It seems to be a sort of taboo in the book blogging community. You hear the word and you shiver, wonder, stress out about it all of a sudden. You don’t really talk about statistics when you’re a book blogger, or at least, I haven’t encountered a whole lot of people talking about them a lot.
I’m not sure what the reasoning is behind this. We’re nervous, we’re shy, we don’t feel like we are doing enough, or maybe a mix of all three. The truth is, you’ll rarely see people sharing their monthly, daily, weekly stats for a blog post or their blog overall. As of today, and I’ve been blogging for quite a long time now, I can count on one hand the number of posts I have read dealing with book bloggers’ stats.
If you ask me, I think we’re all a little too into numbers and what they tell us. (me included)
This day tells me that I haven’t been posting and therefore, that my views aren’t as high. This day tells me that I haven’t answered my pending comments and blog hopped and maybe people will forget about me. This day tells me I haven’t promoted anything over on twitter and therefore people most likely think I haven’t anything interesting to share today.
We can’t help but link numbers to success.
Reaching 10, 100, 1000 followers seems massive every single time. Getting one, ten, a billion comments on an article warms my heart like nothing else. Seeing that your blog is growing, view after view, day after day, this feels good. I’m not going to deny it. I’m also not in the business of telling you that statistics do not matter, because they do.
They help us feel like we’re growing. They help us receive ARCs, sometimes (though I wish I understood how and why and what stats really matter, for them). They help us feel like we’re not shouting into the void when we write a blog post, but that people actually come to read what we have to say and even better, want to react to what we have to say, too. They make us feel EXCITED too, let’s not deny it.
So yes. Statistics and numbers matter, in a way.
Statistics tell me what you like to read and see on the blog.
We book bloggers already heard of it multiple times and already noticed it on our own blogs, too. Reviews aren’t what works best and what draw people to book blogs the most. At least, for me.
If I’m taking my 2018 book blogging statistics out for you… on the entire year, the 10 first blog posts that drew more traffic were not book reviews. They were blog posts… about blogging and book recommendations posts. The very first review that drew the most traffic is in 17th position. 17.
?Related blog post: On book reviews: unpopularity, comments and other struggles
Thanks to my statistics, I found out that you all really like talking about book blogging and, from my early 2019 stats as well, are having fun with book recommendations kind of posts, too.
Honestly, this makes me thrilled and happy and I know I’m unbelievably lucky, because these kind of posts are some of my favorite to write and, seeing these numbers, I feel like it shows.
Yet, statistics also tell me things that sometimes, I don’t want to hear.
Like, if I posted more, I could get more views and therefore, more “success”. It’s only mathematical, really: on the days you have new blog posts, people are coming to visit your blog more. If you’re not posting for a week, stats plummet rapidly.
Like, if I used social media even more and even better, got a blog’s pinterest and an instagram along with my twitter, I could see numbers growing even more.
I don’t want to think about this, though it is always in the back of my mind. The truth is, I know I can’t do it. I know I’m already spending countless hours on this unpaid hobby because I adore it, but I can’t do more.
? Related blog post: How to stay positive while book blogging.
I don’t want to create content for statistics. I want to create content that makes me happy, as often as I can and, if I need to take a break, it’s okay. Wednesday, for instance, is usually a posting day for me and, last week, I skipped it because I was on a train, because I was away from home, because I didn’t have time to prepare a proper blog post and did not want to deliver something I wasn’t entirely proud of. So I skipped it. My stats, as promised, were lower than usual on this day.
Does a tiny little part of me cares and feels sad and disappointed? Yes. Yet, another part of me knew I couldn’t do more than I already did without serious anxiety coming to me and, you know what? I think this matters more than anything else.
Statistics do not define me or my worth, at all.
Numbers change, grow, plummet down, grow again. People aren’t always there to read your blog, life gets busier and you can’t post, you just need a break because you’re tired.
Numbers and statistics are a great tool and, I know we’re all deep down spreadsheet and statistics nerds and that’s very cool, too.
I pay attention to the number of views I got on a certain day. I watch the kind of blog posts that work best, I pay attention to what makes you react whenever I post something new, watching nervously every time a blog post goes live. I care about comments, I care whether or not you enjoyed this or that.
Yet, I also know that it’s important to care about what I put out there, more than any kind of number. Statistics change and we sometimes can’t quite explain them well. I also don’t want to let them dictate the way I feel about my blog.
Honestly, I love writing book reviews. They aren’t the most viewed blog posts, or the most commented on, but I love sharing my thoughts on a particular book and promoting it that way. I love spreading the love for books and in the community, too, it is one of my favorite things to do, ever.
? Related blog post: How to blog hop, why I do it and think you should, too
I love writing this kind of post and, when I hit the finish line, feeling proud of what I’ve wrote.
As soon as people find out we’re bloggers, in real life, their first question always is about statistics. How many followers do you have? How many pageviews per month? It’s okay to ask that, it’s only human to be curious about the numbers and I’m not really blaming them.
I just wish that, sometimes, they asked if you’re having a great time blogging instead. I know I am and that’s what makes me log onto my blog every day with a smile on my face.
? If you’re looking to read more about book bloggers statistics, I recommend:
- Vicky @ Vicky Who Reads wrote a great transparency blog post a while ago sharing her statistics and ARCs statistics, too. Definitely worth a read!
- Brianna & Krysta @ Pages Unbound do almost every year a book blogger stats survey and gather the data into a very interesting blog post, in case you’re curious about book blogger stats overall.
Are you a statistics nerd? Do you enjoy looking at your stats, analyzing them and so on, or does this stress you out? Or a little bit of both?
Do you wish we talked about stats more openly? I would love to hear your thoughts in comments!
