Building relationships online with bloggers is an important part of the process when starting or maintaining your blog. There are plenty of advantages when it comes to building these relationships. I’ll explain below the Main Benefits of Building Relationships Online with Bloggers. This is part of the process that is actually neglected by many but hopefully by the time you are finished with this post you will understand my point.
When you are online you spend a lot of time designing, strategizing, creating content etc for your website. Interacting with others actually makes things more interesting and social. It takes people to build your website to achieve your goals, so remember to focus on the social aspect of your website as well.
Benefits Of Building Relationships Online With Bloggers
Drives Traffic To Your Website
Building Relationships is a great way to get traffic to your website. When you first start your blog, it will take time for search engines to start to drive traffic to your site. So, why not go and comment on some others sites, share and reach out to others in your niche on social media? This can draw traffic to your site immediately. When you build a report with other bloggers, they will head to your site to see what you have to say and drive others to your site through shares and likes on social media.
Any little bit helps. It’s not the best feeling having Zero hits on your site, even early on and this is one way to change that immediately.
Get Social Shares and Followers
Also mentioned above Social Media shares drive traffic to your site and is a key factor is your search rankings. If you never started researching a single Keyword or working toward getting backlinks- just having more shares will help with SEO.
Other than helping with your SEO, it is also a good way to show your Authority on a topic. Even though someone with 100 followers and someone with 100,000 could have the same amount of knowledge on a topic. The person with the 100,000 followers will come across as more of an Authority to some.
Social media is a huge part of our online presence now of days. Simply building a relationship with fellow bloggers, etc is a great way to build your social media presence.
Get Backlinks
By simply Building Relationships with bloggers you will surely start to generate backlinks to your site. This is important in building your Authority. The more good and high quality sites you have linking to your site the better. I wouldn’t go looking for high quality sites to target. Just comment etc on a post while you are researching a topic of a potential post. You may not get a backlink for it but your will start to build your authority and if it was a high quality comment then it will generate some traffic too.
I will explain how below in the “Blog Commenting” section below.
Support
When starting out there will be stuff you don’t know. With anything, if you have a problem it is good to have someone you can reach out to. Even if you have an idea for a new Infographic and you want to run your points past someone else who is more of an authority in the topic. It is good to build a “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” relationship with several other bloggers.
How To Build Relationships Online With Bloggers
Blog Commenting
I have learned that blog commenting is actually a very useful tactic, that is easy to implement and brings results. The key is to leave helpful, meaningful comments. You want to basically extend the views of the post with your own thoughts. Be genuine and respectful when leaving your comments. You should avoid short empty comments. At least leave a comment that is a paragraph in length.
The quickest way to look like a spammer is to drop links in your comments. What you want is to leave a comment that grabs the attention of other readers that leaves them wanting to know more about you. If you achieve that, they will click on the URL linked to your name. There is no need to add it to the post even if it’s relevant.
By leaving these high quality comments on blogs you will start to build your authority and gain followers at the same time. Using the commenting tactic to build relationships and traffic is also “Google Update” proof.
Social Shares
An easy way to remind bloggers you’re there. Every time you Retweet, mention, share etc on majority of these social networks that user gets a notification. “@YOU” has retweeted etc. They will appreciate you sharing their content with your followers and you will be staying in their sight.
One easy way is to find that person on Triberr if they are on there and Autoshare their new posts.
Mention Them In Your Blog
Show your appreciation! When you find someone who is actually engaging with you and sharing your content, give them a shout out. When you are writing a post that they are and expert in, quote them on your post and give them a link or 2. They will greatly appreciate that. A tweet will disappear is the noise in minutes but that blog post will generate traffic as long as your site stays up. When sharing your blog on social media, add them to it letting them know you gave them a mention in your post.
Hey, I’m pretty sure you’ll get at least one retweet on that post : )
Conclusion
When building business relationships, just be YOU. Let your personality show and the right people will come around. Just as in the real world, you will not hit it off with everyone. This is fine! You have to just “Keep on Keeping On”! Be sure to return the favor. If you notice you have someone who is consistently commenting on your post and sharing your content etc, drop by their blog and share some of their content and comment on their blog as well.
