joi, 1 decembrie 2011

How to Increase Your Blog Comments

By increasing the number of comments on your blog, more viewers will take notice on how well you are engaging with your audience. Here are five tips on how you can increase your blog comments. Please leave a comment below if you have any other suggestions, or share what techniques worked for you to get more people to leave comments.

Tip #1: Make sure it’s easy for the reader to comment

I’ve come across a few blogs that had some amazing content, but it was set up in a way where I found it difficult to leave a comment. Some blogs required me to go through a lengthy registration process before I was able to leave a comment. If it’s technically difficult to leave a comment, I end up leaving the page. Sometimes I can’t find the section where I can leave comments, so I’m not sure if the blogger purposely turned off the comments feature or forgot to enable it.

Make sure it is easy for your reader to leave a comment. Have you turned on the comments feature? People who are new to blogging often forget this. Is the comment section large enough for the reader to find it? Do you require only minimum information from the viewer before they can comment, such as their name and e-mail address? Or do you require more information than that? If you’re concerned with spam, you could use plugins such as Akismet to filter out any spam.

Tip #2: Ask Questions

While it may seem very obvious, remind your readers that you want their comments and opinions by asking them a question at the end of the blog post. Ask them directly to share their response in the comment section.

You could ask them questions like “What did you think of the post?” or mention a direct call to action like “Let me hear your thoughts by writing in the comments below” or something along those lines. The more specific the request is that’s based on the post, the more likely the reader is to leave a comment. So encourage your reader to take action by leaving a comment and participating in the conversation.

Tip #3: Respond to people who comment

Responding to people who take the time to write a comment shows that you are paying attention to them, and it creates an opportunity to further engage with that reader. People don’t want to feel like they’re ignored. When other readers see that you’re proactively interacting with the people commenting on your blog, they will feel more encouraged to join the conversation by posting their own comments.

Tip #4: Comment on other blogs

Take the time to read other blogs that are related to your niche. This will give you a better understanding of what’s going on in your niche, and better enable you to provide more value to your audience. If you happen to read an amazing article or blog post, leave a quality comment with your thoughts, and if the blogger allows it, indicate a link back to your blog. Other people who read that blog will take notice of your comment, and be encouraged to check out your own blog and post their own comments.

Tip #5: Invite a bit of controversy

If someone indicates that they don’t agree with your viewpoints, be professional about it and engage in a way that’s not rude or condescending to that person. When other people see a bit of controversy, they may want to put in their two cents worth if there’s some kind of debate going on in the comments. Make sure not to let the comments get out of hand, and don’t ever put down someone who disagrees with you. Otherwise, they may never come back to your blog again.

What has been the best strategy for you, which generated the most comments for your blog? Please leave your comment below to help out our readers who want to increase their blog comments.

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