From Soup to Nuts, Driving Traffic with Blog Commenting

July 6, 2010 - Last Modified: July 17, 2010 by Melvin

Most people still view blog commenting as one of those little ways that can drive some traffic to their blogs. In my posts that I recently published in Comluv, I outlined how those small things can lead to bigger things, like forming business partnership, reaping the rewards and so on. But then with that post I got so many questions on how to really benefit from it especially when just starting out. Lo and behold, I’m now going to write this definitive article on how to drive traffic using blog commenting.

Note: This post mainly targets noobs with blogs that have little to no traffic. However, if you’re an intermediate or an expert one, I can assure you that this post can still be beneficial to you.

Ok so when driving traffic to your blog, it’s usually been starting out from little things moving up to bigger things. You can’t secure those guest posts without being a loyal reader first and so on. So for this article I’m going to outline a step by step guide on how you can start benefiting from commenting on other blogs.

Setting Things Up

This is pretty fundamental but surprisingly most people forget these little things. To get started first and foremost, you need to decide on two things. First is the name you’re going to use and second is the image you’re going to spread using your gravatar.

Most people use the format of “Name – Blog’s name” and it’s fine. However for me, I find it more convenient just to use my first name since I really don’t have any other blogs that I author a lot nor do I go out and comment using those other blogs. The name is important because this is how other people will know you and it’s all part of personal branding. Being inconsistent with it is a bad mistake.

Now for gravatar, just head on to gravatar.com and set your default image. Like in choosing names, it’s extremely important to choose an image that will brand yourself and your blog. It’s either your blog’ s logo or a respectable face of yours. 😉

The goal why we want to set this up as early as we could is because we want to build our brand. We want to be sticky. You see, even in just the first step we’re already trying to establish something outside of the traffic itself. By doing it right, it enables us to enjoy long term benefits that would come later on.

Signing up with ComLuv (mandatory)

Well it’s free, it provides good service, it enables you to be in a good community and it gets you traffic, what’s more to ask? (and they sponsored a big contest as well!)

Getting started is simple, head on to ComLuv and sign up for an account and get their little plugin. What ComLuv does is basically just fetch one of your last blog posts and append it when you make a comment. With that being said, you no longer need to use the name field to target a certain keyword and link back to a specific post for your blog because ComLuv does it all for you.

There’s one trick that I’d like to use with ComLuv. For blogs that I comment on for multiple times, what I usually do is choose different type of posts to append. Most people don’t do this and just get contented with ComLuv showing their last post. If you’re not rotating, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Make sure you maximize the benefits of commenting with ComLuv by choosing different posts to show.

You Gotta love interacting with people

Unfortunately most bloggers do it wrong with the actual commenting part. The thing that you got to understand is you need to have a knack for interacting with other people. Most bloggers don’t do commenting well for the sole reasoning that they don’t enjoy it.

Trying to force doing things that you don’t really enjoy can have a dull effect on whatever you’re doing. So if you don’t feel like doing commenting, you better have to start enjoying it.

100-150 blog comments per day, can you do it?

Now this is more for starting bloggers. A lot of people ask me why I don’t comment on that many blogs anymore. the truth is because I get enough traffic that I can switch from doing the little things to start doing the bigger ones like guest posting, doing joint ventures and so on.

But again back to the question, can you do that? Just like in anything, doing it in bulk is certainly the fastest way to get it done. Now I’m not saying that you should go out and just have a generic comment to place on their comment form. That certainly would do more harm than anything else.

It goes back to the third point which is loving interaction with other people. As you can see, if you enjoy doing commenting (which I hope you do), there’s a good chance that 100 comments per day is very easy for you seriously! I mean isn’t it nice to share your insight with other people and let them realize how brilliant you are? 😉

Again one trick that I used when I was just getting started was finding the right time to do this in a day and then focus commenting on blogs alone. The way I see it with most people is that they do it as part of other things which is not wrong but if you’re just getting very little to no traffic, you may want to give at least an hour or 2 a day, just doing commenting. Meaning, be focused in it. Don’t do other things besides it for that certain period.

I found that the best time of the day to do it is before I go to bed. Back then I spend an hour and a half for 5 days a week every night to go out on blogs and just focus on contributing something through the comment form. Believe me it’s worth it.

Building on Momentum

Now it’s all about building on that momentum. Come on, blog commenting is not your main traffic strategy forever right? This is where we are transitioning from the little things to doing the bigger works.

As long as you start getting that consistency in traffic from those blogs you usually comment on, you can start doing it lesser, maybe 20-50 a day, then after some time 10-20 and so on.

I would also be expecting that in that point, you have somehow established a good standing not just with the owner but also with the community of those blogs. From that on, you can start guest posting for those sites, pitching your ideas to them and just about anything else. And again it started with that little comment, I mean ton loads of informative comments.

