TOP 3 REASONS NOBODY COMMENTS ON YOUR BLOG via @BadRedheadMedia

By Rachel Thompson | Author Marketing

Jul 04
Too cool via rachelintheoc

I just really liked this picture.

TOP 3 REASONS NOBODY COMMENTS ON YOUR BLOG

 

 

Have you ever tried to get more people to read and comment on your blog? If so, you know how difficult it can be! Many people read but don’t comment, stay only for a mere thirty seconds before moving on, or RT or share without ever visiting at all (which is lovely but we’re wanting more comments, too. Right?).

 

So…what to do?

 

Many people have found success using different types of methods – incentives, contests, some kind of tease. But, how effective are they? I use a much more straightforward approach.

 

Let’s deconstruct.
If you’re looking for a quick, easy fix to bring droves of people to read and comment on your blog, I’ll tell you now: there is no magic bullet. However, I’ve got a few methods that helped me get you here:

 

  • Make sure your blog is easy to find. If it’s not, well, the answer is pretty obvious. How do you do that? Three ways. Wait, no four.

 

  1. Add your website/blog URL to your email signature (I use WiseStamp), Twitter profile, Facebook page…basically, wherever you are, so should your URL be.
  2. Be sure to shorten your link using bit.ly. Why? Obviously, it’s shorter! But more than that, bit.ly allows you to customize your URL as well as track every click! You can even create a QR code.
  3. Ensure you’ve optimized your website/blog for maximum traffic. Any good website designer can help you or simply use a WordPress.org (not .com) social media plug-in that does it for you. I like Yoast.
  4. Include your social media buttons EVERYWHERE including on your dang blog. Do you know how many sites and blogs I see daily without them? Do it now. Even before you read the rest of this article.

 

  • Why is it important to optimize your site? Without getting super technical, it’s basically using the tools available to allow people to find you on Google and other search engines. There are two ways to optimize: SEO (search engine) and SMO (social media). You need both.

 

  1. Bringing up WordPress again: I’m a huge advocate of this platform, though I came kicking and screaming to it. Blogger is easy for newbie bloggers and I felt it was good enough. Wrong! While they’ve made improvements, it’s crucial to own your own domain as well as content. By going with WordPress.org (again, not .com which is free), you own your domain, site, and blog. (You pay a few bucks/month for hosting.) Google is shuttering many of its apps, also. Even one more reason to go with WordPress.
  2. By using the SEO/SMO tools available, you increase your chances of people finding you exponentially. While not necessary to get your site up and going, making sure you optimize your site does increase your chances of people discovering you!

 

  • How does all this result in more comments to your site? A few ways:

 

  1. By providing your site/blog URL basically everywhere, people can easily check out your site organically. Say, it’s on your Twitter profile, that’s a way to passively sell and bring in more readers.
  2. By SMO’ing your site, you make it easy for people to share your content, which in turn brings more people to your site. This means adding in the sharing buttons you see here: Twitter, Facebook (like and share), Pinterest, Digg, StumbleUpon, and Reddit are the most popular.
  3. By creating interesting content (provide solutions, information, resources, humorous or involving essays), people will visit more often and the more people who visit, the greater the likelihood of comments.
  4. Be sure to ASK for comments! SO many people don’t. This ensures more interaction, engagement, and sharing, ergo, more people discovering you!

 

Okay. Now that you know how to get more people to your blog, how to optimize it, and why all that’s important…you should have a greater chance at more interaction and comments!

 

Send me a link (on Twitter or Facebook – not here) and I’ll RT/share you. Do you have any tips and tricks to share here? Please tell me below.

 

 

Next week I’ll review specific ways people can find your blog, including the social media sites mentioned above and Triberr, the ‘reach multiplier.’

