You learn something new every day and today I learned about the benefits of a Do Follow blog!  And, it’s going to create a better WIN-WIN for my readers who take time to comment and engage on my blog because you’re going to get more SEO benefit!

I’m creating a Win-Win by converting from a No Follow to a Do Follow Blog!

How much time do you spend commenting on other people’s blogs? It’s awesome to connect, give compliments to the writer for a great post, and build relationships.  That should be the number one reason you ever comment on someone’s blog!  But let’s be honest with each other, there’s also that little “what’s in it for me” reward of a back-link to your blog and SEO boost that makes it even more of a win/win, right?  I just learned that blog commenting could be an ineffective waste of time when it comes to SEO!

Josh Garcia write a couple of posts on the topic of Do Follow that you’ll definitely want to check out! I’ve provided a link to them for you below.  But I first wanted to share why I felt so passionate about sharing this.

I loved John’s post because it taught me something new and he shares my attitude in wanting a blog that rewards my readers for commenting and engaging!  It builds community, relationship, and great comments enhance my message!

But, little did I know, I wasn’t rewarding my readers because my blog was No Follow up until a few minutes ago! You are on a Do Follow blog now!

Are you a Go Giver? Do you want more great comments? Get a Do Follow Blog!

Of course you are!  And of course you do!  Let’s create a Win-Win movement of Do Follow blogs in the true spirit of social networking, contribution, relationship building, and go-giver attitudes!

If you want to make your blog a Do Follow blog, here’s what you should do:

• Make sure you’ve got the akismet and captcha plugins installed on your blog to control spam.
• Make sure that your comments are set so that you have to approve the comments before they appear on your blog just in case someone’s comment is spam, or they’re giving you an easy thumbs up just to get the back-link.
• Set Your Blog to Do Follow with the plugin!
• I created a Do Follow badge of honor for you to display on your do follow blog to encourage commenting! (Right click on the color below that matches your blog, and “save target as” or “save link as” to get the png file.)
  • Write a post about the benefits of having a do-follow blog and link the image to that post, or link the badge back Josh’s post or back to mine so they can get their free DoFollow badge too.
  • Here’s a video by Susan Redmon showing you how to add the dofollow badge to your blog. (Thanks Susan!)
  • I’ve also created a video for some of my readers who have asked for it:

Two other things you can do to reward your readers for commenting:

• Install the comentluv plugin that shows the name and a link to the commentator’s recent blog post!
• Install the top commentators plugin to reward the people who contribute the most to your blog with some branding!

The Rules of the Game are to “Play Nice” on a Do Follow Blog!

If you know you’re on a Do Follow blog, make sure you’re respectful and that you’re adding value to their blog with your comments!  Two word “Great Post” comments are NOT acceptable!  (And if they’re left on my blog they will be deleted!)

Before leaving a comment, ask yourself:

1. Did I gain value from their post?  What was the value I received?
2. Do I have a question about their post?
3. Is what I have to say something that will enhance their message or provide a different perspective?
4. Is the owner is engaging in conversation with the people who have take the time to comment on their blog?

Should you still post comments on a No Follow blog?  YES!  Here’s why:

The daily habit reading several blog posts by various authors in your niche is great continuing education.

• You can ask questions and get one-one-one help via the comments from leaders in your field.
• Let the blog owner know you got value from them!
• Even if you don’t get SEO benefits from a back-link you may still get traffic back to your site!
• Commenting on the leading blogs in your niche will show that you’re staying up to date on what is happening, engaging with others.
• Commenting on other blogs will help you brand yourself and build trust and credibility with your own readers who recognize your gravatar on other blogs!

So here’s the link to Josh’s awesome post. Watch the video on this post first about how to tell if the blog you’re commenting on is a no follow or a do follow blog, then click the link at the top of Josh’s post to read his post from Monday that explains the nitty-gritty on Do Follow vs No Follow.

• He shares how to know if a blog is a No Follow or a Do Follow blog.  (WordPress blogs are No Follow by default!)
• He shares why a Do Follow blog is a win/win
• He shares what he looks for in the blogs he follows and comments on
• He also shares what to do to prevent spam on your blog

It will be worth your time, I promise!

Oh…and please comment!  I’ll make it worth your time with a nice little back-link because I’m proud to say that I have a DoFollow blog now!

If you learned something new or this post added value to you, please tweet it and facebook it to others who will benefit!

p.s. I just discovered a blog directory of Do Follow blog if you are interested in getting your blog listed on their directory!