I’m also taking suggestions, if there is any blogging topic you’d like me to talk about or give advice on, please feel free to let me know!
i really love looking at stats now that im more active~ but i always worry about sharing them in case people see it as a bragging kinda thing more than a reflection of the hard work ive put in :/
this was areally great read tho! and i relate v strongly on caring about how peoplereact to the posts, to see what they likedand didnt. it rly helps u grow as a blog writer
Oh I get the worrying SO much – I feel like, because no one really is sharing these kind of statistics, we are especially nervous to do so – but honestly, I don’t want to see it this way! You should be proud of everything you’ve worked for and sharing these statistics does not come off as bragging for me at all (unless well, all you do is brag about it all in your post haha. Just stating it all and talking about the posts you worked on and all and just, being proud of yourself is important, too <3) more people should be transparent about these kind of things, it would be refreshing to see 🙂
I'm so glad you agreed with this! It's so interesting to see what people reacted to and enjoyed, I agree 🙂
thank you so much for your sweet comment! <3
I can agree that book reviews don’t always get a lot of views. I think that’s because a lot of people want to read something they can relate to and if the book isn’t super popular at the time then it gets overlooked. I can’t really blame people though, there are thousands and thousands of books out there. And sometimes finding someone that’s read something I’ve read can be hard. I understand that people may not read them because they may not feel connected to it.
Despite that I’m glad I read it anyway. 🙂 Writing about the books I’ve read gives me a better understanding of them.
Oh yes, I agree with you! There are so many books out there, all book reviews can’t be attractive to all kinds of blog readers, that’s for sure. What matters is that we like what we put out there and that the people wanting to find out about said book do, too 🙂
And yes! writing about the books I read makes me so happy, too and it’s great to reflect on our readings, I’m so glad you are happy to do this, too!
Thank you so, so much for your comment <3
Your welcome 🙂
I am always shy to talk about my blog stats because it isn’t much. Maybe, I don’t work hard enough or maybe my content isn’t great enough but surely, it isn’t something I’d talk openly. Though, I’m always happy to see my blogging friends share their stats on Twitter. Like, how they’ve reach their goal and gained lots of followers in a week.
In addition, my non-blogging friends in real life mostly know I’m a blogger and I’m happy that most of the time they’ll ask if blogging is good or if it makes me happy instead of asking followers and such. They’re also the reason why I keep on blogging because questions like that makes me happy as I can talk more about it. xx
I get that feeling so much, I feel like that’s what a lot of bloggers might be feeling, too – which is why I find it so interesting when some people have the courage to share some of their stats, it is so interesting and put things into perspective, too. Let me tell you one thing, though: your content IS good enough and you work hard enough if it makes you happy and if you’re proud of what you put out there, and you should be <3 <3 Keep on going and keep on loving what you write <3
I think it's so amazing that your friends know you're blogging and encourage you so much about it, that's goals <3
Thank you so, so much for your sweet comment!
Aw Marie you’re so sweet! I am so touched by this ? I don’t know what else to say but thank YOU and I hope you the best ?✨
Just saying the truth, really, keep on being awesome!! <3 <3
I’d be happy if people talked more openly about their stats, but that’s a difficult thing to do because my stats change often. If I’m posting reviews, my pageviews go way down. If I post a giveaway, pageviews go way up. Since my stats change so much, I try not to obsess over them.
I’m with you, I’d be happy, curious and so interesting to have people talking about their stats more, but it’s a tough topic and it’s SO different too and it depends on so many factors.
I think, if they’re interesting to observe for sure, most of us don’t make a living out of pageviews and statistics at all, so we shouldn’t obsess about them too much 🙂
thank you so much for your comment!! <3
This is something super interesting to talk about.Personally I like to check my statistics from time to time, but not every day, somehow I don’t want to be obsses with them or feel pressured, you know?Still, it feels beautiful when you receive more visits and above all, for me, comments!I LOVE comments.It feels so beautiful in my heart when I have so many comments to answer, that makes me happy.Still, the statistics can be something positive as stressful, so you have to be careful about it and not obsses too much, I think.This is an incredible post by the way! ??✨
I agree! It always feels nice when we get more visits and comments, that’s something we can’t deny! 🙂 and yes, comments are the best, I just love interacting and chatting with other bloggers, it always makes me so happy just as well. I agree that it’s important not to obsess too much about it though, after all we’re doing this for fun 😀
Thank you so, so much!! <3
Stats stress me out a lot, so I usually tend to stay away from them … I’m still learning what works best for my blog and while I don’t, it’s hard to stay positive. However, I really like looking at numbers and making excel spreadsheets and that kind of thing, so I’ve been thinking about writing my stats in a spreadsheet, as a way to motivate me?? does that even make sense?? haha
great post, we certainly need more transparency on topics such as this one ^^
Oh that makes A LOT of sense! I know a lot of bloggers that like to keep track of their stats every month, on an excel spreadsheet or in their bullet journal. Seeing the numbers grow can be really motivating for some people, you should give it a try if you think that could work out well for you! 😀
I agree that we need more transparency on that, I think we’re all a little nervous about these kind of things… I know I am, too ?
Thank you so much for your sweet comment, Marta! <3
I’ll have to give it a try and see if it works for me 😀
Yes, maybe it will work out great for you, fingers crossed! 😀
This is a great post because you’re right, most book bloggers don’t talk about their stats. I’m a little obsessed with them, but it’s mostly because I like to see how I can grow my blog, so they are helpful to see what kinds of posts are popular. And your’e right, book reviews are good, but the most popular posts can just be random thoughts about books or blogging. I also know what you mean about the pressure stats put on us, because when I’m busy with my actual life and don’t have time to blog or visit other blogs or share across social media, I feel like I’ll be forgotten! But sometimes I’m actually reading a book and can’t do both. So I think it’s good to keep a balance, but to also look for ways to make your blog successful.
I think it’s great to see what works and what not and how we can improve and stats can be a great tool for that, that’s for sure! 🙂 but yes, like you said, it’s important to keep a right balance and not to stress out or focus on them too much, because well, this is a hobby and it’s supposed to be fun 🙂
thank you so much for your sweet comment! <3 <3
I can’t say i’ve ever really looked into my statistics in depth. I notice i get views on days i posted, and on other days not really, which kind of makes sense, but that’s about it 😀
Well I think that’s good, not to pay attention to it too much and just focus on your blog posts and just, enjoying yourself 🙂 stats can be fun and interesting to look at, but just blogging and not even thinking about it, that’s a dream for me hahaha 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!! <3
AMAZING POST, and so true! I bogged myself down WAY too heavily with blog tour and book blitzes and that type of posts in February, and didn’t do a SINGLE discussion post! o.O I’ve also been really slammed and really sick, so I haven’t had much time to craft great discussion posts, so on one hand it’s been kind of nice that I’ve been able to have some base content to work with from PR/tour companies to build from, but even those blog tour type of posts take time to format so they fit my blog, and I feel like they don’t drive real engagement and attachment to my blog. And right now if you were to scroll through my blog you’d be like “Oh, this blogger just does a crapton of blog tours,” and that’s not that brand I want. :/ BUT, the giveaways attached to them help drive traffic, soooo…? GAH! Just gah.
