Written on June 5th, 2008 at 04:06 am by Darren Rowse

The Power of Commenting On Other Blogs [VIDEO]

Video Posts 241 comments

You’ve probably heard the age old ‘how to find readers for your blog’ advice that goes:

“Leave Comments on Other Blogs”

It was one of the first tips that I was given on how to find new readers for my blog five years ago and it’s one of the first pieces of advice that I hear most people giving still today. It’s so common in fact that I think that many of us gloss over it looking for a ’sexier’ way to drive readers to our blogs.

But today as I analyzed the post featured in this video I saw something that drummed home to me the power of leaving relevant comments on blogs as a way of driving traffic.

The tool I’m using in this screencast video is CrazyEgg - a click tracking tool that creates a heatmap of where readers click when on your blog.

I do want to emphasize again - that the strategy of building traffic to your blog by leaving comments on other blogs only works when your comments ad value and are relevant to the post. If you don’t adhere to this you’ll just end up hurting your reputation.

See the Full Sized Video at YouTube, MySpace, Blip.tv and Viddler.

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241 Responses to “The Power of Commenting On Other Blogs [VIDEO]”

  • MrCooker

    June 5th, 2008 4:48 am

    Never thought it would make such a difference.

    Also, it’s quite sad that the link in the commenters name gets barely clicked on.

    My conclusion: Unless you can add value to the post/conversation by linking to either your blog or another blog, it’s almost not worth the time and effort, if it’s a part of your strategy to get traffic by leaving comments.

  • Lipton of Starfeeder

    June 5th, 2008 4:51 am

    I seriously need 3 of me

    1 for blogging
    1 for eMarketing (commenting, social-bookmarketing, adWords, etc…)
    1 for research & learning (reading problogger, yaro’s blog, etc…)

  • GEMMERZZ

    June 5th, 2008 4:52 am

    I’ve actually noticed that leaving comments on other blogs have made a huge difference. High profile blogs have contributed a good amount of traffic to my blog just because of comments I would leave. Now, whether it’s because they found the information I left insightful or because they wanted to see who this crazy obnoxious snob is… that I don’t know. Just kidding… sort of!

    Great post - thanks!

  • Thomas Clausen

    June 5th, 2008 4:59 am

    Great post, thanks a bunch.

    If you want to save money (even though Crazy Egg is fairly cheap), you might want to check out: ClickHeat also: http://www.labsmedia.com/clickheat/index.html

    Regards
    Thomas Clausen
    http://www.trendminers.dk

  • Crazykinux

    June 5th, 2008 5:00 am

    A simple “Great post mate.” adds nothing to the discussion and simple clutters the comments.

    If allowed, I often try to link to my blog with some valuable information. This has worked wonders, especially when its a high traffic blog.

    Words of wisdom again Darren!

    CK

  • Edward Lomax

    June 5th, 2008 5:01 am

    First off, great tool for checking click through rates.

    I’m new to blogging, after mainly doing websites in the past. I approach blogging as a community. So, posting on other people’s relevant blogs is part of my strategy (like I’m doing now).

    I liked you take on “relevance”… which I believe to be key. So, if I had my blog up and running longer, I would link to a relevant post that continues or adds to the conversation instead of to the main page of the blog.

    I also use a tool that notifies me when my favorite blogs make a post so I can be one of the first to post a comment on posts I find valuable. Obviously, I’ve put your blog in the tool! Keep up the good work.

  • Rob Brydon

    June 5th, 2008 5:01 am

    Excellent tutorial. I can really tell that you have been getting something out of your video classes.

    Also, Google Analytics has a site overlay feature that that shows the amount of clicks on a link while displaying your website in the background.

    Thanks again.

  • Crazykinux

    June 5th, 2008 5:12 am

    Thanks for the mention by the way Darren! That post still drives a lot of traffic to my EVE Online blog!

    CK

  • Chris Marshall | Martial Development

    June 5th, 2008 5:16 am

    Darren, what percentage of your traffic comes from people clicking the link above your comment?

    I write comments on this blog, and others, almost daily. Yet they drive less than 1% of my traffic. Looking strictly at the numbers, I have to conclude my commenting time would be better spent on other things (such as writing new blog posts).

  • Rajaie AlKorani

    June 5th, 2008 5:27 am

    I thought that the commenter’s name was the one clicked most. Either way, it’s still amazing to see how many people have clicked the links inside the comments, especially the first one.

  • Yax - Dungeon Mastering

    June 5th, 2008 5:27 am

    I agree with Chris. It’s good to comment on other blogs and link to relevant articles - I do it daily - but I’m not convinced that you can build significant traffic unless you get lucky.

    It’s more helpful as a community presence / brand building technique, isn’t it?

  • dutch schultz

    June 5th, 2008 5:49 am

    This is probably the number one that I do in terms of SEO for my blog along with free directories. I won’t say I get a ton of traffic but I have increased page rank on my homepage which is a t shirt website. My blog is a new add on to the main e commerce part but I believe the links I picked up from do follow comments were the only reason that I am ranked at all right now.

  • Vered

    June 5th, 2008 5:59 am

    I once left a relevant link to my own blog here, and I also did it once over at Unclutterer. It does work, but I felt a little uncomfortable linking to myself, even though I KNEW it was relevant and added to the discussion.

  • Andrew Pryde

    June 5th, 2008 5:59 am

    Very interesting, I always link my name at the bottom of comments so as that people who are interested in what I say can find a bit more about me and what I do at my blog. I have never used heat maps to look at this but I can see this on my referral statistics very clearly.

    Thanks Allot

    Andrew (Now is no exception!)

  • David LaPlante

    June 5th, 2008 6:07 am

    Great post! I guess I’d be remiss to not comment that, eh? Well written and forever bookmarked.

  • Steve

    June 5th, 2008 6:09 am

    Great info, Darren. I’ve just recently gotten into blogging and have a lot to learn. This idea is the one you hear most people tell you to do, but I have often be suspicious of just how well it works and if it is worth the time. I understand that there is no sure-fire way to gain many visitors (especially quickly), but I do suspect there are certain ideas that those who have created very successful sites are not sharing with others. Completely understandable, but it doesn’t help those that might actually have a good site they are trying to get the word out about.

    Anyway, great post. I really enjoy the valuable info you share here.

    Thanks.

    Steve

  • Sara

    June 5th, 2008 6:34 am

    Great post. I’m forwarding to a lot of the business book authors we work with who say to me - “I’ve posted a couple of things on my blog - now what???”

  • Ann

    June 5th, 2008 6:35 am

    Most of my traffic comes from links I’ve left in comments. I try never to be gratuitous about it, hoping that I’m adding value or interest to the conversation.

    Conversely, I click on a lot of comment links; that’s how I’ve found most of the blogs I read regularly.

  • Rich

    June 5th, 2008 6:43 am

    I would say up to 3% comes from sites that I left a comment on, which in numbers terms is around 600 hits a day.

    When someone adds value to the post, I usually check out their site to see what I can learn from them.

    *resists the urge to add a link* ;)

  • The Tech Juice

    June 5th, 2008 6:54 am

    I never considered using crazyegg to check for how often people click through the comments on my blog. Right now I use google analytics, which also has a site overlay feature.

    Fortunately I have realized the value of commenting on other people’s blogs, especially when I am able to link relevant content.

    Thanks for the great video post.

    By the way, I was just curious if you could link me to the blogging software that you use to create these on your Mac? I recently upgraded my Macbook and I was hoping to do some video editing on it. (It now has a 250 GB hard drive and 4 GB RAM)

  • Muscle Post

    June 5th, 2008 7:33 am

    Crazy Egg looks like a very useful tool for tracking where visitors are clicking on your blog. Looks like it can make a big difference and should really influence how and where we place our links. I’m going to test it out on my blog.

  • Terra Andersen

    June 5th, 2008 7:44 am

    Thanks for sharing! I still get people saying the only marketing they ever did for their blog was simply leaving comments on other blogs, and perhaps a little social networking.

    In the end, looking at the heatmaps definitely does help! It always makes sense to see where your users are clicking to adjust the site likewise.

  • Strong One

    June 5th, 2008 8:33 am

    In the very short time I’ve had my blog, I have noticed that leaving comments on other blogs gets you some traffic. I agree the comments have to be meaningful or worthwhile for anyont to pick up on you comments.
    Thanks again for all your great information.

  • Miguel Wickert (Pineiro)

    June 5th, 2008 8:34 am

    Thanks for the insight concerning Crazy Egg. I remember some time ago when you shared this tool but never signed up. I will not make the same mistake twice.

    Does anyone know of other similar tools out there? I found a service called StatCounter but nothing that really catches the eye, especially like Crazy Egg.

    Hey Thomas, Thanks for sharing about click heat, looks good.

  • Lewis Howes

    June 5th, 2008 9:41 am

    Hi Darren,

    Great post. On a side note I just wanted to let you know I bought your book and I received it today so I am extremely excited to check it out! I will let you know what I think when I am done, but for all you Problogger fans out there, I briefly glanced through the pages and it is full of content! I am sure it will exceed my expectations and I hope everyone else is able to get a copy.

