Jul 4, 2013 / Beginner

Quick Tip: Ignore Your Stats

I know, I know — we’ve told you over and over to use your statistics to grow your readership.

What gives? Are we backtracking? Not at all. Your statistics are still a rich source of information about your readers and what resonates with them, and you should absolutely mine them for helpful information… maybe just a little less often.

Your statistics are a measure of what readers react to and how they find you, not of your worth as a blogger. Having five thousand loyal, engaged readers is as much a function of your activity in the community and the serendipity of the internet as of the quality of your blog. Any number of things out of your control influences your stats: if most of your readers are local, a particularly gorgeous afternoon that drives them outdoors causes a precipitous dip, while a few well-timed Facebook shares sends the graph skyward.

If you’re serious about growing your readership, you’ll want to track normal fluctuations and understand what causes the spikes.  But despite their significance, it can be a good idea to limit your stat exposure.

This statue used to be laughing, but then his last post got 23 views instead of the normal 35-40. (Photo by Alex Proimos.

This statue used to be laughing, but then his last post got 23 views instead of the normal 35-40. Even stone can fall prey to Statistics Funk. (Photo by Alex Proimos.)

In the early stages of blogging, monitoring stats can give you a great confidence boost — it’s proof that someone, anyone is reading (and later, proof that someone other than your mother is). As your blog matures, it becomes dangerously easy to let your stats dictate how you feel about your own posts. An essay you’re particularly proud of is no less an accomplishment because it attracts few readers — but that can be hard to remember, and expectantly clicking over to your stats every 15 minutes doesn’t make it any easier.

Our suggestion? Moderate your stat visits. We know it’s tempting, with the little graph always up there in the admin bar, but limiting visits to once a day or once a week is great for mental health.

Keeping stats at arm’s length is also a great way to re-assert ownership of your blog. Sure, we love it when other people read, like, and comment, but many of us started our blogs because we had something we wanted to express. Readers or no readers, your site is still your space, where you’re free to explore and create. Cutting down your stat consumption is a helpful way to remember that you blog for yourself, not for other people.

Best of all, this gives you the headspace you need to publish your best. When you’re confident in your writing, photography, or art and are creating exactly what you want to create, you do your best work — which is more likely to attract readers. Win-win!

Are you a stat addict, current or reformed? How do you use your stats without letting them take over?

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  1. Well said. I’ve faded from the stats because it does bum me right out when I write something I’m pretty pleased with and it fades into oblivion. I’m more focused on the comments and conversation that crops up. But it’s taken me two years to let go of the numbers!

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    1. I know how you feel. While I’ve never paid any attention to my stats, it surprises(disappoints?) me when a post I feel should have people banging down the door falls flat. Then again, sometimes a post that is just a few new photos where I have little to say goes nuts, go figure 😉

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  2. Stats, what are those? I can’t remember the last time I actually looked at mine. Then again, while it is very nice that my readership is steadily growing with every post, and the more people that are exposed to my images the better as far as I’m concerned, I write a post based on ideas that pop into my head that I think might be helpful. Or when I have new images to share. Not with the specific goal of getting new subscribers.

    Admittedly, this is probably not the ideal way for an aspiring photographer to get his name and photographs out there, but it seems to be working ok so far.

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  3. I just recently thought about this. I was starting to let the stats affect my writing. I stopped writing about things that weren’t getting enough attention. Then I found this tip here, and this quote at the same time:

    “If you’re going to fall out of love with public approval, something interesting will happen: people will be deeply attracted to your work.”
    -Jeff Goins

    So yes, I shall definitely cut back on the stat checks, and keep writing posts that are important to me 🙂

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  5. My blog is only a few months old (and definitely still in overhaul) but I found that my “Stats” are revealing something interesting. Although I feel my writing strengths are in the serious, political arena, my stats are telling me readers like the “Humor” category of my articles far more than any of the others. I have almost 75-percent more views in that area. So, from a blogging viewpoint, I’ll like to know how I should interpret that, and if I should change accordingly.

    Comments and opinions would be much appreciated from my blogging friends…

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  6. I think that this is just what I needed to read right now. I’m a stats addict, however I need not be. The most important thing is to just keep blogging and engaging with other bloggers in order to help build growth. But that’s common for everyone, right?

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  8. It’s always a balancing act between doing what is popular … and doing what you want. It’s nice when the two are the same. for the rest of the time, there’s compromise.

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  9. I try to just check before I go to bed to see how the day went. But when I post something that I’m really proud of I check like every 5 min! It becomes an obsession.

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  10. I dropped a segment, or rather altered it, because almost nobody was reading it. I might have continued anyway but it was kind of a pain to put out so I went for something different. Had there been enough people checking the feature I probably would have continued on because it would have been worth it. Otherwise stats tell me if I’m doing anything right but otherwise I continue writing what interests me.

