You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You're on your own.
And you know what you know.
You are the one who'll decide where to go.
~ Dr. Seuss
*******
As I sit down to write this post, I feel at a loss - for words, thoughts, focus.
Coming back to running Traffic Generation Cafe is proving to be a difficult task.
Almost feels like my first day of school…
Writing this particular post though is going to be even harder for one huge reason:
It's time to face the music and see how Traffic Generation Cafe fared financially for the past three months, considering that my personal life required my full attention leaving very little time to run my business.
- Is there such a thing as passive online income?
- Is running your own online business everything it's rumored to be?
- Do you really have the flexibility of putting your business on the back burner for a while like so many online troubadours would like us to believe?
You are the one who'll decide where to go...
Let's see if Dr. Seuss actually has a point here.
Allow me to give you a sneak peak into my life in the past three months first.
My Traffic at a Glance
Since it's been three months since my last income report for March, I am going to compare March traffic and other stats to those for April, May, and June separately.
BEFORE (March):
Posts published in March: 11
Main traffic sources:
As you can see, the big chunk of my traffic came from Google - this was still pre-Penquin, mind you.
Also, this was the first time I noticed Bing in the top 10 referrals; Google, watch out?
AFTER (April):
Posts published in April: 6 (↓ 5)
Main traffic sources:
Even though my post count dwindled to 6, Google still brought in a healthy amount of search traffic - that's the power of a leveraged traffic source.
AFTER THAT (May):
A WHOPPING 41% drop from March!
And how many posts did I publish in May?
3 ( ↓ 8 from March)
Sure that number stopped many of you from visiting Traffic Generation Cafe as regularly as you used to, and I don't blame you.
However, let's take a look at my post-Penguin organic traffic numbers:
HUGE surprise: Traffic Generation Cafe received quite a beating from Google.
Of course, not surprisingly, my Google traffic dropped significantly from that point on, bringing down my overall traffic drop to over 40%.
AFTER AFTER THAT (June):
And last but not least, my traffic numbers for June.
Even though my traffic in June was still 45% less than in March, at least it hasn't dropped much from May.
Small consolation, but I'll take it.
Posts published in June: 3.
I am mulling over these numbers right now trying to figure out where to go from here…
And yet again, Dr. Seuss's wisdom pops into my mind:
You are the one who'll decide where to go.
Let's take a look at my numbers for the day I finally found the guts to face the music - coming back after missing in action for 3 months, and see what kind of traffic I brought in with my first after the break post:
874 visits in one day might not seem like much for a blog like mine, but considering it was double of what I'd been getting before, it was a huge victory.
Ahhh, the power of establishing online authority and building your own list!
Driving traffic that day felt like riding a bike…
Speaking of establishing authority: now that I've been around the blogging block once or twice, I can tell you with complete certainty -
Successfully establishing your online expert authority will make or break your business.
As a matter of fact, (somehow) becoming an expert on website traffic generation was the single most important factor that helped me to get back on my feet after a long break so quickly AND continue to bring in income while I was painting the walls, updating plumbing and electrical, putting in a new kitchen, etc.
Whether you are just starting online or still waiting for your business to take off, I'd like for you to stay tuned for the next post that will be published at Traffic Generation Cafe (on Thursday I believe) - an excellent guest post from Alan Chatfield of Life's Too Good on the merits AND practical ways to establish YOUR online authority.
Thumbs Up to These Blogs
Google does what it does.
Always did and always will.
Heavily relying on any one traffic source (especially as unstable as Google) to bring in the bacon is a HUGE mistake.
That's why you HAVE TO:
- Work on becoming a recognized authority in your niche.
- Build your own list (START NOW, if you haven't already!)
- Build relationships with your readers and competitors.
- Recognize those who helped you along the way.
I really appreciate everyone who mentioned Traffic Generation Cafe in any shape or form in the past three months.
My special “Thank You” goes out to these blogs who were my top blogging referral traffic sources during my absence:
1. Nick's Traffic Tricks
Nick continues to be one of my top referral sources - thank you, Nick!
Jon Cooper drew my attention a while ago when he published 50 Pages & People Every SEO Should Have In Their Circles, including TGC in that list.
He enticed me to check him out with flattery; he made me keep reading his blog because it was one of the freshest takes on the latest and greatest in link building.
Whatever you did to bring in traffic to Traffic Generation Cafe, Jon (it would help to have a search box on your blog 😉 ), it's much appreciated, Jon!
WPSubscribers is a list building plugin designed by Jenni R; something I've been using to build a list on my blog for a while now.
Jenni was kind enough to add my impressions of the plugin to her sales page and it's been bringing me steady traffic ever since.
Even though I haven’t written for Yaro’s blog in several months now (I need to change that), his blog still sends me a great deal of referral traffic each month.
That’s the power of guest posting (don’t miss this excellent free webinar recording with Danny Iny – his guest posting stats and tips will blow you away).
To say that I like Danny Iny is an understatement.
What's not to like about a guy who showed us all how to take blogosphere by storm through the power of guest posting, right?
Glad to see that Danny likes me back - thanks for the traffic, my friend!
Show Me the Money
If you really want to see what I actually made in the past 3 months of passively and helplessly watching my business fall apart, that makes the two of us.
However, this post is getting too long as is and I still need to pull together all my financial from various bank accounts, credit cards, PayPal, and Quicken.
So I decided to publish my financials on Friday in a follow-up post to this one; stay tuned for that.
To sweeten the disappointment, here are some fabulously funny quotes I found while looking for an inspiration for this post:
“My problem lies in reconciling my gross habits with my net income.”
-Errol Flynn 
“Budget: a mathematical confirmation of your suspicions.”
-A.A. Latimer
“People are living longer than ever before, a phenomenon undoubtedly made necessary by the 30-year mortgage.”
-Doug Larson
“Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping.”
-Bo Derek
“I don't mind going back to daylight saving time. With inflation, the hour will be the only thing I've saved all year.”
