798 Views & 5 Comments - Are You Doing All You Can To Engage Them?
That’s not an exaggeration. I’ve seen those exact numbers and more on different blogs around the ‘net.
What am I talking about? That nifty little Wordpress plugin that shows how many people viewed a particular blog article. A sweet little gadget for a bloggers ego for sure, and yes, that view count can be swayed and manipulated in multiple ways; it even says so in the ReadMe documentation of the plugin. Still, it’s a pretty good indicator of what’s going on.
This post is not a pitch for or against the plugin itself, but rather a direct question to you. Are you doing everything you can, per each and every article, to get readers engaged enough to leave their mark (comment)?
I do realize of course we’ll all have many, MANY visitors that will NEVER comment for reasons that are their own, and that’s OK. As long as their reading, adsorbing, implementing what they learn and buying what we offer! I’m kidding of course with that last one…..
Anyhoo, you say to me “I get 50 comments per post!” OK, is that 50 different people or 5 using threaded comments to respond to each other and you? Don’t get me wrong, YOU WANT THAT TOO, but you see where I’m headed here.
Take me for example (get over it, it’s my article). I average a very respectable number on each post worthy of them, and I’m also starting to see at least 1-2 NEW commenters per post as well; pretty dandy if you ask me.
Could I do better? Absolutely! Look at it this way…..
With a subscriber base currently at 200+ and nearly 1000 unique visitors per week, my respectable numbers and my awesome 1-2 new commenters per post suddenly look like they should have “only” in front, don’t they?
I’ll be posting what I do to raise the readership and especially engagement, but for now I ask you again:
Are YOU doing everything you can, per each and every article, to get readers engaged enough to leave their mark?
Don’t be afraid, we’re all here to help each other. 
Dennis
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Jaq @ Net Age Web Design
Kev
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sherry
March 11th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Ok I may be having one of those nights but I don’t see the name or link for the plugin.
The Blogger Source´s last blog post..What Twitter Tools To Use
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 11th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
@Michael-The Blogger Source,
Yea sorry about that. I did it purposely so readers wouldn’t interpret it as a post about the plugin itself; it’s not.
http://lesterchan.net/wordpress/readme/wp-postviews.html
Be sure to click the 2nd link if you’re not using 2.7x
Oh btw, please notice what I did with the name field above.
Michael - The Blogger Source Reply:
March 11th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
@Dennis Edell, Ah got ya. Thanks. Yes I see you added my name, do you prefer it that way? If so why, maybe I’ll need to consider it on mine.
Michael - The Blogger Source´s last blog post..What Twitter Tools To Use
Ben Pei Reply:
March 12th, 2009 at 5:59 am
@Michael - The Blogger Source, Hmm I guess thats his new comment policy?
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 12th, 2009 at 6:50 am
@Michael - The Blogger Source,
Yes as Ben pointed out it is my policy. A real name either before or after the keywords, or at the very least a one-word non keyword nick name.
I think it makes everyone feel better knowing who they are responding to.
March 11th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
LOL. I needed that humor as I’ve been working too long. Saw this just as I was about to shut down for the day.
You’re welcome (for the new visitors I keep sending you). I’ve already shared this post at cliKball and will share it at FriendFeed and Twitter as soon as I submit this comment.
While I’m not sure we can ever do EVERYTHING we can we can keep building on what we’re doing. I still want to know how you got such a high Technorati rating. I’m off to that other thread to see if you answered over there.
Yes, I did subscribe to the comment as I always do but my inbox is still overflowing because I’ve been spending most of my time posting the last two days.
GrowMap´s last blog post..Are You Missing the Conversations Because You Only Read Blogs in RSS Readers?
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 12th, 2009 at 7:02 am
@GrowMap,
LOL I’m glad I could give you a chuckle!
Thanks for the visitors! I just wish more new arrivals would take a second to tell where they came from. I think that would help a few people.
The only problem with building on what we’re doing is if what we’re doing isn’t working in the first place. It’s always good to go bigger and better; find new things.
Did I ask about subscribing to comments? Sorry, the way you wrote that confused me, but thanks! And never worry about being late to the party, as long as you show.
I’ll respond to the Technorati thread…
GrowMap Reply:
March 12th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
@Dennis Edell, You didn’t ask about subscribing; I was volunteering that I DO always subscribe but I didn’t know you had answered about Technorati because my inbox is so full I didn’t know if there was a response in there yet.
As it turns out there wasn’t so I went to that post and added some more detail.
What you’re doing is working; what most of us who are passionate about blogging do less well is monetize. That is why I’m researching and posting about that.
