Written on February 11th, 2009 at 01:02 pm by Darren Rowse
The Power of a Comment
In this post Lisa Newton from Travelin’ Local shares the story of how leaving a comment on a blog increased traffic back to her blog 975% in a day.
It’s a well-known fact that commenting on other people’s blogs helps drive traffic to your own blog. I knew this, but until today, I had never seen its real results. Harnessing the action ability has led individual blog owners to comment back, which happened to me several times, like here, here, and here.
But, this time it was different:
To begin with I received a new digital camera for Christmas.
Now not knowing too much about digital photography, I went searching the experts over the Internet.
One of the first places I landed was at the Digital Photography School.
I immediately fell in love with the site and instantly subscribed to their RSS feed.
Low and behold, the other day, just as I was browsing my Google Reader, a new post from DPS popped up, What is Your Favorite Landscape Location?.
I just had to comment, and like most California girls, my favorite place to shoot pictures is at the beach.
Now, I know I’d hit it lucky because my comment was only the second one on the list. The prevailing theory is that the closer your comment is to being first, the more hits it will get.
Because my blog is only a month old, I usually don’t get much traffic, on average about 15 -20 hits per day. But on the day I made the comment, I got 195 hits, an increase of over 975%, with almost all of it coming via the Digital
Photography School. Recently Darren over at Problogger reported getting his single largest day of hits on DPS to the tune of 250,000 hits. Although 195 isn’t even close to 250,000, but I’ll bet the increased percentage on Travelin’ Local was higher.
All from that one comment.
On another bright spot, dgwphotography left the following comment on this blog post’s featured photo at Flickr:
“This is beautiful – I saw this from your reply on the Digital Photography School blog.
I love the deep depth of field here…”
The power of comments is truly inspirational; when translated into action.
Do you leave valuable comments? Have you ever had a comment experience like this?
Note from Darren: thanks to Lisa for this post. As Lisa says – 195 hits from a comment might not seem like a lot – but for a blog starting out it is a great way to grow traffic. Of course the danger in leaving comments as a way to drive traffic is that some bloggers fall into the trap of getting ’spammy’. To help you avoid this I’ve previously written a post titled 11 Tips for Getting Your Comments Noticed on a Popular Blog. I hope it helps!
Tags: Blog Promotion
111 Responses to “The Power of a Comment” - Add Yours
Ryan McLean
February 11th, 2009 1:54 pm
I am a fierce commentor and I see a lot of traffic to my blog from comments. You will see me all over the place commenting.
Now my blog has over 1,000 RSS subscribers….so it does work
Joel Brown
February 11th, 2009 1:56 pm
This is so true, i believe that a good portion of the increase in traffic on my blogs over the last 2 to 3 months can be attributed to my commenting on others blogs.
Darren’s comment at the end is also a good bit of advice, while i so often see people give just a short “great post”, “Thank-you” or other short one liner comment, i always try to give either a actual response based on my reaction to the post or at least give a little more then just this almost cookie cutter response some give.
Derek
February 11th, 2009 1:57 pm
These “spammy” blog comments are some of the worst killers of conversation. There are people who are trying to do their own blogs right by commenting, but they fail to realize that its not the number of comments that count. It is the number of quality comments that count.
I like to use this analogy I read in a book somewhere that I can’t remember right now. If Mike Tyson punched 20 opponents 1 time each, he would lose every fight, whereas if he punched 1 opponent 20 times… he wins. This is equivalent to blogging in the sense that, if you comment on one blog the right way, you will drive more traffic than commenting on 20 blogs the wrong way.
Scott K
February 11th, 2009 2:01 pm
Lisa,
I can’t agree more with this post. I’ve commented on blogs that I’m personally interested in but really have nothing in common with my own and I’ll look at my website stats and notice several small, but always helpful, traffic increases.
Regards,
Scott K
Ryan | Lifegawker
February 11th, 2009 2:01 pm
I agree that commenting is a great way to introduce readers of other blogs to another blogs content.
My blog is just starting out, less than a month old, and I religiously comment on blogs every morning. I shoot for at least 4 or more good quality comments on different blogs each day. I have seen my traffic hold pretty steady, which is good. But the past couple days it has been very erratic. One day I got huge spike. Then it tailed off and created new lows. But, in the end I know that commenting is a sure fire way to introduce new readers to my blog.
Ryan McLean
February 11th, 2009 2:02 pm
Hey,
I just thought I would share a little bit more about my success from commenting. I only left a quick reply before.
I was getting similar traffic (15-20 hits per day) and this was after a few months of blogging. I have commented on a few blogs and seen some good traffic so I decided to really attack the blog-o-sphere and comment like crazy.
I subscribed to over 20 blogs in my niche (make money online) and left my RSS reader up all day as I worked. Everytime a new post came up I went to the site and left a comment as quickly as possible. I tried to make my comments stand out, while adding to the post (not spamming…I hate spam).