-Victor Borge
“I have enough money to last me the rest of my life, unless I buy something.”
-Jackie Mason
“If hard work were such a wonderful thing, surely the rich would have kept it all to themselves.”
-Lane Kirkland
“The safest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it in your pocket.”
- Kin Hubbard
“Money, if it does not bring you happiness, will at least help you be miserable in comfort.”
- Helen Gurley Brown
“What difference does it make how much you have? What you do not have amounts to much more.”
- Seneca
“The easiest way for your children to learn about money is for you not to have any.”
- Katharine Whitehorn
“The art is not in making money, but in keeping it.”
- Proverb
“Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like.”
- Will Smith
“The art of living easily as to money is to pitch your scale of living one degree below your means.”
- Sir Henry Taylor
“Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.”
- Oscar Wilde
“When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is.”
- Oscar Wilde
“Every day I get up and look through the Forbes list of the richest people in America. If I'm not there, I go to work.”
- Robert Orben
“Money often costs too much.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Money will buy you a fine dog, but only love can make it wag its tail.”
- Richard Friedman
“If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.”
- Earl Wilson
“Don't tell me where your priorities are. Show me where you spend your money and I'll tell you what they are.”
- James W. Frick
“It's good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it's good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven't lost the things that money can't buy.”
- George Lorimer
And here's my favorite:
SNL offers a revolutionary debt and money-management program.
Chris Parnell teaches Steve Martin and Amy Poehler the secret to financial success.
It's all detailed in a new book called, “Don't Buy Stuff You Can't Afford.”
Every debtor in America should read it.
Sounds familiar?
Unfortunately, it does to me…
Marketing Takeaway
There's no such thing as free bacon.
However, next Friday I'll attempt to figure out my bacon's expiration date.
Come back to see what I come up with.
And don't forget to share the pictures with everyone you know - please help to make me embarrassing myself count!
What do Ana Hoffman and the Flock of Seagulls have in common? Must see photo:
This post has a really vulnerable, ‘organic’ feel to it, Ana. I really enjoyed it.
I also found it funny how many quotes were included, from Seuss, to Emerson, to Wilde.
What’s really cool is to hear how the Queen of Traffic Generation relied not on Google but on authority and her list as leverage to ryze again 😉
You’re rockin’ the ups and downs of life, keep it up, Ana!
And that’s why I love it when you come by, Jason - you know just the way to boost my ego! (as if it needs boosting… 😉 )
🙂
I gotta be me, Ana 😀 Helping people Ryze — it’s what I do!
Keep rockin’!
erica lane says
I just found you through Danny Imy and I am glad I did. I look forward to seeing your income report.
Pleasure to meet you, Erica.
Ana, you are such a spark! One of my most motivating books sits right in front of me: Oh, the Places You’ll Go! I’d love to have you as a guest blogger on my site. My focus is using games and team building activities (mostly in the business world). What you do builds powerful teams of mentors, colleagues and followers and would be so relevant. If interested, please write it up and I’ll get it posted. In the meantime, I look forward to reading and seeing more Afters.
I think my husband’s office definitely needs better team building ideas than bowling. lol
Guest posting is pretty much out of the question for me right now; just trying to pull my blog back together. Thanks for the invite though!
By the way, I do prefer that commentators use their first name on my blog.
Deane Alban says
I’m a real sucker for “before and after” shots, makeover shows, etc. As a former real estate investor, I’ve got some real doozies of before and after shots of homes I’ve renovated. One of my favorite “before” pictures had a dead Christmas tree in the living room. In July.
I do think you’re brave for posting your “before” shot, but believe me, it’s not that bad. Wait til you get to be my age - it takes a lot longer to get ready to face the day, but with poorer results. Sigh.
We definitely saw plenty of “before” and “after” scenes when shopping for our new home, Deane - what are people thinking!!!
And your compliment is MUCH appreciated.
If you liked the images, take a look at this post, Jay: https://trafficgenerationcafe.online/pinterest-pinbutton-experiment/
im on my way now 🙂 thanks.. i just started using pinterest.
Irina Netchaev says
Hi Ana,
Found your blog just before you went on your hiatus. Really great and helpful info which I was thoroughly enjoying.
Congrats on your move to SF! It’s a great city to live in. And, glad to see you back blogging full force.
Also, congrats on your brave first thing in the am photos. 🙂
Very kind of you, Irina; thanks for sticking with me!
Even though I haven’t commented very often on your posts Ana (which will change!), I have always loved, loved, loved your posts. They are so helpful and you write straight from the heart, which is so inspiring! I’m so glad to see you back.
As far as traffic generation etc, I’m a complete newbie, so I can’t contribute any comments on that topic. However I will say that I love the work you and your husband have done on your home - looks amazing!
And, as far as your comments on the importance of building your reputation as a specialist in your field - I totally agree. It’s something that I encourage my clients to do each and every day.
Love your work Ana!! Blessings…
Looking at your blog, it’s hard to know you are a newbie, Annemarie - it looks great and sounds like you’ve been doing it forever.
I do look forward to seeing more of your comments around here; I have found them to be very insightful and helpful - for both me and I am sure other commentators.
Have a blessed week!
Hi Ana,
Thank you! I have been blogging for a while now (and love it), however regarding the topic of generating lots of traffic with all the tips and strategies you suggest – that I feel I am still very much only just scratching the surface. There is so much more to learn and apply.
Sending you huge appreciation for all that you so openly share! I have started to integrate a few things into my blog, but have a long way to go yet – for sure!!
Blessings,
Very kind of you, Annemarie; thank you.
The day we stopped learning would be the day we die. Grimm, but true.
Jon Cooper says
Thank YOU Ana for posts like this! My guess is that I’ve linked to you in numerous posts, so it’s not just from one article 🙂
Too bad WP sucks at pingbacks; most of the times, I have no idea when someone links to me.
