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This is part of the the book BLOGTASTIC! Growing and Making a Difference Through Blogging. You can read the table of contents and follow the book on this page:
See the table of contents for the book here: BLOGTASTIC project
Previous article: There are few short-term benefits
Defining success is hard whether it is for your blogging initiative or something else significant.
BLOGTASTIC: Traffic is NOT the only metric for successful blogging
Traffic is not the only metric of successful blogging
Traffic is like money. You definitely need it, but you also know that it is not everything. Let’s say your blog never crosses 100,000 page views per month, but you get at least two well-paid speaking engagements per quarter. You may still very happy with the results—if getting speaking engagements through your blog was one of your objectives.
People blog for many different reasons. In fact, most people blog for a combination of reasons. Some of those reasons are:
• Get more leads for their business;
• Secure speaking engagements;
• Promote their books;
• Park their thoughts for future books;
• Extend their personal brands;
• Build new relationships;
• Extend their company’s reach;
• Share their expertise to the world; and
• Keep in touch with their fans
You should define your goals for blogging based on your needs. Think about your own life goals, and see how blogging fits with the rest of your life.
As I said earlier, you may even realize (and I hope you don’t) that blogging does not fit with your life and goals. For example, you might have started a blog because everyone around you blogs. Your blog shouldn’t be the result of peer-pressure.
You blog could generate great traffic that provides bragging rights. However, if that traffic does not provide you what you really need (whatever may be that objective) then your traffic statistics will be irrelevant.
In other words, traffic is a means to an end. It’s not the end in itself.
Think about it -
When you travel for work or pleasure, you expect to reach your destination. You get into a vehicle that will take you there.
Let’s say you’re driving across the city in a premium rental car. You enjoy this new car so much that you forget your destination and miss your turn. You’ve gotten your priorities mixed up. You miss your destination.
Blogging Tip: Both the journey and the destination are important
Blogging is an incredibly personal journey. However you must never lose sight of your destination.
Rajesh Setty is an entrepreneur, author and speaker based in Silicon Valley. He maintains another blog called Life Beyond Code and tweets as @UpbeatNow