Gravatar: Get More Blog Traffic from your Comments

Gravatar: Get More Blog Traffic from your Comments

Gravatar: The Commenter's Key to More Blog TrafficIf you’ve been reading blogs for awhile, you’ve probably noticed that some people have their picture next to the comments they leave.  How do they get those snazzy photos up there?  They have a Gravatar.

Gravatar is a free service that will automatically add your profile picture to comments, discussion forums, and other places around the web.

In this post, I’ll share how a Gravatar can help you get more traffic to your blog – and I’ll show you where to get your own.

Why do I need a Gravatar?

  1. Using a Gravatar helps build your “brand” online – whether it’s you as a blogger, your company, or your product.  People who visit the same blogs regularly start to become familiar with the faces there – and that face could be yours!
  2. Having your photo beside your comments makes them stand out from the others.  Other readers can see the person behind the comments, and this is important for building relationships with other members of your blogging community.
  3. Other blog visitors are more likely to click on your blog link when they see who’s commenting – sometimes a photo is enough to pique people’s curiosity, and they’ll visit your blog to find out more about you.  This is especially effective if you’re a small blogger and commenting is part of your traffic-building strategy.

What should I use for my Gravatar?

Most bloggers just like to have their photo for their Gravatar – I do.  It’s my way of introducing myself around the web – a kind of, “Hi, I’m Jeni.  Nice to meet you.”  If you’re representing your company, you may want to use a company logo or an image of your product.  But if you’re not going for product recognition specifically, I’d stick to a photo.

A few tips:

  • When using a photo of yourself, choose a photo where people can see your face well.  Remember: this is an introduction, not a “Where’s Waldo.”
  • Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through!  If you’re a little quirky or have a great sense of humor, a great photo can convey this to potential readers of your blog.  Me?  I smile a lot.  A serious or “artistic” photo just wouldn’t do. 🙂

How do I get a Gravatar?

Simple.  Go to the Gravatar website and sign up, then upload your photo.  When you sign up, make sure you use the same email address you’re using around the web for comments.  If you’d like to add more than one email address (for your multiple personalities identities), you can add them all onto the same account.

How to get a Gravatar

For the best experience across the web, add details to your Gravatar profile.

A few more tips for you:

  • If you feel comfortable with giving more details about yourself, go through the Gravatar options and fill out your profile.  This will show up in some unexpected places – for example, on sites (like mine) that support Gravatar hovercards (it’s like a business card that pops up when you hover over a person’s picture).  Pretty cool.
  • If you’ve left a trail of email addresses around the web over the years, you’ll want to add all of them onto your account.  That way, no matter where you’ve commented, all your comments will show your photo.
  • You don’t have to have your own blog to have a Gravatar.  If you want to be social and show a photo beside the comments you leave, go ahead and sign up – even without a blog.  It’ll help others start to recognize you as a member of the community – and that way, when you DO start blogging, you’ll have lots of people who already know you.

So what are you waiting for?

Pop over to Gravatar and get one.  Then come back here and take it for a test drive in the comments below.

Leave a Comment:

28 comments
Jeff Wilson says

Very Cool, thanks for that info… Just did it, it worked….

Reply
    jeni says

    Oh, how nice. I love seeing Bracken in yours too. 🙂

    Reply
ROZ says

Hi Jeni, This was one of the best things that I’ve learned in a long time since no other blog designer ever informed me of how to do this. Thank you and now let’s see if my gravatar photo appears for this comment!

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ROZ says

YAY! Successful! Will this work on both my ‘blogger’ and ‘wordpress’ sister site blogs? Or just wordpress?

Thanks,
Roz

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    jeni says

    It will work on your WordPress blog – unfortunately, Blogger has their own proprietary login system that doesn’t accept Gravatars. (grrr…) But it’ll work on any WordPress-run blog around the web, and most chat rooms/support forums as well.

    Reply
lori says

Hi Jeni,
I started Gravatar because of you and really love it!
Thank you! Lori

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Tricia @ SimplicityInTheSouth says

Hi! I just read your post and set up my Gravatar account, so this is my first time trying it out! Thanks for the information!

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    jeni says

    Looks like it works great. 🙂

    Reply
Zero Dean says

This is one of those things that I think of a lot of bloggers think people already know… but from reading your comments, it’s clear that it’s the sort of thing more folks should know about! So thank you!

It always feels more personal when I see people commenting on my own blog posts and they have actual photos of themselves than a blank avatar. And as much as I value creativity, I still like photos more than cartoons, etc. Again, because it’s more personal…

(Ie. So Bugs Bunny commented on my blog this morning…)

Good tips. 🙂

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Susan says

OK Jeni- I did it! Let’s see if it works. 🙂

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    Susan says

    Fooey. Doesn’t look like it. Trying again in a minute.

    Reply
      Susan says

      OK- giving it another shot. 🙂

      Reply
        jeni says

        It worked! Just takes a little time to get it working the first time. 🙂 Now your photo should appear all over the web, anywhere you’ve left a comment with this email address. Enjoy!

        Reply
Kala says

Seeing if this worked 🙂

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    jeni says

    It may take a few hours for everything to update across the web. Try checking back a little later. 🙂

    Reply
Bonnie @ the pin junkie says

Thanks for the informative article Jeni! I’m trying it out for the first time here.

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ConventionalDee says

I just made a gravatar the other day, but I had no idea how they really worked. Thanks for sharing, I can really put this info to good use!

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Becky @ A Calculated Whisk says

Thanks for all the advice!

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sureyea says

Great post Jeni ! I love your blog keep updating and keep up the great work.

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Georgina says

Great Advice!! Thanks!!

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Georgina says

Super advice! I really love your blog!

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Michelle says

Seeing if this works!

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    Michelle says

    Thx so much for your help!

    Reply
alicia says

Commenting to see how this worked out 🙂 Thank you for all your advice, Jeni.

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    jeni says

    Looks like adding your Gravatar worked, Alicia – good job. 🙂

    Reply
French Tony says

It works a treat! Sorry but mine’s a brand not a smiling face…

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Fatima @ Baby Toddler Me says

Thank you so much for this post. I’ve been getting stuck with Gravatar because I think they now make you have a wordpress.com account, but I think I may have figured it out! Let’s see!

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Janessa Alexus says

Hi,
Superb it is Really HelpFul For Me Thanks For Sharing keep up it

Reply
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