The blogosphere changes over time, and so do the individual blogs that populate it. In this week’s blogging chat, I thought it would be interesting to look at how our own blogs have evolved.
Who’s reading?
I’ve had a major shift in who’s reading my blog over the last couple of years. The table below shows the stats from my top three traffic sources since my first full year of blogging, which was 2018. I don’t like using actual numbers because that can start to get competitive and yucky, so I’ve set my lowest figure, which was search engine traffic in 2018, as a reference point of 1, and all the other numbers are multiples of that reference point.
| Search engines | WP Reader | ||
| 2018 | 1 | 26 | 2 |
| 2019 | 7 | 45 | 5 |
| 2020 | 63 | 56 | 20 |
| 2021 | 104 | 45 | 28 |
| projected 2022 | 133 | 29 | 25 |
Summer 2019 was when I first got the WP business plan and started working on search engine optimization (SEO). In 2020, search engines became the main way that people were getting to my blog.
Not all of the people I consider to be my blogging community come through the WP Reader, but my Reader stats are pretty interesting. I’ve projected my 2022 total based on the first 6 months of the year, and that’s a pretty massive drop from my high in 2020 (when it seemed like COVID had led to everyone spending more time online). I don’t really tend to personalize that, because I think there’s there’s a broader shift of people who are talking about mental health moving away from the WordPress.com space.
My search engine and Pinterest visitors don’t really interact; they come, they read, and they leave. The WordPress traffic is where the community activity happens, and I’ve definitely noticed the drop in activity not only on my site, but in the mental health corner of WordPress more generally. I’m spending quite a bit less time reading blogs because a lot of the mental health bloggers I follow are posting not very often or not at all.
How often are you writing/publishing?
I started publishing daily back in 2018, and that was also when I started writing my posts ahead of time and scheduling them for later. I kept up the daily publishing, with the odd exception here and there, until the end of last year, when I dropped to 6 days a week. I find the 6 days per week schedule more manageable.
Dropping to 5 is a possibility I’m considering. I like the extra interactiveness of posting days, but given that the mental health blogosphere has been quiet and feels less interactive than it used to be, 5 days a week might work better than 6.
What are you writing about?
This has always been and always will be primarily a mental health blog. I have had a bit of a shift in my non-mental health content, though. I used to post more fluff than I do now; by fluff, I mostly mean the kind of posts that make for good community interaction on the day that they’re published, but no one will ever look at them after that day. I want to keep my site as streamlined as I can, so now I delete anything that doesn’t have staying power.
The shift in my reading audience is a major reason behind that. While the community aspect is by far the most meaningful part of blogging for me, I do have more of a sense in my head now that I’m writing for a broader audience. Instead of being a primarily community-targeted blog, I tend to think of it as a dual-purpose blog. While my weekend posts (weekend wrap-up and blogging chat) are still purely community-oriented, for pretty much everything else I write, I try to keep a broader audience in mind. This change probably started towards the end of last year and has really crystallized in the last month or so.
Other changes
I’ve always been interested in the technical side of blogging, but the more advanced my knowledge base has gotten, the more interesting it’s gotten to tinker around with my site’s nuts and bolts. It started off as more of a means to end to make my blog more findable and work the way I wanted it to, but now I get satisfaction out of tinkering as a way to practice new skills.
Over to you
So, that’s me. Now it’s your turn—have there been changes over time in what you write, how often you write, and who you’re writing for?
The blogging toolbox series has tips to support you in your blogging journey. It includes these posts:
I started out writing a lot of personal/emotional stuff, then some stories, now just… whatever, I guess. I got a lot of anxiety about who was reading and it cramped my style.
Do you still get anxious about that?
Yeah, I do… Not as bad as I used to though.
I’m glad it’s gotten better.
I started writing here like jus yesterday, lately a lot of anxiety and stuff has been coming along me but I choose to stay strong , let my feelings out in a way that makes me strong , I have no clue how this WordPress works but I hope it makes me feel better somehow . Also I loved your content !
Welcome to WordPress!
😊
I started after I mostly recovered from my OD attempt after my nasty divorce. I started feeling better and wanted to write again. First I just wrote when I liked it, now in into the 750’s of consecutive days and I’m loving it still. I write about my life, health, hobbies, struggles , victories. I don’t think my blog has changed a lot. I try to use Flickr more for my images as my free space went rather quickly. I’m now at about 30% so I should be able to use the free plan for some time to come.
I follow mostly through the reader as it’s most convenient for me. And my adhd can just click it without too much hassle making it a perfect option for me.
I like what I liked, obviously, and I try to comment when I feel confident and brave enough.
I write for me but I do hope to help end some stigmas by writing about topics that don’t get much attention. 😊 I’m in no way a pro, I write from my own feelings and experiences.
I’m always happy when people interact with my blog as I feel I’ve made a difference then, no matter how small. 😊
I’ll just keep writing and I do plan ahead when I can because some days writing is a lot easier than on others. 😊
Have a lovely day dear 🌸
Wow, that’s an impressive number of consecutive days!
I think it’s so important that people are writing about difficult topics that don’t get a lot of attention.
Thank you for being part of the blogging community! 😊
Thank you! I actually surprised myself as I didn’t feel like it had been that many! 😂
Ow I’m right there with you. Some things are so important and it’s a shame that people are afraid to talk about it.. 😔
Thank you as well! I’ve learned quite a bit from your posts. And I always enjoy your comments and likes as well.
Have a fabulous day 🌸
Thank you! Hope you have a great day too! 🌼
You’re very welcome and thank you too 🌸
Thanks for sharing your experience. I started in March my own blog, and I am trying to write 2 posts per week, and I find it a challenge sometimes 😀. We have WordPress, a great community. In the other hand, I am struggling with SEO, and I am not getting noticed outside WordPress world.
I typically blog about whatever pops into my head. Initially, my blog was my online diary, but now it’s like a catch-all journal and very much all over the place. Much like my thought patterns lol.
As annoying as WordPress has been lately, I don’t think I’ll leave the platform any time soon. Mainly for two reasons. One, I am too lazy to learn how to move my site. And two, it’s not a source of income for me, it’s just something I can call my own. But never say never right?
I’m sticking with WordPress too. It seems like it’s easier to find community here than other blogging options.
Now it’s your turn—have there been changes over time in what you write, how often you write, and who you’re writing for?
Of course. My blog, like anything else, evolves. If it were static, I don’t think I’d still be doing it. I go through slumps and high points and lately has been the largest slump since I began in 2014. But this year has brought a lot of personal issues that tend to occupy my mind more than blogging does. I’ll either shake that off (the slump) or take a break soon because I’m not satisfied with anything I do, and the blog gets a laser focus. There’s a saying from some movie or other or some famous person said it and so forth: When it stops being fun, I’ll quit. (paraphrased). So far the fun hasn’t left the building, so there’s that.
The fun has ebbed and flowed for me, but it’s never gone away entirely. Like you, I’ll keep going as long as it stays fun.
I wish I had more interest and a better understanding of the technical side 🙈
It’s a lot less important than the writing and interaction side of blogging.
I guess so. That makes me feel better thanks 😊
I always appreciate reading your perspectives and insights. I think as we grow and change what we write about does as well.<3
I agree! 💕
Have a wonderful day ahead Ashley. <3
Thanks, lovely. Same to you. ❤️
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Great question and impacting stuff here Ashley. I usually write every week 3 blog posts maximum in a week, sometimes 1 depends on the availability of data😊
Nice stuff
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for this good information. This may look abstract, but it is a very point that some people don’t take cognizance of in managing their blogs.