Conclusion

Who said commenting involves very little work? Yes it does but depending on where you’re currently at, you may want to exert some effort in it. Before you can move to the top echelon, you gotta start doing the little things first and fast, and blog commenting is one of them.

After all it’s like hitting three birds with one big stone. You start creating buzz about who you are and what your blog is all about, you start building inbound links which later on results to good organic rankings. and more importantly you start that initial connection which later on builds good relationships with them. All in all, direct traffic seems to be just the icing on the cake.

I would very much love to hear your opinion about it as I’m sure you have your own strategy that you may want or currently implementing.

Post note update: Overwhelming response from readers here in FamousBloggers made me realize something. 100-150 comments per day is more suited to newbie bloggers who have very little to no traffic yet. However, there are also other factors to consider when doing commenting and it includes whether you do full-time blogging or part-time blogging.

Obviously if you’re spending less hours in blogging in conjunction with a day job, 100-150 comments is not feasible and I’d suggest to just focus on just 10-20 meaningful comments. Also some of you might have misunderstood my statement of commenting in huge quantities. It is VERY important to provide value to other blogs so at the end its still way better to comment on fewer blogs yet add superb value than jump into 150 blogs without adding anything worth mentioning.

That’s it and I’d like to thank you guys for sharing your meaningful insights. This article has grown and I equally learn a lot from your inputs.

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This post is written by Melvin Dichoso who blogs at MelvinBlog Dot Com where he shares all his thoughts in the industry. He is currently running a huge contest as well with over $2000 of prizes at stake

{ 121 Responses }

Klavier Lernen says:

I have been doing this for a while and it has been working for me. It gives you a lot of traffic and subscribers. But I comment at least 30 to 40 times a day. It has been working though blog commenting is a lot more powerful than most people think, even those that know about it.
Saket Jajodia says:

Really great post, when I read 100-150 comments in a day my mouth was :O totally open :p bcoz 100 comments means have to read 100 articles and some people write soo BIG articles really, it takes a lot time to read (at list for me).. And ya, when I joined blogging I didn't knew about gravatar and ComLuv how they actually works but slowly slowly i got to know.. :)
lifetalker says:

Really enjoyed the read... but ack!! 100 to 150 posts a day? Yikes, that just about scared me into a complete breakdown especially when I've never made this a priority before. In any case, I am following each of your steps... Thank you.
Adam says:

Thanks alot this is the first strategy im following in order to get more traffic to my new blog i noticed big change in my site traffic in few days not to mention being social and actually getting to know many bloggers like me sure it help is many ways, thanks
Brian says:

I totally agree with you on the consistency point when it comes to blog commenting. It is way to easy to drop comments onto a blog for a few days then get distracted doing something else. I know I have fallen into this trap myself and you only have to look at the rise and fall of the traffic to see what happens when you stop commenting and then when you start again. I think that when you do build a loyal following the traffic will become a little more consistent, which is probably why you can start to back off on the commenting a little. Of course when you do interact and get the traffic coming to your blog, they need to find something that was worth the effort of visiting. So really it is about being consistent with your commenting AND producing great content that will keep your new audience interested and coming back for repeat visits.
Eymard says:

The best thing about this articles is that "Start with the little things". I strongly agree that newbie blogger's like me should concentrate more on the simple ways and easy ways to increase our traffic. Doing big task will make things worst if you were a newbie, because of the competition in the net. Like my mentor told me. "Win small batches of war. If you sum it all up, it will be big, more bigger than your enemy".
- Melvin says:
  
  True, very true. When you start out with small things there's very little risk too and through these small activities that you can develop your skills to be able to do the bigger ones.
LilD says:

I understand what the author is trying to say here, trying to do a lot of little things in order to drive traffic, etc. I'm not sure how important comments are in relation to actually getting unique IP's to check out your material. Does it really matter if the same 2 people leave 1000 comments? Or is it more important to get 1000 unique hits with 1 comments?
- Melvin says:
  
  I don't understand your point. Why would a sane individual comment under different names? The thing is bloggers do make comments to gain popularity and not to harm themselves. So if I have one blog and I want that blog to spread towards the blogosphere. Why would I comment on 1 blog post for 100 times? Unless Im replying to someone else comment, I wouldn't do that
  - dimaks says:
    
    Well, the basic thing I know is a 100-comments spread to a hundred different blogs is of course a propagation of your links or brand or whatever you call it. And it is but a natural way to attract traffic. "2 people leave 1000 comments? Or is it more important to get 1000 unique hits with 1 comments?" - the latter is better of course.
Cherry Margle says:

Good article and I like the building on momentum tip. It's so true because people cannot really do a bulky work if they're not on a streak. I remember last year I was able to type 15 lengthy Word documents and that happened because I was able to set myself in proper mood (work mood) which eventually helped me become productive
- Melvin says:
  