The analytics posts are so we can track whether what we’re doing is working or not. There will be a lot more of those, written so anyone can understand them.
I noticed a comment from Adam Singer just below this one. Check out his blog; it is one of the best I frequent. I suspect he found you through my blog as he has been kind enough to share my posts at Twitter.
GrowMap´s last blog post..Are You Missing the Conversations Because You Only Read Blogs in RSS Readers?
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 11:41 am
@GrowMap,
I always check out the blogs of commenters, but I do appreciate the testimonial ahead of time.
March 11th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
A simple rule to get comments is write less, and leave it open ended. Write something each comment will inspire more comments.
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 12th, 2009 at 7:08 am
@Adam Singer, Welcome to the community and thanks for the input! I just left a comment at your place also.
Ben Pei Reply:
March 19th, 2009 at 2:39 am
@Adam Singer, Not exactly.. Unless its provoking.
March 12th, 2009 at 1:34 am
Gee, when you look at it that way, why would you want people to know how man views your getting if people aren’t commenting.
Anyhoo, seeing as how you’re doing so well, does that mean that you do not need my commenting services anymore?
Sire´s last blog post..Seven Things About Me You May Not Know
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 12th, 2009 at 7:10 am
@Sire, “why would you want people to know how man views your getting if people aren’t commenting.”
Those were some of my exact thoughts; it may even hurt in the long run.
Oh dear Sire, you know I’d have to shut the blog down if you weren’t here.
Sire Reply:
March 14th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
@Dennis Edell, Shit, we can’t have that happen, so I suppose I should make this one of my permanent stops for reading and commenting, just so other people don’t miss out on a good read.
Sire´s last blog post..Googles Interest-Based Advertising Sucks
Ben Pei Reply:
March 19th, 2009 at 2:40 am
@Sire, Ok Sire then I am going to shut down mine too if weren’t for you!
March 12th, 2009 at 5:52 am
Lol I guess whether to comment or not depends very much on the topic. Sometimes I get lots of them, sometimes I don’t get any of them.
It’s hard to decide for that matter dude.
Ben Pei´s last blog post..Interview With Alvin Phang On MSN
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 12th, 2009 at 7:11 am
@Ben Pei, That’s exactly my point Ben, are you writing for the reader or someone else?
Ben Pei Reply:
March 12th, 2009 at 7:40 am
@Dennis Edell, Man, I write with you in my mind! What topics and words can entice Mr Dennis to drop a word or two?
Ben Pei´s last blog post..Interview With Alvin Phang On MSN
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 12th, 2009 at 8:10 am
@Ben Pei, Writing about how awesome I am might do the trick.
Salwa Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
@Dennis Edell, lol
That would be great Isn’t it Dennis?
Salwa´s last blog post..How to Avoid Blog Burn Out
March 12th, 2009 at 7:10 am
Are search bots and other non human visitors to your site discounted from the stats? And are the post people are visiting being picked up by the relevant keywords?
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 12th, 2009 at 7:16 am
@khaled,
I’m not sure if all stat counters pick up the bots and other things, that would be something to ask an SEO professional I think….which I am not for sure. lol
It’s definitely something I’ll look into though.
“And are the post people are visiting being picked up by the relevant keywords?”
This is definitely one of our hopes as bloggers. Learning the proper keywording process for the search engines is ultimately important. However it’s my contention (and Googles) to write for the reader first, then go over it again for the SE’s.
JR @ Internet Marketing Strate Reply:
March 16th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
@khaled
Great question, I would like to know that as well.
JR @ Internet Marketing Strate´s last blog post..20 Great Blog Comment Resources and Plugins
March 12th, 2009 at 7:49 am
Yup actually the post the gets you alot of spams are normally one that get pick up by SE and it gets alot of page views.
Ben Pei´s last blog post..Interview With Alvin Phang On MSN
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 12th, 2009 at 8:03 am
@Ben Pei, Since you want ALL your pages picked up by the SE’s, there’s not much to do with that. However I don’t see the correlation between the two.
March 12th, 2009 at 10:26 am
Hey Dennis,
It seems to me that asking a question at the bottom of the post (like you do) is the most effective way of getting more comments. Of course, the post has to be interesting enough for people to get through to the end as well…
And I think it depends on the question, ie.
“Is Tom Cruise a nut?”
vs.
“What do you think of the accounting formula used on IRS form 185E page 7?”
~ Steve, the trade show guru
Steve | Trade Show Guru´s last blog post..Green Trade Show Displays
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 12th, 2009 at 11:29 am
@Steve | Trade Show Guru,
I’d think that’s just a difference between say a celebrity blog or an accountants blog. If you’re reading either to begin with, then you should find the question interesting.