Oh I can understand that – it’s true that giveaways drive a little more traffic, but it’s also important to have a content you’re happy with overall! I hope you’ll be able to write more discussion posts if they make you happy, that’s really what matters the most 🙂
thank you so much for your sweet comment! <3
It’s really hard not to obsess a bit about your stats, especially when you are a perfectionist like I am. Those numbers mean that I am getting better! I’m progressing! It can take some of the fun out of things, which is not the point!
Oh yes I get that, I’m way too much of a perfectionist and tend to obsess about these kind of things, too. It quickly gets frustrating, too, but when we obsess too much, it’s important to try and remember that… well, this should be fun before anything else and we should be having fun 🙂
thank you so much for your comment, Denise! <3
This is a great post. It really hits on how we all feel about our blog and its statistics (at least it is pretty much dead on for me).
Oh thank you, I’m happy you enjoyed it 🙂
This is extremely helpful, and I feel like this needed to be said out loud too. Thank you for the wonderful and insightful post.
Oh thank you so much, I’m so happy you enjoyed it 🙂
I’m not statistics nerd but who doesn’t like to have high stats! And of course it little concern me if stats go down. However I’m satisfied with number of followers and regular readers I have by writing only reviews and promo posts. I do feel if I write discussion or some other bookish post I might get more views more followers but I don’t know, I don’t have many ideas on it yet. And now with my 3 and half months daughter, I hardly get enough time.
Talking about stats openly is good Idea. It may help to overcome the fear of it.
Agree, we all enjoy seeing numbers grow, can’t deny that 🙂
I think what matters is that you are happy with the content you put out there, discussions or not and who knows, maybe later on you’ll feel inspired to write some 🙂
I agree – I feel like we are all a little nervous to talk about this, me included, but it’s important to 🙂 thank you so much for your comment! <3
You’re welcome! I love reading your discussion posts. ?
Aww thank you, this means so much <3 <3
Lovely post, Marie ☺️ Honestly, I am not a statistics person, Inhave hardly ever checked my blog stats. But you are right, they are definitely important and we should give some attention to it. I might not involve in it because of low follower count and low comments and may be that would make me feel low? So I just avoid looking to the stats, unless someone asks that info for an arc request ?
I love writing book reviews too, though I get least number of comments on them.
Oh thank you, Sim! <3
I understand that, not checking stats can definitely be a form of important blogger self-care, too, because when we have lower stats we can definitely feel bad about it, even though these numbers don't and shouldn't define our worth as bloggers! <3 <3
I'm so happy you love writing reviews, I always have a great time reading your reviews! <3
Thank you Marie ?
I used to be really worried about statistics when I first started blogging; especially when I realized that influenced how likely you were to get ARCs (because that makes the whole think substantial in a way I think–like something obtainable, I’m struggling to find the word lol). But I’m 5 or 6 years in now and I don’t really give them much thought. The only time I look is when I’m updating my Netgalley Profile 2-3 times a year.
The stats that are most important to me now are my own personal reading achievements. How many audiobooks am I reading in a year? How many sequels do I have on the go? etc.
But you are so right: there is a taboo about blogging stats. It’s something we all seem to omit from our posts. I’ve never shared my follower stats–but I also don’t know if people would be interested in that. Like you said, you want to write content that you like to post and for me, I like sharing my reading stats more so than my blogging stats.
I agree with you! I know I tend to pay attention to blogging statistics a lot, mostly because I kind of can’t help myself at times, but reading statistics matter a little more to me, too, and I mostly really like to see how much I’m able to read in a year and, how many books I’ve loved, too! 🙂
I feel like people would be really interested in statistics – I feel like the two blog posts I’ve linked, from Vicky and Brianna & Krysta, have raised curiosity and, from the comments, people seem interested in this kind of content, but… yes, it feels like it’s a sort of taboo. Like people don’t want to share these, because we’re all nervous/shy/don’t want to feel like we’re bragging, or not doing enough and so on. But sharing would also help us understand it all better and, most likely, make us all feel better, too? I don’t know, haha 🙂
Thank you so, so much for your thoughtful comment! <3
I love stats. It’s a personal thing. But I do share my monthly stats on my blog. I do it so that I can compare and see if I need to make any improvements. Obviously, I blog for myself, but I do appreciate that others visit and enjoy my content. I’m a bit of a perfectionist at times, so I’m always looking to be better. I know stats don’t matter a ton, but I do enjoy using them.
I’m happy to hear you enjoy using your stats and analyzing them, they really can be great tools, I agree! 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts 😀
You’re welcome. It was a great post.
Aww, thank you, really!! <3 <3
Love this post, Marie! As much as I shouldn’t care about my blog stats, seeing good numbers makes me feel that my blog’s growing. Or I’ve improved on my content. I can see how everything I do in the community affects my stats. They both give me joy and stress me out too! But I know the real reason why I can’t quit blogging is that I enjoy what I do and I love having my own personal space where I can talk and share my random rambles.
Oh thank you so much, Erica! I agree that seeing numbers grow make us feel like we’re making progress and growing and that’s always nice to see. Yet, it can also be very stressful, and… we’re not here for that. It’s so important to remind ourselves of that, too 🙂
Thank you so much for your sweet comment! <3
Ahaha, I enjoyed all the Brooklyn Nine Nine gifs!
