Only 1 out of every 100 Readers Comment on your Blog
I’ll outline 10 ways you can increase the participation rate in the comments section of your blog below.
Jakob Nielsen’s latest study finds that: “In most online communities, 90% of users are lurkers who never contribute, 9% of users contribute a little, and 1% of users account for almost all the action.”
What this means is that only 1% of your blog’s readers/users are actively engaging with your blog and the rest are at best occasional contributors.
This particular study is not focused solely on blogging. It encompasses all forms of online community communication, so it could be more or less than these numbers on your blog and it would greatly vary site to site — but the general principal is true. The vast majority of your blog’s readers will leave your blog without ever commenting or contributing to your blog in any way. Some bloggers take advantage of this by turning commenting off completely.
This unfortunately, is the way it always has been and most likely, the way it always will be. However, when it comes to comments, there are some ways to encourage more interactivity on your blog:
10 Ways to Effectively Increase Comment Numbers on Your Blog
1. Invite Comments - It has been noticed by many that when you invite comments that people leave them in higher numbers than when the invitation has not been given. This can be somewhat confusing, as generally, if commenting is enabled on a blog, the blogger welcomes the input and opinions of the readers. An invitation, though, triggers a response to some extent. Keep in mind that those new to blogs and blogging may not realize that commenting is acceptable and welcomed. Invitations to do so in each of your articles with a well laid out and easy to use comment system are a great way to help them to get into the habit of commenting. Read the rest of this entry »