  To be honest Cherry, I highly rely on momentum too. The fact that I can churn out 5 800-1500 word articles is solely because of my momentum. Im kinda bit streaky, I lose focus sometimes but once I get into that groove, Im really really productive. ;-) Now you just gave me an idea for my next post which is on how to find that momentum.
Chester says:

Good post but the truth nowadays is that its hardly possible to get massive amount of traffic thru commenting. I mean there are popular blogs out there but even those cant really drive you traffic. Maybe its something thats attributed to saturation, I don't know. Its good for creating awareness but not as a traffic generation strategy.
- Melvin says:
  
  I agree with you Chester however, as a newbie blogger, you can't really squeeze too much either from other things. I mean you can't guest post on somebody else blog if you have commented on them before, you can't have them retweet it for you if they don't know you and the best thing for them to know you is to leave comments, and interact to their community. As far as getting traffic, I made an analysis post on commenting on big blogs and you may want to read that. ;-) http://www.melvinblog.com/2010/05/traffic-interacting-big-blogs-works/
  - Chester says:
    
    Hmmm. The post makes sense but I think thats because audience on those sites that you frequently comment on already know you as a somehow established blogger. But if I am just an unknown and I started commenting on heaps of site, do you think the effects will be the same?
    - Melvin says:
      
      Thats a good question Chester. For someone who's just getting started, I think no. The reason for that is because you would come across the blog as the just that "some random guy" and in my opinion, its different as oppose to someone who's been somehow known. But then again that should never discourage you from commenting.. Also Im far from being an established blogger. ;-)
Jake says:

I can certainly do that much comments. I think its all about speed reading and speed typing. Im not saying that you dont have to read an article and just comment but for me I think you dont need to read it all and then reread it and then make a comment. Just as long as you have the whole idea, that would probably do it.
- Melvin says:
  
  I'm sure most people here will not agree with you but I AGREE. The thing is that you don't really need to know each and every words on the article nor almost have it memorized. I myself is a speed reader and even though I am, I make sure that I understand the article FIRST before thinking of even leaving a comment. I also type pretty fast so its an advantage for me as well. Of course, having lazy comments will harm so you gotta be careful with that
Mark Millie says:

Hi Melvin, I highly agree that it helps us get more inbound links. A lot of bloggers completely ignore this and just say that it doesn't make sense since its nofollowed. What they don't know is that Google counts regardless or the rel tag. SERP rankings isn't solely determined on whether the links are nofollowed or not. Thanks for this article.
- Melvin says:
  
  Yep. Actually I used to be one of those. :) But the thing is that in commenting, inbound links is not your goal, not your primary goal. That must be considered as a peripheral. Our goal is to build awareness and relationship with other bloggers. I conclude that by having that mindset I was able to do it pretty efficiently so I suggest you to have that as well.
Matt says:

I think your conclusion was precisely clear. I think you nailed it down because an average person would see that this thing is almost very hard to yet you concluded that this is really how it is. I know you haven't been commenting a lot now but back in those days, I really have seen and followed you do all the dirty work. SO for anyone out there doubting, I can testify that Melvin has done it extremely well and its something that he has done first and foremost.
- Melvin says:
  
  Thanks for those heartwarming words. ;-) The truth is its hard but this is really the "sweat work" at the start. Im sure other bloggers have gone down with other paths where they don't need to comment and it worked for them then fine. The whole point here is that we have to create awareness first for our blog. Let the blogosphere know you exist first and then build on from that.
Breeme - Affiliatehat.com says:

Well this takes a whole lot of work I guess. I mean it's a slow gradual process and I just don't see myself doing it with the capacity Im currently into right now. You never mentioned outsourcing perhaps that could make sense as well?
- Melvin says:
  
  Outsourcing is always a good idea. However, in commenting its a slippery slope (statement borrowed by mullenwegg) mainly because you're building a brand for yourself. Its not so like in affiliate marketing or some nice projects where its not so important to interact. Here in blogging, what you want is build real relationship. Im sure you can hire someone and pay him higher to do it with high quality but I just cant see myself doing that nor recommend it to people. I don't know.. Did you try it?
  - Breeme - Affiliatehat.com says:
    
    I guess you're right. I haven't tried it since Im not really blogging seriously nor doing it for personal brand. Outsourcing in commenting may work better with typical niche sites who are trying to come up with links and dofollow inbound link. However, even now its hard to maximize the return on that simply because those who have dofollow sites are strict and do not tolerate commenting for the sake of the link itself.
    - Melvin says:
      
      you're right. I mean even before I had campaigns on dofollow commenting on some of my niche affiliate sites. I found out that some of the dofollow sites basically have a policy that I have to be first a loyal commenter before I can get the dofollow juice so that ruined the entire plan for me..
Brook says:

Great post. However, I really doubt that most people can do this. You're right it takes focused effort and momentum to do this continuously for the next 2 months or so especially if you're a newbie blogger. Gotta check out comment luv then!
- Melvin says:
  