I did this for about a solid month and I saw my hits go from 15-20/day to 150/day EVERYDAY!
I don’t comment as much now because I am getting a lot more traffic. The time I spend commenting just wouldn’t be worth it.
A good idea is to comment on the larger blogs, they have more readers and you will get more traffic.
Don’t spam – always leave useful comments
If it will add to the blog post then leave a link to a post you have written. Again, don’t spam.
You will find that if you continue to comment your visitors will increase a lot with time. Most of my RSS subscribers are from comments I left on blogs or forums. This really works.
I even wrote an ebook about making money commenting. Teaching people how to get in the top 5 comments everytime (using a special trick). i sold it for $7. Now I just give it away for free with a bunch of other ebooks.
So thanks for this post and hope this comment has helped shed some more light on the power of commenting
TwinToddlersDad
February 11th, 2009 2:03 pm
Congratulations! I do agree with you about the power of comments, but not necessarily from the point of view of driving traffic. Although at times, such as what you experienced, it might indeed end up giving you more hits. Hits (or misses) also depend a lot on your niche.
For me, when you leave a thoughtful comment on someone’s blog, you open the door for a strong relationship. You have to nurture it with more comments on several posts. More than getting hits on my site after a comment, I get a greater sense of satisfaction in developing a real long-term connection with the other blogger.
Good luck. I did enjoy the photo on your post.
Scott Williams
February 11th, 2009 2:03 pm
I comment to add value and be a part of the process… hits and all the other stuff are simply free bonus! :-)
Ethan Smith
February 11th, 2009 2:04 pm
While I know commenting is very valuable – as seen in this particular case, I rarely do it as I am very focused on my content creation.
Perhaps I should block out an extra bit if time for commenting. However, I will definitely be careful not to sacrifice the quality of my comments for quantity.
darya
February 11th, 2009 2:04 pm
This is absolutely true. Often too, the blog owner will come check out your blog and you can make a great friend in your niche.
LisaNewton
February 11th, 2009 2:05 pm
Thanks for the comment, Darren. Personally, I always try to make a comment have some substance, thus adding to the conversation.
The link you provided is a great resouce.
Great analogy, Derek.
Steve Berardi
February 11th, 2009 2:05 pm
Great post, Lisa! I was actually one of those 195 people that clicked on the link :)
I posted a comment on the same article, and saw a similar increase in traffic.
Leigh @ Hire My Mum
February 11th, 2009 2:06 pm
Well after reading that who could not leave a comment. I am a relatively new reader of problogger via twitter and am constantly impressed with the tips and advice that Darren produces. This was an entertaining but pertinent article.
It is amazing how a comment can grow a site or in my case a 33% increase in my twitter followers by commenting on a twitpoll by problogger.
Regards Leigh
darya
February 11th, 2009 2:12 pm
This is so true. Leaving a valuable comment not only generates traffic from people visiting the blog, but often times the blog owner will respond by visiting your site. This is a great way to make a friends in your niche.
For example, one time a thoughtful comment I made on one of the NYTimes blogs actually inspired the writer to email me herself! My blog was only 2 months old, but I had already attracted important writers in my field through the power of comment.
Joe
February 11th, 2009 2:18 pm
This is one of the better articles that I have read on you site. I think that commenting on others blogs is a good thing, but can be easily overdone. I hate people who just post spam comments on my blog.
Jake
February 11th, 2009 2:20 pm
Well now I must leave a comment on a post about comments, right? Yes, the general idea is that posting comments leads fellow bloggers back to you. However, there is also another great advantage, you become a part of the community on the blog. That should be more important than spamming your own blog.
Diane
February 11th, 2009 2:22 pm
wow I sure wish I could get that kind of traffic from a comment I will keep blogging along and hope it will happen for me. lets hope before things get worse in my small town
Marilyn Terrell
February 11th, 2009 2:24 pm
When our travel blog was starting out almost 3 years ago it was practically invisible, and someone told me to leave 3 comments for every 1 story we posted. I did and made some wonderful friendships, and I’m sure it increased traffic too.
David King,
February 11th, 2009 2:26 pm
That is awesome Darren!
Comment comment comment! all day long!
I should read more blogs and comment more often!
that’s amazing, 195 in one day is a big jump from 15-20!
sounds like something I should do more!
I want jumps like that!
thanks!
DBK
Patrick D.
February 11th, 2009 2:26 pm
Comments are easily the best way to network. StumbleUpon are great for hits, but they never return. Comments can build real relationships. I’ll take one connection through comments over 100 SU users. (I will admit I do like the SU traffic too, though.)
