Month 10 was a good month! It was by biggest income month ever and I started posting a little less each week which has given me the breathing space I needed to feel motivated again. I think I was putting too much pressure on myself to be a perfect blogger that I ended up not wanting to work on it most days, but now I’ve given myself a break, I feel like I’m back stronger than ever! I’m sure a lot of bloggers must go through this, after all, we all have lives, and most of us other jobs, so it’s only natural that things will ebb and flow a little throughout the year. What matters most is that we cut ourselves some slack every once in a while – especially at times like Christmas!
Goals Achieved
I’ve really enjoyed this month – I’ve had lots of ideas for new things I want to try, and for posts I think people will enjoy – stay tuned! That in itself is a huge goal achieved for me, as I want to make sure I keep this site as interesting and fresh as possible!
November was also a fabulous month for income – my biggest yet, and the great thing was I didn’t have to chase any of it, it came to me! I know every month won’t be this good, but it’s nice to know I can bring in a decent amount of online income every now and then to help keep my travel pot topped up!
Month 8 Stats
Traffic – 4,900 visits (Slightly less than last month, but I’m getting more comments and my bounce rate is low, so I guess I can’t complain. I will be looking to increase this next month though!)
Link Building – I’ve been picking up my link building again as I have had some more free time owing to a more relaxed posting schedule, so I’ll be ramping this up again hopefully over the Christmas break.
Content – This month I switched to posting mostly twice a week which has been such a great decision as I’m feeling more inspired and motivated than ever! I think posting three to four times a week was great in the beginning as it allowed me to build up a great deal of content, but now I just want to make sure that a) I’m not burning myself out and b) that what I write is interesting an informative, so I’ll be sticking with this format from now on.
Twitter Followers – 1,800 (Up 120 since last month)
Facebook Fans – 552 (up 30 since last month)
RSS Subscribers – 177 (up 10 since last month)
Alexa Ranking – 184,311 (steady)
Income – Best month ever! I earnt $1350 from text link ads, banner ads and some paid posts on my Living in London site.
About My Monthly Blog Updates
I wanted to start these monthly updates to hopefully help other bloggers out there just starting out or wanting some support in starting to monetize their site or growing it in some way. I certainly don’t claim to know it all, but I’m hoping that the lessons that I learn will be helpful and inspirational to others looking to make a living from blogging.
So, I think it’s fitting to put the question out there and see what you would find helpful to read about in these monthly updates – I will do my best to include it each month, so please let me know!
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$1350 – that’s an awesome achievement, congratulations! Is that all from the one niche site?
Congrats on the stats, making me a little jealous =)
Where do you find your traffic comes from the most? and how do you get more FB fans – seem to be stuck around the 100 mark =(
Hi Nicole,
I think it is so great what your are doing and it gives so much inspiration.
I started my own blog 3 weeks ago and I also spent a lot of nights thinking about it like you wrote in your 3 months update. It is a blogger illness for sure 😉 Thanks for all the information you are posting about blogging and being a blogger.
Best
Mar
Hi other Nicole =P
Congrats on the great work this month. I love to hear that more advertisers are taking the time contact bloggers rather than having us chase them.
I’ve been following these posts tentatively since you begun them and it’s really refreshing to hear someone speak honestly about burning out when blogging and about gaining traffic, numbers and just having a good time!
Btw, I’ll pop you an email but I’d love to do a link exchange with you on my site. 🙂
Hi Nicole! Thanks for the feedback – sometimes it’s not easy being honest, but hey, I know we all feel that way sometimes, so I’d rather get it out in the open! Definitely drop me an email, would love to exchange links! : )
Hi Martha, Thats so exciting – congrats! Enjoy the process – and know that if you put in the work the results will come! Glad you’re enjoying the updates and that you find them useful – thats what I have wanted, so youve made my day! All the best with your blog and if I can help out in any way, please get in touch! : )
Hey Paul – thanks, sometimes I feel like Im getting nowhere, other days I feel like I am – its all relative, I guess! Most traffic comes from twitter and google, used to get a load from stumble upon, but this has quietened down a bit now. My facebook fans have never really ‘shot up’ – its been more of a slow burn. I think commenting on other blogs helps and also being active on other social media. Maybe you could incentivise people to like your site by offering a link exchange, or ask your close mates to post on their walls? I also used to post a lot on other travel walls, and use FB as WSW rather than Nicole….best of luck! : )
Thanks guys – most of that is this site, around 200 is the niche site. How are things going with your site and the travels?!
Nice work! Our site is doing ok but nowhere near the income levels needed to make a living off it – time to start working on the niche sites over the next few weeks. 🙂
Congrats Nicole! Sometimes less is more. As in less work (posting) and more money 🙂
Haha, thanks! And totally agree with you on that! ; ) Hope youre well!
Niche sites when done right can be real money makers – mine probably wasnt as well researched as it should have been, but oh well. Good luck with it guys!
Inspirational stuff Nicole!
You’re a testament to young and old travellers looking to earn a sustainable income online while travelling the world. I applaud you!
Keep up the good work and I’m so glad I found your site. I’ll be following with keen interest!
Thanks Will – you are too kind – Im definitely not at the level of many other bloggers, but Im enjoying the ride and looking forward to growing in 2012. Thanks for stopping by! : )