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!
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
I comment to add value and be a part of the process… hits and all the other stuff are simply free bonus! :-)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.)
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.
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.
I comment when I fell that I read a interesting post, sometimes I want to gain traffic to my site, and back link also.
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.
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?
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
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
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
I think to Lisa’s point, relevant and helpful comments is what drives traffic. Spam comments will still be spam.
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!
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
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.
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!
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.
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 :)
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
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.
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?
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.
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…