The Importance of Blog Commenting

Posting comments is actually quite similar to guest posting (or guest blogging) in many respects. First and foremost, it is a great way of building safe backlinks, and it can also be a great avenue for getting exposure, and getting the word out about yourself as well as your blog.

In ways though, it can be a more profitable activity than guest posting; you need time to craft a guest post – and getting a single backlink requires researching for, and then writing a great post and that can take a significant chunk of your time. However you can get the same single backlink from a high-PR blog through a simple comment on that blog – all it takes is the time to read the post (which has its own advantages in itself), and a couple of minutes to leave your feedback.

A vast majority of blogs not only allow visitors to post comments and feedback, they actually encourage it. A visitor is required to provide the URL of their website/blog, and it is put up as a link alongside the comment itself. Some blogs, such as those using the CommentLuv plugin, automatically retrieve a post from the visitor’s blog, and put it up with the comment.

However not unlike guest posting, the benefits of blog commenting go beyond simple link-building. Here are a few reasons emphasizing the importance of blog commenting:

1. It helps establish your authority.

Always, always post quality comments that help establish your authority. Give the article a good read, and post something that is actually valuable to the post author, as well as any other person (such as a visitor, or another commenter) that comes across your comment. That should be your priority. Try taking the conversation ahead by providing your insight. It will help establish you as an authority, and allow you to build credibility for yourself, as well as your business.

2. It is a representative of the beliefs of your business.

Writing a comment is like sending your personal business message. It reflects your own beliefs as an individual, and those of your business. You can provide people with a lot of value through a few simple lines of text, and if you successfully do that, it adds to your authority.

3. It is good for exposure.

Exposure is important because more exposure equals more traffic on your blog. Posting comments is essentially a free way to get valuable exposure. It is a free way to market your blog. A single comment on a blog that gets a large amount of visitors could do wonders for your exposure and allow you to get the word out to a large group of people in your niche; tap into an 'unexplored market'.

4. Comments are essentially a ‘concise’ version of a post.

Think of a comment as a smaller version of a large post. It takes time, effort and energy to create and craft a full-length post. You can get the same benefits from a comment, while saving you the trouble that usually comes with crafting a proper post.

5. It allows you to form valuable relationships, and network with others.

In a way which is similar to guest blogging, posting comments is actually a great way of networking with other authority bloggers, and developing strong relationships with them. It allows you to get noticed by people in your niche, but most importantly, it allows you to be noticed by influential and authority bloggers. If your comment is good enough, you’ll end up getting a great response, and who knows, you might even get asked to do a guest-post to expand on what you said – safe to say, it may very well lead to new business opportunities. You may even make some friends along the way, or get people to guest-post or comment on your own blog.

6. It is a good way to build backlinks.

And then of course, there’s the added advantage – or ‘bonus’ I should say – that posting comments is a great way to build backlinks; one of the safest ways to do so in fact. As I mentioned above, almost every blog allows you to post a link to your blog, and some even retrieve a post from your blog and display it along with your comment. This can actually be quite beneficial for your website/blog’s Google PR and ranking. And it also provides you with an opportunity to get more traffic.

Conclusion

I strongly suggest anyone reading this to set aside a small chunk of their time every day for the purpose of blog commenting, and make it a part of their blog promotion/marketing strategy. Use Google to look up authority and high page-rank blogs in your niche, and leverage the power of the comments system on these blogs to your advantage. Remember that the blog you choose to comment on needs to be relevant to your own blog. Always make it a point to post constructive, quality and valuable comments.