    Best

    Lewis

  • ravi karandeekar

    June 5th, 2008 10:56 am

    Thanks for the Crazy Egg. Traffic or not, add value or not, one should thank for the effort of providing info for free, particularly on a business blog like Pune real estate market news…kidding…no!

  • RealWebToday.com

    June 5th, 2008 10:58 am

    You are so right … I have noticed that leaving relevant comments on your blog along with some others have started driving traffic to my blog. The video is awsome too. Thanks, for sharing.

  • actrepreneur

    June 5th, 2008 11:06 am

    i completely agree. adding value with comments provides readers with even more wisdom!! that’s one of the main benefits of blogging in my opinion. thanks for all the wisdom….

  • The Masked Millionaire

    June 5th, 2008 11:17 am

    Problogger is by far the very best place to leave meaningful comments that will translate into people clicking through to your blog.

    I have commented daily on lots of popular blogs. I mean everyday for months. I am able to track where my readers come from through Google and a few other programs.

    High numbers of readers on a blog does not translate into clicks from the comment section that will bring people to your blog.

    Problogger is one of the blogs that people do click back to your blog from. Why? I think it is because the people who tend to read Problogger tend also to be more inquisitive, mature, and intelligent.

    I’m not saying that to kiss Darren’s A**. I’m saying it becasue I think it is true. Other blogs have a high amount of traffic, but that traffic is made up of people that really don’t bother reading the post. They at best skim and at worst pick out just one or two keywords that strike them.

    There are some popular blogs that I don’t read because they are just too wordy. By the time you get to the comments you want to take a nap.

    Darren is one of the few bloggers that has the ability to make his point with the right amount of words…not to many..not to few.

    Live From Las Vegas
    The Masked Millionaire

  • Bill

    June 5th, 2008 11:33 am

    The thing that surprised me most about the video was how certain comments further down the comment list received even more clicks than those at the top. I always thought that the number would diminish. Great comments=more clicks.

    Billy

  • Keith Erwood

    June 5th, 2008 11:54 am

    I have heard of this tactic often, I have even suggested it myself but wondered of its effectiveness.

    Thanks for sharing this little piece on the subject.

  • Everyday Finance

    June 5th, 2008 12:20 pm

    Great stuff; I too, have underestimated the power in leaving comments on other blogs. I’ve finally gotten around to setting up my newsreader for blogs I enjoy-the same reader I’ve been advocating that my readers subscribe to. It’s so efficient to pop over to some great posts and drop a comment and I’m going to make more of an effort to do so now.

    Just this week, I finally got around to doing a weekly roundup of my favorite articles from around the blogosphere. I think I’ve now matured into diversifying efforts away from just posting, and I’m now sharing my favs with readers at the expense of exporting traffic. Building legitimacy and recipricol good will amongst peers and readers isn’t a bad thing. Darren’s blog has been instrumental; I’m reading the book tonight actually! Anyway; perhaps this will translate into some hits, perhaps not. But I have one extra tool in the arsenal now that continues to keep me interested and motivated in blogging, branding and generating content.

    Thanks!

    Dan at EverydayFinance.

  • Lyn Leckie-Matassa

    June 5th, 2008 12:25 pm

    A great video Darren, I believe that leaving comments on blogs is an absolute must. If you have an opportunity to provide extra value to a conversation then leave a comment.

    On the other hand if you just say things like nice post. I agree etc then this type of comment ads absolutely no value and you wont get any traffic from the comment.

    Comments are a great source of driving traffic to your website and should be used in conjunction with SEO techniques to drive traffic to your site. SEO techniques alone will work but if you want more diversity then you need to use other methods to drive traffic your way.

  • Ari Herzog

    June 5th, 2008 2:16 pm

    For years, I typically frequented blogs that were either bookmarked on my browser or linked on my blogroll. But I couldn’t keep track of new posts because I manually visited each site.

    No longer. Last week, I looked around at news readers and installed the Windows desktop version of NewsGator FeedDemon.

    I am still figuring out how the reader operates, but with about 20 subscriptions so far, including ProBlogger, I can see snippets of new posts and click into those that appeal to me… and comment appropriately.

  • PixlNinja

    June 5th, 2008 4:03 pm

    Commenting on popular blogs like ProBlogger can drive blogs like mine some traffic, A sort of Shame less Promotion !

  • Tom At The Home Business Archive

    June 5th, 2008 5:28 pm

    Commenting on blogs is something I do daily, and have done it for a longer time.There are free softwares developed to find relevant blogs in your niche.Have you heard of commentkahuna? (commentkahuna.com)

  • Aaron

    June 5th, 2008 7:23 pm

    I’ve always been lackluster about leaving comments. I believe that if you want to actually gain visitors from commentating, you have to get into some kind of routine, and post comments on a regular basis.

    I have noticed that after posting a comment on certain sites, I can get an extra 5 to 10 visitors, and every so often, I’ll continue to keep receiving visitors from that comment for a while.

  • Michael

    June 5th, 2008 9:46 pm

    Great video! Whenever someone asks me what to do to get more reader I always tell them to comment on other blogs, that is what I do and I think everyone should do it. It’s amazing how much traffic you can get to your blog just by leaving good comments on others blogs.

  • Dave Adams | FlickerLister

    June 5th, 2008 9:53 pm

    While commenting on blogs is a great way to generate interest in your own blog, you do need to be selective on when and where you comment -

    1) Comments must contain some ‘value’ for both the blog owner and the comment reader. In other words if the comment does not contribute to the discussion in some way, it will have a negative impact on your reputation.

    2) Not all posts on a site should be commented on - pick and choose which posts you wish to spend time and effort writing a comment about - commenting on every single post can come across as being spam, rather than having something valuable to contribute - even when the comment may be on target and well written. If your name is the first or second commentor on every single post on a site, you start to come across as ‘the creepy guy’.

    3) Not all blogs will result in well targeted visitors to your niche site, so be selective on the blogs you comment on, or if you want to participate on a blog that is off topic for your niche do so without linking to your blog.

    4) Posting on a number of blogs can become a drain on resource - is an hour spent commenting on a couple of blogs worth the increase in visitors that could have been gained by using that hour to write an informative article, and which one will result in the best long term gain?

    Like alot of people who read PB, I participate in a number of blogs and websites across a wide spectrum of topics. Those related to one of my sites will generally have a site linked via my name, any that have no relevance are done without a site link.

  • Judy

    June 5th, 2008 10:54 pm

    Thank you, so much, for helping newbies like me to better understand how to blog, when to blog and how to promote it. You’ve been a great help.

  • Matt Radel

    June 5th, 2008 11:05 pm

    Great illustration of the concept Darren - Crazy Egg rocks!!

    I’ve looked at commenting on other blogs as kind of a grass roots style of marketing your blog or site for awhile now, but it’s nice to have the proof laid out for you. Very swell.

  • team ray

    June 5th, 2008 11:09 pm

    just go to technorati and be first to ccomment on big blogs drop link and you’ll get traffic regardless of scope

    but it wont work on site that moderate comments such as huffington post or engadget

  • Save, You Fool!

    June 5th, 2008 11:10 pm

    I’m not convinced that posting comments has any real SEO benefits (at least not on the major blogs) as some have suggested. The reason is, most major blogs have the “no follow” attribute aytomatically included to every link in the comments section making Google at least, ignore it for ranking purposes.

  • Dad of Divas

    June 5th, 2008 11:23 pm

    Thanks for the information on this one. I have already checked out crazy egg and look forward to trying out the free version (for now). We’ll see how it works.

  • Internet Business Ideas

    June 6th, 2008 12:38 am

    Hi Darren,
    This is amazing, I am using blog commenting as an extra tool, I know it works but never know how powerful it is.
    Thanks for the video, you are doing a great job.

    Tanny
    Internet home business ideas

  • Jay Ramirez

    June 6th, 2008 1:26 am

    Perhaps commenting is not always top of mind because it’s slow growth. I’ve talked to new bloggers that want instant growth and try to find a tool to get them there. Building a community by commenting takes time to do it well.

  • Gizmo

    June 6th, 2008 1:27 am

    I’ve been using the site overlay from Google Analytics which works ok but is buggy sometimes. These site maps are very revealing and often surprising. Looking at the overlays made me change a few things around on my blogs. I will check Crazy Egg out. It sounds like it is much more in depth and flexible and I see there is a free version that will suit me fine.

  • Steve Scor

    June 6th, 2008 1:42 am

    This is amazing I am looking for any advantage to get my blog up and running. This will truly help the cause.

    Thanks Steve Scor

  • Frank

    June 6th, 2008 2:19 am

    I totally agree with this article. The only issue is that it is very hard to follow and read other people’s blog on a daily base. I mean. I am pretty busy following my blog, plus i have to read other blogs related to my niche, i have to write posts for my blog and i have to write comments in other blogs? In my opinion this trick can work if you have a blog which gets around 100 visitors a day and you update it once in a while. For a blog like mine which is updated every week with two or more posts, this is pretty difficult. if i want to get more visitors i prefer paying $150 a month and have my blog advertised on yahoo…that’s a better strategy…if you have buck of course

  • Andre Kibbe

    June 6th, 2008 3:06 am

    In my niche (productivity, creativity, thinking operations, etc.), I think that commenting has more value for building authority and recognition than by click through traffic. Backlinks and clickthroughs aren’t a priority to me. I work from the premise that if I leave relevant, informative comments on the site that I read, I’ll eventually build mindshare in my niche. That said, I certainly can’t prove that it’s been the case to date.