Thank you so much! 🙂
This post is everything. I agree completely: stats are so taboo in the blogging community and personally, I never talk about mine to avoid making comparisons with other people and feeling either bad about my own or uppity because they’re better than someone else’s. I still look at my stats, for sure, and, like you, my book reviews don’t get nearly as many views or comments as discussions. Except, also like you, book reviews are one of my favorite posts to write! And it’s such a great moment when someone sees my review of a semi-obscure book and they start gushing about it with me because they didn’t know anyone else who had read it. I don’t know when exactly book reviews stopped being the bread and butter of book blogging but there’s this strange existential crisis happening because of it. Book blogging is supposed to be all about books, right? But one of the staples of that is disappearing. Anyway, this is getting super long – I may end up doing a whole response post 😀
Laura @BlueEyeBooks
Oh yes please do a response post if you feel like it (and send it to me to make sure I don’t miss it!) 😀 I am all for long ramblings in the comments and I have to agree with you, book reviews aren’t the bread and butter of the book blogging community anymore, that’s for sure. I feel like, maybe people find them boring? Or just would rather read blog posts with tons of recommendations, rather than just one book? Anyway, I’m still loving writing book reviews and giving the spotlight to a book and, like you said, it feels so nice when we can fangirl about this book with someone! 🙂
Thank you so, so much for your sweet comment, Laura 🙂
Great post! I definitely struggled with the numbers when I first started out (and still, honestly) in the beginning I posted way too much bc I was so focused on the ‘numbers’ and I burned myself out, resulting in an almost four month hiatus :’) and I also really love writing reviews, but they often don’t get a lot of views! But that’s fine! In the long run I much rather produce content I enjoy making rather than gathering views. The views are fun but honestly if I would do everything for the views I wouldn’t be a book blogger anyway :’P There are much more efficient ways to get a lot of views and visitors. But still something in me gets disappointed when visitor count is low, for some reason. It’s always difficult :’)
Haha I get that, we wouldn’t be book bloggers if we wanted all the views, there are much bigger topics to blog about haha 🙂 but we picked this, because we’re passionate about books and that’s something to remember every day 🙂
Thank you so, so much for your sweet comment! <3 <3
Yes, I LOVE this post! It’s so easy to get caught up in numbers and get discouraged, especially since there’s ALWAYS going to be someone with more followers/page views/etc. than you. But what you said, “I don’t want to create content for statistics,” is something that I constantly remind myself of. I really love doing this, and that’s what’s most important to me at the end of the day! And book reviews are fun to write and challenge me in a different way than other blog posts, which is why I still do them even though they get much less traffic than other posts ? I’m really happy to read this post and I think it’s such an important thing to talk about! <3
I agree, there’s always going to be someone that’s more successful, number-wise, but the thing is… that person is not going to be you, and that’s what makes all the difference, too. We’re ourselves and we’re doing our thing and, that’s what matters 🙂
I’m so, so, so happy you enjoyed this post, Margaret, thank you so much for your sweet comment! <3 <3
I try to not look at my stats all that much, mostly because they’re pretty much nonexistent at this point. That, or I focus on the little things that are exciting…like I’ve doubled my followers since the end of January (although granted, when you’re still in the double digits, it’s not all that hard to do).
Another thing I’ve been doing recently that helps me stop panicking about stats: I’ve been trying to tabulate the hours I spend working on my blog, whether it’s writing posts, getting organized, or even just hopping around blogs. I add all this up and look at how much of my energy I’m investing in this, and then I congratulate myself on that. It seems kinda silly, but I’m really trying to be kind to myself as I’m trying to build this blog thing up from nothing.
I really like what you said about how stats tell you things you don’t want to hear as well. I know if I was actually active on Twitter, I could probably grow my blog from there – but Twitter honestly gives me so much anxiety because it feels like walking into the cafeteria in high school when everyone’s hanging out without you. And I know if I invested energy in making my Instagram posts look more “professional” or whatever, that would probably help too. Instead, I focus on the parts of blogging that bring me joy: reading and commenting on other people’s posts, writing about aspects of book culture that I can’t stop thinking about, reviewing books that make me flail..all of that is worth more to me than maximizing numbers that aren’t really there for me right now anyway.
Ahh well this is amazing, Christine, I’m so happy to hear about this and I’m certain that more followers will follow, you’re just such a kind, incredible blogger and I’m so, so glad that you’re back to blogging. <3
This is actually such a fantastic idea, I should do that as well! It's amazing when you start thinking about how much energy is spent on blogging, all of this just because we want to and we love to do it, too. You should be proud of everything you do! <3
I get what you mean – social media can be a little overwhelming and… well, we just can't do it all either, sometimes and it's important to focus on the things that bring us the most joy and make us feel the happiest: commenting, creating content, talking with other bloggers and so on, no matter what it is, we should focus our energy on that. Whether we get thousands of views a day or not… well we can't help but pay attention to that, but it shouldn't matter as much as the joy we have while blogging. <3
Thank you so much for your sweet comment, Christine! <3
You are too sweet! I absolutely agree with what you said: not a single one of us can do it all well, and do it as well as we’d like. We each have our own thing that we’re passionate about and do well. Not everyone enjoys commenting back, and not everyone enjoys bookstagram, etc. It’s so much easier to focus on what we love about this community and putting our energy into that.
Exactly! It’s so much easier to just focus on what we love the most. It’s so easy to fall into the comparison trap, though… but I’m trying not to do that too much and focus on what I love, too, that’s what matters the most 🙂
When I first started blogging, I paid a whole lot of attention to my stats. I thought I NEEDED those big numbers to do great things. And, I’ll be honest, it helps that I gained a good following in that first year. But I started to realize that obsessing over the numbers was just making me stressed, and at some point I had to decide that enough was enough. I rarely look at numbers any more—only once in a while to update my NetGalley page or because a blog tour company needs them. I also post less than I used to, which sometimes can be a bad thing, but in the end I have to decide what’s best for all-of-me, not just blogger-me. 🙂
I agree with you, Nicole, it’s important to decide what’s best for all-you and not for blogger-you only. This is something I still struggle with, but I’m doing my best to remind myself of that 🙂 We’re here because we like talking about books and blogging and we shouldn’t get too stressed out about it, or at least, try not to haha 🙂
Thank you so, so much for your sweet comment! <3
I wouldn’t say I’m particularly shy about sharing my stats and I haven’t analyzed them or paid much attention to them…I’m probably the odd one here. I mean, I’ve never had a reason to share them but if a blogger asked, I think I’m cool with it. Sometimes I do end up feeling uncomfortable though if nonbloggers ask because it sounds as though they think that’s the primary goal of blogging, to have a huge audience and get tons of ARCs! And that’s not it. I’m sure most of us joined to share the love of books when our own friends and family miiight not be just as receptive to our ramblings, lol.
