Webmasters will uniformly answer the question, “What is the most important goal you have for your website?” with the answer, “Expanding my website’s reach”. It is a well-known fact that an increased amount of exposure will lead to an overall increase in traffic. Some webmasters rely on traffic to simply give their projects and hobby sites a reason for existing, while others rely on revenue generated from the website(s) in question. With the internet opening doors to anywhere in the world for its users, many fail to seize upon lucrative, local markets. For those who are willing to follow and comment on local blogs, there very well may be a benefit in doing so.

Pinging Your Website

Each comment on a local blog is an opportunity to let others know about your site – without even plugging it directly in the comment you make. Many blogs offer the ability for posters to input their website’s URL whenever they make a post, which will help generate backlinks for you depending on the platform that the blog in question is using. While any one local blog will not be enough to propel your website to stardom, the long-term goal of saturating as many local blogs as possible with links to your site can be and is effective.

Making New Friends

When interacting with other local commentators on a blog, you can use the occasion as an opportunity to make acquaintances with those in the area who may be interested in your blog. It is always advised never to directly plug your website unless the local blog in question covers the same topic; if you have information or advice pertaining to what the blog covers, then sharing it may be appropriate. By using your interaction on local blogs as a way to meet new people, you can make personal connections – something that is far more effective at driving traffic in a one-on-one setting.

Localized Search Results

Many search engines – including Google – have moved toward or have implemented local search results in the past few months. While this does not necessarily guarantee any advantage for you, comments made on local blogs with your URL may be more likely to be viewed by individuals using localized search features. Even if your blog is not based around a local community, this presents an opportunity to measure how much of an effect your strategy is having on a particular audience. If you begin to notice traffic coming from a particular location that matches a blog on which you have been commenting, then you know your approach is having an effect.

Conclusion

While commenting on local blogs may be hit and miss for your site, there are a number of potential benefits that can come through the practice of doing so. Whether it is through pinging your website to major search engines, gaining traction in local search results or making new acquaintances, there are multiple angles in which you can increase your website’s exposure. For those who are willing to put in a little work, posting to local blogs can potentially make a big difference.