Thus I sent you an email… 🙂
Thanks for coming by!
Ana, Glad to see you’re back! Weirdly I had been thinking last week, “What ever happened to Ana after her SF move?”
I have to say, if you don’t get your traffic back or your numbers aren’t what you’d like, you could probably make a nice living on the side in Home Staging! Love what you did to your kitchen and bathroom.
Enjoy San Francisco, that’s my absolute favorite city!
I think you might need to take a break from your business, Debra, if you find yourself thinking about bloggers like me out of the blue! 😉
On the other hand, yes, I’ve been told I have a great future in painting, color design, kitchen remodeling on a budget, and yes, staging.
Hopefully, these diversified talents of mine will ensure my family will be provided for one way or another.
Love SF!
Anna, I got into staging and interior redesign 10 years ago after doing 6 of my own homes. Finally I could stop moving for my next “decorating fix”!
It’s actually amazing how quickly you can make money on these services, often without the hassles of actually “doing” it. So many people just need our advice.
Not surprised you’re loving SF! Enjoy!
Another great post, Ana.
You have again packed a whole lot of great reading into your post.
You have included some very straightforward yet, powerful tips, for both new and intermediate bloggers….
Ana, by what I have seen over time regarding how websites stats and performance fluctuates, your site should begin to show some decent improvements quite soon…
It may just take a little more time to kick in…..
The traffic stats are interesting, though I would not get too concerned.
As mentioned by myself and many other, you already have a strong site community base and this is what will get you through the difficult periods….so those stats should begin to snowball soon.
I like the before and after shots, and see you have done some great work with your kitchen and bathroom.
It is a good thing to not take ourselves too seriously, or this can sometimes place added pressure(weight of expectation) on us.
“Our harshest critic is ourselves”
This is both a blessing(as it drives us on to better things) and also a curse(as it can also drive us a little bit neurotic) if we feel we are not reaching our goals……we should strive for balance in everything…
Again great post,
I suppose at some point the only way to go is up, Daniel. lol
I can only imagine how boring our lives would be if we reached all of our goals!
Thu Nguyen says
Anna, you are an inspiration! I found you back when I was guest posting on TechnShare and then made my rounds around the blogosphere to see you at BlogEngage, EJ and even in Danny Iny’s latest compilation of Engagement From Scratch book.
Those little breadcrumbs don’t got go away, they just come together and get more define. Thanks so much for sharing with us what’s been happening with you.
Your home looks gorgeous and love the before and after photos. 😛 One thing in this post that I’ll take away for sure is to definitely focus on building my list. I’ve been on a long hiatus and can’t wait to get back into the blogging groove!
It’s great talking to you.
Cheers,
Thu
Pleasure to see you here, Thu - I just got back from your blog; got more info on Alexa - great post!
Hope to see you around more; one of these days you might even add my blog to your sidebar resources. 😉
Gagan says
Hi
Am not finding any adsense ads on your site. Do you really make money out of it through associate sales program
I mean - so many meaningful posts - but does it really get you some monetary earnings too
Most of my income comes from paid ads and affiliate sales.
I am publishing my new earnings report tomorrow; you’ll be able to see the numbers then.
Thoughtful of you to attack this post the way you did. I actually came here to see how you look like in the morning and at the end of the day, instead of taking the entertainment aspect alone, i learnt something here too.
Sheyi
Always good to know I haven’t posted those pictures for nothing, Sheyi!
of course there is free bacon. just had it at a party i was invited to.
lol - all jokes apart - i love the underlying message of this post. frankly, friday’s income report is less meaningful than the fact that you are back on it strong.
all the best Ana
Thank you, Sunil.
I re-read your AdSense post again yesterday and kept thinking if niche marketing is still worth giving a shot, considering that I am so late for the party…
What do you think?
it’s never too late. the process, though the same, has slight changes/nuances in how one should execute. the fundamentals (supply/demand) still remain however.
that said, content, more than ever before, is important. so whereas a thin site would do well in the past, a heavier site is more favored by google.
let me know if you have questions along the way - would be happy to help
Good point, Sunil; thank you.
I’d love to develop more passive income streams in case life hits me on the head… again. 🙂
Hi Ana
Wow another refreshingly honest post from you - really luvin the before and after piccies too.
I have to say reading your post made me think a lot about the way I work. Most of my traffic comes from free methods but the last two weeks I took a step back and was offered a two week free paid advertising trial. In those two weeks I’ve done no work to drive my traffic and my traffic grew with me not even writing a blog post or anything.
I genuinely think that whilst free traffic is great there is a price to pay for it and that’s time and when we stop the wheel the traffic - whilst it doesn’t disappear it does go down.
Keep up the fabulous work:)
Lilach
Interesting comment, Lilach - how targeted was your paid traffic? How did it convert?
Might be a good post to write on the topic…
I doubt it will take too long to get back on track. Good luck and thanks for being so candid with your google stats ,its always interesting to get a good peak 🙂
I think some of my readers expect my numbers to be through the roof, Tom, but as they can see, you can definitely do more with less.
Hi Ana! Welcome back! I love what you did with the house. Those two rooms look 10 times better!
So I’m curious, what is your plan moving forward? Do you just plan to pump out lots of (quality)posts in order to regain the traffic?
I think you and I are both looking for an answer to the same question, Ashley - how do I get my traffic back! lol
Might write a post about it once I come up with a good game plan.
Gagan says
Just a thought - is there some sort of due to duplicate content exactly in your second site - getfreeseoreport.com . Been that site is also getting a backlink from your main site - trafficgenerationcafe.com . Google might be taking it as duplicate content in 2 different url and both sites linking to each other
Just a thought. Isnt it wise to have separate content on both these sites. What say
My getfreeseoreport site is not a site at all; it’s just a page on my blog with a different domain name redirected to it.
So no duplicate content issues here.
Good thinking though, Gagan!