I end up sometimes caring about stuff like how comments or followers or pageviews but I always remember that it’s all about the books! and neverending TBRs! and gushing about characters! Thinking of all the conversations I’ve had with other book bloggers about fave bookish things makes me a bit giddy with happiness – that’s the best part imo.
Oof, that was a long comment. Sorry.
Oh don’t apologize, I love long comments, thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts! <3
I agree with you about nonbloggers, it is fascinating to see how number-focused they can be, while we're all here to share our love for the books and scream about them, that's all haha 🙂 I so agree with you, I sometimes get carried away and stressed out thinking about numbers, but then again I remember the amazing conversations I have with bloggers and that makes me much, much happier than any statistics 🙂
Thank you so much for your comment! <3
I actually really don’t pay attention to the stats. I look at the ones that show up in notifications (number of followers), and I notice when more people have liked a post (again from notifications). Other than that, I just kind of breeze passed the stats page. I just don’t like numbers.
Well I think that’s really good that you can do that! Numbers often add a whole lot of unnecessary stress haha 🙂
thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! 😀
I do look at my stats a lot, though I’m not sure if they “tell” me anything. I agree that reviews don’t do as well as discussions, but I like writing reviews and think they’re important to a book blog. If someone just publishes book lists and memes, it’s hard to imagine they actually read books. I like to know what they thought about individual books. However, beyond discussions and lists doing better than reviews…I think stats are unpredictable. A discussion I think will do well might not, and one I wrote in 15 min and didn’t think would be popular will blow up. So while I think stats are interesting, I would balk at trying to write content specifically to get better stats. Besides the fact I don’t think it would work for me, I’m not sure there’s a “point.” Book bloggers don’t generally make money and ARCs are “easy” to get in the sense you need to be established but not necessarily have 5000 followers or 200 page views a day or anything. So I don’t think there’s an incentive to write “popular posts” the way there might be if someone were running a blog they legitimately were making money from. Writing what you want is more fun!
I agree that stats are unpredictable, you’re so right! There are topics we can predict will work, while some others won’t, but ultimately we’re not from the future and we can’t really imagine what will work and what won’t, like you said, some blog posts blow up while others we imagine will work just, won’t. That’s what’s fascinating and frustrating, too, haha.
I so agree, writing what we love the most and having fun while doing it is most important than anything else, because we’re not into this for money or anything, just to have fun 🙂
thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on the topic!
I’ve found that I don’t mind having low stats in comparison to other bloggers, as long as I have higher stats than myself in a previous period. I care more about growth than just being ‘big’. I love this post because I’d been playing with the idea of writing a post about it too, about being positive about blog stats. I think I’ll so be linking this post XD
Honestly, with my new job, stats is all I can think about! But thankfully, the stress over my own stats has relaxed.
Ohhh, I hope you’ll write this post, I would love to read it 🙂
It’s funny how much you have to pay attention to these kind of things when you work in that field and, in a way, it’s relaxing not having to focus on that when we’re on here. We’re here for the fun 🙂
Thank you for your sweet comment, Pam <3
I’ve been trying to not do the statistics thing so much because… it just makes me tense. I know there’s pressure to grow your blog and whatnot but… at the end of the day, this is my hobby, more than anything else, I guess? And it’s kind of a stressful hobby as it is (I don’t request many ARCs but there are a few and one is currently judging me for not reviewing it and OH GREAT NOW IT’S STRESSFUL AGAIN), so I’m trying to focus on the fun parts.
(Not that I’m always successful. Because I very much am not.)
Yes you’re so right, you should focus on the fun parts, that’s what matters! We sometimes can’t help but stress over some things, even if we shouldn’t, and it’s good to remind ourselves that, before anything else, it’s a hobby 🙂
Thank you for your comment, Kelly! <3
I love this post! I always find blog stats cool to look at, because it just feels great to see that people have viewed/appreciated our posts. Our blogs still a little small, so every little milestone is amazing. Personally I love reading reviews on blogs because they always give me books to add to my TBR, in turn I try to aim to write more reviews even though I know they won’t get as much engagement as a discussion type post.
Oh Chana, thank you so much! <3 I agree that every milestone is amazing and something to be celebrated 🙂
I'm so happy you like reading and writing reviews, this makes me so happy to hear, I love reviews a lot, even if they're not as popular as other posts 🙂
I won’t lie, when I look at stats at the end of a month, I’ll be happy if I see I did good in terms of numbers. I used to worry so much about them as a new blogger. Could I reach people? Would readers find my post interesting enough to come back? Then I remembered I was blogging to share my love and writing for myself, so fork the numbers!
I still take a look at them and I am surprised that many reviews get most of the views!
Fabulous post! xxx
Yes yes yes, I 200% agree with you here my Sweechie! It’s so important to remember that we blog to share our book loves and not for these numbers 🙂
Thank you so much!! <3
I’m still guilty of checking them :p but aren’t we all? Love you, Sweechie! xxx
I think we all are, haha 🙂 Love you even more!! xx
I really liked this post. I haven’t really seen anyone talking about statistics that much and I think you said it perfectly!!
I do look at statistics– it is nice to see how it is going and it feels great when you hit new milestones. But I try not to become obsessed because it’s not why I choose to blog– I wanted to write about stuff and I love creating a new post. And I think the interaction you can have with bloggers can be better than the number of visits– it’s nice to build up a relationship with other bloggers!!
I really enjoyed this post!! ?
Oh thank you, this makes me so, so happy! <3 <3
I agree, if it's nice to see our numbers grow, it's even better to see our relationships growing with fellow bloggers and talking with everyone, it is, always, my favorite part <3
Like every book blogger, I care about my blog stats. However, because I don’t have all the time in the world to work on the blog, I don’t let that dictate how I see myself as a blogger. If I don’t have the time to post something, I just won’t, regardless of losing views for that day. And, like you, one of my favorite things to do is to write book reviews. I won’t stop doing them just because they don’t bring as much traffic. They’re the sole reason why I started my blog.
So yeah, I think it all comes down to finding your own balance and what you’re happy with. If your blog is a hobby, like mine is, don’t let it take over your life and give you anxiety just because you’re not where you think you should be with it.
