By Terez Howard
I don’t do this as much as I should, but I think there comes a time when every blogger needs to take a trip to Google Analytics.
If you don’t have it installed on your blog, get Google Analytics now. This helpful tool lets you know how many visitors are checking out your blog, where they come from, how long they stay on a certain page and much more. But what do you do with that information?
Personally, I take a look at Google Analytics once per week. The two main points I examine are the number of visitors and where they come from. I know I can and probably should be doing much more with my Google Analytics account. First, in my defense, I plan to. Secondly, every blogger has to start somewhere. We can’t know it all at once. So, you beginner bloggers, this is for you.
How many visitors?
That’s probably a top concern for countless bloggers. We want to see the numbers climb from day to day. If you’re blog is like mine, it looks more like a polygraph chart.
A couple weeks ago, I noticed a trend. Wednesdays and Thursdays got the highest number of visitors. So what?
I thought to myself, What can I do with that information? I decided to put interviews and informational posts on those two days because I think those two varieties of posts would benefit my audience the most.
If you notice one day seeming to have a higher number of visitors than others, then maybe you should revamp your blogging schedule to suit your audience’s needs. Prior to inspecting my analytics, Tuesdays and Wednesdays were what I thought would be hot days. Adjustments were needed, and it wasn’t a strain at all to switch things up.
You came from where?
When I first started my blog, I thought that I would get all my visitors from my business website. The reason I started a blog was to show potential clients my writing style. So it seemed logical that they would be clicking through from my business website. Boy was I wrong!
The majority of my traffic is direct. That means a person types in my URL directly. People that come from my business website ranks seventh. Before that, I see referrals from a couple other blogs (ahem, this one), Feedburner and my e-mail.
This tells me to get involved with more blogs. Promote more information from other bloggers because I just might get more traffic to my own blog. Of course, my sole aim in expressing an interest with other bloggers is not just to benefit myself. Primarily, I want to help others.
Did you hear that? Put others ahead of yourself.
Give it time
If you have a new blog, don’t pay much attention to Google Analytics for a while. It usually takes a couple months until you start seeing any type of routine. Even then, your visitors might seem erratic.
Also, don’t let Google Analytics rule your blog. The numbers might tell you one thing when your gut is telling you another. Trust your instincts and watch how it works. Take risks. If your ideas fall flat, brush yourself off and try something new. Failure is another step to success.
How do you readjust your blog to your suit your visitors?
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Terez Howard operates TheWriteBloggers, a professional blogging service which builds clients’ authority status and net visibility. She has written informative pieces for newspapers, online magazines and blogs, both big and small. She regularly blogs at Freelance Writing Mamas. You’ll find her on Twitter @thewriteblogger.
Thanks, Terez!
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!
