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Anyone whose run a blog knows you get literally hundreds of useless comments from people just looking for a quick link. It's easy to ignore these and many newer versions of WordPress and other blogging platforms do a pretty good job of weeding out those "spammers."
With this in mind, it's almost counterintuitive to think you can obtain organic links through blog comments.
But you can obtain links to your site through commenting on other people's blogs if you do it right. Rather than just passively commenting on someone's blog, good blog comments work to develop a relationship with the blogger on the other side.
Over time, this pays off tremendously since the blogger will see you actually read what they write and find it valuable. Not only will this result in a link to your site, it's also possible for them to get information from your blog to put on theirs, giving you another link right there.
Continue reading for 5 ways you can obtain organic links through commenting on other people's blogs.
If you comment on a blog, read the entire post
It's hard to imagine this but many comments on blogs are obviously from people who never actually read the post in its entirety. Many comments in fact have absolutely nothing to do with the post itself, which is a red flag for "spammy" comments. So if you're going to comment on someone else's blog, be sure you read the entire post and have some substantive to add or a question to ask.
Include your name
One big thing you need to do in order to gain trust with the
other blogger is to include your full name in the comment. Most platforms have
a field where you enter your name and even website. Many spammers simply place
keywords they're trying to get links for in this field, which is a big red flag and a practice that's generally shunned by mainstream marketers.
Be personal and friendly
Another way to gain trust in someone you're commenting on is to be personal and friendly. Address the blogger by their first name and be sure to thank them for their post. There are other ways too of course but these are a couple of common ones.
Contribute something to the conversation
Don't just say "Great post" or something like that. While that's a good way to start out your comment, you need to add something of value to the conversation. Perhaps you can point out something they may have missed for example. If you disagree with their conclusions, explain why in a courteous, professional tone. In other words, don't be rude about it.
Be sure to come back again and keep in touch
Simply leaving a comment and not coming back again isn't going to get you very far in terms of links. Check in often and leave a comment if you have something to add. Consistent visits and comments will help build the relationship that will eventually get you that link. And if you leave a comment, be sure to subscribe to that particular comment so you will know when they reply or someone else adds something.
No matter your industry, commenting on others' blogs helps build your professional network with like minded people as well as online presence.
Links act as a vote of confidence for the search engines. They signal to the search engines that your site is important and others find it valuable. Remember, the bigger the site that's linking to you is, the bigger the impact a link from them will have on your position.
But in the beginning, start small and work your way up and grow the quantity and quality of your links in unison.
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Stone Reuning is president and founder of SEO Advantage, Inc., an online marketing firm and website optimization company that helps businesses turn their websites into powerful lead and revenue generation tools.
Beginning with a focus on search engine optimization in 1999, SEO Advantage now brings a full multi-disciplinary approach to each client website. Clients enjoy dominance on Google, Yahoo and Bing through a suite of unique pay-for-performance search engine optimization and online marketing services. Experts in SEO, social media optimization, online reputation management, and website conversions work hand-in-hand with small business owners and client marketing departments providing complete copywriting and creative web design support.
You'll find SEO Advantage referenced in books such as Writing Web-Based Advertising Copy to Get the Sale and the BusinessWeek bestseller The New Rules of Marketing & PR, as well as popular ebooks like The Small Business Blogging Blueprint.
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