Hi Ana, hopefully traffic will back 😉 With that kind of articles it surely will back 🙂
BTW - do you still have problems with AKISMET?
BR, Chris
Always had problems with Akismet and, as I suspect, always will.
jaime says
Hi Ana,
This is a terrific post… I love the before and after sequences that morph into your (“facing the music”) analytics. Google…ugh… they just suspended my G+ for some reason… they said they didn’t know why, but something made them suspend it and it would take a couple days (translation to me: weeks, lol) to review the issue(s). Anyway, let me get back to appreciating your post! Welcome back!
Jaime
Just another reason for us not to depend on any one traffic source, Jaime.
Lesley says
Ana -
I enjoyed the content (business stuff and the before/after pix) and I love your writing voice.
I just went out on my own and I appreciate your advice. Have you ever been a guest blogger on design*sponge’s Biz Ladies? You’d be perfect there.
- Lesley
Congrats on stepping out on your own, Lesley - I’d say a bold and a bit scary move!
Hope to see you around.
And no, I’ve never written for the Biz Ladies; actually first time I heard about them.
The SNL video is definitely one that I will be sharing with my viewers as it really bring home the point that most persons miss about debt.
Miss or ignore?
In my case, it’s the latter.
Glad you liked the video, Glenn!
Hi Ana,
I must say you are a blogger with a difference…. I really admire your strong will to continue and the fact that Google tried to make you feel like quitting but you stood strong. I have no excuse to quit too…
We are right behind you Ana… We will follow you even if Google frowns at you…
Thanks
And that’s precisely why I keep blogging, Kelvin - you make me feel needed and at the right place.
Screw Google!
Humble? Nooooo….
Just fishing for compliments, Ivin!
I think your new project is interesting and I love to watch you getting so creative with it. I suppose only time will truly tell how sustainable it is.
Ana, I bet Angelina wishes she really looked like that first thing as well 🙂
I did check in each week to see what you were up to. I thought you would do some posts about your new home.
We also moved into a new home recently. I didn’t do anything online for weeks. We were living in the house as the work was being done. The entire house had to be re-wired, we had to get a new boiler, new plumbing, extension, new windows - some of them were nailed shut etc.
There are some important things that just have to get done. If you don’t address them now, years later you’ll be thinking, ‘Why didn’t I just…’
There is time to get your blog back on track once you and your family have settled in. We women do so much to enable our men to fly and shine in their careers.
Glad you’re back.
So you know exactly what I am talking about, Anne.
It’s nice to think of ourselves as superwomen (and in many ways we truly are), but sometimes even superwomen need to focus on one thing at a time.
Loved the compliment!
Ningsang Jamir says
Hey i never thought you were so beautiful-and you sure can pose!!You surely have a second career option in case you sell TGC and move ahead in future-Hollywood.
Psstt..You just beat Angie dear with these photos here (who’s your photoshop freelancer by the way..hehe).
Very kind of you, Jamir; thank you.
Ana, you have a dedicated following and I’m one of them! I have gotten so much from your posts and love your sense of humor and style of writing.
The quotes and video were hilarious…thanks for a much needed laugh today!
You are very welcome, Sheila, and thanks so much for coming by!
Samuel says
Hey Ana,
What’s interesting to me looking at your stats is your referral traffic. Considering that you have a very loyal following of readers and considered an Authority, I would have thought your referral traffic would have surpassed your search numbers because of content sharing through Facebook, retweets, +1’s, etc.
I see your point, Samuel, and I’d agree with it in theory.
However, in practice I found that I still need to work hard to get my referral traffic.
Social media shares don’t bring in as many visitors as they used to.
My readers need to be reminded to link to my posts. Despite the fact that many of my posts are great, very few actively link to them - just bare-bone truth.
Guest posting needs to be constantly worked on.
So you see, referral traffic is only as good as your promotional skills, and if you are not around to promote yourself, it inevitably dwindles down.
Shaqir Hussyin says
Great article! the subject line had me at ‘hello’
keep it Ana! welcome back!
🙂 - thanks!
Your 40% traffic drop just doesn’t seem fair. You seriously have one of the most engaging blogs out here with such a loyal following. I just looked into my crystal ball and predicted a year from now you will have more traffic than you do now and won’t even need Google’s fickle algorithm to help you anymore. 🙂
Your vote of confidence is much appreciated, my friend!
Nice to see you back, Ana. Good to see a touch of humor in your post. You will build your traffic up again in no time, I’m sure. Looking forward to reading your posts again.
Can’t take ourselves too seriously, Laurie, can we?
Chris says
Ana give yourself some credit. You look very pretty in the pictures where you got all done up. You should change your main logo using one of those. I like them better.
Love the post and looking forward to Friday.
There’s an idea… I am actually giving it some thought… And the thought is gone. 😉
Gagan says
Hello Ana,
Greetings for back. I been a big fan of your content and always reads passively. However - pretty much surprised with the visitors overview - i actually have been under impression of your site getting 30K-35K visits per day - its very much the other way round
Isnt Alexa rank in proportion to the visits. Been i have been interacting with an site owner having alexa rank in top 20K - he has been letting know that one need to have atleast 25K visitors on daily basis for been in top 20K alexa. isnt that true
Alexa has always been a mystery to me, Gagan; I truly have no idea how they calculate their numbers.
My best guess is that it picks up the stats from those users who have their Alexa toolbar installed, and those numbers vary niche by niche.
For instance, more of my readers are likely to have it installed and thus be tracked vs a blog about gardening.
Nice to see you Ana!
I wont’ say ‘back’ because for me I know you are around and just a little tied down. I believe all this is just a matter of time and you will be just as you were initially, so don’t take all this to heart of feel bad about it. You are doing the best of what you can and I’m glad that you are taking care of your priorities presently that need more of your attention. 🙂
I’m sorry, more than your reports, I was seeing your pictures here - the before and after. And I can see the look in your eyes and the smiling expression on your face that says it all. It’s all because of the shift you made and the changes you are making about in your new residence that will make things much easier once you are fully settled.
