Wednesday
Feb172010
Why I check my stats and why you should too
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
I'm going to share a little known fact with you. I didn't start blogging just for myself or for the community. I started blogging for professional reasons. Not because I ever wanted to or expected to make a ton of money writing this blog. Rather, I did it because my day job involves working with organizations to help them improve their websites. I advise my clients on things like search engine optimization, web analytics, social media, web writing and more. Although I know a lot about the theory behind these topics and have had some opportunity to dabble in them in practical terms while working with my clients, I wanted to get in deeper. I needed an ongoing long-term project that would allow me to try out certain techniques and measure their success. So I started a blog. But rather than write yet another blog about search engine optimization (yawn), I decided to write about a topic I was passionate about, one where I felt I had something to contribute, and one where I thought I could get something back from the community. I decided to write about parenting and in May 2008 I jumped into the crowded waters of mommy blogging, not quite knowing what I was getting into or what it would become.
So when Megan from Velveteen Mind raised the issue of stats on twitter today, saying "Hi, my name is Megan and I JUST installed Google Analytics. When I tell you I don't focus on stats, I'm not joking," I immediately tuned in the conversation. It got interesting. Very interesting. The opinions ranged from popular bloggers saying that they never look at their stats to other bloggers saying of course its easy to say that if you are already a big blogger. The conversation was interesting, it was heated at times, and Megan followed it up with a post summing up the conversation and her more detailed thoughts on the issue. In her post she said:
She wasn't writing the post for me obviously, I mean I've only been to Minnesota once ;) . So instead of talking about why the post doesn't apply to me and why it is important for me to check my stats, let me tell you why I think that both the mom blogger in Minnesota with 10 readers and the mom blogger in Oregon with 10,000 readers should check their stats.
Maybe not all of these seem important to you, but chances are some of them do. I think there are lot of reasons to check your stats and these are only a few. However, if you know that looking at your stats only upsets you, then don't. Or do, but change your attitude about them. Instead of obsessing on them in a historical sense, look at them for hints about what you could do to connect with more people and to give your readers more of the things they like. Stats are, of course, not the only answer or even the most important one. Writing well, being passionate, connecting with your readers are all paramount. But stats can give you hints into doing those things better. At least they have for me.
If you are wondering which stats programs I use, I use Google Analytics, Wordpress Stats, eWebCounter, and StatCounter. I've also heard great things about SiteMeter, but haven't tried it myself yet.
Do you check your stats? Why or why not? If you do, what do you gain from it?
So when Megan from Velveteen Mind raised the issue of stats on twitter today, saying "Hi, my name is Megan and I JUST installed Google Analytics. When I tell you I don't focus on stats, I'm not joking," I immediately tuned in the conversation. It got interesting. Very interesting. The opinions ranged from popular bloggers saying that they never look at their stats to other bloggers saying of course its easy to say that if you are already a big blogger. The conversation was interesting, it was heated at times, and Megan followed it up with a post summing up the conversation and her more detailed thoughts on the issue. In her post she said:
I’m writing this post for the mom blogger in Minnesota that has 10 readers and lets her awareness of other people’s stats make her feel like crap. The one that writes about her kids and their days together. The one that doesn’t fall into a niche and worries that she should. The one that lets this stats stuff get her down.
She wasn't writing the post for me obviously, I mean I've only been to Minnesota once ;) . So instead of talking about why the post doesn't apply to me and why it is important for me to check my stats, let me tell you why I think that both the mom blogger in Minnesota with 10 readers and the mom blogger in Oregon with 10,000 readers should check their stats.
- To know where your readers are coming from: Did your readers come to you from someone else's blog? From twitter? From a message board? From search engines? If you are interested in building your readership, this information can be especially valuable. If someone is sending traffic your way, go and comment on their blog too. If you're not on twitter and people are linking to you from there, maybe you could join and develop some great relationships there. If you're getting tons of traffic from search engines on a particular term and it is relevant to what you are writing about, then you might want to write more on that topic.