March 12th, 2009 at 11:51 am
Hey Dennis,
Good point on the blog post subject. I guess I was trying to say that whether the question is narrow or broad may effect the number of answers, I think. If one did write a post about “IRS form 185E”, you could ask:
1. What do you think of the accounting formula used on IRS form 185E page 7? OR
2. What’s your biggest complaint about the IRS? OR
3. Do you think the IRS should be abolished?
~ Steve, the trade show guru
Steve | Trade Show Guru´s last blog post..Green Trade Show Displays
March 12th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
I have to second Ben’s comment up there — comment flurries often depend on the richness of the topic, or the questions posed in the content. Like - if the post is too closed up, too informational and not open for people to disagree or add on, it won’t inspire a conversation. Also, if the comments themselves are rich, like you have a bright insightful readership, then you’ll get more comments.
Matty Byloos´s last blog post..The Man With Two Brains: Carl Reiner at the Aero Theater
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 11:44 am
@Matty Byloos,
That’s why bloggers must encourage real thought provoking comments…they usually drum up more thoughts and ideas then the post itself.
Matty Byloos Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 11:55 am
@Dennis Edell, Most definitely. Sometimes, I think that’s one of the main jobs of any blogger, regardless of their niche.
Matty Byloos´s last blog post..The Man With Two Brains: Carl Reiner at the Aero Theater
JR @ Internet Marketing Strate Reply:
March 16th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
@Matty Byloos
Also, a controversial post is a great way to get people to comment, try bashing some famous blogger sometime and you will get tons of responses.
JR @ Internet Marketing Strate´s last blog post..20 Great Blog Comment Resources and Plugins
Matty Byloos Reply:
March 16th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
@JR @ Internet Marketing Strate, Sounds dangerous!
Matty Byloos´s last blog post..The Man With Two Brains: Carl Reiner at the Aero Theater
JR @ Internet Marketing Strate Reply:
March 16th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
@Matty Byloos
LOL, it can be but it’s a great link link bait and really stirs peple up and I don’t mean to make something up and just blast them, but there are issues that can be addressed subtly and still stir up so trouble
JR @ Internet Marketing Strate´s last blog post..20 Great Blog Comment Resources and Plugins
GrowMap Reply:
March 16th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
@JR @ Internet Marketing Strate,
Sometimes your posts end up being controversial totally by accident. I just got blasted about my latest post by another blogger I respect. I don’t know if I’m missing something obvious or…
I could sure use some other bloggers to weigh in on the post and the comments. Am I trying to “get away with something” or just using what works? Could you come by and let me know?
GrowMap´s last blog post..Blog Traffic Up 54.87% in the Last 30 Days: Our Proven Traffic Improvement Strategy
JR @ Internet Marketing Strate Reply:
March 16th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
@GrowMap,
I will do that!
JR @ Internet Marketing Strate´s last blog post..Google Adsense Privacy Policy Update Deadline
March 12th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Huge numbers of comments can highlight posts that are VERY popular - and I find they are often not the ones we expect. My post on what not to do when you redesign your site was only done because I saw that a friend had made a huge mistake with their site.
It turned out to be wildly popular even with those who already knew everything in the post - probably because they were constantly trying to keep people from making the same mistakes.
Comments also tell me when I didn’t narrow my post topic down tight enough and when my writing wasn’t quite clear enough for beginners.
While I agree with Adam that writing less works, that isn’t my style and I break that “rule” all the time. Because I do I also specifically ask for questions, comments and related links.
Adding the CommentLuv plugin and several others made a huge difference in the amount of comments left in my blog. I added the link to a post about that from GrowMap in this comment to make it easy for any of your readers not already using CommentLuv to find out how.
GrowMap´s last blog post..Making Money with Your Blog - Part 2 - Evaluating Affiliate Programs
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 11:46 am
@GrowMap, excellent comment! I don’t personally agree with less either; finish the thought and make sure your ending call to action does the trick.
March 12th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
I don’t use those ego boosting things, I’d be too depressed when it was said and done with. LOL. I do try to get my readers involved, though and it usually works. But like you said, no matter how hard you work, not everyone will leave a comment.
Christine Senter´s last blog post..New Inspirations From Old Ideas
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 11:47 am
@Christine Senter, True again, but I do believe anyone can do better then 798 & 5.
March 12th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
Your title post is very much in line with your blog indeed!
Like people said, those are numbers and what you do, how you use them and how you interpret them is up to one another.
Displaying the numbers for some people would indeed draw attention to them like the popular forum posts readers systems.
