This is a topic I’ve wanted to talk about for a while. If you read my Sunday Posts at all, you know that I have been “scheduling” it for the past few weeks but it never went up. I think it mainly had to do with a lack of inspiration for “blog help” topics, but I was recently re-inspired.
I came across a post from Briana at Pages Unbound (link to survey) in which she shared results of a survey she created. The survey covered this topic: What makes a successful blog? I found the results interesting.
Let’s start with just a simple summary of a few of her findings:
- Most of the people who responded to her survey have blogged for one year or less (58% to be more precise).
- When asked how many page views they get a day (regardless of blogging time) 50% answered 0-50 views (25% answered 51-75 views a day).
- When asked if they consider their blog stats “normal”, 64% of people said that no, their stats aren’t normal and that other bloggers are more successful than them.
- Then, when asked how many page views a day do you think a successful book blogger gets, the answers were kind of all over the place. Here is the chart Briana provided:
- I found it interesting that people were so divided on this question. 11% said 101-150, 23% said 151-200, 16% said 301-500, and 20% said 500+. Isn’t that a bit divided to you?
- 79.2% of the people who responded to this survey would consider my blog “unsuccessful”. Ouch. That hurts.
But wait, this stat doesn’t matter to me.
Here’s the thing, this survey doesn’t account for the things that actually matter: personal success and connections.
Now, everyone has their own opinion on what makes a blog successful, so I’m not saying this is the only way to measure success, but this is what matters to me.
Personal Success
What is personal success (according to Molly 😉 ) ? Read these statements:
- I enjoy writing content for my blog.
- I enjoy the appearance of my blog.
- I am rarely overwhelmed with my blog.*
- I am inspired and always look forward to working on my blog,
*I realize that sometimes having a blog can be stressful. What I mean by overwhelmed is if blogging becomes overwhelming for you, that you feel like you should give up because you aren’t able to keep a somewhat balanced life and that you are not happy with the day-to-day maintenance required to have a blog.
If you answered yes/true to all of those statements, you have personal success. What is more important than a number on a screen is that you are happy running your blog. Just because someone has 2,000 blog subscribers, does not mean they are happy with their blog or feel like they can really connect with others.
Connections
This is where I really measure my success. Connections are the friendships you create with your blog’s readers. Those bloggers who always comment on your posts and you comment on theirs, the readers who regularly visit and you always have a great discussion, the people who you feel have become your friends, part of your squad, or a part of your blogging family.
That is what matters to me.
A stat that would be interesting to me would be to see how many people who think a blog is successful, then also feel like they have a real friendship or connection with said blogger. That statistic will probably look much different.
Because conversations matter. Engagement, on both ends, matters.
But, Molly, don’t page views matter, too? Sure. Of course, they do. They provide valuable information about what your readers want to read. But it’s not the be-all and end-all in determining if you are successful as a blogger.
So, what do I consider a successful blog?
If these two things apply to you:
- You’re happy with what you’re doing. After all, this is a hobby.
- You feel like you’re building genuine friendships and connections with the people who do read and interact with your content.
Then I think you’re successful. You can use stats to determine your success, but to me, that seems like a sad way to go about it. It comes as second nature to compare ourselves to others and become envious, so why use a number to put a value on something that you work so hard on, that’s a hobby and that is in a community that is so welcoming? Instead, focus on what most of us probably started our blogs for in the first place: to engage in conversations with people who share similar interests.
So, after reading the results of Briana’s survey and my opinions on what makes a successful blog, I thought it would be interesting to hear from you guys! Here is my survey on this topic. It is super short, just three questions, and then if you have more to add let me know in the comments!