Remember, Building these Relationships should be “Scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’ type of situation. Remember to be patient as well. This is a time-consuming process. What good relationship doesn’t take time to truly manifest into something good…
Do you focus on building good relationships online?
If you would be so kind to share this I would really appreciate it.
Twitter: AdrienneSmith40
You can’t seriously tell me that I’m the only person who has commented on this fabulous post Steven. Really! Okay, well we need to do something about that my friend. What you shared here is gold.
This is really great advice and as you know I started with blog commenting. Little did I know that it would be the way to open doors for me and not only learn from these fabulous people but get to know them as well. They are some of the most helpful people I’ve had the opportunity to meet.
I know that building relationships takes time but there will be so many benefits down the road that you’re probably not even aware of at that time. I hope that people will take what you’ve shared and start today if they haven’t already. Maybe that’s where everyone is, off building relationships! lol…
Great share Steven and I’ll be sure to pass this along as well. You enjoy your day okay.
~Adrienne
Adrienne recently posted…Why Effective Consistency in Blogging Is Crucial
Thanks Adrienne. Yeah hopefully their off building relationships and passing by here later! LOL
This process was actually one that I started using later on. I was more of a SEO guy but have learned the value of building relationships in a short time.
Also, for me it just keeps things social and interesting. I enjoy creating content but just as in the real world, I enjoy connecting with others online.
Without even searching for it you can learn a lot. I hope this will help others realize the potential of Building Relationships.
I appreciate you stopping by. Take Care and I’ll be in touch.
Steve
Hey Steven!
Well written buddy
One of the best way is to mention these people on blogs like what you said and of course, sharing articles. Also, keep in mind those Follow Fridays and even Marketing Mondays 😀
Shared and thanks for writing old friend!
*p/s I think there’s a typo on the sidebar (subscription to RSS) <– remove this
Reginald recently posted…3 Steps To Design The Best Business Website Templates
Hey Thanks Reginald,
You are right. I need to make Follow Fridays more of a habit. I actually have never tried Marketing Mondays. If you mentioned it, I’m sure I’m missing out!
Thanks for commenting and take care!
Hi Steven,
Awesome post and I so agree with you. Building relationships is where it is at, especially if you don’t want to rely 100% on Google.
Long gone are the days that you could sit behind your computer and blast your site with tons of backlinks and get rankings. Well you probably can, but then you would have to constantly worry about those updates.
I like the relationship building part as you get to meet some great people who are willing to help you if you need it.
I love blog commenting and that is how I started my relationship building. It definitely works, if implemented correctly and done on a regular basis. But you’re definitely right, you want to leave valuable comments that make sense and add value to the blog.
Thanks for sharing and I hope you have a great day.
Susan Velez recently posted…Setting Up A JV Page or JV Blog
Hey Susan,
Depending 100% on Google is dangerous! I would not recommend that to anyone.
I enjoy really interactions whether in person or online. It makes things more interesting for me.
Along with commenting you are reading a lot of great content so you are also gaining a lot of knowledge as well.
I appreciate you stopping by and commenting Susan!
Hi Steve,
Ever since I started blogging, I made a lot of friends all around the world. I got the chance to network with some of the greatest bloggers.
As for me, I use Twitter the most to build new relationships with bloggers and marketers. Doing so, I get to read the awesome content written by them and there is always something new to learn from them.
Thanks Steve for sharing this with us.
Regards,
Vineet
Vineet Saxena recently posted…How to Leverage Browser Caching For Your WordPress Blog
Hello Vineet,
Twitter is a great place to build relationships. I enjoy reading new content and Twitter along with blog commenting allows me to gain knowledge as well as meet new people.
In a short period of time I realized the importance and strength in relationship building. It will always be a part of blogging for me.
Thanks for stopping by Vineet.
Hi Steven,
Love it! Give freely to receive easily. Your network determines your net worth.
All the sayings aside, having a huge crew of friends promoting you, supporting you and inspiring you makes your job easier.
Help folks out. Promote them. Post helpful comments on their blogs and you are golden.
Thanks for sharing Steven!
