When your blog is new you’re thrilled to get these first few comments and you jump in with both feet answering every single one. After a while, though, as your blog becomes more and more popular and those comments start coming in by the dozens it becomes a chore to try to answer every single one. Be that as it may, it’s something you need to get used to. Here are five reasons why you should respond to every comment on your blog.
Comments Breed More Comments
When a reader leaves a comment it means he found you post interesting and thought provoking. So much so he felt he must leave a comment and start a conversation with you. Those first few comments that show up under a new post are especially important because they’re actually starting the conversation. If you don’t join in and keep the conversation going, neither will any of your visitors. And those visitors who did leave the first couple of comments won’t be tempted to do it again because you’re obviously not paying attention, so why waste the time?
Comments Add More Value
Many commentors respond to your posts with their own personal experiences. Some also back their comments up with additional facts or research. The additional information in these comments make that post even more valuable. In most cases those experiences also point out just how right you are, which adds to your credibility.
Comments Help With SEO
Bloggers who allow crawlers access to comments do so for the additional search engine exposure. If you’re not worried about comment spam or flamers and trolls this can be another way searchers can find you on the Web.
Comments Increase Your Authority
You should always respond when commentor ask questions because it gives you another opportunity to showcase your expertise. As a bonus, many commentors who ask questions also subscribe so they can follow that comment thread and come back for your answer.
Comments Can Help Increase Subscriptions
When your blog has an established community of commentors they often subscribe the the RSS feed for comments and/or your blog so they can keep up with the conversation. So it benefits you to jump in there, answer and engage with your commentors, and keep that conversation going.
Set up your comments to allow threaded conversations where your readers can reply directly to each other. Then, each time someone replies in that thread a new email goes out to everyone who’s subscribed.
Inviting visitors into your blog is like inviting them into your home. You wouldn’t invite a group of people into your home and then leave them to fend for themselves and mingle. You’d stay right there in their midst, making sure everyone felt warm and comfortable and making sure everyone was included in the conversation.
You need to do the same thing on your blog. Be a warm and welcoming host by replying to every comment on your blog.