Beginner Blogger: Stats
So stats. They’re what every blogger secretly obsesses over but no one wants to admit. As you’ve probably figured out, stats are a huge part of the blogging world, but they’re not everything! As a beginner it’s hard to not worry about one day with low numbers or why you’re not seeing super fast growth. Well, in this Beginner Blogger post all about blog stats for beginners, I’m going to cover just about everything revolving around stats! Oh, if you want to see more of my Beginner Blogger series, make sure to check out the Beginner Blogger page. It outlines all the topics I cover and when to expect to see them on the blog!
So many of those Pinterest articles tell beginners to not worry about stats. Well when you’re a beginner, stats are all you have! I know for the first six months, I would religiously check my stats 20+ times a day. That is perfectly fine! Enjoy those stats and pay attention to them because they are valuable, but know that just because you’re not hitting the same stats as another blogger doesn’t mean you’re not posting quality content!
NO VIEWS CAN BE AND IS NORMAL
When you’re first starting out, there are days when no one is going to look at your site. It’s ok! It took me two full months before I had at least one person viewing my blog every day. That one person may have been my grandmother, but it’s still a view! Don’t dwell on not having views, instead celebrate when you get one!
NOT EVERYONE HAS 100,000 PAGEVIEWS A MONTH
As you can see, I only average around 3,500 – 5,000 views a month. That’s not a lot in the grand scheme of blogging, but for me that’s really an accomplishment! You may think that bloggers are reaching certain stats, but they might not be. The biggest thing is to not compare your stats to another blogger’s.
Think about it. Other bloggers that you may be comparing yourself to have been publishing more posts, they’ve been involved on different sites for a lot longer, and they just have more content. This is going to drive more people to their site. Think of it like a target. When you first start out, your target is itty bitty. The more content you release, the bigger that target gets. When someone throws a dart (aka searches on Google or Pinterest) at that target, they’re much more likely to hit the larger one. That’s just the way it works.
ONLY COMPARE YOUR STATS TO YOUR OWN
If there’s one sure-fire way to get down on yourself about blogging, it’s comparing your stats to another blogger’s! It’s going to do you no good to compare yourself to someone else. Like I said before, it’s the whole target analogy. If you keep track of your own stats and compare your stats to your own stats, you’ll see where you need to improve and where you’re doing well!
At the end of each month, I enter all of my stats into an Excel spreadsheet. And when I say all of my stats, I mean it. We’re talking Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook followers, monthly pageviews and monthly visitors, subscribers to my newsletter, and any other stats that I feel the need to track. By doing this, I can see where things are growing and what I need to work on.
So say if my Twitter follower count isn’t growing as much as I would like, I’ll make it my goal to post more tweets and interact more on Twitter. That’s what’s so great about the blogging world – you’re NEVER stuck where you are. There’s always something you can do to boost your numbers.
FOCUS ON THE CONTENT AND THE STATS WILL COME
My dad once told me that it typically takes one year to get any significant kind of viewership on a blog. We live in this world of visual communication (aka Snapchat, YouTube, Netflix), and it’s hard to grow a platform that’s dedicated to writing. It’s taken me a full year to have 4,000 views on average a month. It just takes time, hard work, and passion.
Write content that you’re passionate about. Learn all that you can from other bloggers. Focus on improving your own quality of work. Do what you want to do. Don’t do things just because other’s are doing it. After all, it’s YOUR blog and it should be a representation of yourself! I love it when bloggers really infuse their ideas, personality, and humor into posts. That’s what’ll make a connection with a reader. Not the quality tips that you write about studying.
If you’re feeling down about your stats, don’t hesitate to reach out to another blogger! Sometimes your friends and family just don’t understand how much stats can impact you, and you just need to vent/talk to someone who understands. Reach out to a blogger. We’re all here to help!
NOT HAPPY WITH YOUR STATS? IMPROVE THEM!
THERE’S NO “QUICK FIX” FOR LOW STATS
A “quick fix” for low stats is like a “quick fix” for weight loss. It just doesn’t exist. There’s really only one way to grow your stats and that’s good ‘ole hard work. As with anything, the amount of work you put in is the amount of reward you’re going to reap. If you can dedicate 20+ hours a week to blogging, great! If you can’t, that’s great, too! As long as you’re doing the best you can, you’re going to see results.
GROWING YOUR STATS STARTS WITH YOU
Get organized!
– start an editorial calendar
– make to-do lists
– have an idea of the bigger picture
Improve your photography!
– familiarize yourself with your camera
– add at least one picture to EVERY blog post
Be on social media!
– get a Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook page if you can
– pin your posts to Pinterest
– join blogging Facebook groups
Get to know other bloggers!
– follow them on the social medias
– e-mail them with your questions
– consider a collaboration or guest posting
– comment on other blogs
Are you a beginner blogger? Do you have any more questions? I really hoped you enjoyed this look at why stats aren’t the end all be all of blogging! Again, if you have any more questions, feel free to leave a comment below or e-mail me at hello@livingthegraylife.com!
~abigail gray
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