Others may view them as having a negative impact in the numbers are very low…
But when it comes to the response rate itself, it truly depends of your post purpose I feel.
Did you write just to provide information that do not require follow up action (at least not more than coming back to read more), in such case low comments rate is not really an issue, even more a satisfaction reward whenever one comes out.
On the other hand, if your post is more marketing oriented, one should seek a higher comment response rate and ask himself or herself the question your put “Am I doing all I can to engage my readers?”
Personally, the ratio viewers/commentators is not really important to me.
Nicolas Prudhon
Nicolas Prudhon´s last blog post..WVO is taking over SEO Part 2
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 11:49 am
@Nicolas Prudhon, Welcome to the community and thanks for the excellent comment! I hope to see you around more often.
March 13th, 2009 at 12:17 am
I use Google Analytics to track my users. I am interested in hearing about what you do. I will check back!
All Beer Blog´s last blog post..Mickey’s Fine Malt Liquor
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 11:50 am
@All Beer Blog, I use statcounter.com and love it!
In the future please use a real first name along with your keywords in the name field.
March 13th, 2009 at 12:38 am
Thanks for the mention. I have seen such plugin on lots of blogs but I dont know. Will it show the number of post on our wp dashboard or on the mainpage itself?
Harish´s last blog post..What to Have and What Not to Have for Site Flipping
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 11:50 am
@Harish, It will show the count on the post itself, but you have to insert a piece of code for it to work that way.
March 13th, 2009 at 7:37 am
Well I am now trying a cartoon strip with every blog post, for what used to be an erstwhile serious marketing blog. Lets see if that works to engage
Ishwar S´s last blog post..Save the Best for Last
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 11:51 am
@Ishwar S, Welcome to the community! I checked out the blog and love the cartoon. They always draw me in a little more then usual.
March 13th, 2009 at 10:14 am
I think one of my biggest issues with encouraging comments is I like to write everything I know about the subject, so it doesn’t give a lot of wiggle room for people to add in things I missed. Not trying to toot my horn as an expert, but if you cover something too well, there is not a lot of motivation for people to say anything more than “Wow, this is great.”
~ Kristi
Kikolani´s last blog post..How to Keep Your RSS Subscribers
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 11:53 am
@Kikolani, That’s where a well thought and place CTA (call to action) comes into play nicely at the end of the post.
Even something as simple as, “Those are my thoughts, what’s your opinion?” works quite well.
Michael@The Blogger Source Reply:
March 14th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
@Kikolani, I’m the same way, I hate to leave something out because I feel it makes me look like I didn’t do a full job. I guess that’s where some creative thinking would come into play.
Michael - The Blogger Source´s last blog post..Tweet Day On The Blogger Source - Follow Me
Caleb - Market Secrets Blogger Reply:
March 16th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
@Kikolani, With so many different angles of wisdom in the blogosphere, I don’t think any ONE blogger can ever cover a thing “too well”!
Now, I understand what you’re saying and because of the point you made, some ppl may simply feel a bit too intimidated to comment.
March 16th, 2009 at 8:33 am
Seeing that I changed “directions” I hardly do anything about trying to get more comments on my blog anymore. Maybe I should ask more questions, maybe I will again in the future, ….
Mirjam´s last blog post..My One Week Marketing Projects are Starting to Take Off!
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 16th, 2009 at 10:16 am
@Mirjam, If interaction is no longer your thing, then no worries.
Caleb - Market Secrets Blogger Reply:
March 16th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
@Mirjam, Ending posts/articles with “open-ended questions” is a strategy I see many blogs use and it definitely stimulates me to make a few responses…especially if the article was content worthy.
March 16th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
I put a little message above the fold on my main page and at the end of single post pages explaining how “it’s bad for your health to leave my site without commenting!”
Seems to be getting a reaction…
I also explained on my About page how you get love from the search engines by leaving a comment -being that my comments are “do-follow”
As I come up with more, I’ll let you all know…
Caleb - Market Secrets Blogger´s last blog post..GatherSuccess.com Gets Simulated
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 16th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
@Caleb - Market Secrets Blogger, Both sound like pretty good strategies. Nothing beats the post ending call to action though; that’s a must!
March 16th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
I am fortunate enough to have lots of comments and participation. You Dennis are the king of comments both receiving and giving
JR @ Internet Marketing Strate´s last blog post..20 Great Blog Comment Resources and Plugins
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 16th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
@JR @ Internet Marketing Strate, You most certainly do as well; are you my queen?
JR @ Internet Marketing Strate Reply:
March 16th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
@Dennis Edell,
I would have to say of late I may just be a princess, since I have neglected my blog duties to work on new campaigns.