43 Comments
I discussed this with Briana too about her post, and I fully agree with you that conversions and engagement matter. I would say that engagement and commenting is much more important than pageviews. One, because pageviews can be corrupted, bots and such on Google Analytics can make it look like you’re getting more than you actually are. And also because isn’t the point of the community to interact and talk with people about books? I’ve seen book blogs where there are tons of subscribers, and yet no comments on posts. That may be success for that person, but for me personally, that’s not what I would want. When I create content that people want to engage in, that’s my success. But I’m not immune to obsessing about my pageviews so it was great to see that my stats were about average 🙂
Exactly. I love the conversations (as we just chatted about on Twitter). Even if I’m busy, I ALWAYS find time to respond. I even always reply and comment on other posts before I write more (I’m currently about 6 posts behind xD ) But those conversations and friendships make it all worth it and without that, none of this matters. A perfect example is us! We read and comment on each others posts, share each others posts, and even talk on Twitter and I love it! It’s the friendships that totally make blogging fun 🙂
I don’t really obsess about views. I think it’s just out of laziness? I notice when posts don’t get as many comments as I wanted and I notice subscribers because I get email notifications xD But yeah, I have definitely paid attention a few times, I’ll have to admit, and I get no where near 500 views a day xD That’s crazy!
Omg right? We did just chat about this on Twitter. And you’re so right, we chat and comment, and share, and that connect is a lot more meaningful and fun than pageview numbers.
Haha it’s probably for the better. Yes, the comments are a pretty sound indicator for me. It’s so funny that you say that, because I would have assumed you were for sure getting at least 500 views a day, the same with other blogs I see that pop up with regularity. That survey was super eye-opening, I’m so glad Briana did it
Precisely 🙂 I love the friendships!
500 views a day would be crazy to me! I actually just checked my stats just to be more accurate. I get between 60-180 views per day depending on what post goes up. So it’s really just all about my content. That’s a big gap. But regardless, I get some awesome comments and I love that I have a lot of regular visitors! So I’m doing something right 😀 But I am kind of flattered that you thought I’d have more xD It’s a compliment!
Also, this is how great of a blogger I am: I created a survey of my own for this post, told you guys about the survey within the post and totally forgot to embed it into the post xD HAHAAHA whoops.
OMG I didn’t even realize there was supposed to be a survey. I would have lived in ignorance if you hadn’t said anything haha Or otherwise come back to this post and been surprised to see a survey suddenly
hahahah I went to go check the results and I’m like “what?! ZERO responses?!?!?” Then realized I never actually embedded it. It was late when I wrote that post, I have an excuse lol
I absolutely love this and think it’s so true. I’ve been realizing, over the past couple of months, a personal mantra of mine: “Quality over quantity.” I don’t care how many posts I put out a month; I care about the quality of them. I don’t care how many followers I have; I care about the small, personal connections I make. It’s always been the smaller things that hit me the hardest, like someone tweeting me saying they loved my blog post, because they carved out time in their day to actually read it and say something about it, compared to the ghost followers I have that never communicate with me.
With all this drama in the blogger and publishing world right now, it’s nice to see some people stating that this has only ever been a hobby for them, something they love. Numbers don’t matter. It’s how YOU feel about your blog and your content, not the other way around. 🙂
That’s fantastic! I’ve slowly been realizing the “quality over quantity” mantra in regards to amount of posts. Ever since I started my blog I always thought I had to post MORE for people to care so it’s taking a while to break out of that. As for followers/subscribers/views/comments, I just love all the connections I make with people and continue make. I also definitely agree that it’s the small things. Recently someone answers a Twitter chat question asking what bloggers they looked up to and one of the blogs they included was mine and I really don’t think that person knows just how much that meant to me. Those connections are amazing and make all of this worth it! 😀
Side note: It’s actually just a huge coincidence this post was scheduled during a week of blogging drama xD
I love this post! I would certainly be one of those people that voted you had to have hundreds of views a day to be ‘successful’. I often judge my success by how may FB likes I have, how many blog views, etc. I think this idea is perpetuated by publishers who ask for this data. When I get denied for an ARC because I don’t meet their requirements for # of visitors, etc its hard not to feel unsuccessful. I wish that liking my blog was enough; for me, I need validation! Its a hard habit to break!
Ah, I’m glad you liked it!
