When I started in the blogging, I came across an ebook by Rebecca Blood who advised leaving as many comments as possible on our blogs if you wanted to generate free traffic on your blog. For her, this is the best source of traffic.

Even today, this tactic remains effective, but not as much as it was then. Here are some of them:

7 benefits of leaving comments on other popular blogs

I make it clear "Popular" because leaving comments on blogs that do not generate a significant daily traffic is useless. It is a precision which to take into account.

Leaving comments on other blogs allows you to:

1. Gain visibility: leave a comment allows you to be seen. Leaving a good comment can grab people's attention and help you drive traffic to your site.

 2. Put your expertise value : sharing what you know or the experiences you have experienced can help build your credibility on the internet.

 3. Get to know other bloggers: leaving a comment can often be a great way to get on someone else's radar blogger.

4. Drive traffic to your blog : Being present and engaged on other bloggers' blogs also helps generate free traffic to your blog. Oh yes, I already said it 🙂

5. Generate ideas: Quite often when you engage in a conversation about comments from other blogs, you come up with ideas for articles for your own blog.

6. To be and stay at the page: As well as helping you find inspiration, posting comments on other blogs also helps you stay on top of what's going on in your niche… and keep up to date.

7. Discover new opportunities: last week someone left a comment on my blog that I found so insightful that I asked them to write a guest post. In fact, come to think of it, one of our most successful ebook authors on BlogPascher came to me, through a great blog comment.

You never know where in which opportunity your comment can change.

How to effectively leave comments on other blogs?

Several years ago here on BlogPasCher, I suggested 11 tips for making the most of the comments you leave on other blogs and most importantly, how to stand out. I think most of the advice I gave is still relevant:

  •  Be the first to comment : the first commentators will have their comments more seen. However, being first on each item can be a little boring.
  • Share an example: Always link to one of the articles in your blog which illustrates your point quite well.
  • Add a point: if there is a point that the blogger forgot, suggest it politely.
  •  Contest: you can not do it on every comment you leave, but courteously, challenge while adding constructive reasons for them to make a good impression.
  • Write with conviction, passion and personality: these things make you stand out and show that you care about your comment.
  •  Use humor: this will grab the attention of a very large number of readers, especially if in addition to humor, you add value in your comment.
  •  Ask a question : I've long noticed that those who ask good questions often become the center of conversation in comments. So ask the right questions and generate interest.
  •  Format your comments: be careful with it. Some comment systems allow you to leave comments in bold or italics. But don't go beyond these possibilities, as it might look like spam. And if you have the option to add images, then do so as that can also work to draw attention to your comment.
  • Related links: Make sure that each link added is relevance and value. Don't add unnecessary links just like that if you don't want to be labeled a spammer.
  •  The length of comments: Are all blog comments lengthy? Leave a short, it will stand out. Any other comments are they short? Leave a long one, again, it will stand out.
  •  List / break down: think about how your comment will be viewed. Will it be just a big block of text? If so, consider breaking it down into short paragraphs or even in a list type format.

An additional tip that I have used a number of times: when you leave a comment that you are convinced of the added value, consider adding a link to your various social accounts.

You can also take it a step further by blogging about the posts you have commented on. I did this a few times and only when I saw that the article in question had a very high number of reads.

Oh, another little tip, commenting regularly on the same blog can be interesting. Don't become just one more commentator ... dominate the blog in question by posting lots of relevant comments.

What to avoid when leaving comments on other blogs

I also wrote several years ago is an article on how you can actually hurt your reputation by commenting on other blogs. In this article, I have listed 10 things to avoid:

  •  Excessive use of signatures: this practice was more common several years ago. It is unfortunately ineffective today. One or two links to relevant content is more than enough.
  •  Excessive use of links: Don't feel obligated to add as many links as possible in your comments. What will make you want to visit your site is not the number of links, but the quality of your comment.
  •  Comments in one or two words: Don't just say “Thanks for the article, it's very interesting”. NO. Provide value, tell why you find the article useful.
  • No reading of articles before commenting: it's pretty self-explanatory. Read the article before commenting on it. There is nothing more humiliating than criticizing something you don't know.
  • Passion and personal attack: this is not a good approach. If you don't agree, be constructive… and you'll add value to your readers.
  • Emotion anonymous " if you have something to say, put your name. Do not hide behind fictitious nicks.
  • Always be the first to comment: I've seen a few people do this over the years and they ended up boring the blogger and other commentators. Conversing also means giving others the opportunity to speak.
  • Leave no room for discussion: similar to the point 7, listen, allow others to contribute and let your comments bounce a bit.
  • Do not add value to Comments If you add value, you will get value back. If you do not add value, you could hurt your reputation.

One last thing to avoid, Do not comment just for the sake of commenting.

What have I forgotten? I would like your comments on this subject. What's your approach? How do you generate traffic from your comments? I'm looking forward to some good comments on this article!