JR @ Internet Marketing Strate´s last blog post..Google Adsense Privacy Policy Update Deadline
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 17th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
@JR @ Internet Marketing Strate,
No worries. You do the kind of posts where you could easily get away with 1 per week.
JR @ Internet Marketing Strate Reply:
March 17th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
@Dennis Edell,
Thank you darling, always nice to hear good things!
JR @ Internet Marketing Strate´s last blog post..Google Adsense Privacy Policy Update Deadline
Ben Pei Reply:
March 19th, 2009 at 2:36 am
@JR @ Internet Marketing Strate, Awww getting so sweet here.. Someone’s watching.
Ben Pei´s last blog post..Get On The Social Networking Bandwagon Now
JR @ Internet Marketing Strate Reply:
March 20th, 2009 at 5:17 am
Oooh, who is watching?
March 17th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Looking at those numbers it seems I have a pretty decent visitors/comment ratio, which is nice
There are things you can do to encourage comments (DoFollow, Top Commenters, Ask a question at the end of your posts etc) but there is also some content that just will not attract comments. If nobody is commenting, it might be time to write something more controversial and make some waves.
P.S. You unsubscribed from DotComDud.com Dennis?
Dot Com Dud´s last blog post..Link Building Checklist
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 17th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
@Dot Com Dud,
Very true! All the incentives in the world won’t make a damn difference if the content in not comment worthy….unless you just want spam.
No worries my friend; I’m unsubscribing but not leaving…post on this issue coming soon.
Seriously though, I need a name in the name field next to DCD.
Ben Pei Reply:
March 19th, 2009 at 2:38 am
@Dennis Edell, YES! I would want to hear from this as well. Why did you unsubscribe Dennis?
Always coming up with weird stuff..
Ben Pei´s last blog post..Get On The Social Networking Bandwagon Now
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 19th, 2009 at 8:30 am
@Ben Pei, LOL @ weird.
Post coming on the unsubscriptions….no worries, I’m not gone.
March 18th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Great post. The amount of comments a blog gets is definitely reflective of the engagement level of its readers.
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 19th, 2009 at 8:20 am
@answerblip, Welcome to the community!
In the future, please provide a real name before or after keywords.
answerblip Bill Reply:
March 19th, 2009 at 10:31 am
@Dennis Edell,
like that Dennis?
answerblip Bill´s last blog post..how does geography influence ethnic groups ?
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 19th, 2009 at 10:41 am
@answerblip Bill,
Excellent, thanks Bill. I should tell you though, I just fished you out of the spam filter again. If it happens elsewhere, you should look into that.
March 19th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Clearly not, as that headline figure reflects what I get on my blog.
Maybe I ought to frame more posts as open questions like this one to get more engagement.
Thanks for the idea
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 19th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
@telephone answering, It works like a charm!
Btw, Welcome to the community!
In the future, please provide a real name before or after keywords in the name field.
March 19th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
As you know, I’ve always been impressed with the level of involvement you get from your readers.
I was just on a popular marketing “guru’s” (I know how you love that!) blog today and saw she had nowhere near the amount of comments you do. So kudos to you!
Will be watching and learning…and probably bugging you via IM about it
Jen´s last blog post..My Arsenal: The First Trick of the Trade
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 19th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
@Jen, Hey! None of that language on my blog missy! (Guru indeed)
and probably bugging you via IM about it
Well golly, that would be a first, huh. lmao!
March 31st, 2009 at 8:08 pm
I was told that if you are commenting alot with your blog you will spend alot of bandwidth. Do you feel the same?
Sherry´s last blog post..Portland Beanie Company Giveaway
Dennis Edell Reply:
April 1st, 2009 at 12:02 pm
@Sherry, That seems like a very strange thing to say.
April 12th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
I click on reply but nothing show. Anyway yeah I find it strange too. Its first time I know it.
Sherry´s last blog post..Car for me
Dennis Edell Reply:
April 13th, 2009 at 7:32 am
@Sherry, It’s wrong as far as I know, don’t worry about it.
Sherry Reply:
April 13th, 2009 at 9:26 am
@Dennis Edell, thanks for telling me
Sherry´s last blog post..Car for me
June 10th, 2009 at 3:08 am
maybe too hassle for the readers to write a comment when they know that your blogpost is OK and doin fine. How about putting some little confusions on the post to make them write comments everytime they read your post?
September 6th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Fantastic discussion. People don’t talk about this enough. But, it is so important to engage your readers. I think that the quality of the blog is directly proportional to the number and quality of comments on the blog.