Yes yes yes, I so agree with your point of view here and this is exactly how I want to see this, too. Not let it take over everything and try not to feel too anxious about it overall, because it’s a hobby 🙂 Definitely working on that haha 🙂
Thank you so, so much for sharing your thoughts, Catarina! <3
I look at my stats a lot, although less than I used to. It’s weird, my page views were down this month compared to last (also could be because this was a short month), but I’m still getting the same amount of interactions, comment-wise. So, stats don’t always tell the whole story!
Agree! Stats never tell the whole story and they’re so… unpredictable, too, at times! 🙂
Thank you so much for your comment, Angela! 🙂
I’m a tiny new blog with not a lot of stats so at first, I looked at my stats A LOT. Sometimes several times a day. But I realized that it doesn’t matter as much as I made it: sure it’s always a joy to see the numbers go up, a post do better than the previous one, but it’s not ALL that matters. So now, I look at them but not everyday. This is such an important post and interesting discussion, thank you for writing it 🙂 ?
I so agree with you! It makes us happy for sure to see our stats are growing, but it matters more to be happy with what we do and what we put out there, too 🙂
thank you so, so much for your sweet comment! <3
I definitely agree, whether we like it or not, stats have become more important, motivating even to bloggers. It lets us know if we’re doing good, or if we need to switch it up a bit. Even if we’d like to think it’s not important, seeing the high numbers can definitely bring a smile to our faces sometimes.
Great post, it was really fun to read.
I’m with you on that, we can’t deny that stats matter a whole lot and indicate us a lot of things, too, but they’re not all that matters, either and it’s important to remember that 🙂
thank you so much for your sweet comment <3
Your welcome!!
I don’t mind reading about stats, but sometimes it can be stressful because then you start comparing yourself to others. I don’t pay too much attention to my stats, but I want to learn how to view them better – really understand what it’s telling me, etc. so I can try and cater my posts a bit more toward that. Other than that, I try not to let it stress me out too much.
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
Oh yes, it’s so stressful when we start comparing ourselves to others… I guess it’s human and we can’t help it, but I wish we could haha 🙂
thank you so much for your sweet comment, Lauren! <3
Marie, I just want you to know how much every single one of your blog hops over to my blog warms my heart and how every single one of your posts puts a huge smile on my face. ? I’ve been stressing over stats lately because I also notice when I post my page views spike and then plummet, so my solution has been to post twice a week. But it turns out that’s kind of a lot for me and it leaves less time for creating content for instagram, too, where each caption is like a little mini-blog post. It’s definitely a game of balance, and that game looks different for everyone. I think as long as it’s bringing YOU joy, then you’re doing blogging right. Loved this post. 🙂
Oh Madeline, this makes me so, so, SO happy, thank you for saying that <3 I'm honestly always so happy and excited to read your new posts, you have so much to bring to the community and to teach me too! <3 <3
I agree that it's a hard balance to find, we all want to "do good" and see our stats grow, but it's also important to know, realistically, what we are able to do 🙂
Thank you so much! <3 <3
I’m still pretty new to blogging so mostly I’m in awe of having any stats at all, but I can definitely see myself burning out over stagnating numbers and not getting as much engagement as I want; I also skipped a posting day recently (because I had multiple exams in a very short period, ugh) and saw my stats drop – definitely still a little disappointing even though I knew it was coming.
it helps so much that I’ve been able to talk to a lot of bloggers at different levels of activity, seniority, and “popularity” (for lack of a better term), a lot of whom are pretty open about their stats; it really helps me keep things in perspective. I absolutely agree transparency is important, and keeping the conversation open as you’re doing with this post – thank you for sharing ?
I’m so happy that you’ve been able to talk about this with bloggers and put things into perspective, I think that’s so important and definitely something we don’t do enough! I feel like it could help us feel better about everything and just, encourage each other better and everything else <3
Thank you so much for your sweet comment, Isabelle! I hope you're having tons of fun blogging so far 🙂
I honestly look at my stats way too much. I wish people who had fewer followers would do posts about stats because I’d like to see what’s average for a blog with my size following. I feel like the people who share posts about stats are usually those who get hundreds of views per day, which I’m hoping isn’t the majority, otherwise it feels like it’ll be impossible for me to be a “successful” blogger.
I wish I could say I just post what I want and don’t worry about stats when I do it, but while the first part is true, the second is not. To be honest though, I haven’t noticed that much difference between views and the type of post I write, which may be because my following is under 400, so maybe it wouldn’t be that noticeable?
Stats can definitely be helpful but are also overwhelming sometimes.
Sorry for this rambling comment, but this was such an interesting post!
You should check out the blog post I linked, from Brianna and Krysta (https://pagesunbound.wordpress.com/2018/09/26/book-blogger-stats-survey-results-2018/) if you haven’t just yet, they provide a really interesting analysis of book bloggers’ overall statistics 🙂 and according to their study, the majority of book bloggers get 0-50 views per day, too 🙂
It’s hard NOT to care about statistics, I completely get that! I feel like some people see a bigger difference with their different types of blog posts, but it depends on many, many things for me: the number of followers, of course, but also the way the blog post can be promoted elsewhere, too. Hmm that’d be an interesting post for me to write haha, sorry I’m just talking to myself here hahaha.
Please don’t apologize, you can always, always ramble on in my comments, always here to chat about everything! <3 Thank you for leaving your thoughts on the topic! <3
This is a great post! I used to pay a lot of attention on my stats when I was a newbie blogger but now I only check them out at the end of the month. I blog for fun and even If I don’t get huge numbers, I won’t feel sad.
Thank you so, so much Raven, I’m so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂 I’m glad you’re not worrying about them too much, as long as you’re having fun, that’s what matters the most 🙂
Thank you for this post. Sometimes I do feel insecure about how well I should be doing until I realize that I started this blog as a nice place to host and archive my book reviews. Since I rarely reread, it’s a nice reminder of my past self and what I cared about at that time in my life. Now, I don’t take things too seriously and instead feel like I’m thinking critically when I’m forced to write down my thoughts. I’ve become a better writer too!
