turn here by davemarmot, on Flickr
I am a member of the ProBlogger.com forum, and we get newsletters every so often. In today’s newsletter, something caught my eye:
Challenge: 30 Day Comment Campaign
Have you noticed, due in part to the big CommentLuv/Famous Bloggers contest, that commenting is like, on hyper-drive lately? It seems that commenting has become (almost) as important as blogging – or even moreso!
Naturally, I was intrigued by the words “challenge” and “campaign” so I clicked through to the forum and read about it. What we’re doing over there is spending 30 days actually TRACKING our comments to see what kind of traffic is coming through. This isn’t really about increasing commenting. It’s about measuring the effectiveness of commenting in terms of traffic. You don’t want to waste time on something that doesn’t work; yet, you don’t want to miss out on a good source of traffic (if it even is a good source of traffic… for you).
How to Join the Forum
Before I get into metrics and tracking visits, I wanted to just quickly tell you about the ProBlogger.com forum. It’s not free; it’s something like $5.95 (USD) per month, and I’ve been a member of it for a few months now. I’m not an incredibly active member (should be), but I want to have it in my back pocket because it’s such a beneficial resource. And of course, I would not have found out about the comment campaign if I wasn’t part of it.
To join, go to problogger.com and sign up. Simple as that. That’s not an affiliate link. I really want you to join and take your blog to another level for a reasonable price. It’s far more effective than reading a book or listening to a podcast, guys. Let’s get real.
Now… back to it.
Should You Care Whether Comments Bring in Traffic?
You should if it’s part of your blog promotion plan. If you’re commenting willy-nilly, it doesn’t matter whether anyone clicks through to your blog. But I always include commenting as part of my blog consulting service and highly recommend it as a marketing method.
What Types of Comments Bring in Traffic?
Easy. The good ones.
Okay… fine. The types of comments that bring in traffic are
- Interesting,
- Usually the first ones left on the post (in my own experience, at least),
- The ones that are a direct reply to someone else’s comment, and
- The ones that have something other than just your name as the link. In my experience, the comments I leave that have Tia – BizChickBlogs.com get far more click throughs than any of the others.
There’s a post on problogger.net that probably does a better job of explaining how to leave good comments. Read it here. I just go with my gut and it seems to work out.
CommentLuv links also get higher click throughs than standard anchor links.
How to Measure the Traffic
You need an analytics tool. Suggested ones:
There are probably many others that work. For this type of thing, all you need is something that will tell you the precise referral link. It’s not enough to just know the domain, because you want to be able to figure out if a particular comment is bringing traffic.
Want to Know More?
If you’re serious about increasing traffic, but at the same time, making sure your time is being spent effectively, you should consider joining the forum and participating in the campaign. The nice thing about it is that other members will be looking at your comments, too. If you’re getting lots of traffic from them, you’ll be a source of inspiration. If you’re not, other members can help you figure out why.
POLL: Have you ever gotten any noteworthy traffic from a comment you left on a blog?
Leave your reply in the comments (hint: make it interesting and you just might get some traffic!)
Good luck!
— Tia Peterson
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{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: josepharch
July 15, 2010 at 11:50 am
Hey mia Tia, you’re getting a ton of comments on your Criticism post!
With regards to joining ProBloggers, what is the main benefit of the membership? Would it be that if you join and you actively participate and leave comments, then chances are good that you get a “pull” from the comments that is very healthy regards to attracting new site visitors?
Take it easy mia Tia!
Regards to you!
Jo
Joseph Archibald@Affordable SEO´s last blog ..90 Day Internet Marketing Challenge- Week 1 by Oscar Del Ben
Twitter: bizchickblogs
July 15, 2010 at 12:01 pm
Nope. I’d say the main benefit of joining is participating in all of the challenges and undergoing critiques. They have a handful of moderators who I assume are paid to moderate the forum and keep it active. There is a ton of information there – about content, pages, marketing, monetization, etc. Also, when I was active, problogger.com was a good source of traffic for me, too.
Of course, we can all do the challenge without joining the forum, but if you joined, you’d also get the benefit of seeing how well (or not well) other people are doing with their commenting, and also to see on a larger scale whether or not comments are a good source of traffic.
I’d say: serious bloggers only! Anything that costs money should only be entered into with careful consideration.
Twitter: dataentryforall
July 15, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Really great tips Tia,
You are absolutely right.
Testing and knowing what works is really important because it helps you spend your time more wisely.
I have made some top comments on blogs like smartpassiveincome and viperchill and they bring in really good traffic.
Thanks a lot for the great post,
-Onibalusi
Onibalusi Bamidele´s last blog ..Ethical Marketing VS Unethical Marketing
Twitter: bizchickblogs
July 15, 2010 at 4:56 pm
You’re welcome. Mind if I call you Oni?
Will help reduce potential spelling mistakes.
