Comment Luv Plugin Increases Traffic
Recently, I noticed that Catherine, had added a new plugin to her great business blog.
It is called “Comment Luv”
The Comment Luv plugin, when activated, inserts a link to your most recent post, when you leave a comment on a blog that has the CommentLuv plugin activated.
Today’s Lesson
I have been analyzing the CommentLuv plugin to determine if it will, indeed, bring traffic to my blog,
Based on my stats, since Catherine activated it on her blog, I am seeing my referral traffic, from Catherine’s site, increase.
Here’s how the plugin works:
1) I leave a comment on Catherine’s blog.
2) I check the box that reads “enable CommentLuv” (if it’s not already checked)
3) After I hit “submit” or “submit comment”, a link is created, at the bottom of my comment, to the most recent post I have published.
4) Readers of Catherine’s blog comments, can click on the link, and come and visit my blog.
It doesn’t get much easier than that.
But….it gets even better.
Here’s another example.
Let’s say that you publish a new post every day. And…….being the loyal visitor that you are, you visit and comment on my blog posts every day. For each day you comment, a different link is created. On Monday, the link is to the post you published on Monday, on Tuesday, the link under your comment is to the post you published on Tuesday, and so on……..
How cool is that?
That, to me, is a priceless way of letting others know about your new posts.
Even Google may not update your site that quickly.
The CommentLuv plugin, is a real keeper.
Since we have been learning about the importance of commenting. over the past two days, the Comment Luv plugin becomes the icing on the cake.
Think about this: This plugin is a win-win.
Blog authors may see an upsurge of comments, and commenters should see an increase of referral traffic to their blogs.
Having seen the results of this plugin, I now have it activated on my blog.
Leave a comment, and see it in action, for yourself.
Thank you Catherine, for introducing me to this great plugin!
Today’s Assignment
Follow this link to the Comment Luv plugin. CommentLuv Plugin
Follow the instructions, and download it for use on your blog.
For this plugin, we will thank the creator: Andy Bailey
Great job, Andy!
Posted on January 23, 2008
Filed Under Archives, Blogging Lessons, Comments, Increase Traffic, Plugins and Widgets |
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68 Responses to “Comment Luv Plugin Increases Traffic”
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I noticed this on Catherine’s blog as well, and thought it would be a great way for commenters to get more referrals from their comments (or, I guess, less referrals if your headlines are terrible).
But for the blog author, does it invite empty comments from people who just want to let people know about their latest post? What has your experience been? (I guess I’m directing that question to Catherine, if she’s reading this.)
Hunter Nuttall’s last blog post..How NOT To Gather Useful Feedback From Customers
I really like the Comment luv plugin but am scared of it hurting my site… as a compromise I do it on about 1/2 my sites and not on the others… it’s good for getting reader… bad for SEO… so I guess it’s all about what your going for
Stock Trading Software’s last blog post..AbleSys Corporation Trading System Software
It’s an interesting point. I think the pros outweigh the cons. I thought it was a good way of rewarding the people that regularly comment on my blog. I actually want to see their latest post too.
It could be abused with empty comments in time, but there are ways to combat that.
I’ve not seen it that widely yet, but I do hope it catches on and is indeed not abused with empty comments.
Ian Denny’s last blog post..Snapshot Survey - Another Prize For Those Respondents Who Were Late (Updated 21st January)
The CommentLuv plugin brought me to your site, I was simply searching for reviews of the plugin and there you were and here I am. I run the plugin on my sciencetext.com site, although I’ve not noticed an upturn in traffic yet, still hovering around 1000 uniques per day with 160 or so RSS subscribers, but then I only installed it last week…so who knows where it might take the site once word spreads.
db
David Bradley’s last blog post..Tidy Your Desktop for a Productivity Boost
Hi Barbara - I’m glad you’ve decided to try it. I love the plugin. It’s a brilliant way to reward vistors for their contributions.
Hunter - to answer your question - I don’t really think it has made much difference. Commentluv generally tends to benefit those who take the time to write creative headlines. And they are usually not the types who make pointless comments anyway. It really is worth checking it out.
Catherine Lawson’s last blog post..Blogging Thieves Get Total Of 127,169 Years
Hi Hunter,
I did think of what would happen if people just started leaving the “great post” comments, etc, but since I can moderate the comments, if it were to get out of hand, I can either deactivate the plugin or disapprove comments I think are spammy.
Stock Trader Software,
Welcome to my site.
