Today we’re going to talk about numbers. Not just any ‘ole numbers, but the numbers related to your blog. If you are a serious blogger, I’m sure you already know what I’m talking about. Most of us like to keep track of our blog numbers, don’t we? Just to be clear when I talk about blog numbers today, I’m referring not only to page views and visitors tracked in Google Analytics, but also to the number of followers on your social media accounts.
So tell me, how often do you check your blog’s numbers? Is it monthly? Maybe weekly?? Perhaps daily??? Uh…several times a day???? Alright, we need to talk! Today I’m here to tell you to stop the insanity! It’s time to stop focusing on numbers and focus on what really matters.
I remember when I first started my blog and figured out how to check my Google Analytics. I would check it several times a day, and get excited with every visitor. I’d check my social media accounts, too, and shout a cheer as I gained each new follower. But what started out as fun during my early days of blogging, eventually became a chore. If my numbers were up, I was happy. If my numbers were down, I’d start to worry, then I’d start to question myself.
What am I doing wrong?
Why aren’t people liking my Facebook posts?
Do people hate my writing?
I’ll never be a successful blogger like…so and so.
Self-doubt would creep in and steal my confidence until the next time I checked my blog numbers and saw a spike. Then one day I received an excellent piece of advice from a very successful blogger. She said to stop looking at my blog numbers so often to gauge my success and instead focus my time on making my blog the best it could be. Hmm…at first I thought she was crazy, but I decided to take her advice and I’m so glad I did!
Let’s think about what draws readers to you site. Is it any of the following?
- Readers look at the number of followers you have on Facebook.
- Readers notice how many people are following your tweets on Twitter.
- Readers are impressed with your Instagram followers.
- Readers notice you’ve hit 1K followers on Pinterest and decide to visit your blog.
- Readers see that 200 other readers have looked at a particular post this week and decide to check it out.
No! Why not? Readers are not looking at your numbers, and neither should you!
Now let’s look at some of the real reasons readers are drawn to your blog.
- Readers see a great project from your site on Pinterest and visit your blog to see how you made it.
- Readers check out your photos on Instagram and want to learn more about you and your blog.
- Readers see a post on Facebook that sparks their curiosity and they decide to find out more.
- Readers follow a tweet to your site to learn more about a topic.
So, what do all of these reasons have in common?
GREAT CONTENT!
That’s right! It is great content that actually draws readers to your blog. You need a great project tutorial to inspire others on Pinterest. You need an interesting article to create interest on Twitter. You need a unique perspective to spark curiosity on Facebook. You need a great photo to draw readers from Instagram.
Bloggers need to stop playing the numbers game and focus on creating content that will intrigue, engage and inspire readers.
Once I stopped focusing on my blog numbers, an amazing thing happened. My blog started to grow, without me even realizing it! Why? I wasn’t focused on numbers, but instead I was focused on developing my writing skills, planning out my posts, connecting with other bloggers, learning new photography skills and interacting with my readers.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you should never check your numbers, because I do. I have a monthly chart I use to track my blog’s growth through social media and Google Analytics. I need to know what’s working for my blog and what isn’t, but my ultimate goal should be to gain followers that come back daily to my blog, follow my posts, and leave genuine comments. I don’t want just numbers…I want loyal followers! How about you?
[Tweet “Bloggers need to stop playing the numbers game and focus on creating great content.”]
Let’s stop putting so much emphasis on the amount of followers we have on our social media accounts and stop checking our Google Analytics so often to see how many visitors we’ve had to our blog. We are wasting valuable time that could be spent creating amazing content for our readers. Without great content, readers will not continue to come back to your blog. What good is 3K likes on Facebook if only 100 of those are engaged readers tuning in to your blog each week?
Will you join me and stop playing the numbers games with your blog?
I couldn’t agree more! i do the same thing…keep a chart of monthly check ups. Since I quit checking daily, I have had so much more fun with it!