  • amylaine

    June 6th, 2008 5:25 am

    I have noticed the same. However it has worked best for me when my comment was first. Also if you become a regular viewer and commenter for the blogs. This will help everyone.

    Amylaine
    http://www.ehow.com/how_2309804_work-home-paying-fees.html

  • Tarah

    June 6th, 2008 6:54 am

    When I first started blogging I had a very hard time finding user friendly and easy accessible statistics programs. Many I find out there are very misleading and do things such as count your own visits and page views thus over inflating the count.

    I am for sure going to try Crazy Egg for myself! From watching the video I see that it is a very visual type of stat representation and for me will make organizing things much easier for me being a visual learner.

    Thanks so much for the great suggestions!

  • Premium Names

    June 6th, 2008 8:29 am

    I have found that leaving meaningful comments on post is an AWESOME way to drive new FREE traffic to my sites, as well as remind people about your site.

    The numbers are never huge, but if you post comments on a continual basis on multiple post, your traffic will grow, as long as your site doesn’t suck.

    Posting comments is just one tool in many that you can use.

    Thanks Darren for the usual great post!

  • raffimax

    June 6th, 2008 12:47 pm

    interesting, thanks a lot, I’m new to blogging, hopefully this will drive more traffic soon..

  • Gary Gregory

    June 6th, 2008 1:31 pm

    This software is a great idea. I am relatively new to the blogging world myself, so any new information is of value. Thanks for the post!

  • Jeffery

    June 7th, 2008 4:37 am

    Yes, I’m not trying to do that on purpose but sometimes, I just wanted to recommend my link. Just started a new project, not a blog though, a marketing website for my country. Do have some visit. http://www.mysuperbrand.com . Learning to provide better comments.

  • Reginald

    June 7th, 2008 5:11 am

    Exactly how user friendly is CrazyEgg?

  • Shelly

    June 7th, 2008 6:46 am

    I find that I get more traffic from leaving comments on problogger than leaving comments for blogs that are more focused on my niche. Just goes to show how much traffic problogger gets.

  • Ayan Deato

    June 7th, 2008 4:44 pm

    nice article. will definitely start doing that… well I guess I just did. Have a good day blogging!

  • hari

    June 7th, 2008 6:37 pm

    Thank you for your detailed explanation on how to leave the comment and why to do so? i am waiting for your next blog

  • Oli from the-iBlog

    June 8th, 2008 7:35 am

    How do people feel about others leaving links to their own sites in comments sections? I fear it will just come across as spam to most people.

  • Andy T

    June 8th, 2008 2:29 pm

    I believe that is the best way to do SEO for your blog, also organic [natural link]. But please do not leave spam commens.

  • shawal

    June 8th, 2008 8:02 pm

    Problogger!!!,

    I totally agree with you and this video, many other old time blogger also told the same story….

    Why i said so?

    Because myself also have been in this experience, 1 day, i have left a comment on the blog that receive thousand of visitors a day - tomorrow comes and i check my visitor statistic and got shock - i receive almost 200 visitor from that blog alone..

    Imagine the power of commenting on others blog…

    And i remind myself that don’t only left comment on the huge traffic blog but also left comment on what you like to read and interested to….

    It make me have some blogging boost when someone left a comment on my blog….

  • Scott

    June 9th, 2008 12:42 am

    I only comment when I have something relevant to say. Perhaps that hurts my immediate traffic, but I agree with your statement that commenting with no purpose will ultimately hurt your reputation.

    Cheers!
    Scott

  • Scott

    June 9th, 2008 2:57 pm

    Great Post,
    Now I want to try out crazy egg, but I also have this urge to spam powerful blogs with comments. Since it works so well, I think I will.

  • Scott

    June 9th, 2008 2:59 pm

    Just realized that the above poster’s name is scott, and I put the wrong suffix on my domain. A double mistake.. ~_~

  • Lindsay

    June 9th, 2008 5:09 pm

    Heh, last month problogger was my biggest non-search-engine referrer for a comment on your post about people making a full time income from blogging. I fessed up to being in that category and got lots of peeps at my blog. Alas, your readers aren’t really my target audience, so I suppose it makes more sense to comment on blogs related to your own, but hey, I like to blather here, and I’m not going to send anyone who visits away. :)

    Oh, and thanks for the video showing off the Crazy Egg features. I have heard of them before but never tried them or any other kind of stat tracking beyond awstats. I’m not what they call an early adopter. :P

  • ~Kat~

    June 9th, 2008 5:10 pm

    I found out about commenting on blogs quite accidentally! I was new to blogging and just commented when I was interested in the post. I was surprised to find that it actually did bring traffic!
    However, I think one of the reasons blog commenting works is that people see a sample of your writing, if they want more they will click through to your site. If you just leave a spammy comment I don’t think that would entice anyone to visit your blog!

  • Red|Red|Wine

    June 9th, 2008 9:59 pm

    Until I found this site, commenting on blogs is the only way I have generated traffic, that, and getting my site listed on 2 major newspapers. It did not get as much traffic as I had hoped though.

    http://www.sweetredwines.info

  • Alex

    June 10th, 2008 4:48 am

    Yes, commenting does seem to come back to being one of the number one ways to increase readership. After all, blogging is a dialogue, and what better way to give back to the networking community than through commenting.

  • Doug Washington

    June 10th, 2008 7:35 am

    Well this tutorial helped me out alot. I’m trying to get my blog off and running and right now its kind of hard to get traffic. Hopefully thhs will help me get a little more coming through and some comments down. Thanks again.

  • Doug Washington

    June 10th, 2008 7:35 am

    Well this tutorial helped me out alot. I’m trying to get my blog off and running and right now its kind of hard to get traffic. Hopefully thhs will help me get a little more coming through and some comments down. Thanks again.

    trackfielduniversal.blogspot.com

  • John Hoff - eVentureBiz

    June 10th, 2008 7:54 am

    Interesting program. I’ve been using Google Analytics, but it looks like compared to Crazy Egg, Google is in the dark ages LOL.

  • Sameer - Directory Maximizer

    June 10th, 2008 3:50 pm

    A great post. I’d like to add that people shouldn’t restrict themselves to just commenting on blogs that are hugely popular because I’ve seen that there are a lot of smaller blogs as well that can give out traffic over time if the comments posted are valuable enough.

  • NikSan

    June 10th, 2008 6:00 pm

    Another great tool to review the traffic on the blog / website. Thanks for sharing the detailed analysis!

    Thanks,
    niksan
    http://investsound.blogspot.com/

  • Mandy

    June 10th, 2008 8:15 pm

    I’ve used crazy egg before and found that it brings back really interesting data for my blog (just like with this post), it’s also quite fun to use and funky!

  • Suresh Kumar

    June 10th, 2008 10:20 pm

    You are right, I am getting around 25% of Traffic by commets in other blogs. I haven’t tested out crazy egg yet. I will test it and see whether its looks interesting or not?.

  • ITrush

    June 10th, 2008 11:51 pm

    This is great, thanks for sharing the tool.
    Bookmarked!

    nhick
    http://www.itrush.com

  • Scott

    June 11th, 2008 9:47 am

    I just turned on my little dofollow link checker, and realized that problogger didn’t have dofollow turned on. I feel somewhat deceived, although i wasn’t of course. Is it wise to turn off no follow, or should I leave it on like you guys? A friend of mine says that leaving nofollow on helps to boost your pr.

  • Mr. Javo

    June 11th, 2008 10:49 am

    That’s a great tool, I’m using it actually… Personally I think that leaving comments in other blogs are one of best strategies you can do to expand your network. Of course, only if your comment is useful, because there are many people who leave comments just to get a backlink, or just spamming a kind of promotion….

    Thank you for demonstrate us again the importance of the comments in a blog.

  • Did You Know?

    June 11th, 2008 10:26 pm

    thanks so much for this very wonderful video. I will try this one to improve also my traffic!

  • United Voices

    June 12th, 2008 1:25 am

    Though it took a painstaking time to download the videos given the slower connectivity at our area, the fruits of viewing these videos is just great. This is a great tool to review the traffic on any particular website.

  • Ben Taylor

    June 12th, 2008 8:00 am

    CrazyEgg is a great tool, and I like Screencast too. Right now I’m using Camtasia studio to produce screenshot videos.

    I would recommend Camtasia to anyone who wants to make educational or computer tutorial videos.

    http://oscomputerworld.blogspot.com/

  • androo

    June 13th, 2008 1:19 am

    great post i always find useful tools.. i’ll have to check out the CrazyEgg tool… and thanks for the informative video!

  • PPC Fool

    June 13th, 2008 2:17 am

    A slightly cheaper option than crazyegg is http://www.clickdensity.com … their starter package is jsut $5/month. Ive used them for awhile and I LOVE the heat maps!