Akila
February 11th, 2009 2:27 pm
Yes this is really true. I also get traffic through the comments I’ve left. For example recently a good number of visitors came from my comment at Problogger (”Web Site and Social Media Metrics You Should Monitor”) because I think I provided some valuable tips there.
The content of your comment is really important as you have said. Otherwise it won’t get much traffic even if you comment there as the first person.
And even sometimes you shouldn’t have to comment on high ranked sites, if your comment go inline with the post you have commented. For example I received good traffic for my post “Oh Facebook how did you lose my email settings.” because I shared my experience on a Mari Smith’s web site which has content related to facebook.
Isaac
February 11th, 2009 2:34 pm
I comment when I feel I can add something to the conversation. I don’t comment just to say “good job” and hope people check out my blog.
When I do comment, I see results. But comments are sacred, so I use them sparingly.
Xem ảnh đẹp
February 11th, 2009 2:42 pm
I comment when I fell that I read a interesting post, sometimes I want to gain traffic to my site, and back link also.
Alexander
February 11th, 2009 2:44 pm
I’ve notices that the authors of blogs in which you comment often come back to your blog to comment more often than you’d think, specially in smaller blogs in the same niche area.
Aaron from TechThinker.com
February 11th, 2009 2:50 pm
Hi Lisa,
First of all congratulations on your guest post and the spike in your web traffic.
The traffic you got is due to 2 simple reasons
1. You were the third person to comment on the post
2. You also had some thing more to offer than just a comment. People would have be very interested to look at the San Diego pictures you took.
Did you see any increase in your RSS subscribers or website hits after this spike?
Dwayne
February 11th, 2009 3:07 pm
This is such a great post! A 1 month old blog getting an increase in traffic of over 975% with just one comment is a great testimonial for leaving comments on quality blogs.
I recently purchased a digital camera (kinda had to, the GF wanted hers back!), and have started to grab pictures for my blog. I can’t wait until summer so I can get some great flower, landscaping and gardening shots. Oh, and maybe an actor or actress or two while at work…LOL
Eddie Gear
February 11th, 2009 3:16 pm
Hi there,
Thank you for sharing this valuable information with us. I have already implemented some them and some are new to me. I doing some research on Trackbacks, do you have anything to add to Trackback vs comments. This is going to be one of my future posts.
Cheers,
Eddie Gear
Danelle Ice (Homemaker Barbi)
February 11th, 2009 3:16 pm
I think it’s true that many people fall into the “spammy” mentality when they start to see click-thrus from comments! We’ve all had 1-liners that we know are just for a link.
I recently found a WP plugin from a great developer (many of you probably know of Joost; he has it on his site) that allows you to set a minimum number of characters for a comment. So if you wanted to require a person’s comment to be at least 20 characters long to be accepted, you could.
I haven’t installed it yet, but it seems like a good way to give commenters the hint that you’d like them to add something constructive to the conversation!
Danelle Ice / Homemaker Barbi
LisaNewton
February 11th, 2009 3:22 pm
Thank you all for the great comments, and I totally agree that the major purpose behind commenting isn’t traffic but getting involved in a community. When I left the comment on Digital Photography School wasn’t to get traffic, but to get involved in the conversation.
Hey, what can I say, I love taking pictures and the beach is my favorite spot…………………:)
@Aaron Yes, I did see a small number of new RSS subscribers, plus, I’m stil getting a few hits from that comment. In fact, so far today, I received 6.
Helmi Asyraf
February 11th, 2009 3:25 pm
This post totally give me some motivation in directing traffic towards my blog through commenting.
Actually, I do realise (for me especially) that the way of commenting is majorly being affected by our main intention.
For me, the way that give comments have more substance and quality when the main reason for me to drop the comments solely because of the post – to respond and give out my opinion.
But, if there are something else in my mind that become the reason, for example driving traffic to my blog, the quality and substance of the comments are significantly lower.
In my opinion, the main focus of objective of commenting is to respond back to a particular article in particular blog. Through that, our comment will have the quality and the substance.
From that, we will get the side-benefit/bonus by commenting with proper way and quality. We will built our reputation on that particular blog and from that it will drive traffic to our site.
We must think commenting first before site traffic – not otherwise. Through this, the result will definitely make us smile all day long.
Nate @ Money Young
February 11th, 2009 3:32 pm
Lisa, i’m with you. I’ve recently used commenting on blogs to boost visits to my site, and I think a few are coming back. I love seeing the increase.I have yet to hit the 100/day mark, I’m happy that you reached it. Good luck in the future.
-Nate
Ryan
February 11th, 2009 3:37 pm
Congrats! I think that “975%” is a bit misleading when you’re mean was 15/day. A great tip, regardless. I see a lot of traffic from comments I’ve left on others’ blogs.
