2014
2014 (well, the last three months of 2014) was the year I decided to really push on with my blogging and I think that effort has paid off.
In 2014 I authored and published 25 posts on this blog. At the end of October I decided on a new strict schedule of a post a week and have kept to that.
Overall figures for 2014
Compared to 2013
- 26.5% increase in unique page views (hurrah!)
- 8.91% decrease in av time on page (boo!)
- 0.95% decrease in bounce rate (‘bounce rate’ is the % of visitors to my blog who navigate away after viewing only one page. Usually, but not always, you want a low bounce rate.)
I’m very pleased with the increase in views but unhappy with the bounce rate which is far too high at 76%.
5 most viewed posts of 2014
Figures are unique views:
- Homage to the IKEA Hobo Stove (485)
- Grand Union canal hike – stage 5: Moor Park to Tring (473)
- Wild camp in a Hertfordshire wood (394)
- My 2013 Wild Camping review (334)
- Wild Camping plans for 2014 (329)
Top social media referrals
- Twitter: 44%
- Facebook: 24%
- Blogger: 13%
- Google Plus: 12%
Twitter is pretty reliable for visits to the site though I’ve started posting on Google Plus camping/hiking communities and getting quite a few visits that way. I’ve started experimenting with Pinterest, results are inconclusive as yet.
Social media is a great way to increase visits to your blog, as long as it’s done in a non-spammy way.
Goals for 2015
- Increase unique page views by 25%
- Reduce bounce rate from 76% to 60%
- Increase newsletter sign ups by 30%
The main goal I want to achieve is that of driving my bounce rate down. Sure, I’m super pleased you’re visiting my blog and reading the latest post but hey, there’s lots of great content here, why not look around?
Have a blog? How was your year and what goals (if any) do you have for 2015?
Interesting blog post here Martin – fascinating to see your website traffic and visitors, and congrats on a successful 2014 🙂
I also seem to get a lot of traffic from Twitter referrals. But like you say, Google+ is definitely a good traffic source, I need to use it more to be honest, and post more in communities – definitely something to think about!
I hope you meet your goals for 2015, I’m sure you will!
Great to connect on Twitter too! 🙂
I Haydn, thanks for commenting. G+ is becoming increasing important to me for visits, I’m now looking at how I can use Pinterest for the same. Hope you meet your 2015 goals!
The pleasure is all mine Martin! I’m in a similar boat to you, as I’m also going to research into Pinterest and how this can yield results, be sure to add me when you get a chance! http://www.pinterest.com/haydnsym/
Hope you’re having a good weekend!