Why Your Online Article Gets Several Page Views but Few Comments

When you write online, you may secretly hope that your article goes viral after you hit the publish button. You want the maximum number of reads and lots of comments. You want to connect with your audience.

Comments are a great way to get feedback on your writing. When you write for a content website such as HubPages, you are also able to see how many views each of your articles gets every day. Sometimes, some of your articles have a high number of page views but receive only a few comments. There are a variety of explanations for this type of incident.

If your article subject matter is generally considered to be controversial, readers may be drawn to the article. That explains the high number of reads. Perhaps you discuss your favorite (and highly unpopular) candidate for the next US election or the impact of globalization on the environment. Readers want to hear a new take on the issue at hand.

Readers want to hear opinions and then make their own decisions based on what is read. While the controversial subject matter of your article draws readers, the controversy also may keep them from writing comments. A reader, for example, may not want to be attacked by other readers for a potentially hurtful comment. Although the reader likes your article, he or she may therefore decide not to comment.

Other readers may want to voice their opinions for fear of criticizing the view you expressed in the piece. The reader may think that offering a different opinion would be disrespectful to you as the author and therefore declines to comment. You have one more read and no comment.

Another reason why your article gets several page views but few comments centers on the specific content of your piece. While your article title attracted a reader to bring the page up on the computer screen, the reader may not feel a connection to the words.

Perhaps the reader had other expectations as to what he or she would read. Or maybe your article title does not match the body of the online piece. In that case, readers flock to the title and leave the computer screen disappointed that they have not received the information they were looking for upon the first click. What is the result? A lot of page views with few comments.

If there is less substance for the reader than expected he or she does not feel compelled to stay on your article link to type out a comment. Instead, the readers may head back to the Google search page to find the information they were originally hunting for online.

Another reason to account for the variation between page views and comments is the nature of the website in which your article is published. If it is a content website with several contributing writers, readers who are not themselves members of the site may hesitate to post a comment. These readers may feel like outsiders as they are not registered with a profile on the particular site.

As well, remember that many people read articles online and never comment on the articles. The type of website does not matter, as this is a personal preference. These readers may choose not to comment as they have received the information they needed and are done with the page. Another reason is that they realize that once something is written online it is public information. Perhaps the readers do not want to give their identity and views within the public format of the website. That, of course, is a personal right.

While you may be disappointed as a writer that you do not receive many comments for your particular article, recognize that your content is being read. The high number of page views means that some aspect of your article is appealing to many online users. The limitation, however, is that with few comments you do not receive a lot of positive or negative feedback about your article.

Use the few comments that you do receive to help you improve your writing skills. Ask your friends and writers you connect with to look over your article and offer feedback. Perhaps their responses will help you understand why the associated comments sections are sparse.

Also, take time to revel in the positive concept that your article is receiving a lot of page reads. Focusing on the positive is a great idea!