    PPC Fool
    http://www.ppcfool.com

  • Stef Levolger

    June 13th, 2008 5:06 am

    Commenting definitely is one of the best ways to drive traffic to your own blog when done responsibly, the rule is quite simple:

    comment = good? traffic = good
    comment = trash? traffic = trash

    Readers of comments are readers of blogs after all, it might not be your blog they’re reading at the moment but you should still treat them as such. Succeed in that and they might be intrigued by your comment and see what else you have to say.

  • Wade

    June 13th, 2008 10:11 am

    I’ve watched that video a few times. I’ve only been blogging a month so I am for sure a newbie. Tons of articles talk about writing comments and linking back. My only concern is that everyone seems so much smarter on just about every subject.

    I guess the point is to be real and authentic. So this is my first comment ever on any blog! I will test that theory here!

    Thank you for the advice in the video and I will take it to heart.

    God Bless

    Wade
    http://www.wadelowrey.com

  • Taimoor

    June 14th, 2008 3:18 am

    Well I am Trying What Darren Said :

    “Leave Comments on Other Blogs”

  • Money Manatee

    June 14th, 2008 5:39 pm

    I love CrazyEgg but…. I often worry about how private your traffic data is. Same thing with services like SiteMeter. Somehow I can just picture people working there scouring over the top incoming searches. Am I too paranoid? :)

  • Barnabas Nagy

    June 15th, 2008 7:34 am

    Money Manatee, what can they do whit your private date? I’m quite sure they have an EULA where are these privacy issues you can check. But why would be your traffic sources a confidential data? Do you leave comments on adult sites??? :) - just a joke, but you can take it seriously.

    Darren, a good and capturing post, really that makes me convinced you’re right. But am I right you mentioned 5000 visitors to that popular blogpost, or did I hear it wrong? Well, if 200, 300 people clicked on links provided by your commenters I wonder what can be the impact on a blog that receives 60-100 visitors per a day, and 5-6 comments…

    I’m still wondering. Yes, you say first you have to build that traffic and convince people leave comments.

    Just a conversation in myself…

    Barnabas Nagy
    http://furlongdesign.com

  • Barnabas Nagy

    June 15th, 2008 7:40 am

    Thomas Clausen, you mentioned http://www.labsmedia.com/clickheat/index.html and I checked what it is able to do for me. Well, I logged into the demo and saw the heatmap of clicks, but that’s all. Did not see any number of clicks, visit source etc. that CrazyEgg all does. Am I right?

    Barnabas Nagy
    http://furlongdesign.com

  • Ali A. Bashiti

    June 16th, 2008 6:39 am

    Actually, was about to post on the advantages of making commenting just as important as consistent blogging while building a successful blog. Although I’m relatively new to blogging compared to you, I’m seeing great benefits in one of my blogs by commenting on other related blogs and including the url…

    I did a post earlier today on another blogging tip and mentioned you in it Darren… thanks for the great advice. :)

    -Ali

  • Online Philippines

    June 16th, 2008 11:34 am

    I perfectly agree. On the other side of the world, we are fighting spam comments. We should keep our blogs strongly protected from spam bots.

  • Barnabas Nagy

    June 16th, 2008 4:47 pm

    It is not only on the other side of the world : ) Use akismet if having WP that helped me out of spam.

  • Mike

    June 17th, 2008 2:10 am

    That is some tip. I try commenting every day on blogs that I like reading. I had a blog I read about 80s music and left a link to my 80s music blog in the comments.

    If you leave comments on a blogger blog without putting your link in the comments, if you use a picture for your profile, that picture shows up for all the comments you make. I think people are more drawn to comments when they have a picture on their profile. That is another small tip I read about long ago.

  • Dot Com Mogul

    June 17th, 2008 4:36 am

    Thanks for the tip on CrazyEgg. I’ll check it out. I also use a dofollow Wordpress plugin for comments to give people an incentive to comment. Have to delete a bit more spam because of it for the weenies that don’t know what relevant means, but it works for me.

  • V

    June 17th, 2008 9:23 am

    Good Video. Never knew the real power of commenting. It really works. Just will boost my commenting spree. Starting from here.:D

  • Dave Stevens

    June 17th, 2008 3:23 pm

    I thing that commenting on blogs may or may not give you traffic at all.

    It’s very depend on the type of readers that come to the blog.

    If you site give solution to a problem that many people will read also the comment to know what other people thing about your solution.

    But many niche blog have readers that some come to grab information quickly and will not even read the post through the end.

  • aizal

    June 17th, 2008 7:28 pm

    When commenting to other people blogs esp the high traffic ones, don’t put the first intention to get traffic from it. It’ll just cost your good reason to share thoughts and tips with other people. Even though people might not click your name to visit your blog, still the networking you create will help in the long run. This is what I believe. Being patient and persistent is important :D.
    Thanks Darren on the advice and about CrazyEgg. Will try it out soon.

  • lankapo

    June 17th, 2008 7:39 pm

    haha it looks like everybody want to comment when they realize the click that they might get from 12K visitor average per day. I would be lucky enough if I got ten (10) from here hhehe

    Anyway, thanks darren for enlighten me aboutthe power of comment in other people’s blog.

    thanks
    lankapo
    malaysia

  • Carsten Cumbrowski

    June 18th, 2008 12:11 am

    Interesting… It’s nice to see actual figures and data and not only “assumptions” and guesses.

    I have a few links at popular blogs that are highly relevant to the post and add value. I receive continuously traffic from that link.

    Now the key to all this is what you already said, RELEVANCE and GENUINE. I often drop links, because it makes sense. You often read posts that you are interested in. If you are a blogger or writer, chances are that you already wrote some stuff about the same topic. If what you wrote is more than just an echo of the post where you drop the link, then it adds value. If it extends on what was provided by the post, then it adds value.

    The comment will be accepted, stay in the post and readers of the post will be likely to click on the link to find out more.

    It sounds nice, but there is a catch to it. It requires work, a lot of it… The more popular the blog where you comment, the more work it is… most of the time.

  • Jenn Mattern

    June 18th, 2008 2:18 am

    Thanks for the reminder to keep on commenting Darren. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in our own blogs, and we forget to be “good neighbors.”

    In addition to posting comments on high traffic blogs like Problogger, I can say I’ve actually met some incredibly interesting folks from smaller blogs without the same traffic-sending ability just by leaving comments. I think that’s been especially true with finding new bloggers in a niche, and being one of the first to build a friendship with them. As their blogs grow, so does their influence, and we all like friends in high places, right? So I think it’s important to remember that comments are about more than just direct traffic, but about building relationships and networks, which can lead to further benefits down the road. :)

  • Barnabas Nagy

    June 18th, 2008 6:13 am

    I believe that it is not only about traffic but about relationships as well just as you say. Eg I had a Hungarian blog, and commented on problogger that was http://furlongdesign.com and my lijit search http://lijit.com showed that the only site links to me is problogger : ) what an astonishment it was for me even though the dissatisfactions knowing I had several other backlinks.

    Dave Stevens is also right in that people start reading and finish not. I’m such a one as well. I read CNN news and I find interesting what I read eg. about US elections but at the half of the reading it makes me so bored the long way of explanation.

    I think what you write, post or comment, should have appropriate length and rich information until the end of your last sentence so that people think: “he knows something, I’ll check him out”

  • Breki

    June 18th, 2008 6:26 am

    Ooh, very impressive tool! I could well imagine using something similar on my page.

    I’m looking around for ways to improve my pagerank and to increase the popularity of my blog, and the old idea of “comment other people’s blogs” has always been my technique of choie. Interesting how I found a nifty tool like this while searching for something completely different.

    Best regards,
    Breki Tomasson,
    http://breki.se

  • AhTim

    June 18th, 2008 8:16 pm

    Agreed. That’s why I should leave a comment here before go off. :)

    –blog for dream–

  • Coupons Australia

    June 18th, 2008 8:53 pm

    I’ve launched quite a few successful sites by leaving relevant & helpful comments on other peoples sites.

    Key is finding the right post & the right time to make an impression on the readers though :)

  • Barnabas Nagy

    June 18th, 2008 9:30 pm

    Is everyone around here just looking for answer from Darren or want to react on comments maybe. This is strange, you guys write here to get the attention of him, but no conversation among us. Great.

  • super blogger

    June 19th, 2008 2:32 am

    Hm.. Yes. Commenting can gain traffic to our site especially when our comments is relevant to the topic…
    The tools you’re promoting is such a good tools for me to try and know more about comment statistics…

  • abdul

    June 19th, 2008 2:41 am

    This is amazing Darren…
    Today i came to know what is power of commenting in other blogs….

  • bestpayingadsensekeywords

    June 19th, 2008 3:34 am

    Of course i do comment on other peoples blogs but hadnt yet discovered the power from doing so

  • Alex Griffin

    June 19th, 2008 4:07 am

    Good Video. Never knew the real power of commenting. It really works. Just will boost my commenting spree.

  • Denise Snakard

    June 19th, 2008 9:05 am

    I am only “one week old” with my blog, but I am “a year old” with my website. My, I wish I had known about you a year ago. My site has not been a disappointment, but, if I had known about your unique blog for advise to newbies, my blog would have been a lot older-!! Thanks for all of your advise and I will keep returning.

