When it comes to business blogs, it’s easy to get tunnel vision about generating traffic to your site. But according to the panel of business blogging experts at the  BlogWorld & New Media ^[1]‘s breakout session “Leads, Subscribers, and Sales: Bringing Action to Business Blogs,” there are more important things to focus on.

Digital Media Leader at Linhart PR Paula Berg, director of Voce Connect at Voce Communications Josh Hallet and Inbound Marketing Manager at Hubstop Kipp Bodnar shared what really matters in a discussion led by HelpMyBrand.com ^[2] blogger Tom Martin. Rather than measuring traffic, business blogs should measure its actual  impact on business revenue, sales, or another tangible sign of growth, said Hallet. “Show me what it’s doing for me,” he said.

Bodnar encouraged bloggers to focus on conversion rates rather than traffic in order to generate more dollars per post. According to the speakers, bloggers who post regularly, cultivate new content, and maximize the life of their posts will see more traffic more naturally that way.

Bodnar also discouraged bloggers from obsessing over comments, saying engagement and a focused call to action is more important in the long run. Berg took a different stance, especially when it came to negative comments. “Call me a sadist, but I love negative comments,” she said. “It’s a great way to get in and change someone’s mind and show what you’re really made of.”

In sharing final advice, Berg encouraged her audience to stay positive and keep seeking an audience. “I think of it like my dating life,” she says of business blog content. “Someone’s going to want it.”

Stay tuned for more from the BlogWorld & New Media Conference ^[1] as it happens.