With the Amount of SEO talk here, I just wanted to remind everyone, with my latest poem, that the true joy of writing, is simply the joy of writing. Don't get so bogged down in SEO that you lose sight of your true goals.
http://abrainlessnod.blogspot.com/2013/01/poem-stats-hide-joy-of-blogging.html
--Dan
Well said Dan. That's why I try not to look at stats for my blog very often, and that's why I don't put the stats on my main page because I know that if I see that it's not rising enough, it will effect my writing. We all want everyone to visit us, but let's stay focused on our content :)
I'll be round later today to visit you as usual. Just loving your posts.
Thanks RPD! I like to look at stats, but I don't let it effect the writing. If I see a low stat day is going on, I'll spend a few minutes promoting a post, just to push it up a bit.
I don't think I get many visitors via search engines, which may suggest that I should pay more attention to SEO, but I prefer to follow your admonition and focus on the writing and other aspects of my blog that make it worth visiting in the first place. The only stats I look at are the page views for individual posts, so that I can get a sense of what is popular and what isn't.
I know I could do a better job at putting on key words, but in the end, yeah, I want to write my best. And if I were to pick a stat I'd be most concerned with, it would be return visitors. Those who not only stopped by once, but came back again to read more. THATS the kind of stat I really like to see, and you ONLY get that by writing quality stuff.
Dan, when I started blogging I signed up with Sitemeter (this was before Google started providing stats), and one of the stats that this company provides is how long a reader stays onsite and how many pages they read. It is very encouraging to find that someone has spent an hour on my blog and read a dozen posts.
I have to admit I am pretty addicted to stats....they fascinate me! I love to see the numbers (although sometimes not....lol), but what interests me is how people find my blog.
I am surprised by the terms that people search and the posts which I think are going to be popular are hardly looked at, and the ones that I think won't do that well are on the top of my view list. For instance...who would have thought that a Smarties cake would be one of my most popular posts!!!!! Lol.
The stats help me identify what interests people, and there is no point in me putting posts up if people don't want to see it.
But yes, I can see your point...it is important to be focused on what you are putting up rather than all the fine numbers, but i think im still gonna be checking them daily ;0)
It is quite interesting to see how people find the site, and what people look at. I LOVE Smarties...but don't think I'd ever put them on a cake.... *shrug*
In the end, sounds like your using the stats to your best advantage. gearing your quality posts to the audience. I know I check mine daily, (okay, about 3 times daily) sometimes I like to check them an hour before they roll over to see if they need a good bump. But in the end, I know I'm all about getting that content out.
And you using those stats to make content sounds like the perfect plan.
I'm not addicted to stats as such, but they do help when it comes to writing for an audience. Without the stats you cannot easily see what is working and what is not, you cannot adapt what you enjoy to pass that enjoyment on to others. I know that my blog would be completely different, if it still existed, if I didn't pay some attention to seeing what people want to read as much as what I want to write.
Having just started a couple months ago, I'm a little too addicted to stats, I know that. I watch them a bit to much, see what people are reading, what they're not, where they're coming from.
I find myself a bit in the middle, I like to use them to tailor my content, and make sure I'm developing my writing style based on what works. But I am a bit too neurotic about them, and I think that's hurting me in the long run.
Something I have to work on :)
Thats the thing about this blogging stuff, its always a work in progress. Trying to find that balance and making it work perfectly between stats, content, layout, and everything else. Main thing is, you'll find your own balance, and make it work for you. *nod*
Enjoyed the write:)
I'm still within the stumbled stage, don't have much a clue how to navigate or create here Lol, I write in elseworlds and post here now and again. Time...my nemesis