 

 

Related articles
Share
Tweet
Share
Share
Follow

About the Author

Rachel Thompson is the author of newly released BadRedhead Media 30-Day Book Marketing Challenge: How to energize your book sales in a month - created to help authors market their book. She is also the author of Broken Places (one of IndieReader's "Best of 2015" top books and 2015 Honorable Mention Winner in the San Francisco Book Festival), and the multi award-winning Broken Pieces, as well as two additional humor books, A Walk In The Snark and Mancode: Exposed. She owns BadRedhead Media, creating effective social media and book marketing campaigns for authors. Her articles appear regularly in The Huffington Post,  IndieReader.com, The San Francisco Book Review (BadRedhead Says…), 12Most.com, BookPromotion.com, and Self-Publishers Monthly. Not just an advocate for sexual abuse survivors, Rachel is the creator and founder of the hashtag phenomenon #MondayBlogs and two live Twitter chats: #BookMarketingChat (co-hosted with TheRuralVA, Emilie Rabitoy) and #SexAbuseChat, co-hosted with C. Streetlights and Judith Staff. She hates walks in the rain, running out of coffee, and coconut. She lives in California with her family.

Related Posts

How Blogging Consistently Helps Readers Find You

5 Reasons Authors Should Market Themselves With Email by Guest Conor Kelly

3 Reasons Authors Need a Content Strategy Now by guest @AbbieMood

Tips: How to Create Your Author Platform Basics by Guest @IolaGoulton

Leave a Comment:

(15) comments

Toby Neal July 4, 2012

Thanks for linking me, beautiful! Was mine an example of an easy-to-comment blog or what not to do? LOL!
Aloha
Toby

Reply
    Rachel Thompson July 4, 2012

    Ha, not even. Your blog is awesome!

    I wrote a post last week about blogging so this is the next part. People are always wondering why they don’t have more commenters & most of the time it’s pretty basic.

    Reply
D.C. July 4, 2012

lol! I was going to ask the same question as Toby! I do get comment love on my site but my lack of focus shows. I’m all over the place with my topics. 🙂

Reply
    Rachel Thompson July 4, 2012

    Thanks for visiting, DC. I wrote about branding and keywords the last few blog posts — hopefully those can help folks understand how to pick topics to write about.

    However, I have to say I love your blog! xo

    Reply
Michelle Grogan July 4, 2012

These are some great tips!! I already do some of them – YAY me!! And I am going to be some more!! This post came at the perfect time because I was just complaining to myself about not having as much traffic/page views/members as I did when I was on blogger (I’m on WordPress now) – but then again I’ve only been on WordPress almost two months and I had been on blogger just about 8 months and had accrued a lot more posts in that time.

What you said here was so very helpful!!! 🙂

Reply
eden baylee July 5, 2012

Thanks Media Queen! Yes, you. Great post, thanks.
eden

Reply
Justin Bog July 6, 2012

I agree with everyone else here. The information is perfect and came at the best time since I was also trying to figure out a lot of SEO/keyword link length stuff — and I’m a migraine sufferer too so I was worried about the tech side of blogging. Cool.

Reply
Ashley July 7, 2012

Great job! I love the article. 🙂 I’m also a WordPress.org gal! I’ve never used Blogger though, so I don’t have much to compare it to. 😛

Reply
trish nicholson July 7, 2012

Excellent post, thanks. I almost went to Blogger when I started, because everyone said it was easier for beginners, but I’m so glad I went for WordPress. I have a local host, which made set-up easier for me, and he handles trouble-shooting – worth the cost for troglodytes like myself. Responding to comments probably encpurages folk to leave them, too. Trish.

Reply
John Malik July 10, 2012

It helps if you promise Nutella yeast-risen pancakes to the ones that do leave comments 😉

Reply
    Rachel Thompson July 10, 2012

    Is that even English? Yo no comprende.

    I can hire you to do that, right John?

    Reply
Key Insider StumbleUpon Hints & Tips You Must Read Now - Bad Redhead Media August 16, 2012

[…] TOP 3 REASONS NOBODY COMMENTS ON YOUR BLOG via @BadRedheadMedia […]

Reply
Amelie October 19, 2012

We are a group of volunteers and opening a new scheme in our community.
Your web site provided us with valuable info to work on.

You’ve done an impressive job and our whole community will be thankful to you.

Reply
    Rachel Thompson October 19, 2012

    terrific! glad you found my info helpful 🙂

    Reply
クロエ バッグ October 27, 2012

Your mode of telling everything in this paragraph is truly fastidious, every
one be capable of without difficulty understand it, Thanks a lot.

Reply
Add Your Reply

Leave a Comment:

Previous Post TOP 5 REASONS BLOGGING IS CRITICAL TO YOUR SUCCESS! Next Post Bad Reviews Suck. Why I Don’t Care.
>