I agree, the plugin is great for your readers. Plus, I am on a campaign to get new bloggers to start commenting, so this is a way to get their posts more exposure too.
Hi Ian,
I have not seen this used a lot either. The first time I saw it was on Catherine’s blog, then I say you had activated it too. I like that it gives other readers more insight on those that are commenting.
Hello David,
It’s great to see another new visitor. It’s also good to know my post was written such that it got a high search engine ranking. Thank you for sharing how you found my site.
It sounds like your site has a fair amount of traffic. I’m thinking the plugin will bring more traffic, not only to those who activate it, but to those who leave comments on blogs that utilize the plugin.
Hi Catherine,
How’s that arm? Are you still typing one handed?
I again say thank you for introducing me to this plugin. I’m not one to use a lot of “bells and whistles” on my blog (too much clutter and maintenance time), but this is one I liked from the start.
And you are right. It does make you think about your titles…gives you a little bit of motivation to get creative.
I had not heard that the plugin is bad for SEO…care to elaborate on that?
Barbara’s last blog post..Comment Luv Plugin Increases Traffic
David’s comment interests me. Word must be spreading.
And do you know what? I’m about to check out David’s site because of his intriguing last post title! And his isn’t a frivolous comment.
Maybe though it will start getting spam comments as its popularity grows? Let’s hope it stays under ground - but I doubt it will!
Ian Denny’s last blog post..Snapshot Survey - Another Prize For Those Respondents Who Were Late (Updated 21st January)
Hi Ian,
David’s site looks interesting. I’m going back there in a bit, and check it out.
I’m not too worried (yet) about spammy comments. With WordPress I can easily edit comments, by taking out the CommentLuv link, and/or marking the comment as spam.
For now, I’ll just keep a close eye on it.
Barbara’s last blog post..Comment Luv Plugin Increases Traffic
Hi
I definitely wasn’t spamming. Like I said, I found your post through a Google search of blogs for reviews of this plugin. The title of your blog is quite catchy too…
Just reading your About page, I have to admit I do vaguely remember Neil A stepping on the moon and making the biggest verbal typo in history, but the assassination of JFK is way before my time (well three years…)
db
David Bradley’s last blog post..Tidy Your Desktop for a Productivity Boost
Hey Barb,
I really love the theme too but I think they are a little different. Court from courtneytuttle.com edited the theme you use to make this “keyword Sniper” theme. Thanks for dropping in!
-DeMerch
Stock Trading Software’s last blog post..Using eSignal Trading Software
Hi David,
I just left your site, which I found quite interesting. I like your post on Social Bookmarking. You sure got some great reactions from your commenters.
Yes, my “about page”…it lets my readers know I’ve been around for awhile, seen a lot, and am always looking forward to learning more. I’m sure some will say….”What year was that?”
Thanks for your return visit. I knew you were not a spammer, as checked your website, (and a good one it is) prior to approving your comment.
Barbara’s last blog post..Comment Luv Plugin Increases Traffic
Hi DeMerch,
I didn’t check the themes as closely as you did (I’m not that observant, at times), but I do like the “cleanliness” of them.
See you in cyberspace.
Barbara’s last blog post..Comment Luv Plugin Increases Traffic
Almost related…
There’s another neat plugin called “Most Commented Posts”, it’s actually a widget that you can render in your sidebar, or wherever. What it does it display links to the most commented posts (surprisingly enough) on your site. Now, I’m not sure I’d leave something like that displayed permanently, but what I did for my science site (sciencebase.com) was to run it once set to max (actually I hacked it so it would display 20 not 10) and cut and paste the list of top commented posts into an all-new post of their own.
Add a bit of blurb telling readers that these are the most talked about posts and you’ve got a way of “leveraging” (actually I just mean using) your back catalog. Sciencebase has over 1200 archived posts so that’s a reasonable number to draw on.
Another fab tip from the desk of db
db
David Bradley’s last blog post..Tidy Your Desktop for a Productivity Boost
Hi David,
Thank you for sharing such valuable information.
I’ll be back on your site and check out your “most commented posts”. That sounds fascinating
What I’ve done to show my most commented posts, was use a plugin called “Top Posts by Category”, which I can edit. I placed it in my left sidebar, and then I renamed it to: “What Others Are Reading”, and it shows how many comments are attached to the each post. I also like it as the comments increase on some of the newer/older posts and they change positions. So far that seems to be working pretty good, as I’m getting clicks on many of them.