    Denise
    http://discountdesignerfabrics.blogspot.com/

  • Asuka Aki

    June 19th, 2008 10:48 am

    Commenting on other’s blog is what kept my blog alive during it’s first week of existance. When I stopped commenting I noticed differences in clicks, traffic, comments…I began commenting and everything is on the rise again.

  • Jeffrey Alexander Brathwaite

    June 19th, 2008 3:35 pm

    This tip was awesome Darren!

    I am currently using the crazyegg.com site you recommended in the video with 2 of my websites
    http://www.2thenextlevel.com/blog

    and

    http://www.broadcastemailexpert.com/blog

    and have found out quite a bit with my first test. I am also commenting on some of my favorite blogs and getting some good traffic.

    Thanks again for the tip

    All the best

    JB

    PS I also bought your book and I am highly impressed with it.
    Looking forward to finishing it and putting your tips to the test.

  • facebook

    June 19th, 2008 8:47 pm

    I thought that the commenter’s name was the one clicked most. Either way, it’s still amazing to see how many people have clicked the links inside the comments, especially the first one.

  • Jason Mosley

    June 20th, 2008 12:35 am

    I know this works. For about two months I stopped reading and commenting other blogs. My traffic dropped.

    When I commented daily I would get two or three active readers (people that comment and email me) a week.

    That being said I better get reading and commenting right now!

    -MrBaconpants

  • Reginald

    June 20th, 2008 3:03 am

    I thought I would add that I agree with Mr. Cook’s comment in this thread.

    Just replying to a post is not enough. A posted comment on any blog needs to have quality content, as well as relevance to the post.

  • Reginald

    June 20th, 2008 3:46 am

    Aizal is right.

    Online surfers visiting a blog may not click on your linked name in your comment. However, if you frequently leave feedback and interact on blogs, it is still very possible for online surfers to note you site or link.

    They may not all click your link, but the potential for some of them to eventual visit you site is still very likely.

  • Kimyi

    June 20th, 2008 6:16 pm

    Thanks for your sharing great idea. That is the first method that i always do when i create new blog. and it is the best way for all bloggers. Leaving comment is like introduction of your new blog to readers who do not know your blog before.

  • Stella

    June 21st, 2008 5:36 am

    Wow, it’s so true. thanks a lot Darren. I am always working on the way to grow the traffic on Fragrance Diva (FD).

    For sure, if you leave comments on other blogs and you keep visiting them, the owner will appreciate and he/she will start giving interests about yours: “Importance of Interaction”.

    Thanks, Darren.

  • Franz

    June 21st, 2008 7:11 pm

    Very good tutorial!!
    i’ve noticed that commenting can gain traffic.
    thank you for posting that useful video

  • revenue

    June 21st, 2008 9:11 pm

    Yes i agree by commenting it can bring you a nice and decend backlinks to our site Thanks for this video :)

  • kidkiller

    June 21st, 2008 11:09 pm

    I did try it leaving comments on other blogs, actually this method is working to drive traffic. But you may need to find some high traffic blog to leave your comments, so that you can drive more traffic to your blog.
    Am i right ?

  • Free Traffic By Commenting In Blogs

    June 22nd, 2008 2:40 am

    There are some “schools” of thought that propose that leaving blog comments that disagree with the points posted in other peoples’ blogs are more effective in driving free website traffic to your own blog.

    Of course, this might only applicable if the context and the content of the blog you are commenting on, works in synergy with the blog comments that you post, I guess.

    Would you folks have any thoughts or experiences with regards to this?

    Cheers

  • Sportstrader

    June 22nd, 2008 3:05 am

    Nice tutorial. Very interesting. I didn’t know it was possible to track clicks on your website like that. I will implement myself on my own website: http://tradingsports.blogspot.com/

    Sportstrader

  • trollys

    June 22nd, 2008 3:09 am

    this is a good articels, i knew the power of commenting. this is just like submiting your url into search engines, specially if you write your comments with some site that i have a ton traffics or big popularity… huh?

  • wrench

    June 22nd, 2008 5:44 am

    I have noticed traffic when I leave comments. An excellent observation and well researched.

    I use Google Analytics and have been happy with it. I will certainly look at crazyegg.

    Thank you once again.

    –
    wrench
    http://www.gopmom.com

  • CoffeeSage

    June 22nd, 2008 7:03 am

    Sound advice and after looking over Crazy Egg, I can see how it will most certainly help out.

    I get traffic but I really make no money even with all the google ads. Sad, but true. Maybe this will help in some way and there are many instances that I could comment on a person’s blog but don’t have the time. I suppose I should make the time.

    Thanks for the great advice (again)
    Audrey

  • Wendy

    June 22nd, 2008 11:16 am

    I just started testing out the commenting thing and it is making a difference. Haven’t decided yet whether it’s been worth my time, but most bloggers will return to my blog and leave a comment of their own. We’ll see how many become readers.

    I’m taking this route because I don’t have the funds to advertise and Google has stopped indexing my posts… for whatever reason. What a huge traffic killer that’s been.

  • Matthew

    June 22nd, 2008 6:20 pm

    I only leave comments when I have something to add. I try really hard to find something to add, because I enjoy leaving comments. My blog barely gets any - so I get excited when I do get one. I try my best to leave some on an interesting post because I like getting them so much I figure others do as well.

    Also, it doesn’t hurt to become part of the conversation either.

  • Christian

    June 23rd, 2008 5:00 am

    Another good tool to use for finding relevant blogs to post relevant content (blog commenting) is Comment Kahuna. It is free and saves you quite a bit of time finding blogs that are worthwhile and relevant.

  • Jennifer Lynn

    June 23rd, 2008 5:02 am

    Commenting can produce a wee bit of traffic, I’d imagine. But consistently commenting on a certain site is a great way to build a community dialogue. I’m thrilled to visit sites where the readers engage each other through the comments section - which can result in some very interesting (and sometimes quite colorful) debates and discussions.

    =^..^=

  • Barb | Simple Ways To Make Money

    June 24th, 2008 12:33 am

    I never really understood the effectiveness of commenting on blogs, but you have shown it can produce quite a lot of traffic.

    The thing I find difficult is the time I spend reading the post and then all the comments - I get carried away, especially if the post is really interesting.

  • kermit johnson

    June 24th, 2008 4:23 am

    Aside from added traffic, is there any seo value to commenting on blogs? Aren’t most blog comment sections “nofollow?”

    Also, I heard that Google is deprecating comment links. What do you think?

  • kermit johnson

    June 24th, 2008 4:25 am

    Also, is that “comment link-love” widget (I can’t think of the name) worthwhile?

    Thanks

  • Peter

    June 24th, 2008 4:47 am

    this is one part of blog promotion that i am starting to do alot more of!

  • Elmo The Extra Income report guy

    June 24th, 2008 7:54 am

    Thanks to you nice folks I just remembered that I have a crazy egg account!! I have used it extensively in the past as well as statcounter and these are both excellent tools!!

    thanks for the Video!

  • J.D.

    June 24th, 2008 8:10 am

    Darren, I know that you’re stressing the “add value” thing throughout your presentation, but ever since you posted this, I’ve been inundated by people just dropping their links into comments for no good reason. Sometimes they *try* to connect what I’ve written about to the link they’re pushing, but mostly those connections are tenuous.

    Would you consider doing a follow-up post on what a relevant comment is? I’d hate to start having to add people to my spam blacklist, but if this trend doesn’t die out, I’m going to have to draw a line.

  • Louis

    June 24th, 2008 8:47 am

    I recently launched my site http://www.blog.tv a few weeks ago. This is the first comment I have posted on another blog since I started my site because no matter what comment I leave, if I include my site link, I feel like it is a blatant attempt to attract visitors. Much like I have done here. But, I have to try this approach to see if it is at all successful in letting people know that we exist and that we would love to have them visit us. (My apologies for the blatant plug. I know it’s obvious)

  • John Gillett

    June 24th, 2008 9:31 am

    With 136 comments and counting it appears as though you’ve posted on quite a few sites…I suspect it is the quality of the content that keeps readers loyal and active, more than the number of posts entered on other blogs.

    Kudos to your success on both counts!

  • Louis

    June 24th, 2008 9:55 am

    Darren, I’d like to invite you to post your video “5 Emerging Trends in Blogging” on my site at http://www.blog.tv if you would.

  • Kermit Johnson

    June 24th, 2008 2:10 pm

    I don’t think that very many people read the comments. For one thing, no one comments or responds to any questions that I may pose to the audience. For example, I posted a comment in this column asking some relevant questions about the effects of comments on SEO. Not one response.

    Also, there are times that I might throw out something controversial or slightly inflammatory just to see if anyone responds. Once in a while, the post author might respond, although rarely. This is especially true for more successful blogs.

    Sometimes, if you make a very long comment, you might get noticed. I am wondering if this particular comment is long enough to be noticed.

    Is anyone out there?

    It seems like most people just say something like “great post” or “yeah, I’m going to do more of that, etc.”

