The cheekiest reason why you should reply to comments is to instantly double them! This can make a big difference to a blog that's starting out.
A blog with a load of comments which haven't been answered shows the blogger doesn't care about his readers. This certainly won't encourage them to return.
I know some people can see this activity as unnecessary time and trouble, but really replying to your comments is a worthwhile pursuit. This infographic explains why:
And here's some code you could paste into your own posts (via the text mode) if you want to share this Infographic with your readers.
Create a community
A blog should become a safe haven for its readers. It is somewhere to read good content, to be educated and entertained. It should also be a place to mingle with like-minded people as well.
A blogger who doesn't reply to comments obviously doesn't value his readers. He forgets they are the life-blood of his blog. He should communicate with them as much as possible, to keep them sweet and on board.
And readers should be encouraged to talk to each other through comments. The more interaction there is between readers, the more comfortable they will feel about commenting on the blog.
Nurture a following
You don't need to focus only on your blog to build a following. Social media is a fabulous place to build a relationship with your readers. Here the proceedings are freer and less encumbered, especially since you can respond in real-time.
Wherever you share your content, you are exposing it to potential readers. They will be more interested if they feel your blog is written purely for them. And this is highlighted even more if you are around to reply to comments.
You can use replying to comments as a method of finding out more about your readers. Ask them questions to get them to open up. Show a real interest in their answers. Divulge some of your secrets to get them to relate to you.
Build up loyalty
Replying to your reader's comments helps to get them on your side. They will regularly return to your blog because they know you're their friend. They know they are always welcome.
Growing your community of commenters means they will start to become advocates for your blog. They will look out for each other, and even help police your comments against trolls and other undesirables.
And happy readers will be more willing to recommend posts which are relevant to the subject being discussed elsewhere.
Get more social shares
A band of loyal readers and commenters will feel more disposed towards sharing your content elsewhere. When they see your social sharing buttons, they will be more likely to use them.
It's good to know that by merely replying to your readers' comments, you are instantly in their good books. They feel part of your blog, which includes sharing it on social media.
When your loyal readers share your posts, they are exposing them to bigger the audiences. Which, of course, means more potential readers and ultimately commenters.
Acquire more backlinks
Sharing your blog posts' URLs on social media and elsewhere increases the backlinks to your blog. Now this is always something a blogger wants, because it arouses the interest of the search engines.
If your loyal commenters do this for you, the backlinks are spread over a much larger area. These could be coming from intensely relevant sources, which gives the backlinks more credibility.
Relevance is always important to the search engines. Influential backlinks can be obtained by commenting on other posts, and by inserting a URL to a relevant post when you submit your comment.
Achieve higher rankings
Obtaining higher ranking for your posts is a blogger's dream! This is done by obtaining more backlinks, both by you commenting elsewhere as well as replying to your readers' comments.
This higher ranking also helps to increase your blog's Domain Authority. Consistent commenting on your blog (doubled when you reply to comments) and elsewhere with relevant backlinks tells the search engines you are a popular blogger.
The search engines are on the look out for both popularity and relevance. They are hungry for new content, and a blog that ticks all the necessary criteria is definitely worth ranking higher.
Result in more brand queries
The more popular you become with your readers, the more likely they are to think of your blog as a relevant resource. This means they will probably type in your blog's name into the search engines rather than remembering its URL.
Google picks up on repetitive brand requests in its search criteria. Here must be a worthy source of excellent and indexable content, which deserves to be placed higher in the search results.
Replying to comments results in better relationships with commenters. These readers remember your blog, and many will prefer to type in your blog's name to find the URL. If yours comes to the top of the search results, you know you've made it!
Network of content sharers
These happy commenters, who regularly share your content on social media and recommend your posts in relevant sites, will also be more likely to share your content elsewhere.
Some people like to create roundup posts or curate blog links to back up their post's subject matter. If your reputation precedes you, there is a high chance your blog will be included.
All this accomplished because you happened to reply to comments. Who would have thought such a simple act would have such far reaching repercussions?
Do you reply to comments?
I hope you do and that you reply to all of them, even the really annoying ones that say just 'Nice post'. I used to ignore and delete these, but I've learned now that to build a community, these also need to be answered.
If the reader is tentative about commenting, they need to be encouraged. A 'Nice post' comment should be replied to by asking which bit of the post did they find nice? If they return to look for your reply, they may be encouraged to respond with the answer.
Replying to comments is a kind and forthcoming thing to do. It shows your appreciation for the bother your readers took to leave a comment. Never take your readers for granted.
What did you think of this post? Let me know in the comments below, and I promise to reply to you!
- How to generate inbound leads using social chat - 21 August 2023
- 10 steps to get qualified leads using social chat - 14 August 2023
- How to encourage comments through participation - 4 August 2023
Alice, I think that it’s only polite to reply. After all the reader has took time out to read, reply and possibly share the post so yes all blog owners should reply out of courtesy.
This is something I will always do with my blog. I also think a great strategy is encouraging your blog readers to comment replies not only to the blog poster, but to other commenters as well as visiting their own blogs to build your commenting base.
Phillip
Thank you Phillip, you are quite right, which is why I’m replying!
The blog author doesn’t know what has gone into this reply. Maybe the commenter was nervous, maybe they struggled to find something to say. Maybe they purposely took the necessary time to thoroughly read the post and then put a reasonable amount of thought into their response.
Every comment should be considered for an answer. Even those that are ‘Nice post’. I used to delete those, as I considered them inadequate. But now I understand every commenter deserves to be acknowledged for the effort they have made to comment on a blog post.
I completely agree with this post 100% I think bloggers should respond if they have the time. However, Like Catherine Short said, if they are receiving 100+ comments I don’t necessarily expect them to respond. But even seeing that they are responding to their comments at all is nice!
Thank you for your comment Yandex. Yes, it is nice to reply to your comments. Some successful bloggers boast that they reply to all their comments. Sure they may not do all of them personally, but at least the commenters get something back in return.
Great list and discussion of the benefits of commenting.
I can’t emphasize building community enough – you want people to feel emotionally invested in your blog so they can keep coming.
Just as importantly, when your community members feel acknowledged and appreciated for their feedback, they are more likely to share customer or audience intelligence.
This can take the form of trends, tips or even contrary advice.
Whatever tidbits you get, your brand stands to benefit from those and could increase the relevance of your content.
Thank you Gene for your comment. Yup, I already outline the benefits of building communities and communicating with brands in other posts in this blog. Replying to comments is just the start, as it continues conversations which could lead onto all sorts of relationships.
I often find comments on blogs just as interesting or useful as the original blog post. Comments with replies from the blog author can clarify, expand on, and/or emphasize certain parts of a post.
Yes, Nate, they certainly can. This is why it is as important to read the comments as the post itself – you could easily learn more that way.