  It's really tough especially when just getting started. Big bloggers like Darren or whoever will tell you the same because they experienced it themselves. well yea you gotta check comment luv. I admit I wasn't one of those who tried it immediately as I waited for like a year after before installing. there's really no risk at all, its free and it gives you more links and traffic.
  - Brook says:
    
    @melvin how much traffic then? could you give more more numbers on how ComLuv benefits you in terms of numbers. Because the way Im seeing it is that theres no way to tell where the traffic comes from comluv or sites using comluv so its hard to determine the return
    - Melvin says:
      
      well that's probably one thing that I wish comluv could have. You're right, there's no way at all to determine if the referrer for your blog is the one that comes from a comluv link on a blog or not. That's because comluv does it directly so in your analytics you'll see the traffic gets attributed to the site directly.
Paul says:

Wow, I didn't realize being the first to comment was that important. I also like the KeywordLuv plugin you got on this Blog. I'm going to implement it on my site too. I think it's an even bigger benefit for people to leave comments on top of ComentLuv. -Paul
- Melvin says:
  
  It depends but it certainly helps to be the first one. Some blogs organize their comments chronologically while others display the latest comments. Yeah, based on what I hear, KeywordLuv is an equally good plugin too so I may use it as well.
Murlu says:

I think that 100 - 150 comments is a bit excessive especially when you weigh in the time you're spending with commenting vs. actually creating comments. I find it's better to keep up with your favorite blogs, leave a helpful post but always remember to write fresh, killer content. However, if you do comment to that extent, keep it in batches so instead of spreading it out over an entire day, spend an hour or two to knock down a ton of them :)
- Melvin says:
  
  Exactly my point Murlu. Most people do comment while doing other blogging work and there's nothing wrong about it. However, as with anything else, its easier to actually do one thing at a time so you'll have enough focus for it..
Dan Keller says:

I definitely commented a lot more when my blog was just starting out. I never made it to the 150 mark but I use to comment on 50 blogs per day. At this point I have 2 blogs so my time to comment is limited. I comment now on blogs that I enjoy and read regularly and do not do it for links or traffic as much as before.
- Melvin says:
  
  We're pretty much in the same situation now Dan. Like I've said, after getting to the point where you feel the traffic is consistent enough, you can start doing it lesser and lesser. Right now Im commenting on blogs that I enjoy, friends blog and blogs that I guest post on like this one.. :)
gand says:

hmm, i think blogging is one of the thing that spend a lot of time, and does'nt given a good effect for us unless we know how to get 1st results in google for our target keyword, i have been search since 1 year ago to find the best way to get 1st ranking in search engine for a fe hours, but until now i found that no way to get this thing, to become 1st in google with target keyword, we need a lot of time and money to do it, fresh domain or website can't drive a lot of traffic in only 1 day even we has optimize it
- Melvin says:
  
  Hey gand I agree with you but Im not too high with search factors when it comes to blogging. I mean, I have about 3 blogs and all of them are more on relationship-driven rather than something relying on search. I highly agree it takes a lot of time to get it done but for me I would rather work on the blog's brand and its connection with other blogggers and eventually search benefits would come later on.. Thats how I always believe. Its hard to rely on search.
Sandeep says:

100-150 comments per a day for a beginner sounds a bit difficult. As he is just into blogging, even if he spends that 2 hours or so, he may not be able to do 100-150 comments a day. He might have to dedicate more time. I think around 50 c0mments a day is feasible.
- Melvin says:
  
  I agree. In fact, in some of the comments below I advised that. I realized not all can do blogging full time, most do it in conjunction with other tasks like job, or parenting and etc.
- Nigel Chua says:
  
  Well, on top of the 'quantity' of the blog comments, i think one must also consider carefully the quality of the blog comments. If someone's blog comments for just the sake of blog commenting or just being commentor number one to say "yay number one", that will likely leave a sour taste in the mouth.
  - Sandeep says:
    
    It doesn't matter how many comments you write on a blog as long as they are valuable(not spammy).
    - Nigel Chua says:
      
      Yeah man, I agree too!
    - Melvin says:
      
      you're right but i'd like to point out as well that the word "valuable" differs for different blog owners. Some owners are completely fine with one to two liners and some are not so thats one thing you may want to look as well
Stephanie Smith says:

You wrote a good article with some excellent points. I have to wonder, however, how pertinent your comments are if you are doing that many in that short a time. I read very fast and couldn't read that many posts in 90 minutes, much less comment on them.
- Melvin says:
  
  For me and as I see with some people I think its very feasible. However, I guess we have to be careful as well because if we're talking about 100-150, obviously we're talking about quantity over quality and that being said, it may harm.. 30 quality comments is still better than 100 "not-so" good ones..
ashok says:

A 100-150 sounds about right, but I'll also say this: it can be as low as 10 or 20 per day if you're consistent, the comments are very high quality, and you're commenting blogs with a sizeable and thoughtful audience. Consistency is really key here. I think all of us who've been blogging for a while have seen traffic drop dramatically when we take time off when we really can't afford to take time off. I dunno. Looking for more thoughts on the matter. I agree people should know how much work getting good conversations started is. I also think their time should be spent very wisely.
- Melvin says:
  
  It's true ashok, consistency is the real key. 100-150 is really more targeted to starters and those who have a whole day (no job) to work with. But I agree with you, 10-20 high quality comments on a consistent basis is enough..
Nigel Chua says:

Cool! I learnt something new again from you, Melvin. Think I'm going to miss receiving your blog updates as you're going more into the physical workplace... =( Nonetheless, I'm always looking forward to seeing your blog posts as I always learn something new! =) Nigel
- Melvin says:
  
  Hey thanks Nigel for the kind words. I would more appreciate it if you're putting all the good tips into action.. Good luck man
  - Nigel Chua says:
    
    Hey Melvin, I will apply as much as I can from what you have been blogging and teaching about. Promise. =)
    - Melvin says:
      
      hehehe.. thanks! But don't forget to take everything with a grain of salt too! ;-)
      - Nigel Chua says:
        
        Hahah okok la will do that pok! I'm now in the midst of preparing to travel to KL (have some hiccups with the transportation) for the sharing on blogging. Will be focussing on entrepreneurship and money, and will talk about utilising blogging for business blogging as a leveraging tool to connect with audiences, that will likely to be my USP blogging perspective. Learning as I go along, and learnt much from you too Melvin. =)
        
        Melvin says:
        
        You know Nigel, I really feel flattered because you haven't said you learned from me just once, you've said it a lot of times and I just feel so gratified. People like you and a lot more who think that my tips are helpful in some way or another are the ones that help me to continue doing this. It just gives me so much energy to maintain what I do.. But what would make me more happy is when you actually start reaping the benefits of all your hard work.. ;-)
Jorgen says:

100 comments in a day huh, there's a jolly good challenge! I struggle to do more than 5 per day, must step up my game.
- Melvin says:
  
  Yep its a daunting task. But if you find it jolly then I guess thats a good advantage. ;-)
Melvin says:

To Hesham, I want to thank you again for posting my guest article here in your blog. I really really really enjoy doing guest post here because your community here is very interactive. Its just amazing to see more than 3 sentences in comments and for me I learn as well which is always the best thing ever.
DiTesco says:

Good solid information and I do agree that the power of commenting must start by having a name and a respectable "face" just as you mentioned :) Now and for the record, I was a noob once but never did I manage to comment too much on so many blogs a day. The problem is that for a comment to be meaningful, you must read the article so your comment is not only meaningful but most importantly related. I do want to risk of being labeled as a Spammer, you might want to reconsider the amount itself.
- Melvin says:
  
  Well good point. I guess it would be in a case to case basis with different people. I don't know but for me and for some of my other friends, we could really do 100 comments or so in like 2-3 hours but maybe its different for other people. But I like the point you brought in which not to risk reputation by commenting as quick as possible. I see many people doing this. In fact I used to have commenters on the blog that comment on 60+ of my blog articles. Not to say they're shady but when people comment that quick, obviously most of the content in comments are just one liner or stuffs.
  - Nigel Chua says:
    
    Yah, seen that quite often, and sometimes, their comments are: "Yay, the first!" (to comment). Mmm, I don't think that's very interactive or smart. It's like a conversation in real life - one person makes a statement or asks a question, and the first person to reply wouldn't say "Yay, I'm the first to reply/answer" right? In these kinds of situations, it's obvious that the people who replies with such responses are more keen to simply hit the first spot for their own purposes of marketing too (although sometimes we happen to be in the right place at the right time =p).
    - Melvin says:
      
      well i don't really see it in blogs that have serious niche like this niche or some other ones like gardening or etc. Those "yay first" type of comments are usually seen on humor sites like cheeseburger and failblog and since its really nonsense to target people there, i wouldn't really mind that
      - Nigel Chua says:
        
        But I do see some in John Chow's blog! (but then again, perhaps it's a perspective of humor?). It doesn't really click well with me when I see such responses though - it doesn't seem to be interactive or add value...but then again, when the next person comes along and says "yay I'm number two!" Excuse me while I go have a seizure now. =p
        
        Melvin says:
        
        yep, it never does add any VALUE at all. but i guess john knows this person so its just fine with him.. Its a bad idea to do that especially if youre trying to gather attention and build brand as a blogger because it gives more harm than benefits.
Julius Kuhn-Regnier says:

This is definitely a nice guide to driving traffic through comments Melvin. And I have to agree with you here. The thing is that many people don't think about what name to use when commenting. They also don't usually think about the type of gravatar they could use. I have done the same. Yet if you choose your name and your gravatar wisely it can have a huge effect on your personal branding. Nice article man.
- Melvin says:
  