I’ve never been the type that says a blogger is successful because of views and comments — I’ve seen so many bloggers who RECEIVE a lot of comments but don’t ever comment BACK. That’s not success, to me at least. I definitely can see how publishers can cause that thought process. Personally, I don’t go for ARCs so I don’t really notice. I think as long as it LOOKS like you put effort and you also love what you do, it’ll all eventually pay off 🙂
Thx *blushes* but seriously your blog is one of my favorites. I really adore your header.
Aw, thank you 🙂 I made it myself xD I’ve actually been itching to change it but everyone tells me they like it, so there it stays haha
Why don’t you make another header and try it out? If you don’t like it you can always switch back.
Maybe I’ll do that xD
This post was wonderful, ever so often I’ll get hit with blog envy, sometimes it’s hard when no one reads your stuff, but as you said it’s not always the pageviews/followers that count.
Oh, I definitely do have blog envy. It’s just human nature. But I do remind myself that while another person has a great design or a lot of comments, I feel like I’ve made some great connections and continue to make them! That’s worth everything to me. And hey! I read your stuff! I think your blog is fantastic! Also, you have a shade of pink as one of your main colors like I do 😀
I agree with you. Success is personally defined – some people’s success are page views and that’s OK because that’s what matters to them. For me – success is that I enjoy writing my blog, I practice my creativity, I interact with other people about a passion of mine. It probably works for me because I have zero intention of making my blog anything other than a hobby.
Tanya Patrice
Girlxoxo.com
Yeah, everyone defines success differently. I do hope people look past numbers, though. But either way, its all, as you said, self-defined 🙂 I’m like you, it’s a hobby and I just want to connect with other people that share the same interest so for me, I’m successful 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
I always thought I was a big fat failure in the blog world, but kept doing it because I like talking about books. This year was a big break-through year for me though… nothing changed statistically for me, but I realized that I’ve met so many cool people and I’ve helped spread the word about books that don’t get a lot of hype. And I’ve been surprised by people at events who came up to me because they know my blog. To me that is good enough.
That’s awesome! I would love to be recognized xD I went to Yallwest and I actually recognized some bloggers that I talk to but was too nervous to say anything because I don’t exactly have my face shown on my site. The ones I did meet up with didn’t even know who I was until I said something because the photo I do have is 4 years old and not exactly my face hahahah xD whoops, maybe I should update that. Anyways, that got off track, I’m glad you have a new mindset with blogging! It isn’t always about the numbers, the friendships are awesome 🙂
I completely agree! I’ve tried blogging before but was very much pageview orientated and wasn’t writing about anything that I actually wanted to write about. With my book blog I feel completely at peace – I feel like I’m writing stuff I’m proud of, I’m learning things I would never have imagined to learn from just writing about books, and I’m fulfilling my goals that I originally set out to achieve; mainly to interact with the books I read a bit more rather than just power through them to say that I’ve completed them. I love the fact I’m building connections with people too! A comment on my blog can make my day, because I truly appreciate someone taking the time to not only read my posts – some of which are more personal than bookish – but also to comment with their own thoughts and experiences. Love this post Molly!
That’s awesome! It makes a HUGE difference when you’re writing about something you actually care about. Also, you definitely read differently as a blogger/reviewer. I’ve noticed that for sure. I used to just run through books and not really think about whether I was SUPER into it or not. Now I have a notebook next to me while reading so I can take notes throughout, and I also use Goodreads status updates to share my thoughts. It’s very different than before I blogged.
I agree that a comment can totally make your day. I check my email constantly just to read any new comments. It just makes me happy that someone took the time out of their day! Time is valuable, so it absolutely means the world to me.
*nods fervently* Blog stats (especially views!) matter for some, and though I know it should be something to be checked every now and then, but it definitely isn’t the only thing that defines the popularity of a blog.
I remember when my blog was still a few months old, I’d always check on my stats everyday. Like, every. Day. But what I realized is that I enjoy getting comments more than pageviews, and I loved the fact that I could connect with my readers instead of just seeing those pageviews rolling in.