About the author

Heather Stephens wrote 189 articles on this blog.

Thanks for reading! I'm excited to have you here and I hope you enjoyed the content. Please let me know what you think in the comments below (this is a dofollow blog!) and connect with me in social media. It's time to unleash the Clever Marketer in you!

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1. 

   Amanda from Mrs. Opinion says:

   03/31/2011 at

   Very informative, thank you! I kept seeing DoFollow everywhere and didn’t know what it was. I’m now a user
   Amanda@Mrs. Opinion recently posted..Trackbacks – Link Exchanges for Blogs

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   Heather Stephens Reply:
   April 1st, 2011 at

   Hi Amanda,

   I’m glad to have helped to inform you about do follow! Glad to have you joining the do follow movement!

   Heather

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   Amanda from Mrs. Opinion Reply:
   April 1st, 2011 at

   Hi Heather,

   Thank you again for making this available for everyone. It really is a great idea… we could all use help with those search engines!
   Amanda@Mrs. Opinion recently posted..DoFollow

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2. 

   Tammy Matthews says:

   04/05/2011 at

   Heather,
   I loved your post!! I’ve been working on my blog for some time now and am learning new things every single day. I think I found you through a blog challenge that another friend of mine had posted on their blog and they directed me to you.

   Then I found this Do Follow post. I’d love to have this badge on my blog, but every single time I save it, it saves it with a black background. I have even gone as far as to click the badge and make it bigger. It too shows up on a white background, but when it saves, it’s on a black background.

   There are so many things to learn and I’m glad I found your blog!

   Tammy
   Tammy Matthews recently posted..Welcome the Thorns!

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   Heather Stephens Reply:
   April 5th, 2011 at

   Hi Tammy,

   The images are clear. I suggest you save one of the images to your computer and input it into a program like power point. Place a white box behind it and then group the box and the image together. Right click and save the image as a png or jpg file for your blog.

   That should do the trick.

   Glad you found clever marketer! Thanks for your comment!

   Heather

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   Tammy Matthews Reply:
   April 5th, 2011 at

   Heather,
   I don’t have PowerPoint I just had to put it on my blog with a black background not as pretty, but can’t figure it out any other way right now.
   Thanks
   Tammy
   Tammy Matthews recently posted..Enjoy Today!

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3. 

   Tammy Matthews says:

   04/05/2011 at

   Heather,
   Also, when I type in captcha I get like 25 plugins – which on is the right one?
   Thank you so much for your time,
   Tammy
   Tammy Matthews recently posted..Enjoy Today!

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   Heather Stephens Reply:
   April 5th, 2011 at

   Hi Tammy, I actually recommend now that you use gasp: Growmap Anti Spambot Plugin instead of captcha. It works great on my blog and I’m really happy with it.

   http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/growmap-anti-spambot-plugin/

   Hope that helps.
   Heather

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4. 

   Lynette Patterson says:

   04/05/2011 at

   I simply CANNOT believe that my blog is no follow. gggrrrrr. Well it is DO follow now…thanks to you!!
   Lynette Patterson recently posted..The Most Important Plug-ins Your Business Will Ever Need

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   Heather Stephens Reply:
   April 6th, 2011 at

   Good for you, Lynette! Glad to have you join the dofollow movement!

   Heather

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5. 

   Steve Rice from Karmic Kappuccino says:

   04/16/2011 at

   Heather, I found another Plugin (WP-SpamFree) that really helps cut down the spam. I got rid of the captcha and use “Growmap Anti Spambot Plugin” to add the check box (like you’re using) for the commentator to indicate they’re not spam. Wasn’t sure if you’d seen WP-SpamFree, but wanted to bring it to your attention.

   Thanks for the “Do-follow” badge! Awesome!
   Steve Rice@Karmic Kappuccino recently posted..The Miracle of Your Own Existence

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   Heather Stephens Reply:
   April 18th, 2011 at

   Hi Steve,

   Thanks for the comment. I am not using the wp spam free, because I’m not having any issues, but I’ve seen a lot of people who use it and seem to be happy with it. My guess is that it’s a great alternative.

   Thanks for sharing it here and adding value to my post!

   Heather

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6. 

   Kim Nesbitt says:

   05/04/2011 at

   Hi Heather,
   Thank you for this information. I’ve never heard of the DoFollow Plugin. I also just joined Commentluv. I love the win win and the community that this will create. Also thank you for the badge. I look forward to reading more of your blog.
   Kim
   Kim Nesbitt recently posted..My First GVO Social Media Show is Today!