Benjamin Solah
February 11th, 2009 3:43 pm
Wow, that is quite impressive. I’ve almost gotten similar amounts of hits from a comment. One time I diagreed with a guy’s post and he wrote a whole post attacking me. I ended up getting tonnes of hits, though not sure how good they all were :P
Angel
February 11th, 2009 3:47 pm
A lot of bloggers know the value of commenting in terms of getting traffic and backlinks. For me, the true power of commenting is building relationship with fellow bloggers. You gain more than backlinks when you give quality feedbacks. You can be recognized with the ideas you share. You gain credibility with the insights you provide. The more you give, the more you receive. If one just wants a backlink, then only a backlink will he get or probably none at all.
Jay | NicheQ Insider
February 11th, 2009 3:51 pm
I always try to leave something of value the nearer I am to the top.
The one experience that stands out for me is last year when a certain high profile product launched and they announced it on their blog. I just happened to be checking my email when I got the notification and went their, got the first comment and had a few sales on my blog within the next hour.
Comments really work. Cool story by the way.
Anthony Lepki
February 11th, 2009 4:29 pm
Commenting has become a part of my daily routine for relevant and related sites of interest. What’s funnier is that I was going through my comment emails this evening and came across follow up emails from you site from previous comments.
Do comments get more traffic?
From my experiences, you bet!
ashok
February 11th, 2009 4:31 pm
This post is most encouraging. It’s been a while since a good comment got me any traffic, and I certainly never made anything like 195 hits from a comment.
Thank you so much for sharing! I think the best lesson learned is where you commented – I’m still learning how to find my audience.
Robby G
February 11th, 2009 4:41 pm
Great, short, concise post. And now you’ve got a guest post on ProBlogger, which is guaranteed to drive even more traffic to your blog. Cheers!
Todd Borst
February 11th, 2009 5:01 pm
I think to Lisa’s point, relevant and helpful comments is what drives traffic. Spam comments will still be spam.
Marilyn Roxie
February 11th, 2009 5:44 pm
Commenting is absolutely key to growing a base of readers and making connections with fellow bloggers. Sure, comments as simple as ‘Great post!’ are encouraging, but it is even more valuable when someone shines a different light on your post and sparks further discussion!
HousePlanet
February 11th, 2009 5:55 pm
So true. I always try to comment and say my opinion about the subject. Thank you for the tips..
All the best,
http://www.HousePlanet.DJ
talkingfuture.com
February 11th, 2009 6:25 pm
I have had similar results from posting on popular forums. In fact after a couple of months half of our traffic still comes from my profile on a Mac forum. I suppose the hardest part is keeping as many of these readers as possible.
Smart Boy
February 11th, 2009 7:01 pm
Excellent tip Lisa. I really enjoyed your thoughts on producing valuable, content rich comments – instead of spammy comments only meant to drive blog traffic.
Also, as you stated, being first on the list to comment for a post surely helps too!
thethirdrat
February 11th, 2009 7:33 pm
I too have seen traffic increases to my blog although not as dramatic. Mines less than a month old and gets similar traffic to yours so it’s interesting to see. I guess I’m commenting on the wrong blogs.
I haven’t been to the DPS site yet but it sounds great. I’m a former pro-photographer and I sometimes forget there’s always something new to learn.
Well done and good luck with the new blog.
Neil Matthews
February 11th, 2009 8:27 pm
Comments are great if they add to the converstation, add and opposing view or expand on the post, “great post!!!” add nothing and whilst you may get a link, you won’t get any visits to your site.
Erm, nice post BTW :)
JOE GELB
February 11th, 2009 8:50 pm
strategic commenting is deffinitely where it is at. i like comments because it can be a quick leverage must faster than hitting the 4 fields in digg reddit stumble apon or any other site like that. problogger is one of the most powerful commenting sites on the net that is a secret that i want no person on earth to know about
Writer's Coin
February 11th, 2009 9:43 pm
I would also tell bloggers to pay attention to their analytics stats. I’ve noticed certain sites bring more quality visitors than others, and I try to make sure I pay attention to those feeds specifically.
If you can get an eye-catching comment that says something really interesting early in the conversation, you’ll get some nice quality traffic coming your way.
mark harrison
February 11th, 2009 9:59 pm
I am so naïve when it comes to blogging. I have been leaving comments on just a few blogs simply because I’ve had a burning desire to reply to a comment and not because it will gain me any traffic. If it does great but my overiding issue is that of adding to a community and a few extra visitors is a nice by product of that. I don’t know,perhaps I’m looking at it the wrong way?
Matthew
February 11th, 2009 10:02 pm
Congrats to Lisa on the growth! I’m going to head over to her site and check it out because of this post. So it worked doubly well for her. :D
I’ve only recently started my blog and have noticed that most of my new traffic is coming from comment links. I’m doing my best to leave quality comments on other blogs, because I know that it not only helps their community grow, but also helps bring traffic back to my site as well.
