It feels like so much longer than a month since I wrote my last blog report! This month was definitely full of some ups and downs blog-wise, but I feel like I’m making a lot of progress towards getting my blog to where I want it to be, traffic and monetization-wise. While last month was full of planning and prepping, this month felt like a little bit more execution.

To get it out of the way immediately, my traffic was down this month compared to June. Like, literally cut in half. I felt a bit disappointed and discouraged throughout the month when I didn’t see as big of an increase as I was hoping (and as much as some blog posts and eBooks lead me to expect), and instead saw my traffic plummet. However, I think I’ve pinpointed a lot of areas of opportunity to focus on, as well as learned a lot about how I want to dedicate my time while working on my blog.

Let’s start by going through some stats and numbers, then I’ll end with a review of my last month’s goals, as well as what I hope to achieve in August.

 

July 2018 Blog Stats

Number of Posts: 18

• Written: 16
• Reposted from old blog: 2

 

Pageviews: 2,508

 

June 2018 Pageviews: 5,051

 

Most Viewed Posts:

• 11 Free Crochet Patterns for Summer
• 16 Planner Inspiration Pages
• Bullet Journal Ideas: Astrology Chart
• 11 Free Boho Crochet Patterns
• DIY Lavender Simple Syrup Recipe

 

Top Traffic Sources:

• Pinterest. Just like last month, Pinterest was my number one traffic referral for my blog. While last month I benefited from a viral pin, which accounted for a good chunk of traffic, I didn’t see as big of a spike this month. However, with Tailwind and plans to a/b test some new pin designs, I feel like I can keep growing this channel for a potential of more viral pins.
• (direct) / (none). This is a frustrating attribute in Google Analytics! Traffic under this channel can mean a lot — this link explains nine reasons why a link might be marked as (direct) / (none), including being typed into the URL bar on a browser, clicked in a messenger app, clicked in a MOBILE APP, etc.
• Facebook. Facebook groups are still great! I spent some time joining more niche-specific groups, such as fans of Studio Ghibli, more cooking, and planners/bullet journaling. I’ve reduced time spent joining link posts on blog & business-themed groups since I did not see as much traffic payout compared to time spent commenting on them.

 

 

Income: $29.48

• Affiliates: $27.56
  • Tailwind. After signing up to be a Tailwind affiliate via ShareASale, I earned $25 for including them in my Pinterest Strategies blog post!
  • Amazon. Finally, some movement from my Amazon affiliate account! A whopping $2.56. I was starting to think that nothing would come of this.
• Ads: $1.92
  • Google. I stopped including banners within my new posts, just because I didn’t love how it looked. I mentioned in my last post that I was hoping to get closer and closer to a Mediavine account (25,000 views in a 30 day period), and that’s still a major goal of mine even though I took a few steps backward. I just don’t need to push Google ads any further until then.

 

June 2018 Income: $3.47

 

Social Follower Counts: 

To be honest, the only channel that I focused on blog-wise this month was Pinterest, as far as promoting. I did post new blogs (occasionally) on my Facebook, and I know I need to work on getting more followers, but I didn’t have the time to dedicate towards that. Instagram… well, I like keeping Instagram less business-focused and more personal. I’m thinking I saw a decrease in followers there due to people liking my account during a Facebook group link party, and then unfollowing a bit later. Cheaters!

• Facebook: 44 (+4 since July 1st)
• Pinterest: 3,363 (+137 since July 1st)
• Instagram: 1,118 (-3 since July 1st)

 

Big Wins:

• Kept blogging! For real. Last month, I was excited to re-start, and when I saw great traffic, I was inspired to keep going. This month, way less traffic, but I kept going. I don’t plan on stopping.
• Grew my Pinterest monthly views to 399K (compared to 79K on June 30th). I kept up with the tactics in Pinteresting Strategies and used Tailwind every day to help me grow this number.
• Member of 50 Pinterest group boards, up 16 from last month.

 

July Goals: 

This last month, I hit 3.5 of the 7 goals I set for myself. That’s half!

• MISSED: Break 12,000 pageviews.
  • Clearly, went down in pageviews. We’ve discussed! We’re moving on!
• MISSED: Earn enough money to buy a computer desk at IKEA so I don’t totally ruin any progress I made with my neck during my 30 days of yoga. (Around $130.)
  • Not quite, but I did make way more than I did in June!
• HIT: Write 12 posts. (Not counting the remaining daily yoga posts.)
• HIT: Master Tailwind and start utilizing Tribes.
• MISSED: Create an email list and plan strategy for it.
  • I did not even start this. Next month.
• HIT (KIND OF): Write review posts on the eBooks I purchased: Pinteresting Strategies, How to Make an Affiliate Sale in 24 Hours, and Breaking the One Percent’s The Perfect Pin.
  • Here’s the half point. I wrote a post about my Pinterest successes, which featured reviews on both Pinteresting Strategies and The Perfect Pin. I was waiting to make my first affiliate sale before I wrote a review about the eBook on the same topic, but… I haven’t made a sale yet.
• HIT: Continue research on affiliate marketing and eventually transition away from Google ads.

 

August Goals: 

• Break 8,000 page views. (Maybe a bit more attainable, but still a challenge!)
• Earn $130/enough to buy a computer desk at IKEA. (Important!)
• Write 15 posts.
• Create an email list and plan strategy for it.
• Use the Yoast SEO plugin to beef up the SEO on all live blog posts.
• Audit my Pinterest group board list to cull poor performing ones, as well as join at least 10 new, high-quality ones.
• Write individual posts for Pinteresting Strategies, How to Make an Affiliate Sale in 24 Hours, and Breaking the One Percent’s The Perfect Pin.
• Start general Pinterest refresh: create covers for boards, separate out board topics that are too general, and absorb smaller, less updated boards into another one that is appropriate.

 

I think those are very achievable goals! I think a lot of last month was just spent waiting for another pin to go viral to rake in the traffic. When that didn’t happen – and when I didn’t have a very successful Reddit post – I had to start thinking more resourcefully. Passive traffic is a real life thing, but at this point in my blog, I have to work harder at it.

 

Good luck with your goals this August!