Using comments to increase your repeat visit rate
Commenting is a difficult concept for a lot of bloggers; used at the wrong time it'll make you look green and at other times it can expose your biggest failures... But it can build communities and real connections to the reader.
Comments indicate popularity (to some)
Comments are sometimes an unfair metric that readers will use to determine the popularity of your blog. A site with 0-1 comments on the majority of their posts is seen as being new and using 'pack theory'; if other people aren't reading your content then why should I bother? It's a tough mentality to deal with because every single blog on the Internet started somewhere, but many readers are put off by not seeing much interaction on the posts.
Keep comments turned off when you start
If you've just started your blog then it's best to keep comments turned off (for the reason stated above). Readers who stumble upon your blog might be put off by seeing "No Comments" so turn them off altogether. Wait until you've got some level of consistent traffic before turning it on - and even then there are lots of things you should do to get the ball rolling.
Get more comments: ask questions, be contraversial
The best ways to get comments are to offer your opinion on a topic that a lot of people feel strongly about. Sometimes it's useful to be a little contraversial to ensure that the hardcore fans will offer their $0.02 on the matter - this gets the ball rolling and should help negate the worry I outlined earlier.
Always, always reply to comments
I'm a big fan of dealing with comments directly. If users have taken the time to comment on your blog then you should reply to them (if they've asked a question or you have a reply to them). This humanises you a lot more as a blogger and helps build a connection (and sometimes a community).
Always reply to your comments - reason 2
Replying to comments increases the number of comments you have in total, therefore helping to negate the "No Comments" problem outlined earlier - double bonus!
I think comments are a great way to engage readers and help convert them; after all if you offer a good debate you're more likely to have users subscribe to your RSS feed so they can be involved in the future. After all, getting the users to come back is the biggest challenge there is.
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