So you’ve created a stellar business blog and you’re swiftly gaining some SEO love. But are you engaging your customers effectively? A good blog can be a conversation starter and give you a touch point to your customers (and potential customers). That’s why comments are key to your blog.

Get more comments!

Here are a few ways you can increase your comments:

Make it easy.

If it’s a multi-step process to comment on your blog, chances are, you’re going to lose your commenters quickly! Make sure it doesn’t take much to post a comment – just a name and email address are sufficient. You can easily adjust this setting in WordPress by reviewing your comment settings.

Ask for it!

You want comments? Ask for them! A good blog shouldn’t just tell readers something; it should start a discussion and ask for opinions. At the end of your post, conclude by asking your readers a specific question, even if it’s just what they thought of the subject.

Make a policy.

You don’t want your blog to become a place where opposing views collide with snarky comments, nor a place where others are promoting their own business. If you’ve got some stipulations on the comments made to your blog, write a policy! Include whether or not you’ll allow people to link to or promote their own business or site, whether or not you’ll allow profanity or disparaging remarks and whether or not you’ll correct poor grammar and spelling. This way, commenters will know upfront why a comment may or may not be acceptable.

Tell them about the policy.

An easy way to make sure your commenters are aware of your policy is to require them to click an “I agree” option that says “I agree to [insert business name]’s comment policy. Otherwise, simply post a disclaimer that states “By submitting my comment, I agree to abide by the comment policy.”

Always respond!

This one is huge. You don’t want comments for the sake of comments; you want to start conversations. Responding to those comments is how you keep the conversation moving, and encourage others to contribute. Make sure you’re replying quickly to comments – while they’re still fresh in the commenters’ minds and the content is still relevant.

Encourage!

Got a comment? Great! Make your commenter feel good about sharing his or her opinion. If you ignore the comment or put it down, chances are, you’ll lose a commenter. Try to point out what’s good about the comment to reassure the reader that you’re listening and appreciate the participation.

Are you a blog commenter? What entices you to respond?