How did you find me?
Facebook?
Twitter?
Through another blog?
Perhaps you’re one of my personal friends that I coerced in the beginning and said you had to read and share my stuff (and a wholehearted thanks to all of you who have).
Although there are behind the scenes tools to allow bloggers to see where their traffic comes from, I’ve never paid much attention to it…until a bout with insomnia combined with too much coffee drove me to my Google Analytics dashboard for maybe the second time since I began my blog (I know there are bloggers crawling out of their skin right now to think this is how I roll, but yes, this is how I roll).
Through a lot of random clicking (because I can barely navigate my way around that dashboard), I found the area that listed the key word search terms people used to land on my page.
I had stumbled upon a goldmine.
A sampling of some of the search terms that people used to find my blog:
“Curly fake hair for girls in cheerleading” - for which they found this post.
“Is Brazilian Butt Lift good for Pelvic Floor Health?” - for which they found this post.
“Taking off Negligee” - for which they found this post (and were most likely disappointed).
“Justin Timberlake Doing it” - for which they found this post (and were most likely highly disappointed).
“Writing on skin with Sharpie” - for which they found this post.
“YouTube Yoga Fight Club OM Factory” - for which they found this post.
And my favorite:
“Chakra rocks for impulse control” - for this post.
I had no idea what “chakra rocks” were, and to be honest, my mind went a little dirty (yours did too, don’t lie – except admittedly, the lack of sleep and too much coffee was not helping mine). Ok, maybe not as dirty as that “Justin Timberlake Doing It” query. But still. Chakra rocks?
I’ve discussed the chakra system before on the blog (yes, guys, it’s a “yoga thing”), but chakra rocks? Google, you got me with this one. After a quick search, I discovered that they are nothing more than crystals and gemstones used to balance out the chakra system.
Yet, some poor schlump in search of chakra rocks wound up on my blog staring at a sharpie tattoo on my belly. For a second, anyway.
The most highly searched query for finding my blog? Kale smoothies. Apparently, that’s what’s given my blog any pulse whatsoever. Who knew?
As much as I “should” take my stats more seriously, especially given the time I spend writing posts, I don’t know if I want to wrap my head around all that. It kind of feels like another “task” to me, another part time job that I don’t have time to take on. Many bloggers take the stats seriously, and it pays off. Knowing their audience helps them keep that audience engaged. They attract advertisers and partner with brands and “make it big,” so to speak in the blogosphere.
Maybe one day I’ll get serious about “growing my blog,” and set some measurable goals. But for now, it’s about the love of it and nothing more.
How many areas in our lives do we have the luxury to do that?
Namaste
Are you a blogger? How often do you check your stats and what do you do with the information? Any advice on how this has helped you?