I’m so happy you had such a positive experience so far and you’re so right, it’s important to remember why we started out and to keep on seeking that happiness, too 🙂
thank you so much for your comment! <3
I’ve never really seen myself as a stats nerd. Before when I was blogging on Tumblr, I couldn’t really keep track of most of my stats, but since I’ve moved to WordPress, it’s something literally glaring at me everytime I’m going to write a new post. So it definitely has been a struggle trying not to overthink them. I’ll say, though, I’ve never looked deeply into them. I just check the general stats page, and mostly because I find interesting to see where the people who are visiting my blog are from. But I know that if I start to dig deeper, I will become more nervous about why I’m not performing that well, and I really just want to chill when it comes to blogging this year.
I agree with absolutely everything you said. I do love writing reviews, and even if they’re not popular and do not get the same amount of comments & likes, I’ll still write them nonetheless. I think I just have to remember that having a good time when blogging should be my #1 priority.
Amazing post, as always, Marie! ?
Oh I get that, sometimes I want to dig deeper, but I know this also causes a lot of stress and anxiety and I’m not really here for that, am I hahaha. I’m ALL for chilling when it comes to blogging, too, that’s really what I am aiming for, too <3
Thank you so, so much for your comment, Lais! <3 <3
Great post! I honestly don’t really pay attention much to my blog stats. Once in awhile I’ll look at them, but I don’t really look frequently. It is nice seeing numbers grow though.
I think that’s so great!! 🙂 agree, it’s nice to see numbers grow a little bit, that’s for sure 🙂
thank you so much for your comment!
I used to worry about my stats obsessively. I still look at them, to see what posts are getting traffic, but I don’t freak out or obsessed nearly as much as I used to. I’m blessed to have almost 700 followers from all over this planet, and that part is simply thrilling and exciting. And it drives me to create new and better content!
I’m so glad you’re not freaking out about it anymore! They can get a bit stressful at times and it’s so easy to get wrapped up in the numbers, but once we manage to let go a little bit, it’s so freeing, too 🙂
thank you so much for your comment! <3
“Statistics also tell me things that sometimes, I don’t want to hear.” – Man I felt that statement TO MY VERY CORE.
It’s one thing knowing what you need to do to get more stats, its another thing entirely to actually implement them.
I think it’s so important to construct your own personal barriers/limits as a blogger because otherwise, where do you stop? Do you churn out a post every day just for the sake of it and lose the joy of writing?’ Or do you accept that posting twice a month you’ll get fewer views but have much better mental health and general enjoyment of blogging? I know which one I go for, but it’s probably taken me about 5 years to work it out, LOL!
Oh yes yes, I so agree with you about everything you just said. Where do we stop for statistics, then? I quickly realized that, by posting more, I would get more views, which is obvious, but then again I know that I reasonably can’t do more without quality really NOT being there and just putting blog posts I’m not proud of out there, too and… I don’t want that. I still need that reminder every now and then haha 🙂
thank you so much for your sweet comment, Becky! <3
thank you for this honest post! i love to hear about statistics from other bloggers (and yes, check in on my own), it satisfies the number nerd in me lol i agree so much with you. statistics are great for encouragement but the hard part is when it just OVERCOMES everything and clouds the joy of blogging
fantastic post, i seriously love your discussion posts so much (how are you so eloquent with your ideas?? teach me plz)
Haha I completely get that, I was never a really good friend with numbers overall, but I get the satisfaction they can bring, too, that’s for sure 🙂
Thank you ahhh, you’re way too sweet, thank you so much, this means so much ??
Wonderful post, love! ? Until this year, I was absolutely obsessed with statistics. I would check them constantly, and eventually realized that many of my posts were written without much heart in them. I was writing short posts that frankly, didn’t feel meaningful. Although some of them (weekly memes, for instance) gained a decent amount of traffic, I didn’t enjoy writing them all too much.
After self hosting my blog in January, I’ve taken a bit of a step back in the number of blog posts I write. I’ve chosen to focus more on quality over quantity, and I’m so thankful I did this! The number of views on my blog have decreased but that’s ok with me. I’m just glad that my blog feels more personal and authentic now! ?
I get that so so much. I used to do weekly memes just as well, and, if they gained a lot of traffic, I didn’t really love doing them all the time and it felt more like an obligation or something… that’s when you know you need to stop, haha 🙂
I’m so happy to hear you’re feeling better about all of this now, Kelly! Your blog looks incredible and all the content you put out there, too <3 <3
Thank you so, so much for sharing your thoughts! <3
THIS IS AMAZING !
I think bloggers should talk about this a bit more often because it does matter in a way but the most important thing isn’t to have more likes it’s, at least to me, to be proud of what you’re doing haha.
Also keep ! on ! doing ! book ! reviews ! They are amazing 😉
Sending you loads of love <3
Oh thank you, you’re always way too sweet with me, thank you so much!! ? I’m so happy you enjoyed this blog post and to hear that you like my reviews, ahh, thank you! <3 <3
Such a fantastic well-written post ? I‘m very glad that you talk so openly about stats, because I do struggle with them as well! I actually rarely look at them, because it makes me anxious and doubt myself, but reaching milestones is still nice though ? I feel like I‘m happiest when I try not to worry about my stats because that’s when I‘m at my most creative 🙂
Oh thank you so, so much Caro, you’re so sweet <3
I agree with you, I feel like, when I'm not worrying too much is when I feel the most inspired and just, the most… myself I can be with my posts and this makes me happier, too 🙂
I only post once a week because it’s all i can manage. I’m definitely focusing on prioritising myself this year, and that means posting less and posting content I love. When people share their stats, I ALWAYS compare mine to theirs…and obviously mine are lower because I post less than the average book blogger. If I posted more, and blog hopped more, and promoted posts more, then i would have higher stats. But I can’t always keep up with those things. I’m learning not to care about numbers too much, but rather on the people actually enjoying my content and me enjoying writing. This was a great post marie <3
I think this is so great that you can, little by little, focus on that and on what makes you happy. It’s definitely a process and I know we are many still comparing ourselves to others, when we all don’t have the same blogging rhythm. It can quickly get frustrating and annoying, and it’s so important to focus on the people there, enjoying our content and us enjoying what we put out there, too <3
Thank you so, so much for your sweet comment <3 <3
I love this! I’ve only started to track my stats this year because I realized I can’t adequately compare myself to other bloggers, only myself. (Plus, graphs are so fun!) I’m sure that part of the problem is that data is just so easy to use as a barometer of success: posts, comments, link referrals… everything can be quantified. Whereas the feeling you get from writing a post or receiving a comment… not so much. I’ve also learned that the more active and engaged a blogger is, the more time they’re spending on their blog, which is something I’m not sure I really want to do. Like, am I okay with way fewer stats if it keeps me creatively fulfilled and not overwhelmed or burned out? It’s definitely a fine line, but I’m happy to hear you’ve found some sort of balance.