Personally I love reading a post, and then the comments. Some commenters take the subject matter to a different level, and the knowledge you can gain, is phenomenal.
From visiting your site, I see you have been blogging for a long time. I imagine in your archive of 1200 posts, I’m going to be able to find lots of valuable information.
Thanks again for sharing!
Barbara’s last blog post..Comment Luv Plugin Increases Traffic
Hi Barbara - typing is not too bad, but I can’t complete today’s post. Hopefully in the morning.
I’m not sure about comment love and SEO. I link out quite a lot anyway and I know that has hammered my Page rank. But, then the famous SEO people tell you how to increase your page rank in one breath, then say page rank doesn’t matter to the ranking of your site in the next.
It’s so confusing - and I still think content is what matters most. You can do all the SEO in the world, but if you don’t provide good content, nobody will come back.
I suck at SEO though. I have read a lot about it but, I find it so difficult to write for the search engines. And i still think the whole system is flawed.
Catherine Lawson’s last blog post..Blogging Thieves Get Total Of 127,169 Years
Hi Catherine,
Hopefully your arm gets to feeling better fast. I miss your daily posts.
I have to agree with you about SEO.
It’s like life. Ask 10 different people, and you get 10 different answers. And rightly so…each of us is entitled to our opinion.
On Google’s site, they confirm that we should write for our readers and not for the search engines. Now I do think a little keyword density can help to get a post found, however, I would hate to totally distort the content of a post, worrying about it. If I’m writing a post and it is not conducive to keyword density, I publish it anyway. In time, good posts will be found.
Yes, the page ranking/SEO system(s) are flawed, but in the meantime, if we want to blog or own a website, we just have to accept it.
Watch for my post on Friday, as I will be asking one of one of those “thought provoking” questions about page rank.
Barbara’s last blog post..Comment Luv Plugin Increases Traffic
I use it on my blog, and it works well; however, when I leave comments on others blogs it has been leaving posts that I’ve written weeks ago. I’m not sure what that is about. I really haven’t had the time to follow up with Andy to see why this is happening. It is a great plugin.
Welcome to my blog, Opal,
When I visited your blog, I noticed you were using this plugin too.
It believe, on Andy’s site, he mentions a way to “make adjustments” (for lack of a better term) to the plugin so that it shows your “post of choice”. His forum might also have the answer you are looking for.
Hopefully you get it to work for you, as I would like others to have a direct link to your great writings. For now, they can click on your name and pay you a visit.
See you soon!
Barbara’s last blog post..Comment Luv Plugin Increases Traffic
One reason I miss my Wordpress blog, but maybe someone nifty comes up with a Plugin that works on mine, combined with Wordpress
Hi Nicole,
WordPress does have it’s advantages, doesn’t it. Hopefully it won’t be long before your blogging platform offers something similar.
Barbara’s last blog post..Comment Luv Plugin Increases Traffic
Barbara,
It was a mystery to him also. I installed the plug in around three months ago. My posts, on other people’s blogs, started acting whacky about one month ago. However, everyone else who posts on my website are fine. It’s very odd. I’m just happy everyone else’s post are working fine on my blog.
Hi Opal,
That is strange that you are having that problem, and even Andy can’t figure it out.
I did notice that he did an update on 12/29/07. That might have something to do with it. You could try a “redownload”. Uninstall the old one, then reinstall. Maybe that would work???
Let me know if you get it figured out. In the meantime, if I come up with any other ideas, I’ll let you know.
Barbara’s last blog post..What if Google Added “This” To Determine Page Rank
It has something to do with feedburner at times it adds additional characters to the feed. The plug in is supposed to redirect this info automatically but for some reason it’s not doing it. I have noticed that some others are experiencing the same issue.
I did notice that my feed doesn’t appear on your website. That has something to do with your hosting provider. I’ve noticed this on a few other websites.
Thanks for the concern.
It wasn’t comment love that brought me here.
It was your visit — and comment — on my site. Again, thanks!
I’ve seen the plug-in on several sites recently. I’m not incorporating it at this time as I am not making any blog modifications for the near term. (I’m working on one of my static sites and any “development” or change work is being done there. I’ve got a couple of other sites in line after that. Once I’m done tweaking them, the next revision of WordPress should be out and then I’ll tweak on some blogs.)
Mike Goad’s last blog post..An Orchid in Winter
Hello Mike,
Welcome to my site. And, you’re welcome.