I imagine that leaving a great comment on viperchill would absolutely result in nice traffic. I haven’t been to smartpassiveincome yet. Will have to try it out. Thanks for the leads!
Tia Peterson´s last blog ..Why Criticism Is Your Best Friend
Twitter: dataentryforall
July 16, 2010 at 5:24 am
Hi Tia,
Over half my readers call me that so there is absolutely no problem in you calling me that
Thanks a lot,
-Onibalusi
Onibalusi Bamidele´s last blog ..Ethical Marketing VS Unethical Marketing
Twitter: tnsblog
July 16, 2010 at 5:17 am
Hey Dele,
That’s great to hear.
Though last month viperchill was one of my top traffic source.
~Dev
Dev – Technshare.com´s last blog ..6 Top Benefits Of Press Release And How It Can Improve Your Internet Business
Twitter: TheBadBlogger
July 15, 2010 at 3:29 pm
Well, I usually get’s a bit more traffic from where I’m commenting. Here’s a tip that might spark some of you reading my comment and that is: Try if possible, write a long comment, and of course it had to be relevant to the post that was written, and at the end of your comment, ask a question or two to the writer of that blog and usually the conversation will start which lead to others realizing you and the the writer of the blog communicating to each other.
Your first job in commenting is not to let other read your comment but to see your comment. Remember that.
The Bad Blogger – Content Not For Losers´s last blog ..The Most Difficult Decision The Bad Blogger Has To Make ! (I Need Your Advice)
Twitter: bizchickblogs
July 15, 2010 at 4:58 pm
Hmm – good tip re: asking a question! I have done that, not intentionally to get traffic and now I’m wondering if those types of comments have led to traffic in the past. I’m curious!
Thanks for the comment.
Tia Peterson´s last blog ..Blogger Questions Answered- How do I integrate My Blog with Facebook
Twitter: josepharch
July 15, 2010 at 7:36 pm
I’ve Amped this post mia Tia, so you’ll be more rich and more famous in the blink of an eye lid. “Beehooooved!”
Joseph Archibald@affordable seo´s last blog ..A SERIOUSLY COOL Tool for Wannabe BACKLINKING ‘Cheats’
I think that they do. You have to hit all of the different ways and that will add up to more money in your pocket.
Twitter: Matthew_Gannon
July 15, 2010 at 10:05 pm
I totally agree if you leave something interesting or something of value in your comments you will see some traffic coming back to your website. I will try this leaving a question tip sometime and see how it works out! I wont be joining Pro blogger anytime soon but maybe in the future! Please let us know how this 30 Day Comment Campaign goes!!!
Matthew Gannon
Matt Gannon´s last blog ..Quality in Internet Marketing is getting more and more importiant!
Twitter: bizchickblogs
July 15, 2010 at 10:27 pm
Will do! I’ll be checking daily; leaving about 10 comments per day. It’s not much but I don’t have time to commit to more than that at the moment.
Tia Peterson´s last blog ..Internet Paparazzi- The 4 Best Ways to Catch Their Attention
Twitter: josepharch
July 15, 2010 at 10:20 pm
Oh Matthew, I am disappointed – you commented on Tia’s blog after all…
Let me try The Bad Blogger’s (cool name!) technique just a bitty…
Tia, what age are you please?
Joseph@Damai´s last blog ..Living Life in Malaysia as an EXPATRIOT UK Expat
Twitter: bizchickblogs
July 15, 2010 at 10:24 pm
Ooooh! Can’t wait to visit the Damai site. Glad you linked to it.
Can’t believe you hijacked Matt’s comment, Jo. Shame on you!
30. THIRTY. therrrrrteee. Wow. Prime of life, now!
Twitter: Matthew_Gannon
July 16, 2010 at 8:20 am
Don’t worry Jo! I will be on your blog everyday as well, as I always am!
Twitter: josepharch
July 16, 2010 at 6:42 pm
That’s what I call reader loyalty, Matthew Gannon! Bless you, young man!
Joseph Archibald@affordable SEO´s last blog ..A SERIOUSLY COOL Tool for Wannabe BACKLINKING ‘Cheats’
Twitter: josepharch
July 15, 2010 at 10:31 pm
Hmmm, that worked fairly well then… More response from mia Tia than normal!
Lesson learned!
Yup, its got some nice picies up on the Damai site Tia, and almost all are my own, if I remember correctly. No need for creative commons even…
Joseph@Basaga´s last blog ..Living Life in Malaysia as an EXPATRIOT UK Expat
Twitter: tnsblog
July 16, 2010 at 5:24 am
Hey Tia,
Awesome Post. Some brilliant tips.
!!
Using “Tia – bizchickblogs.com” is really a cool idea tia.
I’m going to try this method..
My most of the traffic comes from blog commenting. I do comments on some big blogs like techchrunch, problogger and Viperchill.
I think apart from commenting, you should also try social media sites (twitter, su, Digg).. !!
Thanks for sharing this great Post GiRL. Fantastic Work.
