Yes, I said it. Blog comments are overrated. A while back, I surveyed bloggers about their biggest frustrations with blogging. The most common answers were related to comments:
I wish I got more blog comments”
“Very few visitors make comments, even if I ask a question prompting comments.”
“Hearing crickets instead of comments. :-(”
“Comments. I NEED comments so I can interact with the audience. I always leave a question at the end. With no results :(”
“I wish more people commented on my blog so I had some kind of validation all the time I spend writing my posts”
When I asked bloggers what they wanted non-bloggers to know about blogging, the most common answer was, “we love comments and want to hear from you!”
I am here to tell you to STOP judging your blog’s success based on how many comments you get.
Yes, it was so important that it needed to be bold. And yes, you should tweet that!
Here’s why you shouldn’t judge your blog’s success on the number of comments you receive.
For the most part, the only people that comment on blogs are bloggers. It’s true. Even on the big blogs. I’ve been following the big blogger’s comment threads lately (we’re talking 60,000 – 100,000 visits a day, 100’s of comments per post) and who comments? Taking a rough estimate, 95% are bloggers. I can tell because their names are hyper-linked to their blogs.
Why do they comment? Because they’ve read posts like this one, or, this one, or this one, or this one, or this one (you get the picture) that tell them to comment on blogs to get more traffic to their sites.
Think about it. If you weren’t a blogger, would you comment on a blog post you read? Pre-blog life, the only reason I commented on a blog was if I had a very specific question about the tutorial (usually on a cooking or sewing blog) or if I was required to comment for a super awesome giveaway.
Is there value in blog comments?
Yes, there is. The comment section of your blog can be a great way to meet people and engage with your readers. Commenting on blogs is a great way to start getting traffic to your site. Having people comment on your blog is exciting and validating. But I want you to know that it isn’t everything. You are still doing great things on your blog. You probably have more readers than you know, they just don’t comment. That’s okay.
“But I still want comments”
I know, so do I. I love blog comments (hint, hint). If you want more comments, do these things: Genuinely comment on more blogs, and ask engaging comments to give your readers something specific to respond to (other than, “great post!”). If you want to see how many non bloggers read your blog, host an awesome giveaway where the only entry requirement is for them to comment on your blog.
Yes, I’m being a little over dramatic saying blog comments are overrated. The big takeaway I want you to get from this post is to not let the number of comments, or lack thereof, determine the success of your blog.
Hi Kristie,
It’s my first time on your blog, and I must commend you on the good job you’re doing.
Though comments shouldn’t slap you in the face they’re a very important factor of blogging success. It’s true that bloggers form the greatest percentage of commenters, but it’s through such an active community that one can tell if people are really listening. A blog without engagement is a ghost town and no blogger ever want to find themselves in such an awkward situation.
I’ve grown my blog through commenting on other blogs but the most important aspect here is to establish lasting relationships with bloggers. If you consistently do it and by chance these bloggers get to notice your presence, you’ll soon get over the commenting hurdle. You will soon start to get readers who appreciate your work and leave comments on your blog. Just comment! Comment more! and Comment more!
In the next few days i will be writing a post on this topic “blog commenting,” which I hope will be of help to bloggers who need to increase comments and traffic to their site.
Thanks for this post.
Hi Enock, thanks for visiting my blog and for the compliment. You’re right, blog comments are very valuable for establishing relationships – like how I now know you better (and from facebook groups we’re both part of).
Can’t wait to read your post on how to increase comments and traffic!
Kristi, blog comments are just here for make an interaction between blog author and it’s readers. You have exactly said that blog comments should not be the priority to calculate blog success.
I have even seen some of bloggers are calculating their blog influence on the basis of Alexa Rank. You can also write a post on this.
hi kristie
Thanks for a wonderful blog. It was very encouraging. I myself don’t comment on any blog as i feel uncomfortable and I don’t have anything interesting to say. But now i have decided that I will try and comment on the blogs which I like. And as you said that we should not under estimate our ourself n our blog contents
Thanks for the encouragement. I have just started out, and this helps alleviate some stress! (By the way, I find it a bit ironic that I am commenting to tell you this 🙂
That is a bit ironic, but I like it anyway. I did my comment happy dance! (Come on, you have one too, right? The happy dance everytime someone comments on a post?)