I’ve also appreciated creating content on my blog more and though I’m having a bit of a hard time balancing school and blogging these days, I’m definitely not going to quit (at least, as far as I am concerned right now).
Really great post as always, Molly!
Yes! They should be checked because they do offer insight on what’s working and what isn’t, but I don’t think they should be the only factor in measuring success.
I was definitely like that in the beginning as well — especially with followers. I would get upset if I didn’t have a new follower for a couple of days. But, like you, I realized the conversations are SO MUCH better than just having a number. While I obviously appreciate every person who thinks my blog is good enough to take up real estate on their email or social media feeds, I do love to have chats about what I’m posting!
Thanks for your input 🙂
I completely agree with you! Most people think being successful means having loads of followers/page views, but I think we need to step aside from that way of thinking. I probably don’t have many page views/followers compared to lots of bloggers, yet I’ve made so many really close connections, and I find I get lots of comments, too. I set out to make new friends who share my love for books, and that’s what I’ve done – I think that means I’m successful! ♥
Denise | The Bibliolater
Exactly! I love talking to people about my interests, that’s WHY I started my blog in the first place. Sure, it’s great knowing people love the hard work we put into them, but I’m always happy with the handful of real connections and conversations I have 🙂
It was pretty funny that people had really high expectations for page views, that virtually no book bloggers are actually reaching. I think it would helpful for your to link to the actual survey, however (https://pagesunbound.wordpress.com/2016/06/14/blogger-stats-survey-results/), since the end does include comments from some of the people who answered the survey, and most of them agree that success has more to do with interaction and discussion with readers than with big numbers.
It was interesting! I also went through some of the responses people gave you and it was interesting that a lot of people said interaction was important, but then the survey kind of said the opposite.
I thought I used the link to the survey in the intro, but whoops! I didn’t xD I’ll include that now 🙂
Page views and follower counts used to matter a lot to me when I first started blogging. I would compulsively check my blog stats but now i hardly even look at my stats. Nowadays, it matters more to me that people are enjoying my posts and engaging with me through comments. That’s probably what I’d measure the success of my blog with. I would hate to create content that people don’t find interesting enough to comment on, even if they do view it. And of course, I love the friends that I’ve made since blogging and if I manage to find like-minded people, that’s good enough for me.
Precisely 😀 Also, comments are more validation to me xD If I write a post that gets lots of views but no comments, that definitely sucks haha So yeah, comments are important! I also love the connections I make with people & continue to make! 🙂
I definitely care about comments more than pageviews. It’s the interaction I like. That’s why I do this, to share my love of books, to talk about stuff with other readers, etc. I’d rather have followers who actually care about my posts and what I have to say than ones who, say, just follow me in order to enter a giveaway and then never come back or even who glance at my content but don’t actually feel engaged, you know? Of course, many publishers don’t seem to feel the same way, at least the ones who only care about numbers, but numbers don’t actually mean people are listening to and caring about what you have to say. But that’s why “success” depends on what each blogger’s goals are.
It is unfortunate that publishers only care about numbers. I mean, it makes sense. But like you said, just because you have X number of followers does not mean X number of followers are actually reading your content. There are tons of smaller blogs out there that would love the opportunity to read and review the bigger books and have a great following that reads, comments, shares the link via tweets or other blog posts, etc.
I’m fairly new at blogging (almost 2 months now) and I would check the stats the first two weeks like my life depended on it. Then I forgot about it and then one day I realized it was because I was interacting with people and that was enough for me! I put on content and people comment – I mean, people actually take their time, read my stuff and respond to it! I find that amazing. So my views probably suck compared to other blogs, but the ones I get are so meaningful. Of course, from time to time I check the stats to see what kind of content people enjoy more and learn from that, but it’s definitely not my focus.
Great discussion post 🙂
Ah, well welcome to blogging! 😀 I hope you’re enjoying it so far! And I was exactly like that for a long time (in regards to constantly checking stats) but I found it didn’t make me feel better…whenever I hit one milestone, I was itching for the next one. But at the same time, I realized I wasn’t very active in the community. So, what was the point, really? But now, it is such a wonderful feeling knowing someone, as you said, took the time to read and comment 😀 I do check stats every now and then because they do offer some great insight.
