{7QT 7} - Baby Blogger Says What?

 

You know that blogger that obsessively tracks their stats? Yes. I am that blogger. I have an awesome spreadsheet with cool graphs that helps me keep track of my "real" daily stats.

Blogger and Google Analytics both do a little bit of double-counting that I do my best to remove, and there were a couple of HUGE spikes in views that I'm pretty certain were bots and not real visitors. I removed all of those. Yes. I know I'm a big nerd.

I partly do this spreadsheet stuff to help me keep track of the blog stuff, but I also do it in part to help me stay sharp on my mighty Excel mastery. You should see some of the epic spreadsheets I was responsible for when I was still working. They were pretty awesome, if I do say so myself!

Here are some things that poring over my spreadsheet has let me in on:

--- 1 ---

In the last five(ish) months, I have gone from averaging 1 hit per day (thanks, Mom), to averaging in excess of 8 hits per day. All without the assistance of me deliberately sharing on Facebook.

--- 2 ---

I'm getting better! My total page views each month has increased. I went live on 11/22/14. These monthly figures reflect total page views in a rolling 30-day window, the one for April ended yesterday.

Month	Total Views
November	1
December	56
January	77
February	100
March	143
April	238

Yes, I know. I'm a big nerd.

--- 3 ---

Consistency really is important. I've been using an editorial calender, to help keep me on track with posting regularly.

Since I started, with only a few exceptions, I have posted twice each week.

If you participate in something regularly (like, say, 7 Quick Takes), it really does help. You really do start accumulating more regular readers.

I've been doing 7QT for seven weeks, and I am starting to see an obvious change in the number of views I get on the other days that I post. Truly, it's getting hard to tell, in my graphs, which days are Fridays. In fact, yesterday - a THURSDAY - was my biggest pageview day ever. I got 26, and I was very excited about it.

--- 4 ---

Having to cancel posts unexpectedly really does make your views take a hit.

For this reason working ahead is really helpful. I am trying to establish a rotating stock of ten "extra" posts that are going to be interesting regardless of current events or liturgical seasons.

That way, when my toddler gets sick, I can take fifteen minutes to double-check my proofreading and schedule my post instead of having to cancel it all together to look after my little girl (Which is TONS more important than blogging!).

--- 5 ---

"Slow and steady" does work to grow your blog. The only thing I've been consciously doing has been reading and commenting on other blogs (when I have something meaningful to say).

I'm willing to bet that social media works faster... but I'm just not ready for that kind of pressure in front of everybody I know.

--- 6 ---

I'm really proud of the work I've done. Really, I am, and I think there's good reason to be.

I'm usually the kind of person that spends endless time redoing draft... after draft... after draft, and publishing twice a week (most of the time) has really required that I get out of that pattern.

--- 7 ---

And Finally,

A very happy birthday to my mom, whose birthday is next week.

Here's an excellent picture of her on somebody else's birthday!

I hope you have an amazing day, Momma! :-)

For more Quick Takes, visit This Ain't the Lyceum!