I’m so glad you agree! Great point about it keeping blogging fun! 🙂
Thank you for confirming this for me! I’m a new blogger (started January 31st) and was so worried about page views and followers on social media. I haven’t developed a huge following but am satisfied with my numbers. I look at them when I log into my blog but they no longer evoke thoughts of failure and I don’t stress over them. If I just keep doing what I’m doing with writing, photos and projects (even though most of them fail…LOL), it will grow. I just have to decide what I want the blog to grow in to. 🙂 I just don’t know at this point and will continue to do my best at writing and see what happens! Have a great day!
I’m so glad you’ve decided to focus on improving your blog and discovering your niche instead of worrying about the numbers. Keep writing, have fun, and you are right, your blog will grow!
I so agree with you and as the saying goes ‘content is king’ . But if you make monthly or weekly charts it does not matter if our attitude and emphasis is on making great blog content and learning what our readers want. Which is the point that you are making.
Content is definitely king, and it is smart to check your numbers periodically to see your blog’s growth. You are right, though, it really is all about our focus when we are looking at them. Thanks so much for stopping by today!
This is definitely true. Great post!
Kate | The Organized Dream
Thanks, Kate! I appreciate you stopping by today!
I must admit I check my numbers several time a day. I go through those high and low moments. As of today I will stop focusing on my numbers and focus on my blog. Thanks for this great advice!
I’m so glad you found this useful!
Thank you for this post! I am a new blogger and I needed to hear/ read this!
Thanks, Clare. It makes me smile to know you enjoyed this post. Thanks so much for stopping by today! 🙂
Ok. I really need to follow this advice. I am starting right now! Thank you. My blog is close to 7 months old now and is growing but I do start to second guess myself and I shouldn’t.
So true…we all second guess ourselves, and we usually don’t need to!
You are totally right, Christie. And it is so easy to get caught up in the numbers game. I have to FORCE myself not to look at my numbers every day. I’ve discovered that the days where I don’t look at any numbers at all and just focus on creating projects, writing posts, and interacting with this amazing community of bloggers we have, that I’m a much happier person. And I’m starting to figure out that # of followers doesn’t always equate to success. Keep doing what you’re doing, girlie. 🙂
Thanks, Lauren! I’m right there with you about having to force myself not to check my numbers…but when I don’t, it frees me to enjoy blogging and just have fun. Concentrating on numbers has the tendency to take the fun away. I love what you said…number of followers does not equal success. I’m so glad you agree with me! 🙂
This is really great advice, I’m very new to blogging and I am in the habit of checking my views/followers/likes daily! I definitely need to focus on the blog and on other blogs!
I’m so glad you like my advice! Welcome to the blogging world! 🙂
Totally agree! I used to do this and feel bad about it, because I felt like I made good content (and improving). Then I realized the giveaway game that some bloggers play to make their numbers look good. 15,000 pinterest followers and only 1 repin? No thanks, I would rather have engagement and an interested audience than fake followers.
I so agree! What good are those followers to you if they really aren’t following? Someone wise once explained it this way to me….so maybe you get a great book deal because your numbers look good and the publisher thinks you have so many followers, but then none of them buy your book because they really aren’t true followers, then you’ll never get another book deal again. It really made me think!
My numbers are still quite low and I’ll admit I do look at them and it can be discouraging. Very much so some days. I do try to focus on my content and it’s awesome to get some positive feedback about it and to know that someone enjoyed it. I’m so appreciative of every genuine comment.
I’ve recently switched my blog site from blogspot to .com in hopes that I can make it a more appealing place and to allow me to have more options. I do think it’s hard to not look at numbers and it will take some effort not to do so.It’s easy to wonder what I’m doing wrong, even though I know that is not productive!
I do know that my Social Media numbers remain low because I don’t follow just to get a follow back. That just doesn’t work for me. I agree with Rachel, I would much rather have engagement-and that’s something I need to focus on. (Sorry for the length of my reply, but obviously your post struck a chord with me!)