- To understand what resonates with your readers: Some posts generate lots of traffic and not so many comments. Others have lower traffic but almost everyone leaves a comment. If you aren't checking your stats and are looking at comments alone as an indicator, you may not have a good sense of your reach and what is resonating with your users. I've learned that some of my more informative posts will generate lots of traffic because people use them as a reference and refer their friends to them, but people tend not to leave a lot of comments because they aren't really discussions. For me, those posts are valuable too if I am helping someone. But if I looked at comments alone as an indicator, I may have stopped writing those types of posts a long time ago. Instead I look at how many people are reading them, where they are coming from, as well as whether they leave comments. It also helped me figure out why some posts generate discussion, whereas others only generate traffic, so I know have a better idea what to do if I want people to comment.
- To not appear ungrateful: I like to link to other blogs. I do so fairly frequently. I used to get really miffed when I would send a ton of traffic in the direction of another blogger and that person didn't even acknowledge it. I just assumed everyone checks their stats and figured these people were snobs. I now know better. I know not everyone checks their stats. I know most of them are not snobs. I try to comment on other people's blogs when they link to mine, or Stumble their post, or tweet about it on twitter. I may not do it every time, but I try to do it frequently, especially if it was adding to the conversation and bringing in new perspectives.
- To protect your content: People will steal your content. Some of them will give you no link or hint at all and that sucks. However others will copy and paste your entire post and put a link back to your article. That is a copyright violation. It does not fall within fair use guidelines. I have successfully had posts on blogs or message boards removed when they had taken an entire post and I will continue to try to protect my content that way.
- To protect your reputation: Tone and intent is often hard to read on the Internet. People will put words in your mouth and make assumptions about what you meant. They may attack your arguments with faulty logic or junk science. They may badmouth you. Some people say they would rather not know about it. But I think it is important to protect your reputation. You may choose not to respond to every instance (I don't), but there are some cases where you may want to jump in to set the record straight. Maybe you can change the other blogger's mind, but even if you can't you may be able to influence or sway the opinion of people reading their blog if you add your own two cents. I worry most about lurkers coming across a critique that I didn't bother to respond to and thinking that means it is true. Another reason to look at posts that may be criticizing you is to to figure out when you might need to apologize to someone. Not everyone will come right to your blog to tell you what a jerk you've been. They may write about it on their own instead and if you know about it, that creates an opportunity for you to make things right if necessary.
- You can discover some interesting things: By looking at incoming traffic, I have found out about issues that I otherwise wouldn't have been aware of and had the opportunity to learn from other bloggers or from message board discussions. I've found out that I have fans in Estonia. I've seen that organizations that I write about and their competitors lurk on my blog. I've learned that StumbleUpon is a fair weather friend when it comes to driving traffic - sometimes it is great, sometimes it isn't, and it seems to have less to do with the quality of the post and more to do with pure chance. I've been able to see which of the links I included in my posts users actually click on and enjoyed seeing my readers turn into readers of other blogs that I love and enriching the conversation there. I discovered that LinkWithin is a powerful tool for suggesting other posts on my site that people might be interested in and that it has increased both the average number of pages people view and average amount of time people spend on the site.
Maybe not all of these seem important to you, but chances are some of them do. I think there are lot of reasons to check your stats and these are only a few. However, if you know that looking at your stats only upsets you, then don't. Or do, but change your attitude about them. Instead of obsessing on them in a historical sense, look at them for hints about what you could do to connect with more people and to give your readers more of the things they like. Stats are, of course, not the only answer or even the most important one. Writing well, being passionate, connecting with your readers are all paramount. But stats can give you hints into doing those things better. At least they have for me.
If you are wondering which stats programs I use, I use Google Analytics, Wordpress Stats, eWebCounter, and StatCounter. I've also heard great things about SiteMeter, but haven't tried it myself yet.
Do you check your stats? Why or why not? If you do, what do you gain from it?
Reader Comments (80)
I check my stats on sitemeter every few days. Like comment counts, I try not to put too much stock in stats, but I'll admit, there are times when they are as gratifying as they are defeating. I don't want it to influence what I write too much though; I can see how my 'voice' changes when I pay too much attention to trying to capture new readers, and although I do want to see our community, and my little corner of it, expand, I'm not writing for traffic increases. It's the same reason my blog is not monetized - for me, the biggest numbers possible is not the goal. I'm as narcissistic as any of us (and c'mon, we all are), but I have the luxury of writing copy that millions consume yearly in my day job, and getting paid well for it. I'm ok to let it grow organically online.