Lance
February 11th, 2009 11:00 pm
Hi Lisa,
I believe, very much, in the power of comments. It is a great way to drive traffic to your site. However, the main reason I do it is because I feel like I have something to add – and in the community I feel that develops from thoughtful comments.
Lisa, you’ve been a great supporter of my site – and what you have to say is always a great addition to the conversation. That I appreciate very much! And I also appreciate the link here today – thank you!!
Your photos are awesome – so I know you’ll see lots more traffic coming your way as more and more people discover your amazing talent!
Keep on shooting photos, California Girl!! I’ll be there…
Elizabeth
February 11th, 2009 11:15 pm
I try to leave specific or useful comments, and I definitely find increased readership from commenting on new to me blogs. When a comment tells a little story or asks a question I get many hits from others replying.
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome
February 11th, 2009 11:21 pm
I consider commenting as part of my blog/business marketing plan. Of course all the comments I make are relevant to the post at hand. If I have nothing to say in response to a particular post, I move on, knowing that on another day I’ll have something more interesting to contribute to the conversation.
Andy Merrett
February 11th, 2009 11:41 pm
Good post, Lisa.
It would be interesting to know how many of those who visited your site became regular readers / subscribers — not always an easy or exact number to work out.
Your site, though not explicitly about photography, is pretty heavy on the (great) images. I wonder if that encouraged people to stick around? If your blog had been about something completely unrelated to photography, you may still have had the visitors but they would generally have been far less targeted.
Roy
February 11th, 2009 11:43 pm
I’d love to have a say on every blog post I read, although there were times that I do restrain myself from commenting, especially if the post is too technical for me.
I don’t want to post a comment just for the sake of commenting.
It might bring traffic, but it doesn’t get much reputation :)
I just come back when I believe I can drop some lines with sense.
Lee, 6 Figure Blogging Strategies
February 11th, 2009 11:51 pm
Another aspect of commenting is that, when you comment on higher-traffic blogs, you can actually receive long-term traffic… which is more important to me than quick traffic bursts.
I still get a fair number of visitors from comments I’ve left weeks or even months ago.
All (non spam) commenting is a good traffic-building strategy… But learning to recognize posts that have the potential for longevity (people will still be reading the posts years from now) can help you get the most out of your commenting efforts.
Timon weller
February 11th, 2009 11:53 pm
I have noticed this as well with comments, in fact i find they are one of the most powerful forms of getting your blog seen.. I made a rule for myself recently when ever i read a post i have to comment and i tell you what it becomes automatic after a while.. :)
About a quarter to one fifth of my traffic today is from comments.. :)
Calvin Loh
February 11th, 2009 11:56 pm
I believe that commenting really brings traffic, even on blogs with nofollow links.
So far, I’ve left about 30 comments (on blogs relevant to my niches), and I’m still getting 2 or 3 visitors everyday. Sometimes, I get 6 to 12 visitors.
The problem is – writing insightful comments takes a lot of time. Those 30 comments ate up one whole day.
Kim @ What's That Smell?
February 11th, 2009 11:59 pm
I know that the more I get out there and comment, the more people recognize me, stop by my site to visit, and the more connected I feel to my readers and blogging in general.
My big problem is committing the time to it!
From a beginning bloggers perspective though, would you rather receive a “nice article” comment than no comment at all? To bring people back to your site, a relevant comment that contributes to the conversation is key, but in order to support other bloggers, what if I all I can come up with is “thanks, that was useful” for whatever reason. Would you rather I left the comment or just left without commenting?
John Flynn
February 12th, 2009 12:10 am
Congrats on the Camera! We got a Flip so we have been making videos like mad. Have fun!
Simran
February 12th, 2009 12:20 am
I didn’t notice about traffic from comments. But I’ll surely leave comments now to get some extra traffic. Thanks for the information. :)
Agent SEO
February 12th, 2009 12:25 am
I totally agree. Even though my blog is also only a month old and only getting 10-20 hits a day, I do see some of my traffic from comments I’ve left at other blogs.
I think it is a great way to do three things:
1) Interact with other people in your industry
2) Learn more about your industry after reading other people’s posts
3) It’s an easy way to build links
Thanks for the info!
nancy
February 12th, 2009 12:31 am
This is an interesting post. I have a question for the author and the readers on this site. Do any of you get hostile comments? I don’t mean valid comments of the opposing view that create lively debate – I mean downright vituperative comments that serve no purpose.
If so, how do you handle it?
Make Money Online
February 12th, 2009 12:40 am
I comment to take part in the community and also to get traffic. Comments get me a little bit of traffic but not a significant amount. It’s a good way to get starting traffic
Shannon Lilly
February 12th, 2009 12:53 am
Comments are a great way to drive traffic to a blog.