Beverly, it’s always great to hear from you! I know how you feel about genuine comments, because comments like this one really make my hard work on this blog worth it. I was inspired to write this post because a lot of blogging Facebook groups I’m in do follow for follow and comment for comment threads and such, and although I have discovered some great blogs and friends through some of them, I got tired of all the quick, insincere comments I was getting and realized that so many are in it just for the numbers. I took the time to evaluate how I was spending my time and what was actually benefiting me in the long run and it really changed my course of action, so now I’m more selective in what I participate in. Engagement is what I’m after, too! I think you’ve made a wise decision to switch from Blogspot! Have you read Ruth Soukup’s book How to Blog for Profit Without Losing Your Soul? It is excellent, and has a lot of tips on how to set up your blog, improve content, etc. I’ve been taking her Elite Blog Academy course, and she’s the one who taught me to stop looking at numbers so much and just get busy blogging! 🙂
Thanks, Christie. That’s why I’ve held off joining FB groups until I recently joined Jessica’s. I thought I should give it a try. I’m not at all sold on it though. I have not read the book you mentioned, but I will definitely look into it. Thanks so much for your suggestions!
Thank you for sharing this! It actually makes blogging easier and better for my family if I start doing this 🙂
I’m so glad you found this post useful for you! 🙂
You are so true, too many people spend too long wishing for more readers than actively creating the content that will draw them in. It is important to have the skills needed to keep these people engaged when they arrive, they might stay around longer! Visiting from How To Get Organized At Home via Two Uses Tuesday 🙂
I’m so glad you agree, and thanks so much for stopping by today!
This is such a wise post. I recently have decided that instead of focusing on how many followers I have, I should be thinking more about who my audience is and what it is they enjoy about my blog.
That is so true! Like in the Kevin Costner movie Field of Dreams, “If you build it, they will come”. Have a great site full of great content, and the readers will come. 🙂
This is so timely for me! I checked my numbers before bed last night (never a good idea!) and have been bummed out ever since. But you’re right. I love creating content, and I should focus on that. Thank you!
Oh, no, never check numbers before bed! LOL… It’s hard not to look at numbers, but I enjoy blogging so much more when I don’t look at them often!
Great post! As a fairly new blogger, this is definitely something I struggle with. I look at my Google Analytics multiple times a day (ok…let’s me honest…like every hour!) I have quite a few followers on Instagram but I’m not converting as many to readers as I would like. I know it’s a game of patience sometimes but it does get frustrating. It’s nice knowing I’m not the only one that struggles with this though. Hopefully six month down the road, I will feel more at ease!
As time moves on, you will feel more at ease. It’s funny, but often the days when I’m offline and enjoying life are the days when I get the most traffic, and days when I’m home plugging away on social media my traffic is lower. It’s important just to enjoy the ride! I’m heading over to check out your blog now! 🙂
Thank you so much! Hope you have a fabulous day!
It’s hard not to think about numbers when your blog is as new as mine is and the target audience is pretty small to start with. I know most of my followers are others whose blogs I read and comment on, though that doesn’t account for the higher numbers above my regular followers. I am concentrating on content first and engaging more on Pinterest now and using related Pinterest board widgets on blog posts when relevant. When I look at social media numbers, I realize they aren’t real.Many of your first followers may not even be active anymore. Many people join Twitter, make a few tweets, and that’s the end of their activity.
Am I hoping to grow my numbers? Who isn’t? But you are right that obsessing over them doesn’t change them. Great content and marketing does.
Social media is always changing, so we really can’t depend on those followers anyway. BUT concentrating on Pinterest is defintely the way to go…they are my biggest referral, so I concentrate on Pinterest, too!
This has definitely been my problem lately and has depressed me to the point I want to quit. Then I get in the kitchen and start creating again…
Yes, there’s something about creating that gives us the fuel to keep going. Keep up the hard work, and it will pay off eventually!