Thank you for stopping by!
So, on a strictly personal level, if there were NO other outside forces…. comments and interactions and fun would absolutely be success to me. But (you knew there was a “but” coming, right?) I just can’t ignore that there are these hugely successful blogs out there, and that they’re held at a certain level of esteem. And maybe it’s not a great personality trait, but I cannot help caring, and wishing that were ME. I HAVE, however, forced myself to calm down with checking stats. When I first started, I didn’t check them because I figured no one was reading anyway ?, but when I started to check… I couldn’t stop. And I was not having fun. So now, I check when I have to, and that’s about it. I know it isn’t healthy for me, because i get obsessed. And I want to have fun, of course, that is definitely the best measure of success! Great post!
Girl, I get it. I’m not saying I NEVER have blog envy, I sure do, but I try not to compare myself to those bloggers. They’ve also been blogging for A LOT longer than me or have a lot more time to invest into it (like being extremely active on Twitter and kind of just generally knowing how to interact with people, which I kind of don’t xD ) Every blogger is different, so I just try to remember that when I get a bit envious of other people. Which, actually, random thought, I’m not usually envious of how many views or followers they get, I get envious of how many people they talk to and that they seem to have these like “cliques” that I so want to be a part of. So, that’s kind of comments/engagement? hahah I don’t know if that made sense. Either way, I do enjoy MY friendships with other bloggers. And that’s so important to me 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
I recently wrote about how I got sucked into the morass of obsessing over my stats and wanted to go in another direction. Your post captures the way I want to measure my success. However, it’s hard when I request a review copy and get told to come back when I am “bigger.”
My Most Recent Discussion: Love It or DNF It: Living with Chronic TBR Overflow Pt 3
Yeah, I’m sure getting told that has an effect. I actually don’t request ARCs, so I don’t ever get told that haha. But hey, the book will come out eventually! And you’ll be able to read it when that happens. ;D
Really late but this is an interesting post, Molly! As I’m approaching my one-year blogiversary I’ve started thinking a little bit about what it means to be a ‘successful’ blogger – my definition changes day by day depending on how I feel, but I very much agree that connection/interaction is a big part of blogging for me. When my post resonates with others, makes them think, opens up discussions with them – that’s one of the ways I ‘measure’ my success.
I also want to say that those two things you mentioned (being happy with what you’re doing and building genuine friendships) are pretty much what I tell myself time and time again. It’s very easy to get lost in the stats and think that’s the most important thing because it’s a very easily measurable, obvious metric, but high stats don’t always mean interaction, and like you said, they also don’t always mean that the blogger is happy with what they’re doing.
Thanks for writing this! It gave me food for thought. <3
Reg @ She Latitude
Oh, EARLY congrats to you for one year! 😀
I agree with everything you said (obviously). High stats don’t mean interaction at all. I guess, if you’re trying to sell products that high stats will matter. But when you’re a blog like mine (and most of ours), its the friendships that are more important.
Personaly, I love your blog! It’s super cute and you clearly have a ton of interaction with your readers 🙂
Haha, thank you! It’s still about a month away, but your thought is very much appreciated. <3
Oh yeah – I think when you have ads, for example, then a high page view would be what you're looking for. And thank you also for your kind words, that means a lot to me!
I think the most interesting thing about that survey is that 70% of the survey takers said that their blog received less that 100 visits a day and more than half thought their stats were not normal! Stats can be interesting, but I must admit, I never paid much attention to them. I was more keen on the connections, like you mention, and earning regular readers. I love seeing the same names show up in my comments section. It means I must be doing something right if they keep coming back.
I don’t pay much attention to them that much. I like knowing what content is interesting to my readers and what’s not, but I don’t obsess at all. I would consider my blog decently successful. I have return readers and new readers every day — that’s a win to me! 😀 And it is wonderful to see the same names in my comments. It definitely makes me happy!