Great post, and gave me insight why to pay more attention to my stats!
What a good discussion. The point here is probably Ying Yang – check but do not obsess! Hostgator has great stats too!
Hi from one of your fans in Estonia! Your remark made me smile.
I do check my blog's statistics usually on the days I post something on my blog. I have made some posts addressing issues coming up from referrals. As I blog mainly in estonian (number of speakers 1,3 million), and I blog about my hobbies and child, so number of visits has never been a goal for me. Usually it is a pleasant surprise. If I would start using my blog to talk issues i deal at work, I certainly would be much more obsessed about the number of readers. But I hesitate changing the focus, I'm afraid of more responsibility and less control over usage of materials I post.
Interesting post, Annie. You raise a lot of good points. I used to check the stats fairly religiously when I started the blog five (!!) years ago, to the point that I knew most of my friends' IP addresses (stalk much?:)) but now I just don't have the time. Plus, when it got up over 200+ visitors per day, I couldn't keep track at a glance anymore. I too use Google Alerts, but I find it's really sporadic.
I use the stats mostly to see where people are coming from, and to see which posts resonate. Plus, the Google queries never fail to delight me. Sometimes I just want to reach through the computer and either smack someone, or give them a hug.
FWIW, I've been using a site called "Add free stats" (I know!) since the beginning, and they're great. Sitemeter is okay, but you need to use the premium version to avoid their spyware cookies. And of course, Google Analytics rules them all, but sometimes I find it more complex than what I need, and I like that AFS shows me IP, referrer and # of pages visited at a glance.
I always check my stats for my website, however...I am having a heck of a time figuring out how to get Google Analytics into my blog http://www.kidzcomfort.com/blog. I'm not certain what I'm doing wrong, but I know these stats would be soooo important.
I use my stats to help me focus on where my website traffic is coming from and I try to beef it up when I know where to direct my focus. HUGE TOOL! I agree.
thanks for a great post.
-raelynn
Oh wow...I just figured out how to change the default time range for Google Analytics. I've been trying to figure this out forever and have Googled looking for the answer, asked people, etc. I'm not sure if they just changed this or if I've been missing it forever, but here goes:
- Go to your Analytics Settings page (there is a link to it in the top left corner from any page in your reports)
- Click on Day, Week, Month or Year (over on the right, under the date range showing) to choose what you want as your default
- Go to your reports and they will reflect that timeframe
I have google analytics, however, I have NO IDEA how to use it - I can see how many visitors I get a day, but other than that? No idea who it is, where they are coming from, from what city, country, etc. what they searched for, etc... I have NO IDEA!!!! Help!
Loukia:
In Google Analytics, if you click on Visitors and then on Map Overlay it will show you where people are coming from. Not individuals, but the overall numbers.
I use statcounter to see individual visitors to my blog. By clicking on visitor paths, I can see how many pages someone clicked on and which ones. It doesn't say "Look, here is Loukia looking at your blog", but it might say that it is the Government of Canada or that it is someone using Rogers or it is someone using Sympatico, etc.
Does anyone following this thread have specific questions on stats? Not sure I'll be able to write a full follow-up how-to, but if anyone has specific questions or wants specific tips, please let me know and I'll see if I can answer them here.
I find the same thing about Google Alerts--I was relying on it, but have found it catches an odd array of mentions and comments, and missed others inexplicably.
Rae Lynn:
Glad I was able to help you out on twitter and that everything is resolved now. Enjoy your stat tracking!
I care about stats and I do check them throughout the day. I know about what they should be at 7 am and by 8 pm. I measure my progress as a blogger with them. What higher compliment can there be, after all, than people reading my content?
Liina:
Thank you so much for stopping by to say hi. You made my day!
I'd like to know how to acquire (and use) Google Analytics and Sitemeter for a wordpress blog. WP stats are great, but it would be really helpful to know things like the number of unique visitors to the site per day/month/year/ever, where people are coming from, being able to trace the IP address of a problem commenter, how long people stay on the blog/how many posts they see in an average visit, etc.
