Earlier on this blog, we discussed strategies for encouraging comments on your blog. By asking open-ended questions and leaving room for discussion in your posts, you will open your blog to greater feedback. While these strategies are simple in concept, integrating them in your blog often takes time and practice as certain tactics might work better and generating discussion than others.

It really is trial and error in some cases. With all the work that goes into optimizing your blog posts for comments, one might wonder what all the fuss is about. Your blog is about you and your content/products/services, so why should you worry about getting others to write on it? Here are 5 simple reasons why comments are important to get you into a more conversational mood.

1. Comments expand your content. A well-placed and thoughtful comment that is relevant to the subject matter can elaborate on your points or add new ones, adding depth and perspective to your blog. You want readers to fill any gaps that might exist in your knowledge or offer a contrast to your own opinions. Comments from your readers will help you solve problems you have with a certain topic, or reveal an area that you have yet to touch on. The more people that participate on your blog, the more detailed its content becomes, thus making your blog more useful.
2. Good for SEO. The search engines like web pages that are updated consistently, as their web spiders track recent activity to provide a better assessment of their relevance. Comments on your blog work just like new posts, as they show the search engines that your front page is changing, providing fresh updates on your pages. Of course, spam comments with bogus links will deter search engines from improving your ranking, so be sure to have an anti-spam plug-in in your blog’s back-end.
3. Helps you improve your blog. Even negative comments are useful for bloggers as it helps them assess and evaluate their content so they can improve. Having consistent comments on your posts will indicate what areas your blog excels or falls flat. As you encourage more feedback, your ability to be critical of your own work will improve, allowing you to fix past mistakes or go in new directions with your ideas. Having your readers weigh in on your work will help validate your decisions.
4. Builds a dedicated fan base. New visitors will be comforted by the sight of comments. As they see others chime in, they will be encouraged to share their own two cents, and may even engage the other commentators themselves. As more comments appear on a consistent basis, your readers will become more familiar with you and each other. If you can manage to sustain a vibrant community on your blog, it will attract visitors not only with strong content, but with the measurable discussions taking place. People love connecting and networking, but they need to feel like they belong. Having those comments there will ease your more timid readers into your network.
5. Helps you generate future content. Having comments on your posts gives you the necessary feedback to give your blogging a sense of direction and purpose. If you are ever unsure about your blog, whether it’s the design, widgets or even its general purpose, an open discussion with your readers will help you formulate an action plan. If you have a league of core commentators, you can even call on them for submissions or post ideas, drawing them into the creative process.

While these points are far from being revolutionary, they are important items for review if you want your blog to foster strong relationships online. If you feel as if you are ignoring your readership, or not reaching out to the blogosphere, quickly go over these points for some motivation. Understanding the importance of comments is a part of drawing them in.

So now that you can appreciate the value of a good blog comment, why don’t you get back to your content? How are you going to get the conversation started?