Alex Payne
February 12th, 2009 12:59 am
Excellent post! I have been trying to get my colleagues to comment on more blogs and I think that this post will help them realize why it can be beneficial.
tim
February 12th, 2009 1:26 am
I’ve noticed that when you actually have something to add to the conversation, that’s when you get the most traffic from it. I can’t remember how many blogs I’ve visited just b/c I liked what they had to say in the comments on another blog!
Also, as far as whether or not it is ok to add links, whether your own or others, I’d say it’s ok or even BENEFICIAL if the link adds to the conversation! For instance, if I HAD ever written a post about commenting and resulting traffic, I’d probably add a link IF it adds more helpful information.
Bloggers I’ve interacted with actually appreciate the links IF they contain helpful information along the same topic.
James Schneider
February 12th, 2009 1:33 am
This is a great post! I’ve just recently been assigned the task of being the blogger for the small business I work for, and I comment on other bloggers’ sites on a daily basis.
Our blog has only been running since last week, but I’ve already seen an increase in viewers and comments!
Thanks for sharing this valuable information with us :)
Su Prieta
February 12th, 2009 1:43 am
Thanks for your insight Lisa. But I am curious. You said that you had 15-20 hits a day after about a month. My blog is only a couple of weeks old and I have only had one day (like the third day) where I have had 14 hits. The other days are close to nil. How did you get your initial traffic? Was it through marketing at all, word-of-mouth, or something else?
Thanks, Su Prieta.
Endurance
February 12th, 2009 1:53 am
I believe it is funny that a blog about commenting is getting so many comments. But anyways, I believe the ability for a reader to comment with something that adds to the conversation and in return get hits to their own site allows for a great community to build up with ideas growing more and more everyday.
Building a community is one of my goals as a blogger considering my blog is niched in investigations of what a happy life may be. Everybody seems to win.
Mitchell
Felicia - I Complete Me
February 12th, 2009 2:16 am
I read this blog all the time but rarely comment. I really enjoyed this post. I didn’t know that the closer you are to being first the more likely you are to get hits. That is very interesting and I think I will work on doing that. I have noticed that when I comment on blogs I get more comments back. I am new to blogging and I am building up my google reader so that I can read and comment on blogs. I really do appreciate this post.
Dr. Hamid Raihan
February 12th, 2009 2:35 am
Harry Blogger rightly said commenting on other sites increase your blog traffic. I started blogging in 2005 but realized the potential of commenting only after Harry Blogger told me his secrets. Thank to both Problogger for this post and Harry Blogger for giving his valuable interview to me for posting.
Modern Painter
February 12th, 2009 2:35 am
Great post as always.
Definitely quality content comes first, but I have found through commenting on other blogs and communicating through Twitter a huge increase in traffic recently. After trying a few blog ideas, I have finally hit upon a successful, steadily growing niche market of up and coming artists and collectors.
And my favorite place to take pictures is Italy, though it’s not often enough. I hope to put up my slide show soon. It’s been a year and a half since I was there, but the paintings and photos will be up soon.
I’m going to check out the blogs you mentioned,
Thanks, Gabriel
FupDuckTV
February 12th, 2009 2:36 am
I read this blog daily, but I rarely comment. Lets see if people visit my blog because of this comment….
Check out my blog….. (does this really work?)
Blackberry Phones
February 12th, 2009 3:06 am
Great story Lisa, and so true, commenting is a great way to get traffic and network with other bloggers, I have made so many friends and have met a lot of new people.
Jodith
February 12th, 2009 3:11 am
While I’ve never gotten a big surge of traffic from any one comment, I get regular traffic from commenting on various blogs. I commented on one blog almost a year ago, and I still get 1 or 2 hits a month from that blog from that one comment I left.
I get a number of comments from people who don’t say anything on my blog, and I tend not to approve them. If you want to get traffic from blog comments, you need to actually engage on the blogs. Say something of substance, add to the conversation. I think, for me, that drives much of the traffic I get from commenting on other blogs. I never comment just for the sake of commenting, but only when I actually have something to say about the blog post.
Moviezzz
February 12th, 2009 3:20 am
I think that regular commenting, along with relevant content in that comment, is very important.
I’ve had comments from people along the lines of “Hi, I like your blog. You can read mine at …” Those are closer to spam. They don’t generate traffic. Often, they get deleted. Commenting for the sake of traffic generating can get to be fairly transparent.
But becoming a regular, adding your thoughts on a regular basis, and maintaining a well run blog with interesting content is the most important thing. I’ve fond several blogs through comments.
(And you know, in all my years of reading / subscribing to Problogger, this is one of my first comments!)
LisaNewton
February 12th, 2009 3:56 am
Thank you everyone for all of our well wishes and thoughts about comments. I’ve learned quite a bit by reading them.