Just as I keep saying that tough times never last - tough people do…and a nice quote to wind up..just for you -
“Energy and persistence conquers all things”
~Benjamin Franklin
So, keep the faith…as we all have in you. 🙂
It always helps to laugh at ourselves rather than ramble about how miserable we are, Harleena, doesn’t it?
Loved Ben Franklin’s quote!
Absolutely agree with you there Ana - just make the best of what life puts forth. 🙂
Hi Ana, You’re still a top 20,000 blog. And I still like your Christmas picture!
True, but it went up from some 7K. I want my numbers back! 🙂
Welcome back Ana,
You have been missed! I am always happy to see your emails in my inbox because I know I’m in for a fun read while I learn something new. You and TGC will bounce back for sure just as you deserve to, because you’ve always shared your knowledge and experiences, good or bad so honestly (just like the photos). In the end it’s that direct, common sense approach that has earned the trust of your readers and your place as an authority.
Looking forward to more from you now that you’re all relocated and remodeled.
Cheers,
Debra
Your thumbs up are truly appreciated, Debra!
OK Google has officially lost its mind. Ana, your content is classic, timeless, and of the same value it ever was. Just because your latest creations came at a slower pace, a search engine worth its salt should not stop sending 99% of the previous traffic. Based on this logic, writers like Mark Twain (or fill in your favorite writer no longer creating “fresh” content) would get no hits. It’s dumb. Bing, this is your chance.
From your mouth to Google’s ears, Astro! 😉
Tobias Mullinax says
Great to see you back! I’m super interested in how this post does for you. Lots of links in and out and tweet buttons. I love big content filled posts.
So far I’ve seen quite a few RTs of the quotes, Tobias; we’ll see if it continues.
This is definitely a more risque type content for a blog like mine.
Gabe Johansson says
Hey Ana!
You’re back, I’m back! We’re all back, even though you’re always up front about everything (lame joke, I know) lol
Anyways, it’s a pain that Google is never really dependent but there is usually a lot of competition on top of the updates that were made. It’s really about the list and relationships, because I actually deleted my last blog yet was still making an income from my list for about 6 months before I decided to get back into blogging.
I don’t know why I ever stopped. I guess I thought it wasn’t really working when in fact my income dropped almost in half after I stopped. Blogging is awesome!
I look forward to reading more of your posts!
-Gabe
List building definitely rocks, Gabe - you can drop your business and start a new one and you have an immediate readership at your fingertips.
I assume the blog you are talking about is a different one from your current gabejohansson.com?
Gabe Johansson says
Yeah I was running gabrieljohansson dot com and using GetResponse (great service, but horrible billing department) and now running the new blog with Aweber with a lot more experience and much more focus this time around.
The transition didn’t exactly work out too well (all the way down from 1,700 to 5 subscribers) but it’s only up from here! I guess the trick is to keep the same service, but I couldn’t stand being robbed every month for subscribers I didn’t have anymore. At least with Aweber you can remove unsubscribes that are costing money.
Looking forward to your next post!
-Gabe
Good point, Gabe - sometimes we need to cut our losses before they cut us.
And as you said, it’s all up from here!
Tony Medina says
I am a new subscriber, and very pleased to receive your thought arousing post, thanks.
I must say, I don’t believe your photos embarrassed you, on the contrary it shows courage and honesty, congrats.
Originality is… a by-product of sincerity. Marianne Moore
Awesome quote, Tony, and welcome to TGC and my list!
Welcome back! Around 2005 my blog was heavily dependent on technorati for traffic - until they shot themselves in the foot by declaring myspace pages as blogs. I went from 400 referrals a day to ZERO. The traffic NEVER returned from technorati, and they lost 99% of their credibility (they could have been a strong force against Google). Recently, I wised up like you have - making a better effort at getting traffic from sources other than Google!
Too bad we have to learn certain things the hard way, Dave.
Thanks for coming by!
Ana, you’re such a classy act! What a come back! 😀
Keep ’em coming! There is far more to SEO than just the SE. We need to optimize our sites for BUSINESS not for Google alone.
I once said at a forum that as far as I’m concerned, Google is like the weather. You cannot control it and at any time its system can turn against you and wipe out your crops. We all long for long sunny days. We dutifully plough, seed, water our plots. We hope that the weather system will help us grow the crop rather than kill it. But you need to count on far more than Google.
Like the sun, you need to count on Google for what it must do at a minimum for you – make you visible and warm up things enough so that your seeds will germinate. After that, you need other options.
I look forward to you discovering with us and sharing those alternatives to growing our online businesses.
How can I not absolutely love your comment, Arturo?!
I even went to your blog and read your post about a book (had something to do with being at the bottom, lol), but found it a bit confusing to leave a comment - could find the form.
Ah, thanks for dropping by, Ana! And I see you ran right into the “no comment zone” at my BLOGIT. Yeah, my “blog” is a funny place.
You see, I’m not a WordPress user. Instead I use a service called SBI. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of them. It’s the kind of service you either love or hate. It’s not easy to find a middle ground when entering into a discussion about SBI (formerly known as SiteSell), especially when it comes to committed WordPress users.
As it turns out, SBI let’s me build something they call a “blogit”, which is an add-on to an HTML website they host for me. (Although I could easily integrate a WordPress CMS blog to my SBI HTML site too, which obviously I’ve yet to do it.) Still Blogit is like a typical blog, except without comments.
It’s there mainly for RSS purposes, quick indexing and routing a small proportion of my traffic (about 16%) to published pages. If I want comments, well, I can use something else SBI calls Content 2.0, which you find at the bottom of some of my articles, such as the latest one I published today called “Young Entrepreneurs, Learn To Speak Proper English!” Take a peek.
