Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank
WriterSanctuary has a lot going on right now. After putting things off for the longest time, I am working to turn this site into something more. It’s not enough to share my experience…I want others to be a part of it.
This year was WriterSanctuary’s biggest year yet in terms of visitor traffic. In fact, it doubled from 2017! Nevermind that this means the site only had almost 11,000 visitors for 2018.
The point is, it’s still growing. Not bad for half-assing it most of the time.
But that is going to change. I am getting more focused in all my venues. And I want to at least double that traffic for 2019.[adrotate banner=”8″]
Why Am I Adding YouTube?
Video content is one of the biggest growing forms on the Internet. In fact, 85% of the audience in the United States watch online videos.
All the more reason to start giving the YouTube channel some love.
Another Way to Market
YouTube gives me the ability to reach a greater market who may not know WriterSanctuary exists. As many people prefer watching videos on things like Freelance Writing as opposed to reading, it only makes sense.
It’s just another section of the social media web I am trying to build for marketing the site.
Video Works for Engagement
Since uploading freelance writing videos to YouTube, I’ve kept track of the visits. And it seems I get far more traffic on YouTube than I do in Google search results for WriterSanctuary.com.
Most of that is because most people prefer video content…according to the stat above.
I’ll still create content for this website. However, adding videos will only help to boost the site’s reputation and visibility.
Accentuating WriterSanctuary
Another reason why I am adding videos is to help accentuate WriterSanctuary. A lot of the time, I’ll create videos that are related to the content of this website. Then, I’ll add the video for visitors to watch.
I haven’t seen this strategy work exceptionally well just yet. But then again, I only started doing this about a month ago. I probably won’t know for absolute sure if it works for another six months.
Analytic Data Fixed…I Hope
For the longest time, I was getting results in Google Analytics that simply didn’t make sense. For instance, I would see a 0% bounce rate with 0 for time spent on the site. Then, most articles would show 2 visits.
After researching the problem a bit, I found that it may be caused by doubling Google Analytics codes in WordPress.
I checked my plugin list and sure enough, two different plugins with the account number. I removed one, so I hope that fixes my issue.
Why is this important for the development of the site?
Revamping Old Content
Once the data starts saving correct numbers again, I can go back and find old content that needs updating. This is a tactic for SEO to improve visibility as well as visitor engagement.
But I won’t know what articles to fix until after I start getting actual data from Google Analytics.
Luckily, I can still see how the site performs because I also have Site Stats linked to my Jetpack account. This shows actual visitor numbers that don’t rely on analytic codes.
Which is how I was able to accurately know the number of human visitors to the site this year.
Finding What Works
After browsing the posts, I’ll be able to see what kind of content works the best in WriterSanctuary. For instance, do my WordPress posts work better than the Textbroker content?
How well do the “how-tos” perform?
I’ll keep producing similar content to what I have in the past. However, I’ll put a bit more of an emphasis on what appears to work in terms of visits and retention.[template id=”2087″]
Looking for Guest Author Bio Boxes
Recently, I added the Guest Author form to WriterSanctuary. And so far, it’s helped get a few articles from my visitors.
To show my appreciation for contributions, I want to add more of a highlight to these guest posts. I’m looking for a bio box that adds emphasis to the contributor.
I’ve found a few that look good, so now I just need to figure out which one I want and the best way to implement it on the site.
Promoting Those Who Contribute
I will give credit where credit is due. But I think the site needs more than just a simple link to someone’s website or social profile.
It’s my way of promoting those who help me with content as well as sharing the site on their own platforms.
A special shout-out to Chris Desatoff, and Dave Chesson of Kindlepreneur.
Hopefully, I will settle on a plugin by this weekend. I might have time to do it tonight, though.
Making the Site Faster
To make the site more user-friendly, I’ll start focusing on some speed fixes. After all, 53% of people leave a site if it takes more than three seconds to load.
So according to statistics, I could be losing half my visitors. The last speed test I ran using Pingdom.com clocked the site at 4.8 seconds. Which is better than my health and fitness blog.
Still, I want it to flow nicely for visitors.
Slimming Down the Site
Using Pingdom Tools and GTRMetrix, I’m going to identify trouble areas and start making adjustments. This might include removing some of the ads because Google AdSense sucks bandwidth like you wouldn’t believe.
It’s funny…Google praises speed in search, but it’s one of the biggest contributors to slowing down a website.
Looking at New Themes
Not all themes are created equal. And although I love ColorMag, it might be time to change it to something more efficient. Since I am using the free “lite” version, I don’t have access to change headers and fonts unless I do it in code.
Which is a pain, really.
Right now, I am looking for good alternatives that will help streamline WriterSanctuary.
Considering Affiliate Options
Speaking of using Ads, it might be time to consider more affiliate marketing. WriterSanctuary really doesn’t contribute much to AdSense at the end of the day.
Most of the money I get comes from the health blog.
Not only will it help slim down the site for speed, but it may also boost the amount of money that comes in. It would be nice to make something outside of paying for hosting and domain names to keep the sites up and running.
It’s a good thing I have private clients and Textbroker.
Here’s to a Stellar 2019!
I’ve got quite a bit on my plate. Now, if I can only stick to my daily schedule…everything would fall into place nicely.
At any rate, I do plan on expanding the content on the blog on top of the videos. Having 11,000 visitors this year is nice, but I need 10 times that amount if I want to afford some of the cool things I want to add to WriterSanctuary.
So what do you think? What things should I add to this blog? What videos would you like to see more of?
Leave a comment down below or hit me up on social media.
I try to respond as often as I can.[template id=”2089″]
- Can a Blog Be Successful without a Social Media Presence? - October 11, 2024
- How to Get the Most Out of the Reedsy Planning Board - October 9, 2024
- Is it Worth Setting Up a Bookstore on Your Author Blog? - October 7, 2024