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7. 

   Maxine says:

   05/04/2011 at

   Hello! I somehow made it to your blog through a blogging group and your page is just filled with information. I must go back and click through all the links as I feel I will be here a while learning not just on “DO FOLLOW” advantages, but Red Hot SEO for video blogging, talk your way easy MLM blog and more! I am quite new to the blogging world and one could just spin out with so much information.
   Glad I found you…through Steven I think??
   

   [Reply]

   

   Maxine Reply:
   May 4th, 2011 at

   Goodness!
   I put the wrong link!
   Maxine recently posted..Ava Anderson Non-Toxic Hand and Body Lotion

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8. 

   Monna Ellithorpe says:

   05/04/2011 at

   Heather,

   Thank you for the great information. I’ve had my blog as a “do follow” for a while but wasn’t quite sure how to benefit from it, other than the tons of spam Akismet has been blocking.

   I joined Tammy’s 30 Day Comment Challenge and have been reading more on how to work with the other great plugins.

   I’m still in the process of changing my blog and it is great to find informative blogs like yours.
   Monna Ellithorpe recently posted..Live YOUR Dream- Not How Other People See It…

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9. 

   Regina Sanders says:

   05/05/2011 at

   This post was very helpful! I now have a Dofollow blog because of all of your help! Thank you!
   Regina Sanders recently posted..Medicare- Medicaid- Part D Supplemental Insurance and Our Seniors

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10. 

    Nicole says:

    05/05/2011 at

    I did all of the tips on the video to install this into my blog, and think I have it, however….how do I know if this, indeed, giving my ‘commenters’ a backlink? I am clueless when it comes to this internet stuff, is there any way to know for sure that you are a ‘do follow’ blog…or is the placement of the badge enough? Thank you!!!

    [Reply]

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11. 

    Renee from WAHM Hosting says:

    05/07/2011 at

    Wonderful article! I just switched my blog back to WordPress and this is one of the first things I installed. Thanks for the reminder about commentluv too!
    Renee@WAHM Hosting recently posted..Now Hiring- Web Designers

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12. 

    M. Ackerstaff says:

    05/16/2011 at

    Thanks for the post, it gave me a new view on to ‘dofollow’ or ‘nofollow’. My first opinion was to switch to a dofollow on our blog. But do you have any idea on what it does with the PR of a websites page?
    I’m guessing you’re gonna leak some pr to the commenters but really don’t know how much this will be. Do you have some experience with this?
    M. Ackerstaff recently posted..Haal meer uit Google Analytics

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13. 

    Hulbert Lee says:

    05/28/2011 at

    Hello Heather, I just finished watching your video. I did not know about do follow blogs until like this week, but after searching for more information on random blogs, I have a better idea of what it means. Do follow blogs are a win/win because it helps add “link juice” and also helps the discussion/conversation. I enjoyed reading this post and hopefully you’re cold will get better (that is from the more recent post of yours). Thanks!
    Hulbert Lee recently posted..Comment on How to Focus on Having an Optimistic Personality by How to Focus on Contributing to SocietyHow To Focus Better

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14. 

    Ben Dabah says:

    07/04/2011 at

    Hey,
    i read your post and it was very interesting.
    i have only one question, don’t you afraid from spammers?
    i had my blog dofollow and i got tons of spam comments.
    what can i do with that?

    [Reply]

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15. 

    Myrna Greenhut says:

    07/06/2011 at

    Defnitely learned something new here — and will try and follow your lead and convert to a do follow blog.

    Unfortunately, it takes me forever to make this type of technical change and I will probably need to review the video multiple times before completing.

    [Reply]

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16. 

    Myrna Greenhut says:

    07/06/2011 at

    Will do my best to install a do-follow plugin on my blog later today. Unfortunately, it might take me longer than the average bear…I’m tech scared…but I need to get over the hump.

    Thanks for this info about blog commenting. Very useful.

    [Reply]

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17. 

    3 days to permanent bv relief ebook says:

    08/21/2011 at

    Dofollow blogs get lots of spam.
    This is a shame because seo firms will
    post just to get a backlink.
    Nofollow blog links do have their place in seo.
    They make the link building appear more natural to google and help avoid sandboxing.

    3 days to permanent bv relief ebook recently posted..3 Days To Permanent BV Relief EBook | Kristina Tomlin

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