  • Shiva

    June 25th, 2008 12:55 am

    Hi Darren…
    its my first time that i had keenly visited the blog of yours…
    and its great enough…
    about the power of comments, what relevant articles you mean…
    like if you have mentioned about themes, people should post links for other themes?
    i would like to ask you how to make such videos by captuting whatever is happening on your desktop…
    Plz reply
    @

    CrAzYbLoG
    v.CoL
    and no this aint spamming…
    i fear my comment would be lost here :)

  • Brick Marketing

    June 26th, 2008 11:38 am

    This couldn’t be more true - -I think more bloggers/site owners would do it if they knew the importance of leaving comments. It’s just a shame when some of those who DO spend the time doing it, leave useless junk!

  • Ross

    June 26th, 2008 8:18 pm

    Great post Darren, I believe I will have to go pro on CrazyEgg now to get the full benefits of the service.

  • Adam

    June 26th, 2008 8:48 pm

    Definitely agree with that. I guess that’s what makes blogs so special and different from normal static sites - the ability to interact with the blogger and other visitors through comments.

  • Simon Stapleton

    June 26th, 2008 11:47 pm

    I can’t argue with the logic and evidence that commenting can bring traffic to your site. I wonder if this has long term sustainability? Could blogging become just an interest of bloggers themselves (relative to the number of visitors)? In other words, could blogging eat itself by bloggers only commenting to achieve traffic for their own site…

    I guess being part of the blogging community myself, I will find out in time!

  • ferzam

    June 27th, 2008 1:06 am

    your tips are very encouarging especially to beginners like me. keep up the good work and continue encouraging other bloggers to make the best out of blogging…

  • Kermit Johnson

    June 27th, 2008 1:46 am

    Most comments are insipid drivel, and this comment only helps to prove this point. That is why no one reads them. It’s stuff like “Good work.. I really should start doing that.”

    This is my third or fourth comment on this post looking for answers to questions or any kind of response from someone. So far, no one has answered my questions or responded in any way. This proves my point that no one reads comments. Occasionally, the administrator might read them if it is a less successful blog.

    Prove me wrong by responding to this comment.

  • Fred Barns

    June 27th, 2008 2:11 am

    after all of this time i never posted on other blogs until after reading this. It has actually helped and I see incoming links from blogs that I post on now.

    This is an excellent article! Great Job! Your always up on the “whats happening”!

  • John J Farina

    June 27th, 2008 6:10 am

    I’m fairly new to blogging, after mainly doing websites in the past. I approach blogging as a community. So, posting on other people’s relevant blogs has always been a part of my strategy (like I’m doing now).

  • Bill Cecchini

    June 27th, 2008 6:27 am

    I see ya, Kermit Jonhson

    ;-)

  • Kathleen Gage

    June 27th, 2008 7:53 pm

    Great post Darren. You really make it easy for people to understand the need to leave comments. Not only leave commments, but make the relative and with substance.

    It’s not just about posting a comment, it’s about adding value.

    Kathleen Gage

  • Ari Herzog

    June 28th, 2008 2:29 am

    I also see you, Kermit. With a blog like Problogger with 154 comments already as I add another, it’s hard to read every single one so sometimes questions are lost on me.

    Once I add a comment to a thread, I check the box to be emailed subsequent ones. If people just write I this, I that, I usually fail to read beyond the first sentence. If a comment is long(er) or has links in it, I’ll take a closer look.

  • arthritisguy

    June 28th, 2008 12:24 pm

    i agree with your comment. when you comment on other blogs, your comment should add value because blogging and commenting should be interactive.

  • MrGrey

    June 30th, 2008 5:41 am

    What an excellent piece of advice!

    I`ve only been blogging for the past 2 months or so and I`m still testing the waters so-to-speak, slowly building up traffic and return visitors. Tips like these are sure to help. Thankyou

    Check out my site http://ps3gamer.co.uk for all PS3 related news

  • speakindoodles

    June 30th, 2008 11:32 am

    Very great video! It was imformative and I just signed up for crazy egg and I’m currently doing the test for my blog at
    http://speakindoodles.blogspot.com/

  • dee yan

    June 30th, 2008 12:38 pm

    Commenting is so interesting, one side we shout what we think,other side we get backlink

  • AhTim

    June 30th, 2008 5:07 pm

    That is the reason why I comment in your blog :)

    –blog for dream–

  • Ajith Edassery

    July 1st, 2008 1:28 am

    This comment is to appreciate the video and to endorse your theory :)

    Cheers,
    Ajith

  • Timothy Shields

    July 1st, 2008 4:50 am

    I just wanted to leave a quick comment to add to this theory. Leaving relevant comments on other peoples blogs is an outstanding way to draw others to your own work. Your comments say so much about you, and if you are wise, others will see it and be drawn to your work.

    The bible says that you reap what you sow. In an essence, every time you leave a comment that is worth reading, you are sowing something that you are going to reap from. Truly it is the truth, and in a world where truth may be hard to find, this little bit of truth is going to go along way.

  • Debby Phillips

    July 1st, 2008 6:30 am

    Darren,
    Commenting on other blogs can bring many new readers to your site. Especially if your blog has a similar topic. However, spamming on other people’s blog isn’t going to bring any new readers. The same amount of time that is spent spamming comments could be spent leaving comments that are relevant and adds to the conversation.
    ~Debby

  • echeno

    July 1st, 2008 7:29 am

    Darn good advice, I’m putting it to the test!

  • San Francisco Photos

    July 2nd, 2008 8:16 am

    Yes I believe in the power of commenting! Thanks for reminding us!!

  • Terry T

    July 2nd, 2008 12:32 pm

    Darren,

    Thanks for the post. Facinating stuff - your post and all the comments. I’m just starting a blog to help draw traffic to my website. The blog isn’t even up yet. One thing that strikes me - with so many people leaving comments to help draw visitors to their blogs, is anyone reading blogs and commenting out of pure interest in the topic or is everyone in the blogosphere hyping their own blogs?

    Look forward to more great posts, Terry

  • Dan Gebura

    July 2nd, 2008 11:17 pm

    Thanks for sharing this. Well putting comments might be really effective way to “steal” traffic:). I’ve been using this strategy for some time and I hope it will bring results sooner or later.

  • Gaius Parx

    July 2nd, 2008 11:44 pm

    I am new to blogging and just stumble into problogger. Great site and tips. Thanks for the advice.

  • Lenin Nair

    July 3rd, 2008 7:36 am

    That was one of the most convincing videos on the power of comments, Darren. The charming aspect of the comments to your blog is that your traffic is quite a bit. And on posting relevant comments here, people can get quite a bit from this insane traffic you get. And I love it. The heatmap is wonderful in Crazyegg. I hope there was such an application available free. After seeing your video I checked out Crazyegg and it’s not sadly a free service, and I am hard up to purchase anything.

    If I had enough money I would have registered my own domain first and moved out of Blogger with some cool wordpress design. Sadly, my blog never made one penny more for me yet, though I am sure it will! Eventually. In the meanwhile, I am checking out another service I heard about recently: It is Woopra. I don’t know much about this, but I hope it is a good choice for traffic tracking. If anybody has any idea of this, please share. thanks

    Lenin

  • Felicity

    July 3rd, 2008 8:40 pm

    Thanks Darren.
    I’m writing a post on my own blog on exactly this topic.
    This video will be a great resource to link to.
    Whilst my own arguments may not be all that convincing, it’s hard to deny the power of commenting after watching that video.
    Well, I best be off, plenty of other blogs to comment on!

  • Paul Simister, Your Profit Coach

    July 3rd, 2008 10:18 pm

    Fascinating and very revealing article. I do manage to pull clicks back from some sites but it does take significant time to a) read blogs and b) identify those worth commenting since the blog itself has to engage and c) add something of value.

    It makes sense to me that the real pay-off is appearing in the top 3 comments since below that people scan faster and faster.

  • www.StocksHaven.com

    July 4th, 2008 3:32 pm

    Awesome video and blog post…I’ve been waiting for a long time for someone to finally notice the importance of commenting.

  • Ninja Man

    July 4th, 2008 11:39 pm

    Very informative post. I salute you! :) I’m only a week into blogging so sites like yours are big help!
    And even I enjoy your videos, Id like to see them be just a lil bit shorter lol .. just kidding ..keep up with a good work!
    And thank for oportunity to leave links here.
    http://ninjamovies.blogspot.com
    http://ninjaplanet.blogspot.com

  • Big Brain

    July 5th, 2008 6:05 am

    Great article and Video on leaving comments on other Blogs. In addition to driving traffic positive comments to ones work is appreciated and thoughtful constructive criticism can often be helpful.

  • Petes2cents.com

    July 6th, 2008 4:59 am

    Very interesting video….I have been racking my brain on increasing traffic, but have to admit, I don’t comment as much as i should… I enjoy blogging and do receive traffic from the natural keywords that I use when I write. (the long tail) And it does work, but I need and want more traffic. Blogging seems so easy, but behind the scenes is so complex.

    Will give it a try…

  • Andrew

    July 6th, 2008 1:02 pm

    That was awesome! Simply great for a newbie like me. I have been scouring the internet in search of as much information as I can get in relation to me Blog. I have been ( like a kid in a candy store) trying out everything to help me get traffic to my site but never really thought about posting relevant posts that add value to the blog.

    My problem is I have had a lot of trouble finding help on the blog I just started. Yes i know of some similiar blogs but they are much more established and try to sell things.

