a constant commenter person but trying to do it more often
Thanks for sharing the post Heather! It can be easy to forget to comment on other blogs regularly. But when you remember it’s a great little task that can really pay off. Thank you for commenting here 🙂
I’m so excited to hear you found the post helpful. I’m also glad you are seeing the benefits of commenting on other posts as your blog name. Thanks for the comment!
Karen, Thank you so much for the explanation about blog commenting. I’ve been commenting more frequently on blogs, but simply considered the backlink value—now I see there’s much more to it. Thank you.
Great to hear, Julie! You are most welcome. Thanks so much for commenting on the post. Obviously, I really appreciate it 😉
That’s a great post, just in time for a newbie food blogger 🙈 I didn’t know that commenting on other blogs is that important. I’ll definitely do that from now on!
Awww thanks for the kind words Heidi. It’s great to hear you got some useful blog commenting tips. Good luck with your new blog!
Most of this I knew, but I hadn‘t thought about adding my blog name as part of my name – great tip! I‘m going to share this too as there are a number of people who need to hear it (“Great post”…Grrr.)
Hahaha I hear you Rachael! Thank you for sharing and commenting on the post. I’m so happy to hear you got a new tip to try out.
When I started blogging I was a bit shy to comment on blog posts. I learned quite fast it will be helpful for SEO and also getting my own blog noticed by the blogging community. So, I started to comment on other people’s blog posts and joined daily threads as you mentioned in this post to get comments on my blog. Now I might drop a comment without participating in daily commenting threads, liike now for instance. Thank you for sharing such a important and valuable post!
Thanks so much for the comment. I’m glad you found the post helpful. I can totally understand being shy as a brand new blogger, commenting on well-established blog posts. I hope more people read this and realize that bloggers are thrilled to receive blog comments and aren’t being judgemental. New or old blogger, comments are comments…and very appreciated 🙂
Thank you for a very informative and useful post! I’ve been and set up a proper Gravatar so hopefully it will show up now on this comment. Learning more every day. Brilliant fun.
I see your Gravatar! Success! Isn’t learning new blog stuff fun? Thanks so much for the comment, Sarah!
I never understood why some bloggers do not accept comments but then maybe they do not understand the importance of blog comments.
I also never understood why some bloggers make it so hard to leave comments, removing an unwanted comment is just a mouse click and with tools like akismet,spam comments are at a minimum anyway.
I know! The average, non-blogger is not going to leave a comment if they have to create an account and login. There’s just not enough incentive for anyone to do that. Thanks so much for your comment Roamy. Much appreciated!
Hey Karen,
Blog commenting is a nice way to make connections with fellow bloggers. Not only that but it also helps to get readers.
In fact, blog commenting is a part of my daily routine. Every day I spend at least one hour to read my favorite blogs and make comments.
I got a nice idea from you in this post. That is, whenever I need to learn something I search online to find stuff and read them. But I don’t make comment on them. From now I’ll make comment on the post that I learn something from.
Thanks for this nice idea.
-Liton @sharpblogger.
Wow! That’s amazing you leave comments on blogs every day. Good for you! I’m thrilled to hear you got a new idea you can utilize 🙂 Thank you so much for your comment.
Great tips you gave here! Thank you 🙂 Sometimes it’s sad when someone gives a comment that is very short like one word although it’s nice to see it but I’m more of genuine and sincere interaction. I also try to comment and give back and give my utmost support because I know how it works and how it helps others. Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks for commenting, Jeannie! Yes, it’s so disheartening to get a notification that you’ve got a blog comment, just to go read it and find it says “great post”. I appreciate that you try to give genuine and sincere engagement. I’m sure other bloggers do too 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this post! I always try to leave helpful and genuine comments on other’s posts because I know how it feels when they don’t seem genuine. I love the way you explain the best practices.
Thanks Alyssa! I’m so glad you liked it. It’s always nice when someone leaves a helpful, genuine comment on something you’ve put so much time and effort into 🙂
I’m trying to apply here a trick that should get second-nature for me and see if it works:)) If you accept the comment, it should be visible. Thanks for all the tips you mentioned, though!