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  12. Good post, and something I’ll do well to remember when I go through those quiet patches which are particularly frustrating when I’m trying to expand a readership. After all, it’s always the repeat commenters and contributors that I appreciate more, so thanks for the timely reminder 🙂

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  13. Great reminder for many of us.. although I admit I have NOT checked my stats at all since I started this blog..I wanted to blog for the love of sharing and not make it a numbers game!!

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  14. it’s funny, because i just thought about this, earlier today.
    i love writing for my blog. but still, it takes me hours. when a post finally feels right, i tend to go to bed and read my draft on the next morning, “with a fresh eye”, so to say.
    every post is a real piece of work, for me.

    so of course i’m starving to get any kind of feedback.
    but i get that i’m not exactly producing viral material. and that’s okay.

    i want to write for myself, but i’ve done that, before. i’ve started blogging, because i want other people to read my texts. and i’m really amazed that this concept actually works and strangers are genuinely interested in what i have to say. it’s a rare thing i believe.
    and i don’t want to take any reader for granted.

    so whenever i write something, there’s always this socially correct voice that wonders, if people are going to unfollow my blog or something, because i’m still trying to find my own style, and they might not like where the journey takes me.

    but today i figured that i care too much, when it gets in the way of publishing a post.
    because people won’t read if you don’t write.
    it’s always good to be reminded,
    and this one is a quick tip that can be applied quickly, indeed. 🙂

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    1. People won’t read if you don’t write –> so true!

      And you know, someone *might* unfollow your blog… and that’s okay.Your voice is the most important thing your blog has going for it, and compromising that compromises your blog. (My two cents!)

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  15. Phew! Such a relief to read this article! I can start back to writing whatever I like then. And maybe my blog might even start to get better.

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  16. I very seldom look at the stats. If I took any stock in what they can tell me about my wordpress blog, I would have stopped posting Months ago. They can be as counter productive to new bloggers, as clock-watching is to office workers. I feel proud of what I post, and that is what really counts. Thanks for your very sage advice 🙂

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  18. I ignore my stats because I don’t want to sacrifice content. I’d rather have followers whom I have something in common with and like the content. Also I like to follow people who’s content I enjoy reading.

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  19. This is a fascinating topic and the comments are even more thought-provoking. Maybe I’m a little older than the average blogger on WP and, having a career in mainstream broadcast media, I don’t need to tell you that television shows live and die by how many millions of viewers each episode garners. I can see the value of your advice if regular checking of one’s stats leads to stifling or diluting a blogger’s voice — but, let’s also be honest and admit that in this modern (social mediated) world the most likes, comments and followers help to shape our perception of who we are… to ourselves, and to others. How often do WP’s executives check the stats/rank of their site against their competitors? Please advise! All the best, Michele

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    1. We monitor a wide range of stats constantly — but then, blogging is our business. I’d expect someone who was making a living off their blog to be much more attuned to their stats that someone who blogs as a hobby/labor of love.

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  20. I go back and forth on how much it bothers me that I have like no (okay, 75) subscribers…I try not to let it bug me but thank you type A personality, it does!

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  22. A-
    freaking
    -men.
    I look at my stats too (who doesn’t?) but my readership has improved a lot too along with my interpersonal blogging/poetry/art/fiction/essay blogging. I put different things in the mix and so my blog is very unique. I don’t need stats to tell me that 😛

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  23. I’m a stat junky, because I love numbers and because I feel like it’s reading letters from my readers that they don’t even know they’re writing…. but I still post what I want. Holidays make my stats take a hit, as do (my) poetry posts, but I still post on holidays and I still write poetry. It’s interesting to know, but it doesn’t really matter… if I can’t post what I want for fear of stat retaliation, then my blog isn’t MY blog anymore, so … pfft. 🙂

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  25. Couldn’t agree more. I have tried to limit my exposure to a few times a week. I was finding myself becoming addicted to the stats and was letting them drive my writing.

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  26. Excellent points in this article! I find my readers mostly check out my work on the weekends, but enjoy a mid-week post as well. 🙂 Checking my stats without being anal and paranoid about it is definitely helping me learn what my readers like.

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  28. Oh, this one speaks to me. I am a stat addict. I hit that refresh button like a lab rat hitting a lever to get food! Even though it makes me nervous, I think i am going to accept the challenge to go a week (OK, realistically…a day) without looking at the stats. Thanks for the suggestion!

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  29. I am addicted to stats but have gotten much better since starting my blog a few years ago. It was so bad that I asked for help on the help forum. I only check them now once or maybe twice a day. Why? Because I’ve grown up and I realized the purpose of my blog. If I can help one person then it is worth all the writing. So I no longer worry about numbers… but just the content of my blog.

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