Blogging is a complex game of creativity, writing skills, passion, drive, an eye for detail, and technical savvy. You also have to know how to market your blog across various and diverse audiences to grow your blog and encourage repeat visits. Knowing your numbers and statistics will help you gage your audience, but you also musn’t let the numbers deter you from continuing your dream and blog.
I have been blogging on TCC since October and I have grown leaps and bounds since my first post this past fall. BUT, I am also nowhere near where I want to be. There are times when I look at my Post Ranking or my Alexa numbers and feel like I am not gaining much momentum. It is easy to get captivated or caught up in your numbers, but they aren’t the only thing that determines your popularity or your blog audience.
There are ways to inflate your numbers on sites. For instance, those that run many contests and giveaways on their sites usually do better than sites that don’t. People clicking through one particular link over and over again will show up higher than a various group of people clicking on different links. If you base everything on numbers, it may scare you from continuing with your blog.
How do I gage my blog? Not only do I track my growth on various ranking sites, I also check how many times my blog posts are clicked and how often my links are retweeted and shown on other blogs. I also gage my audience by asking questions and engaging them to ask what they would like to see on my blog. When I ask a question on Twitter or Facebook, I get numerous reponses, which shows I can count on my readers to be honest and help me with content.
Blogging is not only about who outranks who. It is also about content. Content is king, especially in blogging. When you have great content that sets you apart from other blogs, you are doing a great job! Content is important when establishing a rapport and relationship with your readers.
Up and coming bloggers, don’t let the numbers fool you. We all have to crawl before we walk. Spending time cultivating your craft, your content, and continuation of repeat readers will give you a solid foundation in growing your blog and getting great ranking numbers.
Good luck with your blogging endeavors. Each and everyday, I am one step closer to my goal of becoming a preimenent urban blogger. I will continue to move forward with the big picture in mind!
Bloggers, how do you gage your success? And blog readers, what makes you continue to visit your favorite blogs? Let’s discuss!
Good stuff. Thanks for the encouragement. :o)
Good post
Thanks for the tips/reminders!