Numbers Don’t Count

Numbers Dont Count

As bloggers, it’s easy to get caught up the numbers game. And there are so many you can obsess over.

  • Unique views
  • All time views
  • Monthly views
  • Facebook fans
  • Twitter followers
  • Pinterest followers
  • Newsletter subscribers

And that barely cracks the surface!

Everyone knows that quality wins over quantity, yet even so, it’s easy to feel down when someone else gets more views than you.

One of those cliched yet so true quotes applies here:

Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle

 

A side note before we get into this post any further:

The purpose of this post isn’t to comment on who gets included in blogging agencies, or how they are chosen, or to suggest I should be chosen by a blogging agency. It’s a reminder for those days when we look at numbers and feel down, that I’m sure The Remarkables Group and other blogging agencies use many criteria to assess who would be a suitable client. I’ve chosen this example as a mini case study because, regardless of your personal goals in blogging, I believe it’s fair to say that any blogger The Remarkables Group add to their line up are a successful blogger.

Numbers Dont Count

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last week I saw a post on twitter announcing that The Beetle Shack has been added to The Remarkables Group (an Australian blogging agency, if you haven’t heard of them).

remarkables

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While I had heard of The Beetle Shack, it wasn’t a blog I had really ever read & wasn’t that familiar with, so I headed to the profile page on twitter. This is where I noticed the follower numbers and number of tweets:

 

Numbers Don't Count: The Beetle Shack Twitter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then I looked at my twitter followers and number of tweets:

Numbers Don't Count: 26 Years and Counting Twitter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have nearly two hundred more followers than a successful blogger! Wow.

So do numbers count?

Well, to some degree, yes. But generally numbers only even start to count if you’re looking to blog in some kind of business manner. Advertisers like numbers – after all, ROI is a numbers based game.

There are so many more reasons to love your blog than for its numbers though.

  • Do you help others by writing about difficult experiences?
  • Do you have an engaged community that enrich your life as you enrich theirs?
  • Have you taught people about a topic they’re interested in?

 

What do I think about numbers? Well, they’re great. Especially when they’re going up. I love to write. I first started writing online about 10 years ago. That was Harry Potter fan fics, if you’re curious. Sure, even back in 2003 they had hit counters, so I could see how many people were reading my fan fics. But what thrilled me the most was receiving comments – good or bad! That meant people REALLY read my stuff!

 

But are numbers meaningful? Not always. What is popular isn’t always what I consider my best post. The post that gets comments isn’t always the one I expect. The post that gets shared on Pinterest can be one that isn’t the most visually appealing.

 

Do you think numbers count? Do they matter to your blogging goals?

 

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10 Replies to “Numbers Don’t Count”

  1. I like to keep an eye on my stats because I like to understand who is reading my blog, and when… and that I’m achieving some growth over time… but I don’t compare myself to other bloggers… I’m too idiosyncratic… I’m never going to be a hugely popular blogger…

    But one thing I’m proud of is the quality of my readers… I know some really influential bloggers read my blog, and that makes me feel really proud…

    1. So it’s a quality over quantity thing for you then 🙂

  2. It’s quality rather than quantity for me. I prefer organic growth than forced growth too because you know that the people who like you or follow you on Facebook or Twitter generally want to follow you.

    1. It’s great that quality over quantity is the common answer to this – hopefully everyone’s realising the value of this!

  3. Well I’m fairly new to blogging, so I love looking at numbers. But I am very aware that numbers do not always tell you about quality. I guess you can get a decent overall picture by numbers- unique visitors, bounce rates, page views, blah blah blah. But you don’t know if people are really engaged unless they are participating in the conversation and commenting on your blog. Personally, I still get super excited if someone who isn’t a friend or family member comments. LOL!

    1. Numbers are a great thing to look at when you’re starting to blog, because they provide important data on what posts are working for you and what sharing techniques work!

  4. I am with Sam. I get so excited when someone not connected with me in some way comments or shares. So numbers are important for me to see growth, but I am more focused on the quality of the interaction. As that will help grow our audience better than a conversation with my mum!

    1. Haha it’s good that your family support the blog too though!

  5. Interesting post. I would like to see stats from The Beetle Shacks other social media platforms. I’m guessing now that they are part of The Remarkles group the twitter followers will increase?

    1. I would guess all stats would grow from being part of the Remarkables group, but platform really depends blogger to blogger as to where they focus.

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