Reply to blog comments

Well the title says it all really – it is important to reply to the comments left on your blog.

I just read a blog post today that had a dozen or so comments from various people, including a question for clarification on an aspect of the post topic, without one reply from the blogger. The post was a few weeks old so she’s had time to reply – and the post was actually about how to deal with negative blog comments!

So what happens when you don’t reply to comments people take the time to leave for you?

1. you look arrogant and rude, especially if you’ve written any questions or invitations for responses
2. you miss the opportunity to discuss the topic further and get others’ input
3. you miss the opportunity to show further knowledge, expertise and generosity by answering questions that come up in the comments
4. you appear lazy and/or disinterested in what your readers have to contribute
5. you give other people the last word – and if their words are negative it could damage your brand
6. you don’t give the impression that you want to build a community which is a large aspect of blogging in the first place
7. you reduce the number of back links from your site (people won’t be inspired to comment and leave links if you aren’t answering them) which hinders your SEO potential of a blog
8. answering comments and engaging in a healthy discussion often gathers momentum and additional attention (e.g. people share the link via social media and bookmark sites) so a lack of comments may limit your exposure further
9. you may just miss out on building relationships with some great people – some of whom may become clients, suppliers or friends

So I go back to the title of this post – reply to the comments people leave on your blog. And reply as soon as practical, too.

What do you think when you see a blog without replies to comments?