I have recently started commenting on blogs and have seen the improvements in engagement and traffic. It is great when you get a positive comment on something that you have spent a lot of time and effort into writing!
Very helpful and Great information,
I appreciate advice especially coming from a professional.
Wow, this post is so helpful! I love these tips, especially the one about sprinkling keywords in your comments. It’s so clever! Thank you for sharing this post.
Hey Miranda! I’m glad you found the comment tips useful 😀 I remember when I first learned about the adding keywords to comment tip…Mind. Blown. Haha!
Hi Karen, I hope you can help me with a matter regarding when people leave what appears to be spammy comments. I’m getting an average of two-three spam comments per day. Very seldom do I actually get comments on my website. Keep in mind that my blog is only about 6 months old, does that have something to do with people not wanting to leave comments. Should I keep the comments that look and appear to be spammy or delete them?
Where do you draw the line? Some of the comments made have nothing to do with the contents of the blog post. Hopefully, my question falls into the area that my question has to do with tips on comments. I look forward to hearing your response so that I can grow to have more comments on my own blog.
Hi Scott,
I highly recommend the Akismet plugin (https://wordpress.org/plugins/akismet/) for spam comments. It’s quite effective. The odd one does still get through but I just delete them. There is a small cost to it but worth it in my opinion. Alternatively, you could try the Anti-Spam plugin (https://wordpress.org/plugins/anti-spam/) for free. I’ve not tried it personally but have heard it does help.
This is a great post. Blogging is a great way to help with your SEO. Very helpful tips. 🙂
Thanks Nina! I’m glad you thought the comment tips were helpful 🙂
These tips have been super helpful! I will be setting up my gravatar later today! Thank you so much for sharing!
So awesome to hear, Cindy! I’m glad you got some new commenting tips 🙂
It is really Very helpful tips. Thanks 🙂
You’re welcome Alam! Thanks for the comment.
Thank you for writing about this topic and going into further detail! When you start blogging, there’s a heightened concern over data collection until you learn who actually comments on blogs. This post has been very helpful!
I’m so glad you found the post helpful, Scout! I think there’s a lot more to blog comments than people initially realize.
Hi, This is an informative article. Thanks for sharing your experience & knowledge.
Thanks for this blog.
Yes, I agree with the Disquis comment! I need it to be as easy as possible to leave a comment. Sometimes I have trouble, I comment and then it doesn’t go through and then I’m down the rabbit hole in my email or wherever trying to make my comment work. Ugh
!!! I don’t have time for all that and I know my readers don’t either. Same thing for getting subscribers! I’m still looking for the best way to have these things simple and easy on my blog.
Ugh, yes. If I have to sign up or sign in to leave a comment, it’s not worth the time for me. As for subscribers, it’s easiest for them if you don’t use the double opt-in feature. Just one less step. I find it depends on the opt-in. Sometimes I use it and sometimes I don’t.
This is such a wonderful website and easy to understand!
Hey, thanks for the great tips! I have always known that leaving comments was useful, but I didn’t know how useful.
Also, I love the tip about adding your blog name to the name field. That is a bit of a game-changer for me.
This comment made my day better! Finding a tip that feels like a game-changer is such a great feeling in this crazy blogging life! Happy to help 🙂
Thank you for sharing indeed
You’re welcome!
Hello thanks for creating this post for us!
You’re welcome. Thanks for commenting.
thank you so much for sharing. This is so important to me and a great help for others.
You’re very welcome, Jerry! Glad you liked the ideas to take blog comments to the next level 🙂
I have recently started commenting on blogs and have seen the improvements in engagement and traffic. It is great when you get a positive comment on something that you have spent a lot of time and effort into writing!
That’s great to hear! And yes, it definitely makes you feel like that hard work is paying off 🙂
Brilliant Blog Comment Tips is a really helpful post. I did not know of all the simple things that can help you and others at the same time. I also liked the simple way you explain everything. I definitely will start applying what I learned here. Thanks!
Thanks for the kind words 🙂 I’m so glad you got some new tips on how to use comments to grow your blog!
Good Blog
Thank you 🙂