@Nancy I haven’t had the experience of dealing with negative comments (and I hope I don’t have to), but here’s a great resource to help you deal with negative comments, How to deal with negative comments?
@Su Prieta Most of my initial hits have been from comments on other blogs I regularly read and comment on. I also researched different blogs in my niche, and discovered a several I enjoy greatly. Making “friends” online is great.
Make Money Online Tips
February 12th, 2009 4:26 am
Well commenting is very important but its more important to be the first to comment, you need to be glued to your Google reader for that.
Demian Farnworth
February 12th, 2009 4:55 am
This post was like linkbait for comments. Seriously wish I’d thought of it! Good job. Now, I’m tapping my toe and waiting for the traffic to come streaming to my site. ;-)
Shane Hudson
February 12th, 2009 7:06 am
I usually avoid trying to get traffic from the big blogs, but it seems to have worked for you! Well Done
mike
February 12th, 2009 8:32 am
I think the comments also increase the amount of inlinks you have to your blogs. This should result in higher search engine placement most of time.
Kayla
February 12th, 2009 9:49 am
I’ve never had an outcome that big from commenting, but perhaps I’ll still get my turn someday. I’ve never actively tried to get one of the first few spots on my favorite blogs though either.
Jonathan
February 12th, 2009 9:50 am
I am definitely on the 15-20 range for visitors a day; and I want it to grow. I try and comment as much as I can – and keep them authentic: like this one.
I enjoy your posts and because of your blog I believe I am growing. I read it alot. Though, I may not be catching up on things quickly, I am learning. Currently, I am trying to figure out how to generate some revenue so that I can do more things on THE BLOG. I’m working on a blog ring, with a cooperative home page that will provide ministry resources.
Thanks for sharing!
phaoloo
February 12th, 2009 10:31 am
What a pity for me! I’ve been a lazy commentor and I’ve lost a lot of traffic. Thanks Lisa for her experience.
Lee Ka Hoong
February 12th, 2009 1:21 pm
Same as phaoloo, I’m a lazy commentor too! Addition, comment must be useful and make sure you contribute something that helps everyone. Or else, you will become a spam commenter and get ignored by everyone!
Cheers,
Lee
Mike Robbins
February 12th, 2009 2:03 pm
Your post really brought back memories. I went to college at UCSD, and have walked that beach many many times in the past. Great post.
You know good things come out of good posts. And when your post is full of eye candy, it’s no wonder really that you got a lot of traffic. I think that’s what blogging is all about. Good stories, good content, good reading, could experience.
Keep up the good work, and could you post another one about San Diego please ;-).
Charles Bohannan
February 12th, 2009 5:36 pm
Comments, schomments. Just kidding!
I’ve held back for the past several months on dropping comments because I didn’t feel I had enough content on my blog.
Now that it’s starting to build, I’m starting to enjoy “socializing” on other people’s blog and mingling with their readers.
Monthiel
February 12th, 2009 9:49 pm
Hi Lisa Newton, how are you?
First of all, I’d like to thanks for the great article. Every word said here is really trully. Unfortunally I’m learning english yet, so, I can’t say what a would like to say because the lack of vocabulary, but I can read well and i love the post.
So, thanks.
Monthiel, Brazilian.
BLOGBOOZE
February 13th, 2009 2:24 am
I usually comment on few web sites every day. By reading this post I got two things for my self.
1. I got inspiration for commenting
2. I told my self that I’m going to comment on first 10 next time. not on the bottom.
sony
February 13th, 2009 3:14 am
Ya, it is true, but i can’t guaranty “975% in a day” and we can increase our blog exposure day by day in this way. So lets start commenting.
Frank Carr
February 13th, 2009 7:10 am
As someone who mainly does SEO for web traffic I can say that commenting can help you there as well and not just from throwing a few comments on dofollow blogs.
A good comment should add relevant content to the blog post which helps add more keyword combinations to the page. While Google may not follow the nofollow link, Yahoo will and Yahoo loves relevant content even more than Google does.
Also, leaving a good comment will often bring a blog owner to your blog which means that you’ll get good, relevant content, comments on your blog as well. Developing a relationship the the blogger will also often result in more links which also helps your SEO profile.
Lastly, when you leave a comment on a post, Stumble it and Twitter it too. The blog owner will appreciate it and you may get some residual traffic from that traffic boost as well.
Seth
February 13th, 2009 7:19 am
Well so much for the top of the list… But its nice to know, when the comments are done quickly they can really drive traffic! Thanks Lisa and Darren
Carla
February 13th, 2009 8:36 am
I never had a comment experience such as yours but I do enjoy reading and commenting on other blogs regardless if they check mine out or not. Its one of the best parts of blogging for me.
Rahman Mehraby
February 14th, 2009 2:52 pm
Thank you Lisa and Daren! It’s been very inspiring.
