Welcome to my monthly series where I share my blog stats and income with you. I was inspired to do this because I know of some bigger bloggers (like Pinch of Yum) who share their blog stats and income but I really didn’t see any smaller bloggers (like me! and maybe you!) who do so. I figured if I was looking for something that I wasn’t willing to publish myself that was pretty messed up so decided that I’d start sharing my monthly stats and income. Here’s February’s blog stats and income report – I hope you find this helpful (you can find January’s report here)! This post is subtitled “a lesson in bounce rate.” Keep reading to see why!
I usually end with this, but this month we’re going to start with the numbers:
Ad income: 23.76 (BlogHer) +9.70 (Adsense) = 33.46
Affiliate income: 22.95
Sponsored posts: 230
Total February income: $286.41
Total February pageviews: 18,770
If you are a regular reader of these posts you are thinking, “hmmm…that’s a big drop in page views from January (45k)” and you are right. It is. Except it isn’t. What do I mean? It’s time to talk about the bounce rate. Bounce rate represents the number of people who click over to your site and then exit without viewing any other pages (i.e. they “bounce” right back off the site). A normal bounce rate is usually in the 50-75% range. You can google “bounce rate for blogs” if you want to read a bit more on this topic, but those percentages are pretty much in the expected range for blogs. An unusually high or an unusually low bounce rate indicates that there is a problem. An unusually high bounce rate might indicate a content problem and an unusually low bounce rate probably means that you have a GA (google analytics) problem. Of course I wish I would’ve known this information earlier. For a few months, my bounce rate was low low low. Like 5% low. Finally, I began thinking that something might be up. I had my friends over at WP Sitecare check it out…and sure enough, my GA code was installed twice. What does that mean? Well it means that my stats were being counted twice. Which means that my numbers that I was looking at over the past few months were wrong. Ooof. Kinda stinks to figure that out and work through it all, but the great thing is that my blog has still grown LEAPS and BOUNDS over the past year and my numbers are still WAYYYYY up. But anyway, there’s your explanation for the 18k pageviews (which is actually probably about 4 or 5k lower – I realized my GA mistake a few days into February so the numbers won’t be totally accurate until next month). Lesson here? If you are noticing that your bounce rate has dropped or seems too low – it is. You probably have GA installed twice.
So how did my GA code get installed twice? I have no idea. It was definitely in some plugin or something and I missed it. So I don’t have any tips on how to avoid this but just a cautionary tale – pay attention to your bounce rate! Let’s talk about income. I’m excited because as I write this (mid March), I’ve already made more money this year than I did in all of 2014. That’s pretty exciting and I’m looking forward to hopefully at least tripling the amount I made last year. Of course I’m much more intentional about making money with this blog. My goal is to turn it into a legitimate part time hustle. I spend a bunch of time on it and making a few hundred a month is definitely a nice payoff. I have some long term blog goals and things I’d like to do but just haven’t been able to find the time. I’m planning on taking at least two weeks of vacation this summer and some of that time will be spent working on blog projects.
Tell me: do you pay attention to bounce rate?
P.S. Are you reading this and thinking, “hmmm, I should start a blog!” If you are thinking it, then you are right! Read this post to help you get started and start a blog in three easy steps!
Ha! I was in the same exact boat with the low bounce rate. Glad we figured that out!
Yep, me too!! And now I’ll know to be on the lookout if I see anything strange 🙂
Wondering if you ever look at how many people interact w your blog (ie comments)? Is there a way to look that up on google A? Does anyone care? Just random questions I had while reading this. 🙂
Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner recently posted…Welcome Runs, BRF’s & Coffee
I don’t think that’s tracked on GA. I like comments bc I like hearing from people but I don’t track them any formal way!
I absolutely love this series because I find that you break things down into real words that I can understand! Congratulations on the earnings – I see a new pair of running shoes in your future 🙂
Heidi recently posted…Shamrock Half Marathon Recap
Thanks for saying that – I’m glad to hear it!
yeah I found the culprit on my blog too after the bounce rate dipped to the teens. Luckily I caught it early enough after changing the theme so my stats weren’t too far off.
Mar @ Mar on the Run recently posted…Shamrock Half Marathon Race Recap
Yeah I figured that was the case for your super low bounce rate. It’s weird that some plugins include the code!
Courtney, I’m glad you’ve figured this out! I don’t imagine I’ll ever make much on the blog, and I’m totally fine with that, but it’s delightful to watch you work your way toward your goals!
Tara @ Running ‘N’ Reading recently posted…Beer-Braised Pot Roast
Well…I didn’t exactly figure it out but thanks! WP Sitecare helped me so much 🙂
congrats on passing your earned amount from last year!
kristin | W [H] A T C H recently posted…WHEN IN: SAIGON
Thank you – it’s exciting 🙂
I love posts like this! I really do learn a lot! I will definitely go back and check my bounce rate
Juliana @ 4 Well Rules recently posted…2015 LA Marathon Race Recap: The Race that Wasn’t Meant to Be
Yeah it was a lesson learned for me!