So true, content is definitely the key! Thanks for sharing at What’d You Do This Weekend? I hope you will join us again this Monday!
I fell into this trap. It was really bothering me that I only had 51 subscribers (according to Jetpack). What was I doing wrong, why was it so low, blah blah. Made myself a little nutty. Then realized I should have been looking at subscribers under my users, which is over 1500. Phew! Stupidhead blog! Thanks for posting. Hello from Totally Terrific Tuesday.
Numbers have a way of making us nutty, don’t they?:) I’m so glad you stopped by today!
THANK YOU – I needed this today. I know great content is the key – but then this week I started to obsesss about my numbers again. I took a step back and saw that I have grown over the past month – so what if I had a slow week… who cares?! THANK YOU !
I am so glad this post spoke to you today. We all have days when we have to remind ourselves that we are still on the right track. Thank you for stopping by today!
Hi, visiting you via the SITS girls! You’re right, things online have gradually changed over time and now, even for Google’s algorithm great content is the most important thing of all. Wish you well with your
blogging!
Thanks so much! I appreciate you stopping by today. Have a great weekend!
Great article! Tweeting it tonight!
Thanks so much, Mary! Have a great weekend!
Wow this is awesome! Thank you!
Thank you, Suzie!
Hi Christie! Amen! I love this! It’s so important to remember why we all started to blog, right? That’s because we love to share. We love to create things and put it out there for others to see. If we focus on that, rather than the stats, blogging will never become a chore. Happy Sunday to you!! 🙂
Thanks, Ashley. Yes, we need to keep blogging fun since that’s why we started doing it in the first place. Have a great week!
I’m in! Thanks for the swift kick in the butt…I needed that one for sure!
A lot of us needed it..LOL. Thanks for stopping by!
Excellent post! I thought so and so did your fellow Two Uses Tuesday readers =) Stop by to see your feature on Monday night!
How exciting! Can’t wait to see it. Have a great week, Sarah!
Such a great post, this is so right. Creating quality content and in my case OFTEN has been quite difficult having a one year old running around but I hope to start writing more frequently soon.
Sounds like you have a great plan!
I was this person too 🙂 This was the most clicked link at our Teach Me Tuesday party last week!! It will be featured this week! Grab a button if you don’t already have one.
Thanks so much for linking up with us Christie!! It is a pleasure to have you 😉
Have an awesome week!
I’m so excited and honored that my post was featured! Thanks, Bobbi. You have an excellent week, too!
Awesome post. Pinned and tweeted. I hope to see you on tonight at 7, we can’t wait to party with you! Lou Lou Girls
Thanks so much! See you at your party!
Great thoughts you have here! It’s so easy to get stuck on numbers, so I think that this post is helping a lot of people! 🙂 Lisa
Thanks, Lisa. I’m amazed at all the attention my post has received. I’m glad it is helping other bloggers…we’re all in this together! Have a great week!
Aaaahhh, that’s me breathing a huge sigh of relief. Thank you for the great reminder that it’s not all about the numbers. I get so caught up in trying to be successful, and it makes it seem easier to quantify when I’m checking my numbers. I’ve recently taken a hiatus for number-crunching, though, and I have to admit, I feel much better about what I’m doing! 🙂
That is great! I’m so glad that giving up numbers watching has freed you to enjoy what you’re doing. Congrats! 🙂
This is SO DANG GOOD! And so true. People want great content, and THAT’S what creates a true, real audience and following. Awesome post!
cominguprosestheblog.com
Thanks so much, Erica!!
I am SO GUILTY of doing this! And I know it’s such a bad habit and in 2016 I’m going to try my hardest not to take a peak at my blog stats until the end of the month. However, I love your perspective on this and it is true. Content is King. Followers are king … that’s why they’re called followers.
– Juliet