January was quite eye opening in terms of my blog. As part of the Elite Blog Academy I took a hard look at my content and structure, making some painful changes and decisions. I know that if I’m going to be successful it will only happen if I’m writing about what I’m most passionate about, and that means leaving some good post ideas on the cutting room floor.
Other changes this month have been adjusting the placement of my ads, adding more sidebar links to posts, and finally getting a professional looking photo of myself for my blog, Facebook, and Twitter pages.
Not too shabby! Because a professional portrait wasn’t in my budget I did this myself with my Nikon D3200 using the 55-200mm lens (not as fancy as it sounds), a tripod, and a remote control and it’s my favorite picture of myself since my honeymoon.
One post from January really resonated with people – Why I’m Giving Up Couponing – and I hit a record high of page views the day it was published! It felt really great to see my hard work reflected back at me. I plan to go back through the post to find ways to replicate that success going forward. (I also need to find a way to stop obsessively checking my site stats all day!)
January Highlights
- The engagement on my blog through comments, Twitter, and Facebook. I love that my posts are reaching people and speaking to them.
- Featured as favorite post on Living Well Spending Less – twice!
- Record page views. I don’t care so much about the number, but it’s a validation for the time and effort I’m putting in.
The Challenge
To produce amazing content that will make my blog a must read, and to learn how to promote my blog so that people will actually read it.
The Numbers
The Invitation
Are you a blogger? Do you want to grow your blog this year and turn your blog into a must read? I invite you to participate in the Grow My Blog Challenge. All you have to do is dedicate 1 post per month to the progress your blog has made.
It doesn’t matter how big or small your blog is now. We all write because we are passionate about helping and sharing with others and we all want our message to reach as many people as possible. Give yourself some accountability on whatever measures you want to focus on.
Want to participate? Just join the link-up below! Don’t worry if you didn’t find this until mid-year or after. It’s all about setting goals and personal growth!
The Rules
1. Dedicate 1 post per month to the challenge. You may include any stats you want to focus on, and you may add/remove information as you learn more.
2. Post a link to the link party each month, link back to this page.
3. Check out the other blogs in the link-up. My hope is that we become a community of support and encouragement.
4. Do not include freebies, give-aways, or other promotional items in your linked posts.
5. You may offer tips and advice in your post, but you may not include proprietary information. For example, while I participate in the Elite Blog Academy I may refer to it, but I may not write about specific details from the course. The same goes for books, webinars, etc.
It’s never too late to join the challenge!
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The challenge that started it all
Linked up at Thrifty Thursday, Frugal Friday, Much Ado About Monday, One Project at a Time
