From 100 To 10K: My Up & Down Blogger Journey (October 2021)
- October 2021
This monthly update is part of an ongoing series – “My Blogging Journey: From 100 To 10K.“
What I Learned In October
This past month, I learned social media amplification matters – a lot.
In September, I had huge blog traffic growth. With 2,000+ page views. For a blog only six months old, this is a lot of traffic.
However, in October, this number dipped back down to reality to under 1,000. View the data below to see.
Table Of Contents
Why was my blog traffic so high in September vs. October? Two reasons – social media shares (amplification) and content timing.
Why was my blog traffic so high in September vs. October? Two reasons - social media shares (amplification) and content timing.
In September, the Saugatuck Douglas Visitors Bureau shared my “Fall Trip: 10 Wonderful Family Things To Do In Saugatuck” article twice to their Facebook page. They also shared it to their Twitter feed, along with my “Oval Beach In The Fall: Your Complete Guide” article.
These shares generated a lot of traffic. In addition, I also promoted the fall trip article to a local Facebook group to an unusually great response.
Which, brings me to – timing.
Publishing and marketing the right content at the right time matters. It generates higher levels of interest, click-throughs, and traffic.
Publishing and marketing the right content at the right time matters.
In September, I learned it is best to give readers what they are looking for when they need it – aka “fall trips.” And I understood this because my traffic dropped by more than half in October. A month when I had no big social shares and no timely destination content.
It is my big “aha”. And also, my “duh.” Ranking pretty low on the genius-o-meter, it is still an excellent and timely reminder. When planning my 2022 content, I should organize it around the information people want when they want it.
What else happened in October? See below.
I Made My First Dollar!
When I saw my traffic increase in September, I set up my first affiliate accounts. I did this on Amazon.com and Bookshop.org to link to my book recommendations.
What are affiliate accounts?
For those who do not know, they are online “sales commission” relationships with businesses. These accounts allow bloggers like me to earn a commission on a product or service I recommend – through coded URL links.
For established blogs with a lot of traffic, affiliate sales can be a lucrative source of revenue. For a newbie blog like mine, they generate couch change – if lucky.
For established blogs with a lot of traffic, affiliate sales can be a lucrative source of revenue. For a newbie blog like mine, they generate couch change - if lucky.
And guess what? In October, I got digging-through-the-couch-cushions lucky. I made my first sale! Someone bought a book I recommend from my “20 Best Books To Read Before A Hawaii Trip” article on Amazon, and I made $.52! Ok. Not quite a dollar. Though, for reporting purposes and vanity, I am rounding up.
The only catch? Amazon only cut checks for affiliate commissions when they top out at $100 or more in earnings. At this rate, I may get my first check sometime around 2027.
Though, do not despair. Because, even if I might not get paid for a long while, I have done two important things this month. One, I proved that my affiliate sales mechanism works. I quote a loved one who told me, “you got your first drops from the still!”
But before you get confused and think I am making whiskey instead of serious travel content, I will share the other thing I accomplished. Just plain getting started. Every business has to make its first dollar (or half-dollar) sometime, and in October, I made mine.
What I Published
Speaking of serious travel content, I achieved my September goal and published posts every week in October.
My top-performing post in terms of the most visitors was my September blogger journey update, “From 100 To 10K: Watch Me Grow,” followed by “The Best Books To Read Before A Vermont Trip.”
Trailing immediately behind these two was my “Google Flights Price Tracker: It Saves You Time & Money,” which I created this corresponding YouTube how-to video below to go with it.
In last place was my consolidation article combining all of my March – July weekly blogger updates into one post I unceremoniously call my “Early Updates.”
I also was thrilled to get back on my monthly newsletter schedule with this October e-newsletter. Always a good blog traffic driver!
Tracking Monthly Data
When I first launched this blog, I began tracking key data metrics weekly. Then in September, after a break, I began tracking monthly.
Click the spreadsheet below to view the performance metrics I am tracking. Data below the line shows weekly numbers. See monthly data above this line.
Growing My Blogger Network & Building Backlinks
Some of the best blog readers and early fans of travel sites like mine are other bloggers.
Over the last month, I have made a concentrated effort to connect with more bloggers. And I have learned first-hand how supportive they can be.
I am a member of the free Nomadic Network – an excellent resource and community for travel bloggers started by Nomadic Matt, one of the most well-known bloggers in the industry. In October, I posted a request to collaborate with other travelers on the network.
My goal with the request? To get other bloggers to participate in my “Friday Featured Traveler Q&A” on Instagram and Facebook.
I created the Q&A for two reasons. One, to generate more regular content on my social media feeds. And two, to build my connections with other travelers. Plus, I figured I love seeing what other travelers are up to, so I guessed (right) that my followers would too.
Not only did I get some great responses from the network, but every single other traveler I cold-reached out to on Instagram said “yes” to participating in the feature.
My first Friday Feature went live on October 31 with a traveler from North Dakota (see @kattellsall featured in the image above).
Another thing I worked on in October? Building backlinks. Backlinks are website mentions of my site – complete with URL links – made on other websites.
Why are backlinks important? Because having a high number of authentic backlinks helps boost the Domain Authority, or search engine ranking score, for a website.
Having a high number of authentic backlinks helps boost the Domain Authority, or search engine ranking score, for a website.
The higher the score (up to 100), the more likely search engines, such as Google, will rank a site’s content higher in its search results. For example, Amazon.com, according to the free Domain Authority tool on Moz.com, has a score of 96. Nytimes.com, for comparison, has a score of 56.
In September, my Domain Authority score for my new site was .3. That is not a misprint. Yes, it was less than 1. However, before anyone [me] panics, by the end of September, this number had climbed to 5. And by the end of October, it was a respectable, neophyte 7. I feel seen.
To learn more about Domain Authority and how it is calculated – and why it matters – view this page on Moz.com.
My best route to building backlinks is pursuing leads with other bloggers who would like to guest post on my site.
My best route to building backlinks is pursuing leads with other bloggers who would like to guest post on my site. An example of this is my September exchange article, “The Best Places For Families To Hike In San Diego.” Although I did not get a new guest post live in October, I one in the works for each of the next three months.
Other things I did include successfully submitting my site for recognition on Blogspot.com’s Top 100 Family Travel Blogs list. And I tweeted about it. See below.
Additionally, I signed up for three times a day, HARO (Help A Reporter Out) alerts. It is where I can submit quotes and content to travel-related media inquiries. This route requires a lot more work, and success is far from guaranteed. However, if it works, it can generate a lucky backlink to a high Domain Authority media site, which would boost my website’s score.
Slowly, slowly, I am getting there.
What’s Next?
In November and December, my goals include:
- Growing my website traffic
- Weekly blog posts
- One monthly newsletter
- Near-daily social media posts
I will continue to use SEO best writing practices that I learned from my two best how-to blogging resources shared in my September update.
I am already looking forward to sharing the results.
Find all new monthly updates on “My Blogger Journey From 100 to 10K,” here.
Don’t want to miss a monthly update? Then signup to receive my Discovery e-newsletter. I will send you a free trip budget calculator as a thank you.
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I recommend only products and companies I use, and the income goes to keeping the site community-supported and ads minimal.
Hi, I am Janice and and I run the Gather and Go Travel blog. I am a travel writer, blogger, and bookhound, specializing in family and group travel. I have traveled extensively domestically and internationally to 40+ countries. I am fascinated by other cultures, religions, and languages—and love to share what I have learned in my writing. For more on my background, read my bio, our story, and how to work with me.
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