In short, I get to control which posts I’ll accept comments for. Those on display in Blogit accept none. Those published as distinct HTML pages in my site accept them if I use Content 2.0. (I know, I know…why all the apparent complexity?)
Well, SBI’s advice is for me to spend less time answering comments and more time creating stellar content for readers to find, because fresh content more than comments brings the large, more steady and lasting traffic for the time we spend writing.
Proof is in the pudding, right? Fair enough. According to SBI when compared to WordPress sites, SBI sites average traffic results as follows.
SBI vs. WordPress:
After 1 month… 6,400 visitors vs 9 visitors
After 2 months… 12,800 visitors vs 18 visitors
After 3 months… 19,200 visitors vs 27 visitors
After 6 months… 38,400 visitors vs 54 visitors
After 12 months… 76,800 visitors vs 108 visitors
I’m not peddling SBI, of course, just informing and wondering if you’ve heard of them.
Got any thoughts on it?
I think my main problem with the page I landed on wasn’t the fact that I couldn’t figure out how to leave a comment, but rather how confusing it looked.
It seemed like I needed to click on the post title to see a page dedicated to that post, yet every time I did that, it recycled me right back to where I started.
For a casual reader, this could be a sign that something is not working properly and we never want to stick around a blog like that.
As far as SBI discussion is concerned, you are right: some love it, some hate it.
My main problem with it though is reader usability.
In the end, it doesn’t matter whether I like my site or not. I need my readers to like it and take action upon what they see, and I found SBI sites to be a lot harder to tailor to your readership.
I once did an audit of such a site. It was a mess and because of how those sites were coded, it was extremely hard to make it more conversion-friendly.
I think you and I both agree that in the end, it doesn’t matter if your site is SBI or WP; it won’t get any more or less visitors just because of the platform you choose.
So those numbers they quoted sound laughable to me.
And by the way, my client ended up moving his site to WP and is doing much better now.
Hmm…what a strange behavior from Blogit. But I think I may have corrected the glitch now. Each post with a permalink there should be able to take you to a separate page without recycling you back to the Blogit page. Still, thanks for the heads-up! 😉
Any way, I do agree with you that whether the launch platform for a website is SBI or WP matters little in the end. What matters is how we tailor the site for our particular audience, particularly when it comes to content. Is the content relevant? Significant? Useful? Consistent? Valuable?
By the way, I do acknowledge that the SBI numbers sound laughable. It’s worth noting that I checked more closely and what makes the difference is how they couch the argument, which in all arguments naturally makes all the difference.
SBI is a small community of online business owners with mere tens of thousands of sites that sum up to about 1/1,000th of the total number of sites hosted by WordPress worldwide. That’s only 1/10th of 1% of the population of WP users.
When you run an average between the two populations, you get the enormous differences in traffic comparison between them. That’s how SBI can report that the average SBI site (small population) brings in 700 times more visitors per month than the average WP site (huge population).
Since SBI is a paid service, its user population stays small, while WP being free can leave millions of stagnant sites out there for as long as those domains are operational. But in a toe-to-toe comparison, you’ll certainly find both SBI and WP sites in the top 0.5% of all sites per Alexa.
I’ve been thinking, as I alluded earlier, about integrating a WP blog to my SBI site and driving traffic from the latter to the former. To be perfectly honest, however, what’s keeping me back is not any concern over technology (I’ve built Thesis-based WP blogs for my clients) or a preference for SBI. Nope.
What’s giving me the hives is the thought of having to deal with a ton of comments. (In all candor, I don’t know how you do it, Ana!) I do tend to agree with SBI on this one thought: that the amount of time spent in managing comments takes away from the time one can spend creating fresh content. And there are only so many hours in the day in which to be productive. We must optimize that time.
Having micro-brief albeit friendly exchanges with all kinds of visitors (thousands and thousands, let’s say, across hundreds of threads) at a blog doesn’t necessarily translate into tons of sales, as I’m sure many of your visitors can attest. But time (a priceless, non-renewable resource) does slip by anyhow. It matters to get the most for every minute.
So what’s better to comment or to write articles?
It’s a point worth debating and surely I’m not anti-commenting, as this recent thread can easily demonstrate, where I use the Content 2.0 feature that I told you in my last post.
Maybe this might make a good article from you. Where does it pay the most to spend time, answering comments or creating more content to publish?
Your thinking about the numbers definitely makes sense, Arturo.
My short answer to your question on how our time is best spent is this:
Would I rather have 1000 visitors to my blog, out of which 100 of them are loyal followers/buyers vs 10,000 visitors, out of which 100 of them are loyal followers/buyers?
I think the main reason I was able to so easily come back after such a long break and even make money while I was absent is the fact that I take my time to pay attention to each and every person who comes to my blog, whether it’s answering a comment or responding to an email or visiting a reader’s blog.
That’s how community is built.
And your community is the best shot you have at building a successful business.
You are right though: this might make a good post; something to think about.
“Would I rather have 1000 visitors to my blog, out of which 100 of them are loyal followers/buyers vs 10,000 visitors, out of which 100 of them are loyal followers/buyers?”
Well, when you put it that way, I’d say a 100 is 100 either way. 🙂
But I do appreciate the argument about building community, except let us think of Facebook for a moment. There are ostensibly millions of “communities of confession” there (some rather closely knit) and practically no commerce in them. We’re building business sites, I think, not just water coolers where people can drop by to chat for a while before they get back to their desks to do business with someone else.
I think commenting is best for bringing back our old visitors and for developing relationships. But what if they’re like friends who are not buying? Should we spend more time getting new (paying) visitors, especially given that answering comments takes so much time to do relative to article writing, or should we continue building relationship in the hope that it turns profitable…some day?
I would be very interested in reading anything you post about this type of subject.
My point was mainly the fact that it takes a lot more effort to bring in 10K visitors rather than 1K visitors, yet the end results is the same, Arturo.