  Yep true. I think as far as gravatar, its just that most newcomers aren't aware of a service called gravatar and thats why I stated it here. I couldn't really stress it more. I mean shoemoney for instance is so famous for his cartoon version of himself which he uses as an avatar as well as in forums. I mean, if you could build or even just use it to build your brand then it's gonna be really beneficial.
Casey John says:

I guess i'll start my 100-150 comments a day right now =P. I thought you could have gone into a little more detail about commentluv and trackback urls which are huge in seo.
- Melvin says:
  
  Well Comluv has been discussed more in-depth with some of the equally amazing guest post here so I would just recommend you to check them out i guess. As far as trackbacks, Im not that high on it because oftentimes it looks kinda bit spammy. just my 2 cents though
Kimi says:

Honestly, i do blog commentings in about 10 blogs a day, sometimes less, it needs time and i don't really get traffics. So basically i just love to read another blog post, to learn new stuff, and commenting.
- Melvin says:
  
  As I've said, maybe 100-150 a day isn't really for everyone. But regardless, Im happy you enjoy blog commenting.
Dennis Edell says:

I think it should be pointed out that, "Name – Blog’s name" has little to nothing to do with other blogs one may author, or at least it shouldn't. It has to do more with perfectly targeted keywords on blogs using the Keywordluv plugin. Now, on blogs without that plugin installed, it's a judgment call. I'd look around first to see if anyone else is doing it, or ask the blogger directly if he/she minds. :)
- Melvin says:
  
  Yep I actually noticed it with KeywordLuv plugin but I haven't used it nor do I really observe it that much. Whats your experience with KeywordLuv? is it just like comluv or what?
  - Dennis Edell says:
    
    Nope, two completely separate services. Keywordluv, when written correctly, Name @ Keyword (with the spaces) links JUST your keywords to your URL as anchor text should be....you see here, Direct Sales Marketing is linked, my name is not; giving more weight to my anchor text. ;) Commentluv, as you know, links to a specific post.
    - Melvin says:
      
      oh i see. well keyword luv looks neat. I thought it was something spammy.. heheh, i also have that perception when i hear the word "keyword".
Julius says:

I have been blogging for a few years now and have read numerous articles about the importance of interaction between your readers and your blog. Sad thing is I never paid any attention whether people do actually read what I write or if they ever do, did they find it worth commenting. I mostly write what I feel and blog about my points of views. Although let me tell you that it gives a certain feeling whenever someone dropped a comment on "that" article you wrote. It makes you feel more included.
- Melvin says:
  
  well you have a good point there. Basically i think it depends on the type of post. For me for instance, if I made a post like "i won in a contest blah blah" people will not read it and just comment since all they need to say is congratulations right? But then I had a post last week about finding jobs and whether I need this and I only got like 20 some comments yet most of the comments contain 2 paragraphs so i guess thats the power of posts that interest them.
  - Julius says:
    
    I guess you're right. Nobody wouldn't want to know you're everyday feelings that you're writing in your blog. Not unless it's comes close to a "Greek Tragedy" thing. Nevertheless, I wouldn't be discouraged if that's the case. I love blogging and I love what I do. And besides, I learn new things each day. Just like now. :)
    - Melvin says:
      
      lols @ greek tragedy. ;-) Well I love your enthusiasm then. Hopefully you can maintain it for the long run and eventually have that transferred into a productive work for your blog and good results.. :)
Asad says:

Blog commenting can be really helpful to get targeted traffic to your blogs. Comluv gives you the advantage to not only share your thoughts but also building inbound links for your last 10 posts.
- Melvin says:
  
  Yep, thats the nice thing with Comluv. I've been using them for a year now but its just couple of months back that I realized you could change your last post. But anyways just like now if you notice, Im using different posts to make sure I make the most of my guest post here..
Sourav says:

"So if you don’t feel like doing commenting, you better have to start enjoying it" absolutely correct. Otherwise it will look very robotic. About CommentLuv, even I follow the same strategy as yours, I use different links if I do more than one comment on the same post. Btw, didn't understand the additional URL thing that Ileane and Collen mentioned in their comments. And 100-150 comments per day!!! Hmmm...not possible for me. I can do a max of 15-20.
- Ileane says:
  
  Sourav, first I have to say hello to my fellow BloggerLuv member. If you ever need help understanding my comments, please be sure to let me know and you can contact me directly on BloggerLuv or Twitter. I'll try to explain the default links quickly. This might not apply to you yet, depending on how many articles you've published on your blog so far. When you sign up for CommentLuv, and you leave a comment on a site that has the plugin installed, only your last 10 articles will appear in the list for you to choose from. But let's just say you have 20 articles on your blog and the one you really want to promote doesn't show up on your list because it's not one of your last 10. What you can do is add that article to your account in CommentLuv so that it will appear in the list. If you watch the one minute video I created you can see exactly where to add the default link to your account. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sg0xKnlJDw If you have more than one blog you can add the additional URL to your account also, which you will also see in the video. Let me know if you need help with anything.
  - Sourav says:
    