I so agree with everything you wrote here! <3 Stats, comments,views, are so easily quantified while we can't really do that with feelings. And yes, it's true that being active and engaged a lot can help you grow maybe quicker or/and get more views if you post every day, but like you said, will that creatively fulfill you or will that just make you feel burned out? We're not here for that, we're here to be fulfilled and happy after all 🙂
Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Rachel! <3 <3
“Reaching 10, 100, 1000 followers seems massive every single time. Getting one, ten, a billion comments on an article warms my heart like nothing else. Seeing that your blog is growing, view after view, day after day, this feels good. I’m not going to deny it. I’m also not in the business of telling you that statistics do not matter, because they do.”
I 10000% agree with this so much, and I am glad that your post doesn’t pretend the numbers don’t matter but you also don’t place all of your worth on them, either. I look at my stats to look for trends, but I don’t let my stats rule or dictate my posts. I am just a statistics nerd and like maximizing my efforts by seeing what works & tweaking accordingly.
I’ve been working on my own stats transparency post since vicky’s post last year… and I am really nervous about it. I think it is important that bloggers demystify stats and stop having it be such a taboo topic. It’s hard to not want to compare ourselves with other bloggers, but it might also help people realize how well they are actually doing.
Great post, Marie!
Oh thank you so, so, so much for such a sweet comment, I’m so happy this post resonated with you, thank you! <3 Oh this is very exciting! I get the nervousness, but I am certain so many people would be curious to read this post. It's important, like you said, for people to talk about it and demystify these stats, too 🙂
Thank you!! <3
Oooo very interesting topic Marie! You are so right, you almost never see book bloggers talking specifically about statistic, despite the fact that they are a big part of blogging.
Are you a statistics nerd? Do you enjoy looking at your stats, analyzing them and so on, or does this stress you out? Or a little bit of both?
I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t look at my stats and that they didn’t affect my mood. Of course it is disappointing when a post flops that you put a lot of time & effort into… I used to be much more statistic obsessed, but these days I don’t really put too much stock in them. At the end of the day, I am still going to post for myself first, so it really doesn’t matter how well a post does.
Thank you so much Amanda, I’m so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂 I agree that stats can definitely affect my mood, too, but… well, we are not paid for this and, really stats do not matter as much as our enjoyment of it all 🙂
Thank you so much for your comment! <3
So interesting! I usually don’t check statistics but I’m pretty new to regular blogging. It’s fun to see kind of behind the scenes of the book blogging world.
Oh thank you, happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
So it’s definitely nice to feel like you’re not shouting into the void and followers and stats are an indication of that and that your blog is growing, but honestly some of the things you need to do in order to gain these stats and followers can be a) exhausting and b) take the fun out of blogging. As you said with memes – when it starts to feel like an obligation, what’s the point?
I always want to blog to share my thoughts and as a creative outlet. I also want to write the best I can. I have noticed that more popular bloggers than me might post content more regularly (and power to them) but it’s clear that they’re not always spending a lot of time per blog post.
Thanks for talking about this, it’s definitely opening up some interesting conversations!
I 200% agree with you here, if you have to do things that are just NOT fun for you, then what’s the point? Blogging shouldn’t be an obligation at all 🙂
I get that and, I guess it’s all a matter of what you want to do versus what they like to do. I’m just like you, I can’t post every single day because I spend hours just on one post haha. 🙂
Thank you so much!! 🙂
Last year was my first full year being a book blogger and I think I checked my stats less than 10 times. The only times I started checking them last year was when I decided to compile the data into a spreadsheet for later use. This year, I do check up on my stats as I fill out my spreadsheet for this year but overall I tend to keep the view point of “they’re just numbers and they don’t define anything”
I really wish the book blogging community can get to a point, where we’re all able to talk about stats, comfortably and learn from one another. The less you talk about, the more uncertainly lies about on the topic and people can come to the wrong conclusions. Particularly newbies who have no idea if they’re actually doing well or not, but stats shouldn’t define how well we’re doing…they can go a ways to help reassure us that this hard work, time and energy was well spent. That people do enjoy the content we produce.
We’ve all started from 0 and we’re all at different stages in our blogging journey, with different numbers, I think as long as you’re getting views you’re doing something right in my mind. Lovely post Marie! <3
I think that’s amazing that you managed NOT to check your stats at all, Clo, I admire that so much.
I agree that it would be great to talk about these more, to understand where everyone is at but, most importantly, to show that we’re not alone either.
Agree, I think that as long as we enjoy what we do, really it’s all that matters.
Thank you so much! 🙂
Thanks for this post! It’s hard to ignore stats and jealousy, and it’s definitely an uphill battle, but more awareness means less of all of that, and it’s much appreciated. Lovely post!
Thank you so, so much Amy, so happy you liked it! 😀
hehe I definitely hear the word and shiver 😉 I really agree that they can be a good tool, but that they shouldn’t dictate what you post- I actually avoid looking at them at certain times so that they don’t sway me too much (or make me too disappointed after I put more effort into a post than usual, in case it doesn’t get much traffic- I know avoiding things is not very mature, but sometimes it’s all we can do, right? 😉 ). Fortunately very few people ask for my stats in real life… because I barely ever tell anyone I’m a blogger (which begs the question- what do they think I do with my time? 😉 ) Anyway great post- I really relate!
Agree, sometimes we can – and should! – just avoid these numbers, because if we don’t, they can be so overwhelming and somehow, rule how we blog, and that’s not what we want now, we want to write what makes us happy 🙂
Thank you so, so much!! <3 <3
I am reading this in 2020, and let me tell you: I almost cried over my stats tonight, and this really helped my mindset!! I love your blog and this is such a helpful post.
Ohh thank you, I’m so, so, so happy this could be helpful. You’re a wonderful blogger and statistics don’t define you, always remember that! <3
Thank you, so are you!