Offsite SEO: Blog Commenting

There are two names to the Offsite SEO game:

1. Generate Traffic
2. Create Backlinks

Now, "Generate Traffic" could be an immediate response, or it could be a slow cooking approach with a lot of branding.

The main thing, though, is creating backlinks.

We can use OTHER people's blogs to create backlinks or generate traffic to our site.  We can simply leave comments on their blogs.

Careful!  There is a right way and a wrong way to do this!

Should we just post comments, anywhere?

You can, but it is much better--for you and the entire Internet--if you are more selective.

Why can't I just post anything I want on other people's blogs?


First, the blog owner can delete your comment, which means you will have wasted your time.

Second, even if you leave an unrelated comment on a blog that is entirely unrelated to your topic, you still are wasting your time:

• Backlinks Become Worthless:  In the best case scenario, unrelated backlinks to your site will not help you.  There is some discussion indicating that you can actually HURT your website's ranking with the additional but unrelated backlink.  Google sees this as Spam, and it will lower your trustrank.
• You Irritate People:  At best, people will not visit your website, since it has nothing to do with what they are reading.  At the worst, it will give you a bad reputation, and people will spread around that word.

Note:  Several blogs have a "No Follow" feature on links from their site.  This means that a person might be able to click on the link to your site and visit you, but Google will not give you credit for having a backlink to your site.  This is okay, since you are giving people a chance to visit you, and it also brands you more, if what you write is good.

How do I find blogs that are related to my topic?

Actually, there are a few ways to find blogs that are related to the keywords you are trying to dominate.

You can type any of these:

• "keyword phrase" blog
• "keyword phrase" blog news
• "keyword phrase" news

For example, if your targeted keyword is hot chicken soup, then you would type...

• "hot chicken soup" blog

in the Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. search bar.

Make sure to use different variations of your keywords.

Another way to find them is to use the Search Engine's tools.

For example, Google allows you to search the general web, but you can also be more specific.  You can
conduct a search within Blogs (amongst other categories).

Most blog programs also have search features within it.  So you can conduct a search within the same blogging system that you are using.

Sometimes, that can be even better.  Often, it is really easy to share links or other information between other bloggers within the same program.  There are times when this can increase your traffic even more quickly.

Does it matter what I write in my comments on other people's blogs?

You do not have to worry about award winning writing; however, I suggest the following steps:

1. Find blogs that are related to your keyword phrase.
2. Make sure that your comment relates to the blog's topic.
3. Use keywords within your comment.
4. Leave a backlink to your site, even if the site has a "No Follow" feature.  Also, even if you cannot leave a backlink, leave your URL, anyway.  Make it as easy as possible for people to visit your site.

How often should I do this?

Like nearly every form of marketing, the more you do it, the better your results will be.

My suggestion for a beginner is to leave 1 or 2 comments each day.  This will help you build your exposure over time, and it will be a lot more than most, if not all, of your competitors.

Plus, you might get ideas for site when you look at other people's blogs.

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