When I started this blog almost three years ago I wanted a place I could store and share my thoughts about food, my photos of food, and my recipes. I eventually wanted, and still want, to write a cookbook.
Along the way I have added posts about my weight loss and weight maintenance struggles. I’ve also touched a little on my fitness journey. I’ve added tidbits about miscellaneous things like: 100 calories worth of…., Prepared Pantry Articles, cooking contests I’ve entered, and some giveaways.
Needless to say this blog takes up a lot of my time. And I don’t mind because I really enjoy doing it. I am sure you’ve noticed in the past couple of months I’ve added advertising. I’ve decided, since I spend so much time on my blog, that I may as well monetize it.
As of, this post you are reading right now, I have not made any income off of my blog. Over the next month I will be redesigning my blog. I figure now would be a good time to begin a new subject/chapter/phase/page on this blog.
There are many successful blogs out there, many of which share statistical information about their traffic, income, advertising, and growing their blogs. Here are just a few examples of blogs that have really helped me thus far in the process of growing my own blog:
I want to share what I am about to undertake and learn because I believe there are more than a few interested individuals and because the information I have gleaned from other informative blogs has been invaluable! Some of the information I share will be more of the same but maybe I can offer up some new ideas that might help “you” in particular.
I will share as much as I feel comfortable sharing. Some sites lay it all out there. They share their exact earnings and costs. While other sites only hint at what they make and how much traffic they generate. I am not quite sure I would feel comfortable sharing exactly how much I make but I certainly appreciate others who do because it gives me a good idea of what I could expect. If I did not have a career outside this blog I would probably feel more comfortable sharing that information. But, for now I will probably stick to traffic statistics and the avenues I took to generate those numbers. I would like to create and post monthly updates on my progress.
To kickoff this new series here are my analytic statistics for May 2013:
Traffic by the Numbers:
The days I have spikes in my traffic are directly related to the days my posts have been accepted by foodgawker and/or tastespotting.
Traffic Sources:
Most of my traffic is coming from foodgawker and tastespotting. These are sites I submit my post photos to and if they are accepted the photos are displayed on their sites and linked back to my site. So, thank you to foodgawker and tastespotting!
Right now the potential income generating affiliates I am using are:
All three of these only require a super short application and waiting period while they review your site.
In June the process of re-designing my blog should be completed. I will let you know how it goes and will let you know if/how it affects my traffic.
So that is it for May. Thanks for stopping by and don’t hesitate to email me personally or leave a comment if you have any tips or questions.
I hope the money making works out for you. Sean Macy has his Honey, Apples, and Eggs. Maybe you can have your blog and cookbooks. Although my money is on Courtney King to be the first to escape Radcon for a better job.