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This month I debated whether or not to publish a Blog update for April 2020. Lately, I’ve been actively lurking in some Facebook blogging groups, and find that there are a lot of new bloggers that are doing way better than I am in terms of statistics.
Yes, blogging is not about the statistics, but the reason I started to write this series last month, was so that I could take my path to blog monetization more seriously. And I wanted to inspire other bloggers who might not have thousands of pageviews in month 1 either!
I’m hoping that this post provides that value to you, if you’re also a blogging beginner like me!
Blog Views
I know you’re not supposed to be chasing blog views, but let’s be honest, that’s the reason you clicked on here!
Majority of my blog views came from Pinterest. If you’re a blogger who is not on Pinterest, you’re definitely missing out on a lot of potential traffic!
Pageviews
- Sprinkles & Scribbles ~ 2,500 (+ 250%)
- Mint & Gold Story ~ 500 (+67%)
Monetization
Monetization is not the focus of this post but nonetheless I’ll talk about it here. Since the amounts are so low, I have not received the cash yet of course!
Ads – Google Adsense ~ $5.00 (-20%)
Many bloggers recommend not having Google Adsense installed, because how little you make through it. For me, personally, I feel like it gives me a (false) sense that I’m on the path to monetization – to each their own!
Despite higher views overall, I did have lower revenues. I have heard that across even premium advertising networks, there has been a cut in revenues, because of reduction in advertising spend due to COVID and the economic downturn.
Affiliates – Amazon Associates ~ $1.00 (-67%)
Amazon has slashed their affiliate commissions by a lot! I have started to enrol in other programs, such as ShareASale, and CJ Affiliates.
I’m still navigating the sea of affiliate marketing! I’ll definitely update you as I figure it out!
CURRENT FOCUS
I have read so much about blogging on and off since I first started to think about monetizing my blog.
The way I started to think about monetization for blogging is in three steps:
- Generate traffic,
- Build a loyal audience,
- Monetize with products & services
I am definitely on the traffic generation phase. However, I have set up social media profiles on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. I am focusing on Pinterest and learning more about SEO for the moment.
Monthly Average Views: Sprinkles & Scribbles – 600k (+35%) / Mint & Gold Story– 163k (+58%)
Pinterest has been my major focus. Since both blogs have vastly different focus, I created a separate account for this blog.
I am trying to balance between scheduling on Tailwind and manually to see what works best for consistency and growth.
I’ve also started to utilize the scheduled pins on Pinterest to test if that if those pins perform better!
Instagram:
Followers: @sprinklesbyanum – 575(+13%) followers / @mintandgoldstory – 50 (+25%) followers
The focus for Instagram has mostly been testing hashtag strategies to extend reach and increase interactions. However, I have not posted or engaged on the platform as frequently as I would like.
Followers: @anumhashim – 300 (+8%) followers / @mintandgoldstory – 21 (+90%) followers
Honestly, I have no strategy on Twitter. I only promote on Twitter when I post new blog posts or sometimes linking new Instagram posts.
Sometimes I log in and retweet some accounts.
I do have a separate account for this blog, but I haven’t quite decided if I just want to merge the two accounts for simplicity. (If you have any thoughts or opinions on this, do let me know!)
SEO
I keep reading from other bloggers, that their biggest regrets is not investing in SEO from the beginning. I am trying to learn and implement the strategy as I go, and focusing on it’s (hopefully) long-term returns.
Mint & Gold Story: This month, my impressions did increase for this blog. I don’t have any SEO traffic, but I’m hoping that will come as I keep writing quality content!
Sprinkles & Scribbles: Since this is the older blog, I actually have started to see some clicks by tweaking just a few posts. Again, this month, about 10% of my (small) traffic came from SEO last month!
NEXT MONTH’S FOCUS
My biggest problem to date has been sticking to a strategy.
This month, I focused on creating systems around content creation – brainstorming content, and actually executing it!
Next month: I want to spend more time thinking about a promotion strategy to generate more traffic!
I find that there are definitely bloggers who are generous with their knowledge (before they start selling to you), but it is so easy to get distracted by the next shiny object of what worked for them rather than focusing on my own strategies.
Content Creation
For the most part, I’ve stuck to my editorial calendar. I spent the first few days this month, also focusing on creating an editorial calendar for both my blogs for the rest of May. The rest of the month will be focused on executing the strategy.
I also have started to plan my content for social media a little more – I’ll let you know how that goes!
Focus on Generating Traffic
Pinterest will definitely continue to be the focus for the month of May. I am hoping to continue to tweak my Pinterest routine!
A lot of what I learned about creating my Pinterest strategy, has been from Pinterest with Ell. It is such an affordable course with so much value packed in, especially if you’re not familiar with Pinterest at all!
Content Repurposing for Social
I personally spend a lot of time on Instagram and Twitter, and I feel like they are the sources of loyal audiences. This month, I am dedicating a little time to repurposing existing content from my blog posts to Instagram and Twitter. But only if I have the time.
MY FAVORITE BLOGGING RESOURCES
Starting and updating a blog also requires a lot of technical resources.
(Some of these are affiliate links – you can read more in the disclosure here)
Bluehost – This blog is hosted on Bluehost, and so far I have had no problems. I would definitely recommend them!
Tailwind – Pinterest Scheduler – chances are you stumbled on here from Pinterest. Tailwind helps me to pin continuously when my audience is most active!
Grammarly – Being a solo writer on here, means that I have proofreading and editing my own work, which can lead to unclear writing. I love using Grammarly to spell check, and it prompts me when my sentences sound funny.
Canva – I make most of my pins on Canva! They have so many templates and it is so easy. I have no upgraded to Pro yet, but I think that’s something I’ll definitely invest in the near future!
YOUR TURN
If you’re a new blogger, I hope Blog Update for April 2020 serves as hope, that not everyone starts with thousands of page views. But also, don’t get discouraged by it. You have to fall in love with the process of blogging, if not, it is definitely not worth it!
If you’re also a new / on-again-off again blogger like me, I’d love to connect with you on Twitter or Instagram!
Cheers,
I’m a pretty new blogger as well. I’m still trying to figure out SEO and getting more traffic. I keep having shiny object syndrome. I find myself working on one thing, and I’ll get distracted by this tip or that “thing” that should work.
Yes I know exactly what you mean, it always feels like there’s a tip out there I’m missing!
shiny object syndrome! definitely guilty of that myself!