    In relation to your post and not to get off topic my short question is how a person like myself can generate traffic to my blog! It is kind of a niche, in that I dont have fantastic stories to talk about, I just collect all the deals from around the internet and post them on my blog so people can use them and share them with others.

    This blog is a start for me but any advice would be very helpful, and very appreciated! This is not meant to be spam of any sort and if i have broken your rules I will not ve offended if you delete me. Just desperate for some good advice!

    My site is http://www.SAVEABUCK.NET

    Much appreciated~!

  • cindy lenferna de la motte

    July 6th, 2008 1:08 pm

    Thanks so much for yet another brilliant and inspiring piece of information. It comes at just the right time for our business as we go live in 4 weeks and have been struggling to find the right tool to analyse our users clicks. Loved the video demo -simple concise. Brilliant.

  • Michael Carnell

    July 7th, 2008 4:12 am

    I have found commenting on others blogs to be the single biggest source of quality traffic. The key there is quality. Lots of things can give you the drive by hits, but if you want quality traffic, then leaving quality comments on other sites is the way to go.

  • Alex Wilson

    July 7th, 2008 12:45 pm

    Hi Darren,

    As an Australian Blogger also - i totally agree, commenting can not be over looked for driving new readers.

    I blog in a rather competitive environment, that of Financial Services and Money - yet still find commenting to be the best also.

    Other methods I used is minor adsense campaigns to get traffic - along with trying to get more links to my site in major directories.

  • Crissy

    July 7th, 2008 1:37 pm

    Hi there! I’m on my search on how to regain my lost PR3 recently and I came across your blog. Truly leaving a valuable comment in a blog post will certainly drive traffic back to your blog. Maybe this would be one of my steps again to bring back my lost PR. Thanks!!!

  • Laser hair removal

    July 7th, 2008 2:57 pm

    Being part of the online conversation has it’s benefits, traffic and links from your comments.

    Believe it or not comments are user generated content and part of the web 2.0 toolset.

    Thanks for reminding us Darren

  • James Bridges

    July 8th, 2008 2:32 am

    I am really glad that you pointed out that the comments must add value. I think when people are new to the blogosphere they often stop by and think they will get traffic with comments like “nice post” or “right on” but people won’t be encouraged to visit their blog with those short comments.

    Oh, I did by the ProBlogger book and found it a great read. Gave me and my brother some great ideas that can help us push our blog to the next level. Thank you!

  • Adam Singer

    July 8th, 2008 11:37 am

    Great video Darren !! Really drives home the point that commenting is worthwhile

  • German Romance

    July 8th, 2008 11:56 am

    Yes, the post you do need to be of value. If the reader find’s your post to be full of value he/she will must probably go to your site for more great value. Quality content is the king!

  • Internet Bling Boy

    July 8th, 2008 1:47 pm

    Want to know what? That is exactly what I am doing here now. Every so often I will hit the hard internet pavement and try to leave comments on the Google top 100 blogs for different selections of keywords. I am here now because ProBlogger is on 1st page of results for “great ways to make money online blog”. Thanks so much for the great site!

  • Lenin Nair

    July 9th, 2008 12:05 am

    Hi Darren, I am back in the list with another comment. I published the new post in my cutewriting, and linked up with this post of yours. This is a wonderful resource that my readers should not miss, I though.

    Please check out Ten surefire ways to promote the book in which I mentioned this post with link. *Link juice, as you mentioned is so delicious to all*

    Lenin Nair

  • Lenin Nair

    July 9th, 2008 12:12 am

    Sorry, that was not “I though” but “I thought”

  • Pete

    July 9th, 2008 10:18 pm

    I write an inspirational blog and have been leaving ‘trackbacks’ for a little while now. I have definitely seen some jumps in traffic, and I definitely agree….the post must be relevant.

    ‘Crazy Egg’ definitely though proves this as no theory. Thanks for the confidence booster.

    http://www.yinvsyang.com

  • Alan Bamboo

    July 10th, 2008 12:31 am

    I’ve just started taking the advice from this video and am starting to comment or other blogs now, especially the ones in my niche.

  • Nate Moller

    July 10th, 2008 8:51 am

    Where’s the video? I’m really interested in what it says. Thanks.

  • Reginald

    July 11th, 2008 6:46 am

    Lipton of Starffeeder is right. All the recommended suggestions for creating a successful blog could be overwhelming.

  • Robert J Lynch

    July 11th, 2008 8:26 am

    I’ve been trying to generate some free traffic to My site and just started using this technique. It has generated some traffic, but nothing major yet. I’ve read that just leaving a comment for the sake of getting a free backlink is not a great idea. Usefull information and comments can lead to some quality traffic, but useless comments can damage Your repuation.

  • ExGrafix

    July 11th, 2008 10:28 pm

    Great video Darren !

    I never thought CrazyEgg can be so helpful. Now I will definetelly try it. Traffic that comes from blog comments is highly targeted, people that read all trough the comments are interested in finding even more information on the post’s topic so If they pass by a relevant comment the chances are that they will follow the links in that comment.

  • David Turnbull

    July 12th, 2008 9:40 pm

    Woah, I think once I get serious with blogging, with a friend (after I finish high school in a few months) I’ll get a nice list of relevant blogs ready and go [relevant] comment crazy.

    Definitely one of the better videos you’ve made.

    ~ Dave
    http://www.warhammergamers.com

  • Denise Clarke

    July 13th, 2008 4:17 am

    Hi,

    You are absolutely so right about leaving comments on like minded blogs, but of course they do need to be relevant. Press releases and short articles with my own content have helped also. Too bad there are only 24 hours in a day!

    Denise
    http://www.DubLi-Network.blogspot.com

  • Laura

    July 13th, 2008 8:04 am

    I have been folliwing your tips. I cannot say I found ONE not to be effective. It really comes down to your paticular niche and how to implement it. Currentyl I have several TEST projects on going; each one serves as my own study. I have started blogging on How to… at http://whereeverybodyishappy.blogspot.com/ but I have so much more to do there.

    Darren, I really want to thank you for the help you are providing to us all. Many more blessing to come your way.

    Laura :)

  • make150aday

    July 13th, 2008 3:13 pm

    so daren are you now quitting doing more videos?
    i thought you were doing once a week.
    Its been more than a month..or did I miss something?

  • Darren Rowse

    July 13th, 2008 8:16 pm

    still planning on doing more - delay was due to having a baby a few weeks back and taking some time off blogging.

  • Tmosley

    July 14th, 2008 11:37 am

    Its’ important for the community to leave comments and share their thoughts and opinions.

    I believe its’ a common courtesy to leave comments on other blogs even if I don’t agree with or like the post. help the author refine their post or give them new ideas for posts.

    Its’ a feedback system that helps everyone. Comments do not just help the bloggers by driving traffic it helps the readers/blog followers uncover more information that may have been over looked by the original post author.

    Comments help to create original unique content for your blog, which you know helps you search rankings.

    Sometimes when I search the engines for information I have found many times the search engines will hold comments as serps to my query (e.g. you type your search, the search engine gives you the original post title, but the description is a comment).

    Blogging is sort of a community and when you don’t leave comments you are doing the community no justice by holding you thoughts and opinions back.

  • ccwenmi

    July 14th, 2008 5:55 pm

    so daren are you now quitting doing more videos?
    i thought you were doing once a week.
    Its been more than a month..or did I miss something?

  • jobmaldives

    July 14th, 2008 6:42 pm

    Very Helpful. Well done. Thanks

  • revenue

    July 14th, 2008 11:26 pm

    Yes i agree a comment is actually a form of free advertising for our blogs, i encourage my readers to give a comment when visiting other blogs , can i use your video at my blogs ? i have related post about comment

  • make150aday

    July 15th, 2008 4:12 am

    ccwenmi–i m not sure why you are using my word-to-wor comment….

    Anyways–
    Oh–congrats Daren. Yes it does take some time.
    I also have 2 kids and I do lots of videos as well and it is time consuming.
    Good Luck..

  • shopping cart

    July 15th, 2008 9:54 pm

    Thanks. Commenting ….releveant commenting can drive traffic to our sites/blogs. And through commenting inbound links can be made, whic are important in terms of SEO.

  • Top domainers

    July 16th, 2008 4:08 am

    Why do you have this video blog post in the middle of the page? I see this and goto next blog thinking there is no new update since 5th jun. I know now the new updates are on left hand side … wish I observed them closely sooner.

  • Lee Angelo

    July 16th, 2008 4:36 pm

    Thanks for posting this one! I learned something from it. Hopefully I could learn how to use it, and also how to make money from posting in my blog. Nice post!

  • KateC

    July 16th, 2008 10:10 pm

    Like someone said it is not helpful - “great post”. Thorough helpful comments add purpose to the post and if you add something that helps someone or they learn something its always a good thing.

  • Wendy

    July 17th, 2008 10:35 am

    Oh my gosh - that Crazy Egg is amazing! I just watched the video on a href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glqCf7f_JrA”>You Tube (just so you know the video above says it isn’t available but I clicked on the You Tube link to view it) and I was absolutely amazed. I have been using technology for a long time - Al Gore and I invented the Internet you see :) - and new technology still leaves me with my jaw dropping to the desk sometimes.