Totally agree here. The tricky thing is figuring out what metrics will help you get what you want out of your blog. If you want to make money from your blog, what metrics are brands using to select who they’re going to work with? That’s what you want to focus on, I think.
Ha Kristie, you struck a nerve with this one! I agree. I sometimes get discouraged when I don’t get many comments, but you’re absolutely right. Not everyone comments so you can’t gauge interest in your content based on comments. Heck, I don’t leave comments on every single post I read, that would take up my entire day, plus I hate leaving comments when I have nothing better to say than “great post, thanks” and sometimes that’s really all i have to say 😉
I thought this might strike a nerve, both ways!
Someone emailed me the other day with a question about a specific post, she mentioned that she had followed most of my tutorials. I hadn’t heard from her before, but after visiting her blog noticed that she had implemented most of my suggestions. It made me realize that there were a lot more people out there liking my stuff than just the commenters.
that’s awesome Kristie! Plus people connect with us in other ways too: like sharing our stuff, maybe commenting via Twitter or leaving a comment on the post on FB… so it’s not always comments that drive our engagement.
Kristie,
I feel as if you wrote this post for me! I’m about a year and a half into my blog and have decided not to pay for another year when my current “subscription” expires in a few months. I started writing it as a way of sharing my new life in retirement with friends in the previous places we lived. Right after I retired, we moved to a state where we did not know anyone. Friends were asking me to keep in touch and let them know about our new home and new lives. However, my closest friends haven’t even subscribed to my blog and most of those who have subscribed, seldom comment. When someone DOES tell me In person that they enjoying reading my blog, It’s a very nice surprise because I didn’t even know they read it as they never comment. A few friends will email me directly about a blog post, and that’s good, too. I just need to know that SOMEONE is reading what I write. Otherwise, what is the point?
Thanks for the post. It gave me more to think about.
Sue P.
I did write this post for you Sue! And all the others in similar situations. If you enjoy blogging and like where it is going -keep it up, regardless of comments!
Thanks for linking to my post! 🙂 I love blog comments, and they truly do help traffic – most of my comments are from non-bloggers, but I have always been known to have extremely interactive readers, which I’m so thankful for! Same on Facebook… so many say Facebook is useless and they get no interaction, but my readers interact with me daily. I think it depends on the type of blog you have. 🙂
That is awesome Sadie! I also love blog comments and find them very valuable, I just see so many bloggers getting down about not having comments.
Maybe I’ll have to interview you about your secret sauce for getting blog comments!
haha, agreed! I do love blog comments because engagement is awesome, but only when it’s genuine. The ones I come across where it’s obvious they didn’t read my post and are commenting just so they can drop their links make me shake my head and move on with life, haha. Definitely can’t pin all your hopes and dreams of a successful blog on comments alone!
Yes! It is usually pretty obvious when someone didn’t read the full post, but left a comment anyway.
Thanks for leaving a genuine comment here.
I totally agree!
Even as a blogger sometimes I won’t leave a comment because there isn’t much for me to comment on. Leaving a one-liner just doesn’t seem to add value, so I’ll move on with my day and comment on a different post.
Same here. And honestly, if someone doesn’t have anything to say on my post I’d rather they just share it as a “thanks, I liked this!”
It’s only natural we all want more comments – I just like to hear if someone is excited to try a recipe or tried it and loved it or hated it! Ugh – but you are right 😉 Thanks for sharing this!
Recipe posts are actually the easiest ones for me to comment on. I guess because I like food. 🙂
I completely agree! Blog comments can become an addiction just like “likes” or “followers” on social media. The amount doesn’t matter but rather the quality and influence! Since I do succumb to this thought at times, I am grateful for the reminder. Thank you!
I succumb a lot. Sometimes I have to write posts because I need the reminder as well!