As you know I found your site, via Catherine’s.
CommentLuv does work good to show others what each commenter has posted, so I find that to be a great way of expanding our community.
I’m getting ready to do my upgrade to WP 2.3.2. Hopefully everything will work as it should, after the upgrade.
Barbara’s last blog post..What if Google Added “This” To Determine Page Rank
I have it on my blog too. I don’t leave comments just to get a plug though just because they have that…it’s nice to read the post titles thought. 100% of the time I do click on the ones left on my blog.
can you delete me other comments. sorry.
Natural Woman’s last blog post..Meet the Bloggers
I first noticed this plug in when I visited either your site or Catherine’s (and then found the others through the plug in). I think I am going to add this plug in on my site when I update the design (hopefully coming in a week or two…)
I have to agree with you completely on the usefulness of this plug in on finding other people’s blogs. Seeing the title really helps me decide on whether or not I want to visit.
Rashy’s last blog post..Anonymous gang-banging Scientology
Hi Rashy,
As you know, I do love this plugin. It helps to build a community of bloggers, which often leads to cyberspace friendships.
Barbara’s last blog post..If Content Is Queen, Where Is She Hiding
Thanks for teaching me. I had no idea it saved your comment in the sands of time :O
Elliott Russell’s last blog post..Challenge: Drink Only What is Free
Hi Elliott,
That’s pretty neat hey?
Glad you enjoyed the lesson
[...] Blogging Without A Blog Barbara Swafford writes a great article about a Wordpress Plugin that gives peoples comments a little bit of love! I have just installed it – thanks for the heads up Barbara! [...]
I’ve used comment luv on my site for a few weeks and I’ve found that people really like using it. It helps drive traffic to similar sites in our sports niche. Great post!
Do you know of any other plug-ins that go with comment luv?
DJ’s last blog post..My Abridged NHL Playoff Predictions
Hi DJ,
Welcome to the BWAB community.
The CommentLuv plugin is great for like minds to find each other. I have used a “do follow” plugin in conjunction with the CommentLuv, but it doesn’t appear to be working correctly. I have to do more research and find one that will allow the links to be followed on WordPress.
I checked out your sports blog. It’s very professional looking. Although I’m not a sports fan, your posts appear to be extremely informational.
Happy Blogging!
Hi!
I found your blog while searching for plugins that I should use for my first blog. I like the comment luv one so I’ll find it for my site.
Do you or anyone else have any other plugin suggestions for my first site with wordpress?
I am trying to figure out brians comments, but don’t have much else.
Thanks! john
Hi John,
Welcome to the BWAB community.
The plugins you use on a new blog can vary. I would choose a good spam killer like Askimet (which is preloaded in WP). I would also suggest a sitemap plugin (I use Google sitemap generator), and maybe one for top posts.
If you check my “plugins” category, I have also written about a few others that I use.
Barbara,
THanks for the reply, I didn’t even look at the categories! Duh! I’ll read up on some of your posts, and thanks again!
What a cool site. As a newbie in the blogging world am always looking for info to help the cause for all of us. Thanks for the commentluv plugin. Will be adding it to my own site this evening. Hopefully all you guys can come visit me for those backlinks.
MsGrass
MsGrasss last blog post..Search Engine Optimization Tips
Hi MsGrass,
Welcome to the BWAB community.
You will enjoy the CommentLuv plugin.
I’m headed over to your site right now.
I’m new to the do follow thing but it seems like it really does encourage commenting, at least on the blogs I’ve seen that employ it. Comment Luv is making it even better as are the “U Comment, I Follow” buttons I’ve been seeing around lately.
Jons last blog post..Longhorn Bass
Hi Jon,
Welcome to the BWAB community.
The CommentLuv plugin is great. It shows other readers what the commenters are writing about, and will often pique their interest enough to click on the link.
I think it’s a great way to build community.
I noticed you are linking to your guitar page. Do you also have a blog where you share your writings? If so, I’d like to check it out. Feel free to leave a link to it.
I’ve been too lazy to do this and I’ve actually benefited from other people having this on their site. I have no excuse not to have this on my site.
chriss last blog post..You Raise Me Up
Hi Chris,
It’s an easy plugin to install, and is great for community building.
the greatest plugin i think to increase traffic the blog
thx for developer…
oktas last blog post..Bocoran untuk rumah baruku
To the person who asked about plugins - I like Keyword Luv, which helps your commentators both by increasing their traffic and by helping their SEO. It’s a pretty valuable tool, and I think my commentators are fans…
Hi Lee,
Thanks for sharing your recommendation for Keyword Luv.