Ryan Biddulph recently posted…Keep the Dream Alive!
Hi Ryan,
I really like that saying. I have never heard that one before. “Your network determines your net worth”, that’s perfect!
Helping, promoting and commenting is the name of the game. You can’t go wrong being a “giver” in the blogsphere or just online period.
Being a blogger, we have so much we have to do on top of creating content. So, it is really a great benefit when you have your friends online taking some of that promoting pressure off and just being there for you when you need them.
Thanks for commenting Ryan.
Hi Steven,
This was a great read. I very much realise that making friends in a more established sense gets you a better reputation than just blindly blundering on. I sought out a friend who did help improve some of my core areas as well as provide me some views. Every little helps. I think that you can quite easily get caught up in building numbers when you have to take stock of the people you have around you already. Helping them out a bit, helps you out a bit. At current time of writing I have 1,400+ members in my Google+ circles but I doubt I make the best use of every member.
Jackson Davies recently posted…My year of strategy
Hi Jackson,
You’re right about every little bit helps. One of the thing I mention a lot is bloggers should not be associated with being selfish. Being selfless in a sense will get you much better results.
I am a huge fan of building relationships online. I build them the way of building a true friendship. When you think about it as a true friendship things like sharing their post, commenting on their blog etc seems less like a chore. More like helping out a friend.
I would imagine most people really don’t like moving from house to house. It’s long, tiring and tedious process. So when that friend calls you for help, you don’t accept because it’s a fun thing to do. You do it because it’s your friend who needs help and you want to help out.
Thanks for stopping by Jackson!
Twitter: coach2coachguy
Wrap Godfather!LOL!
Without a doubt, building solid long lasting relationships of any kind, on or offline,can and will give any dedicated entrepreneur the jump start they need!
Plus, it allows you to network some of the best in the business! Your blog content and your network has opened up a whole avenue of potentially opportunities to network with the best!
And for that opportunity alone! I thank you! It’s the icing on the top of the cake! The cake being your extremely valuable content!
Mark recently posted…Three Ways You Can Inexpensively Increase Your Market Share Now!
Twitter: BAMoneyBlogger
Hi Steven J Wilson
Thanks for writing on such an important topic that apparently is not taken much important by most of the newbie bloggers. They wrongly assume by the passage of time their senior bloggers themselves will note them and remember their name and blog. This will never happen because pro bloggers don’t have much time to note everyone and they remain so busy in their expanding blogging ventures they don’t have time to remember irrelevant to their main tasks.
Apart from all the awesome benefits you mentioned in your post another big advantage of making relationships with bloggers is that your online friends multiplied in number. If you make a friend online related to specific niche he won’t be your sole friend. Most of his friend will also eventually become your friends when they come across you while you talk to your first friend in that niche.
Once again thanks a lot for sharing such a wonderful post that really has great great value.
Mi Muba recently posted…Top 7 ideas to boost your blog consultancy business
Hi Mi Muba,
That’s some great points you made. I agree that many newbies don’t see the importance of building relationships. I was one of them. Honestly, I enjoyed blogging that much more once I started to Build Relationships. There’s nothing like positive social interaction whether it’s online or offline.
I have also made connections with plenty of bloggers just connecting with a common connection. You begin to see familiar names and faces, then you finally stop over to their blog and them to yours and so on. The cycle continues on from there.
It doesn’t take much but a little effort goes a long way.
I appreciate you Mi Muba. Take care…
Great article Steven ! Appreciate you sharing and enjoyed reading ! Relationship is so important. I love getting on the phone with peeps or doing a Google Hangout to get to know them better
Have an AWESOME day,
Joseph
Joseph Montes recently posted…Market To The Younger Generation Using Social Media
Hey thanks Joseph! I enjoy connecting as well. I think people forget that even though we are not face to face, we can still connect and have a great relationship.
You have a great day as well. Thanks for stopping by
Twitter: profitblitz
Hi Steven,
I’ve always found that networking is every bit as essential to blogging success as the quality of content. Having strong connections can benefit your blog is so many different ways. One of my favorite methods for networking is guest posting. I’ve been able to get to know some influential bloggers and editors by writing for them, even though networking wasn’t my original motivation for writing guest posts.
