Mastering Google Analytics and understanding all the data it provides is THE key to growing your blog, earning income and working with brands that fit!
Many of us start blogging and initially treat it as an online diary or simply as a way to share what is going on in our head.
As we start to get readers, thoughts of making money for our efforts are bound to creep in.
We will ponder, is it possible to actually make money from our love of writing?
My blog was born at an extremely difficult time in my life, I needed a distraction. I picked a host, registered a domain name and started writing. The budget was tight, so I had to figure out how to do everything myself. Four years on I am still here.
My knowledge of SEO, Analytics, hyperlinks etc. was a big fat zero. I am happily a jack of all trades, but a true master of none, yet!
Paid work has come my way in a gentle trickle, but I have not actively gone out looking for it. Quite simply my confidence in understanding exactly what my position of influence is and what I can offer is lacking.
Brands want to invest their dollars, where they will see a return on investment, it is as simple as that.
So how well do you know your stats?
Can you measure your growth over the last 12 months?
Do you know exactly where your traffic is coming from and what promotional tools are actually working?
How good is your bounce rate?
Do you know what measures to take to increase it?
Do you use Google Analytics to set goals for blog growth?
Can you totally drill down traffic source effectiveness so that you can not only sell sponsored content, but upsell shout-outs that you know will rock?
How often will your readers ‘bump’ into the brand?
Do you know how to move a brand from single serve to frequent flyer?
Can you convince a brand that working with you will be more effective than a TV or radio ad?
If you cannot answer a definite YES to all of the above, you need some help from a Google Geek Girl!
I took part in a trial run of a great value course offered by Talk About Creative. If you are going to learn, you might as well learn from those that are true experts in this field. For a very small investment and a couple of hours of your time, you can get the answers to all of the above and more! ‘Blogger Analytics’ will give you the confidence to understand and appreciate your value so that brands will listen when you talk.
Have you invested in you and your blog to help you grow and thrive?
Sharing for #FYBF at Withsomegrace.com
You can learn so much from google analytics. I have to do monthly metrics reports for the website I manage for my real job, so I tend to ignore the metrics on my own. If I decide to go down the path of being serious about monetising next year then I will definitely have to start analysing my own. They are such a valuable tool. The course sounds great. I’m glad you got a lot out of it.
At least you know what to look for! 🙂
I could really brush up on how to use analytics. I don’t navigate my way around terribly well. Sounds like this course would be pretty ideal. Sounds like you got a lot out of it.
……and such good value, a worth investment.
I really need to find a course that helps me feel more confident with the backend stuff. I’ve had a couple of issues this week and the more I go looking for causes and solutions the more problems I’m finding.
I am with you on that one. My motto is don’t fiddle and it won’t break. So far so good in 4 1/2 years I have not had to do any repair jobs that are beyond me.
I need to understand analytics a bit more. I have delved into them a little this week yet would still struggle with half the tasks on your list. That’s definitely something on my to-do list for next year. Thanks of pointing me in the direction of the Blogger Analytics course.
It is definitely worth adding it to your planning for the New Year! 🙂
Google analytics is so full of information I don’t know a whole lot about. I have a peek at some of my stats each week but only the very basic things.
The course you have done sounds very useful Nikki. I’ll keep it in mind. I also liked seeing you say ‘for a couple of hours of your time’, it may just happen if that’s the case. Thanks for sharing.
Have a great weekend!
It really is worthwhile if you want to grow your blogging business and play with the big guns. 🙂
Thanks for the info. Yes… I so need to take a better look at google analytics. After all it is a search engine. x
Like it or not Google is the supreme being of all things internet and ignoring it wont help. 🙂
I did the Talk About Creative course too and was blown away by how much I didn’t know about Google Analytics. I could use the basics, but I had no idea just how deep and specific I could go. Takes a bit of practice though – and you could lose days of your life to playing around with it!
Play I will! 🙂
I’d love to learn more about analytics. I just know the basics to give companies what they need. The course sounds like something all monetised bloggers should know.
Very true Bec, I was amazed at the information just sitting there waiting, you just need to know what to look for. 🙂
I get very lazy about my stats. I just grab them when asked, otherwise, I just keep plugging along. But as they say, knowledge is power…
If you want to get serious about blogging for cash you certainly need to be on top of your game, but if that is not the aim then no need to stress! 🙂
Numbers/stats and analytics does my head in so I let hubby take care of all of that side of it.
But I did a SEO course {internet marketing course} so that’s how I get our blog posts onto the top page of certain search terms {we are amazed with where our traffic comes from!!}
And the other reason I blog is so that our boys will one day be able to look back on everything we have done, where we have been and when we travelled to certain places 🙂
Blogs certainly make great diaries! If we depended on writing it all down, it probably would not happen. 🙂