Is it necessary to move a blog from WP to one's own domain name in order to use Google Analytics?
If so, I'd be really interested in information about how to do this in the most efficient, pain-free way possible.
Ceka:
If you are on wordpress.com you are very limited in terms of what you can use. You can use WP stats and statcounter, but I haven't run across any other decent programs that will work on wp.com.
Ceka:
Sorry...forgot to say that StatCounter will give you the IP addresses, so that is helpful, but it doesn't give you a lot of the things that you could get if you were not on wp.com.
I don't think that changes your default... at least I just tried it, but as soon as I go back to the main overview page it's still back to month.
You're right...it stuck for a while, but the next day it was back to one month. Argh.
Fascinating! What does my email address tell you about me and how? Also, is there a reason why most bloggers require commenters to include their email address?
Rebecca:
Requiring e-mail addresses is to help manage/avoid spammers and also so that I can get in touch with people if I need to as a follow-up to their comment.
In terms of your e-mail address in particular, since you use one that is based on your full name rather than a generic e-mail address using an alias, I can Google your name and find out a variety of things about you. It isn't something I make a regular practice of, but if someone was being problematic or if I was curious about their background based on specific comments they made, then I might.
Yes. I look over Google Analytics every day. It's interesting to watch the ebb and flow of my traffic - to see where people are coming from and what they are reading.
[...] to not allowing your stats to define you, go read it! I also suggest reading this post from PhD in Parenting that discusses reasons to check your stats, none of which say anything about your stats defining who YOU [...]
I watch Google Analytics - I check it at least once a day. I like knowing where the traffic is coming from and I like knowing page hits, i.e. what people are reading. I do spend a LOT of time trying to increase traffic, but it's slow going. Having said that, I see increases every month! Good post, as per usual!
Wow this was interesting, and yes I check my google analytics account, but not with regularity. I am a mommy blogger that just writes the simple things we do in our daily lives. Sometimes I get crafty, post about books we're reading, or share links of the incredibly creative stuff that peppers the web. I am really enjoying your site and hope to link back here next week. I'll let you know when I do. I also plan to add you to my blog roll because I find your content relevant to us mommy bloggers.
I check my stats quite frequently and I'm starting to use Google Analytics more, since I mainly rely on Sitemeter. I must say that you've written an excellent post. It was very informative and gave me some really great ideas. Thank you!
[...] wrote a bit about my reasons for starting the blog in my post called Why I check my stats and why you should too: I didn’t start blogging just for myself or for the community. I started blogging for [...]
Great post. I'm a new-ish blogger and fight the check stats urge a few times a day. I'm trying to just check once a day Mon-Fri. As you wrote, it's great way to connect with other bloggers that have linked to you.
That said, when you have a huge day, and then have to stare at it for a few weeks, it can be a bit depressing. I had an article in the Globe and Mail and had five times the amount of regular traffic the day it was published. Just a week to go and it will be out of sight on my WP site stats.
Of course, this part of your post is what I need to remind myself of the most:
Writing well, being passionate, connecting with your readers are all paramount. But stats can give you hints into doing those things better.
Hah, that sounds familiar! I'm not a big blogger, but I still can't resist checking my stats regularly. It's the first thing I do in the morning. I think it's the gamer in me, I like checking my score ;)
I agree that everyone should be aware of where their traffic is coming from, even if it's just with the built in blog metrics (WP Stats, etc.). It's always good to know who's sending you traffic, and I also like to go back to those sites and leave a comment. I do the same for my work site, even though there's no blog attached.
Thanks for this informative post. I just started my blog in March of 2012, and I've been seeing a great increase in traffic since I first started. I use wordpress stats, and it is interesting to see Google search topics people have used to find my blog. I'm glad to see that there are certain topics that are really interesting to people, and I'm trying to focus on those areas. My blog was recently selected for a "Summer Blogger Bash" which includes 10 awesome cloth diapering blogs. I was beyond excited, then I realized that for the bigger blogs this must be old-hat to them by now! I hope the fun of blogging never wears off!