    Thanks for the detailed explanation, Ms. Ileane. Now I understood the extra features. But I need to have credits to use those, and I have got 0 credits at the moment. :(
    - Melvin says:
      
      Well that is informative for me too Ms.Ileane. I've been using ComLuv for a while now but I have never really explored other features aside from the basic ones..
Harsh Agrawal says:

Really nice point Melvin. When ever I start a new blog or venture, Commenting is my lethal weapon. I also suggest try this firefox addon call Easy comment which will make your life easier. :)
- Melvin says:
  
  Maybe you could've added more info about that firefox addon but thats me being lazy, heheh.. Sure I would definitely look into that..
Mick Morris says:

Any discussion on interaction always revolves around commenting. I just don't think you can do it in a formulaic way and still appear REAL. So the real trick is to just comment as often as you can, where you can.
- Melvin says:
  
  I agree Mick, its nowhere rocket science. Its just the normal conversation anyway. If people enjoy your comment then you're good to go, otherwise maybe try the next around.
Colleen says:

Perhaps one note to add in regards to CommentLuv is thier additional links. To add additional links to your CommentLuv selection will cost 2 credits (2 dollars, I believe) and we've found the extra links have been useful, especially on blogs we comment on often. :)
- Melvin says:
  
  I didn't know that. Thanks for the heads up Colleen. I would definitely look into that. Btw, could you further more explain why its useful? Is it driving you more traffic or what?
  - Colleen says:
    
    For us, one of our Additional URLS links to a page in our site we were on page 2 of Google. We've been able to move to page 1 by using the "Additional URLS" feature and the phrase we are targeting. When you login to your Comluv.com account, look for "Additional URLS." 2 bucks for an extra url is cheap! I used the url and phrase I'm referring to in this current comment luv link for an example.
    - Melvin says:
      
      Oh I see. Hmm, to be honest Im not impressed that much but the best way to know for me is to actually try it and see if it works for me. Thanks for the heads up
Latief says:

Interesting article Melvin, if you asking me about 100 comment a day, yes I can do that bro! One day I can comments on 100 dofollow and commentluv blog to promote my article, and its fun for me bro ;)
- Melvin says:
  
  Wow, thats awesome. Then I guess you have a decisive advantage already against everyone.. :)
  - Latief says:
    
    Yes bro, my commenting activities lift my blog to the high level, and Google decide to give me Page Rank 3 at the first 3 months age ;)
    - Melvin says:
      
      way to go Latief. In my case Google doesn't like MelvinBlog as they have never awarded me with any pagerank at all. lols
Dev says:

Hey Melvin, Really great Post. You've mentioned some valid Points. Blog commenting is one of the easiest and awesome way to get targeted traffic, backlinks, brand awareness etc. Btw. I don't anyone can do 100+ comments a day even i only able do 20-3 comments. Anyways, Thanks for sharing this great post. And Best of luck for the fb contest.
- Melvin says:
  
  Like I said, it depends on where youre currently at. As I see with your blog, i think its getting enough traffic already that you can do it at a much fewer rate. Its definitely doable I mean just look at the comment of Latief above. He does more than 100..
Kristi Hines says:

I don't know if it was mentioned, but on blogs where the oldest comments are first, then it is important to try to be the first comment on the post. This way, there is more chance of people reading your comment before they leave theirs and (hopefully) will find your comment valuable enough to want to follow your link back to your website. That is actually more likely to happen on sites with CommentLuv. And if you can't be the first commenter, but the blog has threaded replies, the next best bet is (if you can make it useful) reply to the first commenter. Speaking of threaded replies, that is probably one of the easiest ways to build rep and do a lot of comments - try to signup for an email notification of new replies to your comment and make sure to respond to any that require it. People will get to know you more and be more likely to click on your link!
- Melvin says:
  
  Exactly. I used to ignore before the email notification of new replies but once I implemented it in my blog, I really saw the potential of it. It really makes it much easier to build conversation with your readers and commenters. With regards to being the first one to comment, yes there's a benefit. I remembered in Yaro Starak's blog wherein I got like 40 uniques just because I was the first one to comment and each of those uniques visited like 4-6 pages of my blog. Definitely so worth it for me..
  - Cherry Margle says:
    
    Yep it definitely really counts when you are among the first commenters. It gives you the most exposure but on the other hand it depends on the order still. If its in Chronological then you're good but if its by latest comments then the exposure is quite limited.
- dimaks says:
  
  I think it is best to subscribe to the RSS of those blogs that are targeted for comments. One you get the fresh update, you can just head onto a blog and seize the opportunity.
element321 says:

Melvin, great post. All this information is great for a new blogger or site that isn't getting their traffic. I generally recommend my clients to comment as much as possible. But 100+ is to much for someone running a business blog linked to their real business or even those doing a blog as part time job / hobby. You can explain all day why its important but most people are not going to do it. I agree its the best way to get traffic, I tested this theory and between 50-100 comments a day brings a lot of traffic. For myself and most of my clients, we just do not have the time to do this. We concentrate on our customers and on our regular jobs. When I work with clients who want a link building strategy training, I generally recommend between 10 - 20 comments a day (my daily goal), if they have time to do more they should. I know that by not commenting as much, they would see the traffic like someone who is doing a 100 plus a day they will still get traffic and it will just take a little longer to get the exposure. The way I see it, commenting is not easy, its time consuming, but if you do it right you can learn a lot, make new friends, and have a little fun... You should never comment just to comment, you should do it because you enjoy it.
- Melvin says:
  
  That's a good addition man! When I created this article, I had full time bloggers in mind but anyway you're right. It's true that its nearly impossible for someone who has a job to do 100 a day so I suggest to just maybe 20-30 as you said. And another takeaway you stated is that its time-consuming. Its true and its a big mistake for most bloggers to think its easy work and you just have to rush it. I really really spend a lot of time commenting even though these days I do it for like less than 10 blogs.
Nabeel says:

Hey Melvin, Excellent post. "Before you can move to the top echelon, you gotta start doing the little things first and fast, and blog commenting is one of them." I agree with this statement. And I also believe in it. I am also doing the same thing, as I have just started blog commenting and have not done any guest posts. This is an opportunity for me to learn new stuff and meet new people. You are right Melvin, blog commenting definitely increases communication and builds a relationship with the blog owner. Kindest, Nabeel PS: "Note: This post mainly targets noobs with blogs that have little to no traffic." I think noobs is not a good word to use for newbies. In my opinion, it would be better to use Newcomers or Beginners, as Noob looks like an inappropriate name for newcomers.
- Melvin says:
  
  Didn't see this comment right away. Anyways, Im glad we're in the same line as far as building relationships is concern. I actually learned that first from Yaro Starak in one of his podcasts. Its really hard to do higher level works like guest posting, if you haven't done the smaller things like blog commenting.. Ok man, next time I will refrain from using noobs.. ;-)
Kiesha says:

Hi Melvin, I'm glad that you make the distinction between how many comments new bloggers should aim for and the fact that bloggers with more established traffic can do with less. When I first started blogging, it was the high volume of comments that helped me get the exposure my blog needed. Now that I've got more traffic, I definitely comment on other blogs less. It makes sense - now that I've got the traffic, I've got comments on my own site that I need to respond to - that's how you know you're progressing - when you swap the off-site commenting to on-site replies. Good work, here!
- Melvin says:
  
  exactly Kiesha. Thats the way to do it. I mean even before bloggers like Yaro Starak, Daniel Scocco or Carl Ocab were out there commenting. Now that they are such high authorities there's no need to comment anymore..
Aaron says:

Hi Melvin. Commenting is an awful lot of work. I find it time consuming just to be able to do 20-30 informative comments a day. Not sure if I would be disciplined enough to do 100, and I really don't have that much to say hehe. Thanks for the tips on the Gravatar. I just signed up so we'll see how it works.
- Melvin says:
  
  I think anyone can really do over 50 comments a day if they dedicate enough time and focus in it. But then if you can't , then maybe you can start with that number and work your way up.. Your welcome Aaron
Ileane says:

Hi Melvin, first let me say what I say to all of the contestants, best of luck to you in the FBCL contest. I'm sure you will do well with your entries. I need to read the other post soon also. This one is dear to me because I remember when I first started out and I had no clue how important commenting on other blog was. I thought that if I wrote something good people would visit my blog and my traffic would soar! Not true, it takes hard work and the fun side of it is interacting with other bloggers and learning from their blogs. Sometimes your comment could be a question like - I have no clue what you are talking about where should I start?? :) Well I wanted to add something to your mention of CommentLuv and having different posts to pick from. I want to remind the readers here that you can also add additional url's to your Comluv account as well as default links. The default links should represent your best content (or what Gail refers to as "pillar" content). If anyone wants to learn more about how to do this, please check out my CommentLuv link below. Thanks Melvin!
- Melvin says:
  
  Oh, seems like I wasn't able to read this post. Anyways, Im glad you realized that thing. Well for me when I was getting started, I was fortunate that I already know these things. I mean I think I did my research pretty well and so when I first launched MelvinBlog.com, there's already a plan in place. Thanks for the commentluv tip. :)

From Soup to Nuts, Driving Traffic with Blog Commenting

Setting Things Up

Signing up with ComLuv (mandatory)

You Gotta love interacting with people

100-150 blog comments per day, can you do it?

Building on Momentum

Conclusion

About Melvin

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Setting Things Up

Signing up with ComLuv (mandatory)

You Gotta love interacting with people

100-150 blog comments per day, can you do it?

Building on Momentum

Conclusion

About Melvin

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