This is the best post ever–I’ve bummed myself out more times than I count for not having as many comments as I thought I should on a post. Which is crazy because I don’t even comment on some posts that I absolutely love, pin, and share on social media! Thank you for the reminder that it’s not all about the comments, Kristie!
Blushing a little Elizabeth – the best post ever? Haha. I’m glad it is a good reminder for all us bloggers.
I completely agree! I get so tired of bloggers who are so focused on how many comments they get (or how many likes/followers they have). For me, it’s about reach and engagement. I look at my blog, FB page, and Pinterest activity and all together, I’m pretty happy about my engagement. That’s a win. Not the number of comments I get.
But when I have a post that inspires everyone to comment, I do get excited 🙂
I think we all get excited when there are lots of comments, and that’s okay too! I love how you look for reach and engagement instead of numbers. I think you do an awesome job at interacting with your community Kimberly.
You are so right about only bloggers commenting. I have two or three posts that get comments all the time but that’s because they are opinion posts. My craft posts never get anything but then I will see someone in person that reads my blog and they will tell me how much they LOVED so-and-so idea…and I’m thinking “Why didn’t you share that comment on my blog for everyone to see?!” haha
Seriously, why didn’t they?!? I should add your remarks into my section on how to get comments: write about controversial topics, that’s a great way to get blog comments.
I have to comment, 🙂 – just to say Kristie, this is the best piece of advice you have given me to-date!
A thousand thanks!
You’re welcome Flavia! Isn’t it relieving not focusing on comments now?
Thank you. Your post really helps keep things in perspective. I have a new blog and without some friends and family commenting it would be total crickets.
That is awesome that your friends and family are such great supporters of your new blog Melissa! You’re doing great things at Charmed Menagerie, keep it up!
You’re right that we shouldn’t judge a blog’s merit by the number of comments. Even as a blogger I find myself simply sharing more posts than I also comment on. Just isn’t enough time and I don’t always have something interesting to say.
I share more than I comment too. The way I see it, if all I have to say is, “great post, I loved this” I might as well say it on a social platform where others can see it as well. If I have something interesting to say (or a question – that’s usually when I comment) then I will comment on the post.
You’re so correct. Comments shouldn’t be the end-all, be-all indicator of our blog success. But, if you’ll allow me to don my devil’s advocate cap even though it’s my first visit to your blog, I do think that sometimes we sabotage our own comment currency when we don’t “play the game” advisedly.
Yes, many comment on a blog simply in hopes of getting a comment in return. But some commenters really are trying to engage in a conversation, are hoping to hold a discussion where they happen to be. Internet inertia is a real thing, and if we want to keep visitors landing on our sites we need to keep the discussion going on the digital real estate we own.
Replying to comments will get just as many repeat comments as a shady plan to comment for reciprocal comments. And it’s more genuine and engaging, too.
Thanks for being the devil’s advocate today Mallie. It worked for you today, I loved the discussion you brought up, checked out your site, and followed you on Twitter. Thanks for the thoughtful response.
You’re right. We put so much emphasis on comments when they aren’t a good way to gauge how well a blog is doing or how many people read your posts. And like you said, most of the people who comment on bloggers ARE bloggers. I think a lot of people underestimate the importance of reading and genuinely commenting on other bloggers’ posts. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome Vanessa, and thanks for commenting! How do you find ways to genuinely comment on other’s blogs?
I comment on posts that I find interesting and helpful. If a post doesn’t move me or teach me something that I don’t already know, I don’t comment just for the sake of commenting. Sometimes it’s apparent when someone comments just to get their name/blog out there.
That’s awesome Vanessa, I like that you don’t comment for the sake of commenting, but when something is interesting and helpful.
Such a great reminder…..I know that I often read posts and don’t end up commenting. Yet I may pin their post, tweet about it, save it on bloglovin’, put it on Pocket…anything. I think we tend to validate ourselves and our blogs based on the comments and that isn’t the best practice.
Nope, not best practice at all. Why set ourselves up to be sad? How do you find validation in blogging?