I’d like to think of my blog as a country club: people come here to build relationships that may or may never convert into sales per se, but they still come (and hopefully pay their monthly dues to do so).
Not the best example, but I hope you follow my thought process.
Again, I think a post on the topic is in order.
So far, loving every second of it, Stacy - my absence just reminded me of how much I love what I do.
Good to see you back. The feeling of seeing all of it go down is very bad.
I have gone through this many times and honestly, I am still struggling to drive traffic back.
Good luck! 🙂
I was surprised how much building a loyal readership really matters, Ishan, and this absence just showed me once again that our foremost priority should be building our online authority.
Everything will fall back into place.
Sanjeev says
Ana, its a perfect timing. I have just published a post where I referenced your monthly income reports and wished that you should be back on old posting routine.
I have also moved last month and though it was not a permanent but it creates an impact on the blogging schedule.
Thanks so much for the mention, Sanjeev - just left a comment on the post.
Hope you are settled down and back to work full swing.
You are so honest and real Ana! I never looked as good as you do in either picture when I was remodeling a farm house up in Washington State.
I have heard that Bing is really making advances in search traffic as users have the option of including social media in their search queries.
Look forward to reading your next post. Your home looks awesome now that you have painted and fixed it up on the inside.
Thank you so much, Danielle! The underlying “don’t change a thing” is truly appreciated.
Indeed I feel that adding the line “good to have you back, Ana!” is definitely worth adding again! I was kinda spending a lot on “brain power” posting missing posters of Ana Hoffman in my imagination 🙂
Looking forward to learn more from you as we go along in traffic generation!
Much appreciated, Ruan, and glad to see you are moving forward full speed with your blogging career!
Welcome back, Ana… you were missed!
Much appreciated, Bob - thanks for coming by!
That establishing authority online thing and using it reminds me of sitcom actors who had hit shows years ago then take a long hiatus … by the time they come back we still remember them and very much want to see what they got next in store (thats you in this case)!
btw,
I’m digging the new kitchen and bath esp that big ole tub 🙂
Very good example, Caleb.
By the way, just tried to leave a comment on your curation post and got a message from CL “You have used too many words in your name. Please go back and remove some”. Problem is I use Ana Hoffman as my name. I’d double-check your settings.
Yeah I did have it set to 1 word but just changed that as I’m sure you’re not the only one who prefers using their full name and I also discovered the setting for amount of keypresses can continuously give a warning in some browsers if you use certain cache settings so I disabled that as well.
These things may have been stopping alot of ppl from commenting so thanks for pointing that out.
It certainly stopped me, Caleb; glad you tweaked your settings.
Good to see you back Ana!
RL should always be the priority (even if you lose money here….) Nice to know you have your priorities in order!
I like the before and after shots of the house! … hmm just a lil’ paint eh? 😉
Well don’t let the Google Zoo beat you down. I know you’ll avoid the Pandas and the Penguins or whatever else Google decides to name there crazy algorithm changes (Perry the Platypus maybe?) Yeesh.
I think Platypus would be a superb name for the next one, Jason. 🙂
Kitchen… small budget, 3 weeks, and look what can be done! Just like with blogging…
Beat says
Great to have you back! You inspire people, of course only speaking for myself, but I’ve got a hunch that’s what you do :-]
~Beat
Much appreciated, Beat!
By the way, just left you a comment on your latest post - did you get it or did Akismet get the better of it?
Ana,
I know you have put so much time into your site and I can imagine how discouraging it can be to see numbers drop.
I love Traffic Generation Cafe and I hope you continue it. A few ideas from a non-expert. What if you make it more noticeable that you accept guest posting? That would provide fresh content for you and give you some time off, or alternatively only publish a few times a week on your own blog and guest post other places.
If at all possible don’t tie yourself to your blog so much that you aren’t able to stop now and then and just live life.
You’re a dear. Keep your chin up!
One thing that my move proved was the fact that I seem to be able to stop blogging and then pick it back up at will - with my audience still willing to come back.
That’s a great feeling.
As for guest posts, I don’t actually accept guest posts from new authors. I have an established circle of bloggers I trust to write good content for me. Otherwise, TGC might end up with a bunch of nonsense posts!
Bo Tipton says
Okay we canceled the missing person report and have withdrawn the offer to pay the ransom. We are glad to have you back and I look forward to reading the post on Thursday.
Lol, Bo - after what we just spent on buying a house in the Bay area, I might have to borrow that ransom to pay my mortgage.
What’s going on with your blog, by the way?
Bo Tipton says
They say it is extremely rare when a backup fails. I had someone hack the blog and delete or change the files to point elsewhere. Then when I deleted what was there and went to the back up to restore it the backup, that was on the same sever, had been corrupted. Also a backup had been done by the hacker or virus after they messed with the files. So the lesson learned was keep another backup of the blog along with the one on the server.
It will be back up and running by Friday but all the page ranking with Google will have been lost. Between the Kung Fu Panda from google and the hacker we are basically building over again.
Although it is not a bad place to be as the following is still there and we get to redo the things that I said, “I wish I had ********”.
Not sure who said this, but I like it “When it seems that someone has shattered your dreams….pick up even the smallest of pieces and use them to build bigger and better dreams.”
Look forward to seeing your bigger and better dreams, Bo!
Bo Tipton says
I am excited about getting to drink the lemonade!
willie robertson says
Hi Ana,
Seeing your before and after photos and your website stats makes us appreciate you all the more. Shows you’re real.
You’re beautiful before and after in my book.
Thanks for your always sharing great content.
Just pinched myself - yep, I am real alright, Willie! 🙂
The compliment is much needed and appreciated.
Lydia Brown says
Your writing style always holds my attention. You never cease to amaze me at how you can transition a topic into an epic story.
Thanks for coming by, Lydia, and your RTs!
Andi says
Hey Ana, welcome back in the ‘real world’ was missing you and your tipps - but didn’t just wait and made my job.