I’ve noticed that as well, specially when you try to be helpful to others. Adding a few tips to enrich the post could trigger some interest in some bloggers to come and read your blog!
Christian Lin
February 14th, 2009 4:24 pm
Thank you Lisa and Darren.
This tips is a real eye opener. I know that commenting on blogs would provide a visible link – but I did not realise how this can generate so many visits!
At the moment I have just started my blog but as I have time I would start blogging frequenty (2 times a week – at night). I would remember this tips for sure.
Thanks again!
Rajiv Kohli
February 14th, 2009 10:05 pm
I was so selfish before that. Very rare I comment on other’s blog even if I found the article good. But after knowin the Power of Comments, I will be used to it.
Thanks for information.
George
February 15th, 2009 4:03 am
I have been leaving comments but have not realized such kind of traffic, but one thing I have noticed is that where I left a comment, they are recognised as external links which do improve my link popularity. But thanks for sharing this valuable information
Internet Business World
February 15th, 2009 6:08 am
Traffic that comes through comments is of very poor quality. Although leaving comments on blogs is a good habit but it is not something that can do wonders.
PerfectMoney
February 15th, 2009 12:27 pm
I blog commenting for fun,I blog commenting to appreciate the value of the thread they are giving me,from every blog I read I know what could I do to improve the quality of my company ,I don’t expect blog commenting will improve traffic,in contrary, I think it will make the back link dropping,however,I cannot let the fun go,that’s why I know what power of blog commenting to me,”its give me pleasure of sharing and learning
Rahman Mehraby
February 15th, 2009 2:03 pm
I’ve not experienced a huge traffic from comments yet, but I think it’s good because you get to know what others think, you share your thoughts, you learn and enjoy, you could even find some readers, and most importantly, you’ll get back links that will work for you. Those links maybe the most durable results that you get.
I’m sure that those back links will help your position in search engines. Then, the traffic coming from search will be the high quality ones.
VlogHog
February 16th, 2009 1:49 pm
The only thing I have to say about this is, don’t comment spam.
Say something worth the time you took to type it.
I delete comment spam from my blog all the time. As an experienced blogger, I know the difference.
Culinary Cory
February 16th, 2009 2:07 pm
I have found commenting on blogs like this one also help with my page ranking on Google. It’s a great way to get you name out there and build a strong network.
Pushkar
February 17th, 2009 5:25 am
Basically what is a blog. A form of knowledge sharing. Sharing needs more than 1 person. Imagine someone who has no traffic to his site but keeps writing & reading his own blogs for indefinite period of time. How useless it can be? So comments are the source of encouragement to keep going.
Carol Ford
February 18th, 2009 5:07 am
This is a unique way to look at leaving comments on others blogs. I have to admit I never thought of it in this way. I will have to try this to see how it works for my blog. Thank you for the great tip!
seger bagio
February 18th, 2009 8:18 pm
Daren I always wonder how you make this blog so good
Pushkar
February 19th, 2009 3:30 am
I apologize for my out of sync comments. I was thinking about my post, hence lost the context & accidentally hit the submit button without proof-reading.
Online Marketing Promotion
February 22nd, 2009 1:34 am
Hi,
This is a very inspirational post. I have commented on blogs on and off over the course of time. To be honest, I originally wanted to get traffic and backlinks from my commenting, but I have found that it is actually a really fun and engaging thing to do.
I feel like I am connected to the blogging community when I comment.
My next read will be your “11 tips for getting your comments noticed on a popular blog”.
Rahman Mehraby
February 22nd, 2009 1:53 pm
I also think it’s a great way to find the friends with whom you can build up your business. Actually, you get the best of both worlds.
Also, reading comments sometimes inspires me on writing some new post in my blog, because someone has said something that has led me toward a great idea.
Mohammad Afaq
March 3rd, 2009 9:34 am
Well I knew that comments are important and I have been emphasizing about this on my blog and I do comment on people’s blog but not too much and the only reason I do this is for back links but I didn’t realize that they can be such good source of traffic. I have been getting some traffic by commenting on problogger and after reading this post I am getting confident that only thing I will do is comment on people’s blogs.
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Mohammad Afaq
Free Website Traffic
Mikes
March 5th, 2009 11:23 pm
I don’t leave comments for the sake of just leaving comments. I read and leave if i want to react to the post. here, i’d say thank you. hmm. as they say, commenting on other blogs must be one of the to-do list for any blogger.
daniel
March 20th, 2009 1:42 am
What you say is very true even in non blog contexts! When you appreciate people, the person feels more inspired to perform better! An offshoot of this topic though! :)
Comments will be closed off on this post 90 days after it is published. Apologies to those this impacts but it's a regrettable and temporary measure to combat a growing comment spam problem. See our most recent posts where you can comment here.