Marc recently posted…Interview with Pauline Cabrera of TwelveSkip
Hi Marc,
I agree that networking is essential to our success as well. Great content can not stand alone and networking will definitely give our content a little boost for sure.
You brought up a good point about the guest blogging. It works in two ways. Not only does it provide us an avenue to connect with the site owner but connect with that bloggers connections as well.
I plan to do more guest posting in the near future. I am in the process of completing my eBook. When that process is done I will begin submitting post because I feel I will have more of what I need to convert more readers.
Thanks for stopping by Marc!
Twitter: kevinjduncan
Hi Steven,
Reading this post is like browsing through a high school yearbook. It’s not THAT old of a post, but it was published “in the days before Be A Better Blogger.” And yet, here in the comments are so many of my blogging friends. Gosh, none of you have aged a bit! 😉
Great advice, Steven. It’s clear you have emphasized the ideas in this post. You’ve build lots of great blogging relationships. I’m pleased to be one of them!
Kevin Duncan recently posted…An interesting anecdote could be the antidote for your ailing blog post
Hi Kevin,
We have definitely tapped into some of the same blogging networks for sure.
I appreciate the you and the other relationships I have developed. I have learned so much from everyone and glad to know when I need help I have people I feel I can turn too. For example, I will be putting you to work here soon. Give me about a week
Thanks for stopping by Kevin!
There is SO much benefit in building relationships with others, and you have done an awesome job of collating them.
One of the biggest things is the positive effect in can have for your blog, but also recipricol for others too. If we hadn’t built a relationship online we would never have established our little blogging community…and look at the good things that have come out of that!
Blogging is about relationships, engaging and partnership. It is not about being an island and going alone. That is a very dull way to blog!
Catherine Holt recently posted…Discover “What Is Your Why” In Blogging
Hey Catherine,
Thanks for that. Some are really missing out by not utilizing building relationships with others.
I agree on the recipricol aspect of building relationships with others. Building a communtiy where everyone is helping each other out is a huge bonus.
For someone like me who blogs part time, it is a big help to have others that I can count on to help share my content etc.
It sure does keep everything interesting! Dull is one of the reasons some many give it up.
I appreciate you Catherine
Hello Cathrine,
I completely agree with you, developing a community is essential in blogging, and in many aspects of life and business.
Reciprocity is essential to achieve success and happiness in my opinion.
By helping others you are in return helping yourself. From the gratitude you’re receiving from helping them, and the increased likelihood that they will help you down the road.
And being apart of an engaging community is an excellent way to ensure your efforts will be appreciated.
Thanks for writing this article Steven:).
Hope everyone has an excellent day!
Hi Steve,
This is an awesome write up.
There are so many benefits in building relationships with other bloggers and you have pointed them out nicely.
The most important thing I’ve learned with building online relationships is that it works just like the offline relationships.
If you help someone scratch their back they’ll return the favor. And at the end of it all we’ll all benefit.
Thanks for sharing this.
You have a nice blog with so much great content BTW. It’s my first time around and I’m really enjoying your posts. Keep it up man!
~Norbert Juma
Hi Norbert,
You are right about that! I say all the time as well that building relationships online is just like building relationships with the people who we see all the time.
It takes being genuine, being yourself and not rushing it.
I appreciate the kind words. I’m glad you stopped by and hope to see you again!
Have a good weekend man!
Hi Steven!!
I have been wondering were most bloggers get their daily traffic from. But After a few research I realized that 99% of it came from referral sites just by building a solid relationship with bloggers.
Most people will disagree with this but as we all know, everyone is entitled to his or her opinion. I have seen this work for a lot of people including me.
When you start an online relationship its as though those people were physically sitting next to you. Online marketing is the next biggest thing in any business today, So building an online relationship is securing your business for the future.
Thanks Steven for sharing
Hi Vandefan,
Your right about that. Relationships are a huge part of what bloggers or anyone in business do to help their growth.
It takes time and effort for sure but when it is all said and done. The investment will be well worth it in the end.
Thanks for stopping by! Take care…