Part of me thinks staring at my blog traffic statistics too frequently should be added to my distractions list, but there have been times that it’s paid off.
It’s normal to want to stalk your traffic stats as a blogger.
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Watching my traffic has taken up large portions of my day.
It can definitely become a time-consuming habit.
There are also some reasons why checking your traffic often can be an educational experience.
Knowing what’s going on can be extremely beneficial to your blog.
Now, I don’t just sit here and mindlessly stare at real-time Google Analytics.
I just keep it open in one of my many tabs on one of my few browsers.
I make my rounds clicking tabs throughout the day as I work.
If I glance on over at that tab, and something amazing is happening, I take note.
There have been a few times now that watching my blog traffic statistics has been a good thing.
Reasons It’s Okay to Stalk Your Blog Traffic Statistics
1.) Know what works
Clearly, you want to know which posts people are visiting most often.
This allows you to see which topics your readers enjoy.
Even if you don’t check your stats daily, making a habit to look monthly is beneficial.
2.) Go back and monetize
This is why I love real-time Google Analytics.
Say a huge blog links to one of your posts, and it gets a large burst of traffic.
You can see that as it happens, and go back into that post to tweak it.
Add some affiliate links, or monetize it as you see fit.
You can also add some internal links to try to get those new visitors to check out the rest of your blog.
3.) Return the favor
If you see a blog referring lots of traffic to you, head on over to show them some love.
Share some of their posts or link back to them in some way.
Anything to show appreciation.
4.) Help it go viral-er
If you notice a post going viral on Pinterest, head over to that pin and schedule some repins to different boards.
If you notice traffic coming from Facebook, maybe a brand shared your post on their page.
Try to find it and share it.
If traffic is coming from another blogger that linked to you, find their post and share that baby.
There’s little nudges you can do to help keep the momentum going on a viral post.
5.) Figure out why
If a post does really well, you can probably tell why it did well.
If most of your traffic is coming from Pinterest for that post, you must have nailed your pinnable image.
If it’s coming from searches, bravo, your SEO keyword research must have paid off.
This info is valuable to know so you can duplicate your routine.
That’s just five of many reasons why you shouldn’t feel too guilty about stalking your blog traffic statistics.
As long as you learn from the info, it’s justifiable. 😉
Have you learned anything valuable from checking blog traffic statistics?
Lisa
Thursday 7th of April 2016
It is so important to check your stats regularly. This can tell you if Google has made a change to how it lists your site, let you know when you need to refresh a post that may be doing well or tell you if you've been hacked.
Autumn @mamachallenge.com
Tuesday 1st of March 2016
I don't check my stats as often as I should. However, I'm learning about the next steps - not just to know the numbers.
LauraOinAK
Monday 29th of February 2016
I check my stats more often than I probably need to do. However, I also feel like I don't have enough time to really figure out what it all means.
Ellen Christian
Monday 29th of February 2016
I check my stats all the time. You can really learn a lot from the information.
Kayla @ TheEclecticElement
Friday 26th of February 2016
I admit I really only know the basics when it comes to my analytics but that is on my list to learn more about! My bloggy hiatus has taken a big toll on my traffic numbers so I'm hoping to help build it back up bigger and better and I think this can help :)
Jennifer
Monday 29th of February 2016
I don't get too crazy with them either, Kayla. I mainly look at the total views and then just the top view posts. My traffic hasn't been great since the first of the year. It's hard coming off of quarter 4!!!