This is the second post in my three part series on blogging. They don’t need to be read in order, but I’d be happy if you read them!
- Part 1: Why Blog
- Part 2: In Numbers
- Part 3: For Humans (coming soon)
Part 2: In Numbers
My website today is a dozen pages and approaching 400 blog posts. That’s like 97% blog by page count. Several attempts at a poorly coded bash script suggest I’ve written 300,000-ish words. About the size of a chunky novel. I suppose that’s a lot but it doesn’t feel much for 15 years. Quality over quantity is what’s important anyway. In part one I discussed the qualities of a blog post that matter to me.
Early on I tracked analytics but I removed that to respect privacy. When you’ve been blogging for this long you get a kind of spidey-sense when a post takes off. Also, data can be misleading and stressful. I’d rather have one reader for whom I solved a problem than 10,000 bounces because an influencer shared my link.
By Year
My posts per year data reveals a few insights I’ll explain below.
| Year | |
|---|---|
| Post count | |
| 2009 | 29 |
| 2010 | 42 |
| 2011 | 53 |
| 2012 | 54 |
| 2013 | 41 |
| 2014 | 15 |
| 2015 | 15 |
| 2016 | 10 |
| 2017 | 8 |
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 21 |
| 2021 | 15 |
| 2022 | 6 |
| 2023 | 26 |
| 2024 | 55 |
Between 2008–2013 I was employed in London. Feb 2013 is the month I moved back up North to start my freelance career. I go from posting once a week to one per month. Was I previously blogging on company time? Possibly! Though working in an office environment did inspire more conversation.
2018–2019 were weird years. I stopped blogging and tweeting. I lost all interest in the web. I’m not sure I’d call it burnout but I did have to abandon one work contract. That wasn’t a good look. I picked up a light contract that allowed me to clock in 9-to-5 whilst I considered my career.
In 2020 I returned to blogging with new energy. 2020 was also the year of pandemic lockdowns and Brexit. Imagine if I gave up web stuff in pursuit of new fortune. That would have been bad timing! Business has been up and down ever since but I feel like some normality is returning.
This year, 2024, I’ve been on fire hitting a new record of 55 posts. Did I cheat by splitting this topic into three? You be the judge.
What’s obvious from these numbers is that discussing topics, whether online or offline, is the catalyst that gets me writing.
Monetisation
From 2010–2015 I had a single 300×250 banner ad that earned me between $50–$100 per month. I no longer run analytics on my website but I have enough clues to suggest I get significantly more traffic today. I think the golden age of banner ads is over. I have no idea to be honest. Anyone have an offer?
This year I tried the “buy me a coffee” tip jar approach. I knew by May it wasn’t working. I’m very grateful for the tips I received but it wasn’t worthwhile to keep asking.
As I mentioned earlier, clients have found me via my blog. That had led to projects earning me 4–5 figure contracts. It’s impossible to say if I’d have been successful as a freelancer without my blog. I doubt it though.
Money isn’t why I blog but it sure helps!
That’s it for part two! Check back before year’s end for part three. Or maybe early Jan…