New Bloggers Can’t Be Statistics Junkies

So you want more traffic, huh?

Don’t we all.

As new bloggers, we are so obsessed with traffic that we find ourselves staring at the numbers all day long.

Seriously… what is going to change from 2pm to 2:15pm in Google Analytics?

Not enough to worry about.

Here’s the deal…

Calling yourself a blogger, but being terribly obsessed with traffic is like calling your organization a not-for-profit but only being concerned with money.

Put Traffic in its Place

I won’t sit here and act like I don’t care about traffic. Of course I do.

I even write posts about how to get more of it.

But listen…

You didn’t become a blogger to get traffic.

You became a blogger to blog… to write… to express your opinions about things.

That comes first.

If your blog itself doesn’t get the attention from you that it deserves, all the traffic in the world won’t make people take action when they land on your site.

So, you have to understand what deserves your focus first. It’s not the traffic statistics.

It’s your content.

Put Social Networking in its Place

Oh, what I would give to be the guy with 100,000 Twitter followers.

That would be nice, huh?

So nice that you’ll spend more time trying to get people to follow you on Twitter than you will on your own creation?

I think not.

A few days ago, I listened to Srinivas Rao interview Julien Smith on BlogCastFM.com.

Julien talked about how he jumped from social network to social network because he liked being on them early enough to be part of the growth.

He mentioned how you’re a fool if you think you’ll quickly build a massive following just because you created a profile.

He suggests building a loyal following first, and then taking your following to your brand new business page on the social networks.

Pasting HTML code for a Facebook widget in your sidebar that displays your 18 followers makes no sense.

That turns people off.

Build your following first. What’s the best way to do that? Through your blog!

Turn your loyal readers into your Facebook fans all at once.

How do you get readers in the first place?

Once again, concentrate on your blog.

Get Your Priorities Straight

Tell me, do you consider your time to be an asset?

You can spend it however you want to; even in ways that help you grow and possibly even bring you money.

So, wouldn’t it make sense to spend your time in a manner that brings you the highest possible return on investment?

Of course it makes sense.

Now, if you have the option to spend your time creating epic content or browsing through Google Analytics, which one would you do?

I hope the first option.

Spend time doing things that matter.

When the Statistics Matter

Again, I’m not saying that statistics have no place. They most definitely do.

There are ways to view your stats without wasting your time, though. Here are a few.

Pick a day of the week or month to view your stats

Usually, I view mine on Sundays. When I set a schedule for viewing my statistics, it helps me to be more focused when I do. I’m not just poking around looking for the highest figure.

It also gives me a better view of my growth (or lack thereof). Viewing weekly provides a better view of the big picture. It’s much like losing weight. The day to day difference seems non-existent.

Weekly or monthly observations provide a much better picture of growth.

View your stats with a goal in mind

Sure, bigger is better. Everyone likes bigger. But what are your goals?

How many people do you want to have you in their circles on Google+? Simply sitting on the sidelines watching the change is pointless.

Set goals for your statistics and visit those statistics to measure your progress.

Analyze your content statistics and see which pages and posts earn the most traffic

Figure out why they earn the most traffic and duplicate that criteria on other posts and pages.

Statistics are for more than just showing you how many people interact with you and your site. It will also tell you a lot about those people. Once you learn what they want and what their habits are, imagine how much you could do with that information.

Statistics have their place. Just be sure not to get too wrapped up in them.

Build your blog first.

So, What’s Your Plan?

What are your statistical goals and what will you do to get there?

Also, how will you track your progress? Weekly? Bi-weekly? Monthly?

(Photo Credit)

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