Thanks Barbara - I’ve just installed CommentLuv. So am awaiting my first “luvved” comment! I thought it was groovy when I saw it working on other people’s blogs, but did not realize till Chris’s article that it was simply a plugin!
Cheers
Hi Robin,
Great to see you here.
You’ll love the CommentLuv plugin. It’s a great way to show your loyal commenters some link love, and also increase your community of fellow bloggers.
I have to agree with Lee, the KeywordLuv plugin is a great one to add in conjunction with Commentluv. A surefire combo that should boost one’s comments.
BlogMeTheMoneys last blog post..Adsense Alternatives: Part 4 of 4
Hi Blog Me The Money,
Welcome to the BWAB community
Well now that’s two votes for that plugin. I’m going to have to check it out.
Thank you for answering a burning question - I am excited about both the CommentLuv and the KeywordLuv plugin even before I really have tried them out on my brand new site. OK, I have installed commentluv allready but I still have to see it work
Hi Gert,
The BWAB community welcomes you.
I’m headed over to your site. I’ll leave a comment so you can see CommentLuv in action.
I am just beginning my new site and was curious about this plugin. After searching Google I ran across your site. You really seem impressed with CommentLuv plug-in.
Have you noticed any increases in your traffic since implementing this plugin?
Online Surveyss last blog post..Cash Paid for Online Surveys
Hi Online Surveys
Welcome to BWAB
I do like CommentLuv. With regard to more traffic, I do think it has helped. But it’s not only helping my traffic, it’s helping anyone who comments here. If their blog post title sounds fascinating, my readers are more apt to click on it. So in that aspect, it’s helping my whole community.
I am going to seriously have to consider implementing this plug-in. Thanks for such a quick response. I was just surfing through your site. I am really impressed.
Online Surveyss last blog post..Cash Paid for Online Surveys
Hi Online Surveys,
Thank you for your kind words.
I think commentluv is a great plugin
Susans last blog post..BT Evolution
Hi Susan,
Welcome to my blog.
I agree, it’s a superb plugin, and gives our commenters a chance to showcase their most recent posts.
CommentLuv is very good for driving traffic, to your commentors sites, particulary if the commented on blog has do follow enabled. KeywordLuv is even better for driving traffic. Both are great for the blog owner to get more comments.
Simons last blog post..Free Spock Star Trek Cartoon Vector Image
Hi Simon,
Welcome to the BWAB community.
O.K, now you’re the third person who mentioned KeywordLuv. I have it on my to do list. Time to move it up to the top.
Thanks for sharing.
From discovering a couple new blogs from the CommentLuv links on MomGrind and here I’ve decided to add it to my blog as well. I use Drupal and I’m happy to say that there’s a Module available for it as well. Though it doesn’t default the checkbox to checked… so I had to tweak the code a little, but it works beautifully.
It’s a great idea that helps people find new blogs.
hyrcans last blog post..Video Firday
Hi Hyrcan,
Yes, CommentLuv is great for finding other blogs, and for letting loyal commenters showcase their most recent work.
I think it’s a win-win.
Cool! I always though, well, maybe later
but after this great review I’ll install it on my new German iPhone blog. Thanks
Markuss last blog post..Kanadier schreibt offenen Brief an Steve Jobs
Hi Markus,
Welcome to the BWAB community!
It sounds like this plugin will work great for your iPhone blog.
I did check out your blog, but couldn’t read it (as it is written in German)
Very cool plugin. I may have to put this on my blog, just still have some concerns about what it will do for my SEO
Prophets last blog post..Alcoa Earnings Preview
Hi Prophet,
Welcome to the BWAB community!
I love this plugin, but haven’t a clue what it does for SEO.
So, how’s the plugin working out for you?
Susans last blog post..Linoluna
Hi Susan,
Welcome to the BWAB community!
I’m loving how the plugin is working for me. What do you think?
CommentLuv is a fantastic plugin for blogs as everybody wins. Viewers comment because they get a little something for it. The blogger wins by growing content from all the commentary. Only other suggestion I would have is to be sure the NOFF plug-in is installed first to remove the ‘no-follow’ and to consider adding the awesome KeywordLuv plug-in to provide more flexibiity for anchor text instead of using a name like I did in this post! ;o)