You can’t make a comment on one blog into traffic for your site.
However, you can become an interested part of a community and contribute to conversations in the comments sections of several blogs (also part of that community–whether it’s political, parenting, gardening, etc.). The more you comment, the more visible you are. The more interesting your comments–and the more relevant they are to the topic–the more visible you are.
Other readers will begin to notice your comments at the blogs you both frequent. Soon, if your comments are relevant, respectful, and interesting, those other readers may want to click over to your site to see what else you have to say. Providing your blog is also relevant, respectful, and interesting they will stick around, maybe add you to their blog rolls, and maybe link to you in a post.
Everyone loves traffic. For bloggers, it’s almost always about the comments and the traffic. We like to know that what we are doing is worthwhile and maybe even helping someone. Knowing that people are visiting our blogs and bothering to leave a comment is reinforcement that our blogs have a voice that is being heard.
Having said that, bloggers must have patience. Very few bloggers start their blogs and immediately have more than 20 people visiting and commenting on a regular basis. Building a community and becoming part of a community takes time. Sometimes it takes a long time.
Keep at it, though. Comment often and comment well. Don’t poach traffic (by leaving your URL or an irrelevant link in the comment), but do entice others to want to visit your site. That means not just commenting with “Great post!” or “Wow. I can so relate.” Go the extra mile and tell the blogger and readers why you think it’s a great post or why it’s so relatable.
When you invest your time in a community, you’ll most likely be rewarded with traffic from that same community. You have to give to get.
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Great post! Wow, I can so relate.
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But yes, this is good advice. I think it’s important to comment because you are actually interested, not just because you are fishing for your own traffic. But I also agree it is important to participate in the blogosphere if you want participation on your own blog.
When I see a blog with a lot of “Wow!” “Great post!” “You’re so awesome!” types of comments, I’m less likely to leave any comment.
Good post, I think new blogs are always excited and looking for comments, but there is often a fine line between comment spamming and an interested party. All in how you look at it I guess, without much traffic on a new blog, I would love to hear peoples remarks.
Thanks again, great post.
So comments bring traffic if bringing traffic is not the point?
Another one of the ironies of blogging…
You touched on something else I’ve noticed, which is that serious posts often don’t gather as many comments as funny ones, even when the number of visitors stays the same.
I speculate that’s because people don’t know what to say other than, “Wow. I agree.”
great tips!
I do think that patience is important for new bloggers. Many people hear about others having success, and they want it too. They also thinks it comes quickly.
Commenting is one part of making yourself known in the blog community, along with social sites and forums.
If you do comment on a regular basis to blogs that you do enjoy then you will become part of that community.
I’m so glad I found your other blog. It led me here and I come here and read your posts as you put them up. Please keep on posting those blogging idea, tips and help.
I totally agree with the points raised in this post. Another idea is to make sure that the site you leave comments at is related in some way to your site. Google-bots may disregard backlinks that are from totally unrelated sites.