Wow, you have done really well with your blog Courtney! We made a conscious decision to write only non sponsored posts and have no ads, etc on our blog. We feel this gives us the opportunity to accept or reject any offers that have absolutely no appeal no matter what they would equal in terms of dollars. However, I totally understand bloggers that have a desire to make something off their blog. It is very time consuming.
Pam and Christine recently posted…A missed PR or goal time does not equal a bad race
Yes, good point. However, I’m super selective and only do something if it would interest me even with no payment 🙂 The extra income is definitely nice!
I just found out I had the same issue. So happy to hear I’m not the only one!
Nicole @ Fitful Focus recently posted…Syracuse Half Marathon Recap
No, pretty common. I know quite a few folks who had the same issue!
Great information about bounce rates – Thanks for sharing this. I’ve still got a lot to learn about GA.
Michelle @ Running with Attitude recently posted…Taking on Your First Half Marathon
I’ve still got a lot to learn too, Michelle! 🙂
My bounce rate is too high. Not sure what t do about it.
Abby @ BackAtSquareZero recently posted…A Breakup? Or Just on a Break?
you have great content so I wouldn’t worry too much about it – you definitely don’t have content problems. i think for fitness sites, people tend to read one post and then click off.
That’s fascinating! I’m a hobbyist blogger rather than trying to earn money from it. I love the community of people with similar interests and think it is fantastic that there is the opportunity for those who are so inclined to turn it into a revenue source! Keep up the good work!
Kelli recently posted…Bloodwork and Endurance Athletes
Thanks – I find it fascinating as well!
That is good that you got you plug in fixed. I am not a “techy” person so I would have no idea that anything was even wrong..lol. Thanks for always posting your tips.
You’re very welcome – I’m not very tech smart and definitely needed help fixing this one!
This was great. Honestly I haven’t looks at bounce rate too much, will need to pay attention and pull a comparison btw my hosted site and tumblr site.
Jennifer recently posted…2015 Shamrock Half Marathon Race Recap Part 2
Oh that would be interesting!!
I love that you do these posts! I really really need to do this!
Lindsay T. recently posted…Budget Bathing Suits
You should!
I actually love that you show your stats like this. I did it once in a post, and I hadn’t thought of doing it on a monthly basis as a way to possibly help others. Great idea!Google Analytics is a great source for tracking. I used to have to teach classes on how to use it and set up tracking to fit your own benefit (years ago when I worked as an online advertising manager) It’s such a useful tool not only to track page views (when installed correctly LOL) but it’s also a great way to see which posts/pages are bringing in the most traffic, which keywords work, and don’t. It’s an entire world in it’s own and when used for its full benefit it can actually help someone learn to grow their blog or website! Great post today Courtney!!!
Kristy @Runaway Bridal Planner recently posted…Blog Link Up and Blog Hop Etiquette
Thanks Kristy – you are totally right that it is it’s own world. You should definitely right some tips posts since you used to teach about GA – I’d 100% read those! 🙂
So interesting about the GA code and what it can do to your analytics! You are still rocking it!!! I hope to get up to 18K page view, right now I am hovering around 12k! Congrats on your continued success! 🙂
Annmarie recently posted…Fashionable and Affordable Firmoo Eyewear Review + Discount
Thank you — I’d love to keep growing but I’m trying to be smart about it and really be thoughtful with growth!
I do look at my bounce rate whichi s typically 75% – 79% and I am fine with it. Good thing you caught that issue w/ the double counting. SUCKS that was the issue but I am certain you will be at 50K/month and beyond in no time. Congrats on your monthly earnings.
Diatta @ FEmme Fitale Fit Club recently posted…#FitnessFriday – Healthy Snacks Roundup
Thanks Diatta!! That’s where my bounce rate normally ranges – about 65-75 🙂
Hi Courtney!
Thanks for sharing this info- it is super helpful (and inspirational) to see! I’m in the very beginning stages of my blog, and posts like yours help me piece together how I can make it into something bigger. Do you have any advice on how to grow your blog, without selling out or attracting inauthentic readers? I saw you mention wanting your growth to be thoughtful, and I completely agree.
Maybe I’ll see you at some local DC races! Just registered for the Navy-Air Force half. 🙂
Jackie recently posted…5 Exercises You Should Add to Your Running Routine
Hi Jackie — I’ve written a number of “how to grow your blog” type posts – just search for blog or blogging and you should be able to find them here. I’m not quite sure what you mean by “inauthentic readers” – I focus more on just being an authentic and real writer. In general, I think being true to yourself and being transparent and creating great content are the baseline for growth!
“Do you pay attention to bounce rate?” I will now! I recently realized that I don’t have my Ad Sense and Google Analyics synced like I though I did. One more thing to work on!
Debbie @ Deb Runs recently posted…Picture This Country Roads Run – Spring Edition
Debbie I love that you apply things from the tips! You rock!
Ugh, I had the same thing happen with a super low bounce rate. Plugins can be awesome, but they sure can cause problems. I had one that messed up my RSS feed. Took me ages to figure it out.
Ugh. It is so frustrating!
Thanks for this post Courtney! I was just looking at my bounce rate and it is around 7 – 8% so I’ll see if I can figure out where I’ve got my GA code installed multiple times!
Leana recently posted…2015 will be the year I…