Banking on Your Blogging

Getting blog comments on your site is always a good indication that the blog reader is involved in what it is you are posting about. Good, bad or indifferent, this is a good barometer that your blog posting is not a wasted effort. The interactivity of your readers is even more important if you are running a home business blog.

Through their comments you can get valuable feedback to help you become one of the most popular blogs in your selected niche.

Now that we have established the importance of the participation of any site visitors to your blog, just how do we go about increasing this needed and wanted interactivity?

Here are 7 suggestions to keep in mind to help increase the number of comments you get on your blog.

Spice Up Your Blog Entries

Don’t be afraid to stir up your readers with a controversial blog entry. Postings like this stimulate both the intellect and the emotions so you should expect plenty of reactions. Remember the more interactive your site becomes the more traffic it tends to attract.

You Don’t Ask You Don’t Get

Always remember to ask for feedback or suggestions from your readers. Actively invite or encourage them to participate. In this way you are simply reminding them to leave comments and that it is OK. Try to make this a habit.

Acknowledge Comments

If the comment warrants a response always reply and don’t take criticism personally since it is only going to help you improve upon your blogging.

At the least be sure to thank people for their comments.

Personalize Your Responses

When replying to comments remember to use the commentators name to create more of a sense on familiarity with them. You now seem more like you are speaking directly to them, which by the way you are.

Post Consistently

It stands to reason that the more you post on your site the more reactions you are going to initiate from your blog readers. Maintaining a consistent blog posting schedule is important for keeping people returning, and of course commenting as well.

Monitor and Respond Regularly

Do your best at monitoring and responding to comments in a timely fashion whenever possible.

A Simple Thank You

As we mentioned above if nothing more thank your readers for their comments and let them know you appreciate each and every one. This type of positive reinforcement will encourage them to leave more.

Receiving blog comments not only indicate how well you have stimulated your blog reader but also gives you the opportunity to receive valuable feedback. Any comments responding to your blog posting by site visitors will usually indicate their satisfaction or lack thereof. Their reactions or preferences are especially critical if you operate a home business blog since it is now tied to your income. By incorporating the 7 suggestions we discussed above on a consistent basis your site should eventually become one of the more popular blogs in your niche. What is your ‘take’ on this?

Posting blog entries consistently is one of the starting points to getting your site notice by readers. When you first create a blog you want to be sure that your post are thought provoking, informative, or at the very least create a stir. A great way to judge the reaction to your posts is in both the number and nature of blog comments left at your site.

What we want to address here today is how to position your site to be one of the top blogs in your niche. No doubt the use of numerous SEO and blog design approaches can be very advantageous to positioning your site. Our focus here however will be on making the most out of every entry to the blogging platform itself.

Here are 7 blogging tips you can use when posting entries to increase the popularity of your site within your niche.

Let the Reader Know How You Feel

Show some attitude when applicable in your posting, after all it is your blog. Readers will enjoy your display of ‘personality’ and so will you since it will make your writing a lot more fun and therefore easier for you.

Keep Post Brief

Your post does not have to be article length. A composition of about 250 to 300 words will work just fine. This will help maintain the readers’ attention long enough to read the complete post and it won’t be as much effort for you to write. My own blog posting in this area tends to exceed the recommended limits. My efforts have me packing more information into my entries simply because I do not post on a daily basis.

Riveting Headline

Do what you can to capture the readers attention. Since the headline will be the first things they see, try to insure it is an accurate ‘portrayal’ of what the content holds for the reader.

When possible the use of shock or humor will work wonderfully, but be sure to deliver to the reader what your headline indicates.

Be Passionate

A show of enthusiasm or passion in your writings will serve to get your reader more involved in what they are reading. If your tone sounds bored it is only natural that the reader will quickly adopt this feeling and probably quit reading.

Also if you are passionate or excited about what it is you’re writing this will only make your efforts seem more like play and less like work.

Reader Friendly Format

Make your posts easy to read by using a blog design or layout that is easy on the eyes. Avoiding long paragraphs will lessen the eye strain of your readers.

The use of bold letters or underlining also makes it easier for the reader to scan your post for the highlights or important points of the post itself.

Also when possible, try to present your points in a listed fashion whether through the use of subtitles, numbers, or bullets points.

Optimize Your Post

Consider what it is your post is all about. By identifying the main point of the post you can isolate and select keywords or keyword phrases. By optimizing your post in such a way you now have made it easier for search engines to find your posted material.

The end result when you properly optimize your post will be more readers are able to find your post when they conduct a search for content such as yours.

More readers - sweet deal!

Ask For & Encourage Comments

At the end of every post ask readers what they thought of the information you provided. This encourages helpful feedback for you and more interaction by the readers themselves.

The feedback is something you can use to improve your blog while the increased interactivity by the reader will be more satisfying to them.

Your blog entries are the foundation upon which you will build your site. When you first create a blog your focus should be on any blog comments left at your site. There is no better barometer as to how your blog site is being received by readers online. By following the 7 blogging tips we discussed above you can position yourself to become one of the top blogs in your niche. There will be other techniques like the blog design, linking and SEO that will also help, but remember it all starts with the content you put on the site. What are your thoughts on this?

Blog comments are normally a good sign since it indicates people are reading your posts. If fact this form of participation should be encouraged by asking your readers to post comments at the conclusion of any of your blog entries. Most popular blogs are generally littered with user comments and this is something you will want to strive for on your site as well.

Now the point will come where you will experience an increase in participation on your blog. Eventually your readers will begin to post comments faster than you can read them. This is great, your site is gaining popularity, congratulations! If your blog is monetized to earn you an income all the more reason for the good cheer!

OK now what do you do?

Here are 3 tips you can use as a ‘rule of thumb’ when managing comments left on your blog.

Discard Unrelated Comments

Invariably you will receive many comments that are unrelated to any blog entries or subject matter being discussed on the site. Upon closer inspection you will likely also find many links in these comments. You are dealing with spam which is the online version of junk mail. Discard these comments since they serve no other purpose than to clutter up the blog.

Respond to Direct Questions

Questions that are directed at you should be addressed as long as they are related to the subject matter spoken about on the blog. To ignore these questions would be the equivalent of snubbing someone and you want to avoid knowingly doing this. On the other hand you may find a question that is not aimed at anyone in particular and these comments should also be allowed.

It is also quite common for readers to post comments that ask questions not always directly related to what you may be discussing. In effect they are taking advantage of the community spirit that exists and are looking for help/advice. You have a choice here of either discarding the comment or allowing it. I suggest you allow it since you want your readers to know your site can be considered a ‘resource’ for them.

Post Good and Bad

Do not be too ‘thin skinned’ about any comments you receive that are not as flattering as you may want. If the comment is well grounded or meant to be constructive than let it be. Even though you may not want to see it yourself there are others who may have an interest in such a comment. This may be YOUR blog but you have built it for the readers so do not withhold any comments from them just because of your own personal bias.

In the end readers will admire you more for being so open and humble.

Blog comments are something you want to see more of on your site. Looking around the internet you will find that most popular blogs generally have active readers who litter the site with their comments. This is good since it shows your blog entries are generating a reaction and better yet they are even being read. At a certain point you may begin to find that as the number of comments increase so does the difficulty in managing them. The 3 tips we discussed here today serve as a guideline for helping you ‘navigate’ and categorize your comments. Using these tips merely as a ‘rule of thumb’ should succeed in helping you to place, discard or respond to comments in an orderly and sane manner. What are your thoughts on this?