~Dev
Dev – Technshare.com´s last blog ..6 Top Benefits Of Press Release And How It Can Improve Your Internet Business
Twitter: lambdakennels1
July 16, 2010 at 9:23 am
I got a bump in traffic from the WordCount Blogathon, especially when Michelle Rafter left a comment. The traffic didn’t stay, though, as most of it was out of my niche.
Stephanie Suesan Smith @vegetable gardening´s last blog ..ComLuv-FamousBloggers Contest Benefits Garden Bloggers
Twitter: josepharch
July 16, 2010 at 7:11 pm
That’s always gonna be in the nature of the beast unfortunately Stephanie. If you begin moving outwith your own niche area kinda broadly, then you’ll find that blog commenting will work less in your favour regards to visitor “flow”.
Nevertheless, you can obviously receive good quality backlinks if that’s important, and it makes a nice change to engage with folks who are from a very different niche to your own.
My take is that from those two points alone – particularly the latter (even though I very heavily rely on my own SEO efforts), are worthy to engage in blog commenting on niches other than my own.
Regards
Joseph
Joseph Archibald@affordable seo´s last blog ..High Class Computer Nerd for Hire
I would be interested in the results from the 30 day comment challenge. I am taking a different blogging class and we are working on leaving 5 comments a day. I have already seen a direct response to my comments on my blog.
Carla Clayton´s last blog ..Wow! This guy was a wanna-be online marketer- UNTIL…
Twitter: bizchickblogs
July 17, 2010 at 7:27 am
Hey Carla! Awesome! Yes, I’m looking forward to the challenge as well. Day 1 I left 4 comments but yesterday I left 10. 3 to 5 is my normal amount; I do know that comments are a source of traffic for BizChickBlogs but I’m curious to see what happens when I’m leaving 10+ per day.
Comments to bring traffic should be relevant to the topic where we post. Spams are everywhere good thing there’s Akismet for WP.
Twitter: cks1988
July 18, 2010 at 8:17 am
Hi Tia! I think only the comment with quality can help in increasing the traffic. In contrast, if we post some low quality of comments, this will only affect our reputation in blogosphere. I always learn how to leave a quality comment in others blog. I wil keep on improve myself.
Kok Siong @ Cancer Research´s last blog ..Sunday Drama Series- Mom of a Child with Down Syndrome PART 1
The comments are bringing in traffic, slooooooooooooooowly. I’m not too worried. Given that some of the comments are part of conversations, my “brand,” if we can call it that, is definitely more visible and a few talkative individuals don’t seem averse to it.
ashok´s last blog ..Abraham Lincoln- “Remarks to Baltimore Presbyterian Synod- Washington- DC”
traffic and content is the most interesting topic for webmaster like us, after seo
andrew´s last blog ..Competition of Classified Sites – Smiles on Users Face
I think that any kind of traffic is good. The more the merrier. You have a great site. I like to read what you have to offer.
Twitter: FebapLiew
July 18, 2010 at 9:57 pm
I am not the first
I hope i get traffic out from this, =P
anyway, oh yes well, getting traffic out from commenting sure has eventually been my ‘biggest’ motivation of doing so.
However, as i continue to read ( that is essentially what everyone should do before commenting ) and leaving down comments, I somehow cultivated positive interest in it. not because I am getting great traffic out from it but i get to have a chance to voice my say…
As i ‘hop’ around from blogs to blogs leaving down comments ( not bad ones ) , i was able to somehow expose myself… people don’t know me by my ‘blog’ , they come to know me by my name. eventually if they click or not, is another matter.
However, i believe this will be very beneficial in the long run. I believe as they get to ‘see’ me more often blogs by blogs, they will eventually be curious enough to what i have to offer. =)
it takes time, nevertheless and effort. ( no spammy comments) but as long as i enjoy writing and doing, i see no trouble in keeping it up.
cheers
Febap Liew @ Make Money Online Today´s last blog ..Is The Making Money Online Niche The Only Profitable Market On The Internet
Blog comments should always be relevant to the post you are commenting on, otherwise, it will be considered a spam.
It is beginning to. I have been following the blogs that you have suggested. It has really helped me out.
Twitter: KathyBlogger
August 2, 2010 at 6:07 pm
Commenting definitely brings traffic to your blog, especially if you are commenting on blogs that use Commentluv. If you are writing decent post titles, people will be curious.
Kathy@ Kathy Blogger´s last blog ..Spam Is Slowly Becoming A Thing Of The Past
thanks for sharing Interesting post I got very useful tips keep blogging I m lovin it to read interesting post.
seospidy@Internet marketing´s last blog ..Search Engine Optimization SEO
Blogging traffic is a give and take relationship. Sometimes one of the best ways to get traffic to your blog is by visiting someone else ’s blog. Go to their blog and read one of their entries, or read a few of them. Above all it builds reputation and pull potential traffic back to your website.
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