I know by own experience how much trouble moving can be.
Your before or after pics ? (you should have made a survey) I would prefer to meet the before girl - cause it shows the real, honest face, and beauty is not ‘colour or paint’ and comes from inside you - and to make that clear, I do NOT mean the house! 😉
Very kind of you, Andi - as long as my husband agrees, we are good!
Andi says
Don’t worry, Ana as you are 30 years too young, and I’m living on the other side of the Earth - there is no need to worry for him 😉
lol, Andi - I meant as long as he thinks my face looks better the way it is.
Andi says
Ana, this is part of YOUR ‘daily Salesletter’, - you decide if you ‘sell’ the ‘shiny Cover’ or the ‘Content’
Wow you are brave to show morning photos. I have a “no makeup and sweaty shot” on my site too but it’s from a distance so I am not half as brave as you 😉
I also think it’s very brave of you to share your numbers as almost nobody will do this. Frankly I’ve been wondering about my own blog - what am I doing, why do I bother, I’m such a small fish?!?!
And here you are a serious pro blogger and you go share your numbers. And honestly they’re the same as mine! Which obviously was not the point of your post. But it really made me feel better about how far I’ve come and makes me feel motivated to keep pushing on. So thanks 🙂
Exactly my point, Alexis - authority is mostly about perception.
To be very honest here, I am very surprised when people refer to me as an authority pro-blogger, because in my mind, I am far from that.
I am still just a blogger who is trying to carve out my own business path - just like you are.
So keep doing what you are doing.
And as corny as it sounds, a lot of it has to do with your attitude and how you view yourself. Act like you know what you are doing and other people won’t question it.
Kat says
Like your pictures 🙂
Me too!
Cristina Ansbjerg says
So good to see you back.
I love your email Ana vs. Angelina. And then the post is very original. I’m totally sure you will gain your traffic back very soon.
A little humor never killed an IM blog before… lol
Nice! Very tree-sy in your new ‘hood. Glen Canyon perhaps, but the fog, the fog, the fog…Twin Peaks or Diamond Heights… much too foggy for Noe Valley or Maternal-I-mean-Bernal Heights.
I love San Fran too much. Ain’t never gonna leave.
You are great at the guessing game, Dave, but sounds like you need some help. 😉
We are on the Piedmont side of Montclair, just south of Berkley.
Hahaha!
Oakland: “There is no there, there.”
Just don’t tell anyone about Oakland. It’s our best kept secret here in the Bay Area. Oakland to San Fran is sort of like Brooklyn to Manhattan, except the weather is a LOT better, and there’s waaay fewer hipsters.
Yes, what’s up with that “here” and “there” signs between Berkeley and Oakland? Insider joke?
I love it here!
Hi Ana, I am so pleased that you are back! I’ve learnt so much from you and whilst you’ve been working on your life, I’ve literally been putting together my own blog. I look forward to reading more of your valuable updates.
Is it the blog you linked to in your comment? Looks great - love the clean layout.
Honey, I recently posted no makeup photos of myself for a skin care product review I did. And I don’t look nearly so good “before.” 🙂
You are too kind, Alison!
Thanks for the traffic, Nick!
AIDY says
Really great to see you back Ana. I got your newsletter and I was excited! Truly looking forward to your tips again. You have helped me out tremendously!
Thanks, Aidy; good to see you here as well!
Ana - On the plus side, any blog editor that got hit by Penguin is in even greater need of advice on how to generate traffic. I’m sure you will bounce back (btw - loved the before and after pictures)
Good point, Randy - great to see you around again.
Ana,
All this self-reflection is very sobering. I ultimately see you coming out of all this Bigger and Badder than ever ready to take TGC to the next level…
If I can help with that… let me know.
All the best.
Ryan H.
Your vote of confidence is much appreciated, Ryan.
Are you getting into podcasting now?
Hi Ana,
Yes… I launched the Content Warfare Podcast last Wednesday and I’m absolutely loving the Podcast content format. So much more to come on Podcasting. One episode and I’m already a huge fan!
Thomas says
Hi Ana
Nice to have you back in business. I know that you have been always for about 3 months, but many of us that have been blogging as usually was also hit pretty bad by the Google Update. Of cause you traffic have dropped when you have not been much active for such a long time, but I wonder how your traffic would have been affected if you have been blogging like you use to do. I guess we will never know…
It is very brave of you to share pictures of yourself on a bad hair day, but I think I will just share this post on Twitter instead. After all I am a nice guy 😉 Looking forward to see your income report post on Friday. I just got my first Google AdSense payment last week which was kind of cool.
More like the past 3 months of bad hair days… lol
Thanks for coming by, Thomas, and I’ll see you on Friday!
A looong post indeed Ana and from all of it, I do stand by Seuss words. You, we, they are the only ones that can choose where we want to go.. more over, whatever it is we want to accomplisg, it is only us who can make it so.. obviously, a little bit of help won’t hurt 🙂 As for your stats, although you have been hit by Penguin, I think that the most important factor in your “drop” in traffic was mainly due to less posting frequency. I still remember a post of yours where your “direct” traffic was twice as much as organic traffic.
Anyway, I would Pin your before and after pictures (yeah the one with glasses on), but you will have to say YES first, lol. Come to think of it, I am sure which board I have that will fit, haha. Looking forward to seeing your icome report next week. I am curious 🙂 Great inspirational tweets BTW. OK, this is probably one of the longest comments I have ever left. stopping now.
This comment is definitely your record for the longest comment on my blog, Francisco. lol
I think you are right - most of my traffic wows are a result of my absence rather than anything Google could ever do to me.
It’s both good and bad: good because I’ve built great readership that will follow me no matter what (for a while, anyway), and bad because there’s no much hope for any kind of leverage with direct traffic. I’ll always have to keep working on it.
DO post my pictures - as I said, at least I am hoping to get something out of embarrassing myself! 😉