    I will definitely be imbedding that video on my blog as I teach my customers how a business blog can help them promote their website. And, I will also be checking out Crazy Egg for sure.

    I have also learned a lot from the Comments here. I am new to blogging so this is very helpful.

    Thanks so much! I think I will subscribe to your feed now :)

    ~ Wendy
    http://limaugeboutique.blogspot.com

  • Wayne Tully

    July 18th, 2008 4:37 am

    Comments make a good start in driving traffic to our site, I have seen an improvement in traffic to my blog in subscribers at least!

    Just trying to get to grips with comment spam and ridding the links off my blogs…..hair loss, ….viagra…..what is this balls that they always loafer???!

  • charles

    July 18th, 2008 9:25 pm

    Leaving a comment on other blogs can cause bad and good effects.

    On the good side, it might increase the traffic on your site. Why? people tend to like you when you are someone who post good comments and a good critic.

    On the bad side, when leaving comments is misused. Traffic on your site might decline or increase. Those who have been here for many times will tend to neglect your comments.

    But for now, ill have to apply the good side.

    Try checking out my blog (a blog for bloggers and non-bloggers who wants to earn extra money).

    Here it is:

    http://www.resourcesandmoney.blogspot.com

  • levi

    July 19th, 2008 5:29 am

    I really like this blog, but unfortunately some of the methods described here don’t always work on the hungarian blogosphere too, but “giving comments to get comments” works worldwide. At least I think so… :)

  • Better Interpersonal Communication

    July 19th, 2008 2:46 pm

    Wow, 200+++ comments. I just came in to see what the fuss was about…

  • Jeffrey Posner

    July 20th, 2008 4:44 am

    I totally agree with this. It will also get people commenting back on your blogs at the same, obviously.

  • gjuta betong

    July 20th, 2008 7:32 am

    over 200 hundred comments, is there a tool where u can bring upp the comments that are good?

  • Tom Lee

    July 20th, 2008 11:58 am

    This is great information. building quality always pay of in the long run, thanks!

  • Giyen

    July 20th, 2008 1:43 pm

    My blog is officially three weeks old. I have been checking my stats pretty frequently and I can say that 65% of my blog traffic comes from comments that I have left at other people’s sites.

    It works!

    Giyen

  • Genewize

    July 20th, 2008 5:57 pm

    I’ve always believed in the power of contribution. The more we contribute to someone’s life - whether that’s though a conversation, a blog post / comment, or a video — the more exposure I’ll receive and the more business I will generate.

    Great Post.

    Seth Daley

  • Fanatika

    July 20th, 2008 10:05 pm

    So true. I haven’t linked to a single directory yet and 2 days of commenting later, I have 8 backlinks. Any idea when Google’s next PR update would be?

  • Brad

    July 21st, 2008 7:01 am

    You always seem to know where I want to be heading next with my own blogging. I have been using Google analytics and woopra for a while now, but have felt I was lacking. I had actually planned on looking into crazy eggs this week.

    This post also hits on another idea that I have been talking about this week on my own blogging blogs. Commenting with relevant information. I can’t wait to sit down and write follow ups to those posts and say here look Darren is saying too…

    Really great video!

  • charles

    July 21st, 2008 7:56 pm

    Wow! Good that more people realize the power of commenting on others blog. And most of my traffic now is from comments and links in network groups.

    Charles

    http://www.resourcesandmoney.blogspot.com
    Check more of the details here

  • Ellin Drasser

    July 22nd, 2008 10:41 am

    When I first learned that you should leave comments on other similar blogs in order to drive traffic to your blog, I found an appropriate webstie for a comment. I left my blog URL as part of my signature. Guess what - I was banned from that website. Can’t quite recall the stated reason but it had to do with the fact that I left my URL. How do I know when it is okay to leave a URL? If you don’t leave a URL, how do you drive traffic to your blog???

    Thanks

    Ellin

  • Ray

    July 22nd, 2008 11:02 am

    Great reminder….I was doing this for awhile and then stopped for some reason. And I notice the difference. All it takes is for an awesome blog such as http://www.problogger.net to suggest a tool like this and if people don’t follow it, they have nobody to blame but themselves.

    Thanks again….

  • crazy t shirts

    July 22nd, 2008 2:10 pm

    very nice post, I can see I wasnt the first one to stumble it but I still left a great review. I love your site and have you on my igoogle homepage so I know when a new post drops. If u like funny t shirts check me out at

    http://www.wizeguyztees.com/blog

  • I'mperfect

    July 22nd, 2008 6:07 pm

    WOW! Great website. I recently just got into blogging and your site is very hepful! I applied the application of leaving comments to current websites I’ve been too. You have a lot of info. on here but I’ll be back from time to time. I appreciate the fact you take the time to share some “golden nuggets” with newbies.

    I’mperfect

  • Codrut Turcanu I Remarkable Blogging dot Com

    July 23rd, 2008 1:48 am

    I do agree with you.

    If your going to comment on other blogs always make sure that your comments must provide enough value to the blogging community.

  • Raag Vamdatt

    July 23rd, 2008 5:58 am

    Hi Darren,

    I am eagerly waiting for your next Video post… Its been a long time since you had one!

    This isn’t “weekly”!!

  • Owen Lightly

    July 23rd, 2008 7:59 am

    Thank you so much for the tips. I will definitely be back for more. Starting a blog is easy, but then it becomes daunting when you want to take it to the next level. Your info certainly helps me know where to get started.

    check out: http://butterontheendive.ca

  • Reginald

    July 23rd, 2008 8:00 am

    Ellin Drasser,

    Were you given any reason why you were banned.

    This website is a good example of what this post is talking about.

    I am really taken aback.

  • Reginald

    July 23rd, 2008 8:28 am

    Tmosley,

    I wonder how accommodating we will be with a comment that is not necessarily positive.

  • StocksHaven dot com

    July 23rd, 2008 2:12 pm

    Wow… 230 comments, looks like people really want to reap the benefits of your post. LOL :)

  • nedyasafira

    July 24th, 2008 3:18 am

    good review man thank

  • nedyasafira

    July 24th, 2008 3:20 am

    nedyasafira putting your link in my blog

  • ebooks

    July 24th, 2008 3:42 am

    Agreed - comments need to contribute value to be effective (and not annoying). I like to think of it as blogging karma - contribute to the discussion on someone else’s blog, get some good energy flowing in your blog’s direction.

  • Scott

    July 24th, 2008 8:10 am

    Great video! But, it seems that this strategy works best when you are allowed to post your link in the body of the comment. I have run across many blogs that only want you to link back to your site through your name. Is there a specific strategy for that? Anyone have suggestions?

    http://www.deepquestions.net

  • A.B.

    July 24th, 2008 5:54 pm

    this commenting idea is amazing

    i just recently started commenting and now my “viewership” has jumped nearly 1%

    thanks a bunch
    http://illtouchthem.blogspot.com

  • Reggae

    September 16th, 2008 4:51 pm

    Great blog. Now I know how important a comment on a blog really is.

    thanks a lot
    http://www.peacepipe.co.cc

  • Ernie

    October 26th, 2008 7:41 pm

    Excellent advice. I just started blogging and never really got a lot of traffic. I’ve heard that commenting could increase traffic but never really thought it would be useful until the video showed the numerous amount of times that a link is clicked on.

    Thanks
    Ernie H
    http://www.carflash.net

  • Cyrus

    February 11th, 2009 4:53 pm

    I agree that we must be different instead of doing the norm, but of course do it in a way that Google will reward you because you are acting according to their guidelines.

    By the way, love the new gadget you have there. Hope it sells in Singapore. I will keep a look out for “Crazy Egg”.

  • skykid

    February 12th, 2009 9:39 am

    Good video indeed. My problem is mostly getting people to comment - I am getting good amount of visitors - yet only few leave a comment. I myself tend to leave comments on topics that I found interest as often this helps to learn more about the topic in question.

    Have a lot more to learn - and your blog seems like a good place to do just that .
    Thank you.

  • Wise Finish

    February 25th, 2009 4:04 am

    That is a very good tip. I found this week that I was able to get an affiliate link and click by leaving a comment on another blog describing part of my review of TurboTax, with a note that if they wanted additional information.

    That being said, I’m not sure if commenting is as good as it used to be with nofollow getting so much use these days…

  • Go-Gulf

    April 7th, 2009 5:08 pm

    I think comments are great, and I don’t always feel the author needs to reply, especially to negative comments — unless you have a rebuttal that’ll further the conversation and not make you sound petty or overly defensive. If you’re continuing the conversation, by all means, respond.
    Comments on other blogs is great way to generate targeted traffic to your blogs.Never try to spam it by “blatantly” comments on the others blogs for the sake of traffic. It’ll spoil your credibility.
    I will comments on the blogs that related to the niche i promoted by searching the blogs related to my niche through Google and type “your niche+blogs”.
    5 times more people get the bi-weekly article emailed to them as an ezine than read it on the blog. But still, I’d love to get the collective wisdom of my colleagues flowing.

  • Renee

    April 27th, 2009 8:52 pm

    I think it is great that we can leave comments. Helpful for others and of course us when we want review on something


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