Traffic Makes the World Go Round Theoretically Speaking

Image via CrunchBase

Many times I thank my lucky stars that I got into blogging heavily only after I had already broken through the main mysteries of freelance writing online.

Through Associated Content and the Yahoo! Contributor Network, I have produced a lot of online content that has brought in solid pageviews and not so solid pageviews. I have several individual articles that have a Google pagerank of 3 and up while I have many more articles that have no such distinction. Many of my better articles are the ones with little pageviews and a lower pagerank. Does this mean they are really bad articles?  No. It means that traffic does not always mean quality and that quality does not always attract traffic. It is a great deal like the old adage "What is right is not always popular and what is popular is not always right."

Because of this experience, I came into blogging full force early this year with the mindset that I would become successful on my terms and no one else's.

That doesn't mean I don't like looking at my stats. I do. I also like comparing them to other people's stats to see that I am not that far behind other bloggers who are considered successful or top notch (I am halfway there when compared to one of my favorite bloggers.).

If you want to your site to grow, it is important to evaluate your stats from time to time to make sure that your posts are attracting adequate traffic.

For example, if you have two different series running on your blog at the same time - one on organic textiles and the other on organic gardening, you can compare and contrast the traffic brought to your blog by current articles and tweak additional posts accordingly. If you find the organic gardening series is attracting solid numbers on its own, leave that campaign online. But what if textiles is lackluster? Look at the traffic the organic textile postings are bringing in and assess the keywords that are bringing in the most traffic...maybe organic comforters and organic dish towels. You can use this information to ensure that future posts contain the adjective organic followed immediately by a specific item type instead of a generic term like "textiles" or "bed clothes" or "bed coverings."

Traffic is also fun to look at as a progress report. If you are like myself and recently committed to growing your blog to the level of your other projects (possibly online like my own), then traffic stats can provide the boost you need to continue plowing through to your ultimate goal. (Tonight, Pinky we take over the world!)

Planning and progress reports aside, don't let traffic alter your mindset. Don't believe everything you hear somebody else say about their stats (if you can't verify the numbers within a margin of error through a site like compete, it probably isn't true or you are seeing the stats for one killer month the bragger had).  Don't believe everything you hear somebody else say about someone else's stats (like I just did!). Judge your stats based on your niche, not the niches of others.

Branch out with your writings and try your hand at creating content for a few other websites - even if the income is negligible for your, it broadens your experiences and hones your skills. You will begin to view your work through the eyes of your reader instead of yourself based on your crafting pieces towards the mindset of a client.

Use your stats to maximize the potential of your blog posts and to judge your progress towards goals. Rejoice in the milestones and don't obsess over little ebbs and flows. Don't let your traffic run your life. Fill your blog with well-written posts and original content and the traffic will run to you.