It’s day 20 of Jeanette Cates’ 30 Day Blogging Challenge and so far I’m still in the game. It’s been a lot of work. Like you…like everyone else, there’s lots of things that need to get accomplished in the day and it’s not always easy to get that daily blog post done. But there are definite benefits gained from making a regular practice. Some of the ones I noticed included:
1. More and steadier traffic- I use Google Analytics to keep track of the traffic on all of my websites. One of the cool things about Google Analytics (other than the fact that it’s completely free) is that it allows you to compare your traffic over time, see where your traffic is coming from, and to sort your data so you’re able to really see what’s going on with your websites or blog.
One thing I noticed since starting this challenge is that I’ve had more traffic and it’s a lot steadier. All websites and blogs have days were there is more activity than others, but I’ve found that daily blogging had contributed to making those spikes and drops in traffic more even. Plus, as a result of participating in the blogging challenge, I’ve found a steady increase in traffic as the blogging challenge went on.
2. More blog post ideas- It seems to be true that the more you write, the easier it is to write. One of the things that causes people to stop blogging is that they run out of ideas on what to blog about. But since the blogging challenge forces you to write every day, you can’t use the excuse of writer’s block to get out of writing that daily blog post. And I’ve found that after a few days of powering through and just getting that blog post written that it got easier to come up with ideas. So even if you don’t post to your blog every day, writing every day seems to keep the flow of creativity going.
3. More newsletter signups- Here is one of the more important results that I’ve noticed from the 30 Day Blogging Challenge. There has been a definite increase in newsletter signups. While an increase in traffic and more blogging ideas are important, one of the most valuable things that your blog can do is to help you increase your mailing list. Since I’ve started the challenge, signups to my newsletter has doubled. This happened without any changes to blog’s design, advertising, or any changes other than the fact that I’ve posted to the blog every day. Now that’s a powerful change!
So now…there are 10 more days to go…stay tuned!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for sharing your results so far. Last challenge I was on track or ahead most of the time. This time I’m trailing a bit. It’s more fun to be on track. How surprising is that? NOT.
I took two courses during this challenge. Even though they take time, I’m not sorry. They give me more blog fodder. Gotta go. Off to write!
That’s one thing I haven’t taken advantage of – getting newsletter signups! I’ve never setup an optin on my blog (shame on me).
I actually took a “day off” from the challenge yesterday – sometimes you just need a break!
The benefits you listed are very much worth the hard work for sure.