Still In The Running…

Playing Catch Up… Day 4: Buy a Domain Name & Self Host Your Blog

Day 5: Tweak Your Blog Design, and Day 6: Update Your “About Page”

I’m still participating in the 21 day business blogging challenge, on day four the assignment was to buy a domain name and self host your blog which I’ve been doing since 2009. The next assignment was to tweak your blog design which I’ve been thinking about in depth, I now use the Thesis theme from DIY Themes and I’m contemplating using the Genesis framework by Studio Press. These themes are very customizable and allow you to design your website or blog just the way you want it. On Day 6 the assignment was to revise your “about” page on your blog.

Currently My About Page: I am a FT working mommy raising four children ages range from teen to toddler. I started a small graphic and web design business in June 09’ and life’s been a hectic balancing act ever since. I work FT as a Marketing Coordinator for an alternative weekly newspaper and I handle duties within the Web Department as well.

I started blogging back in June 09’ to document my journey and follow my dream of becoming a mom entrepreneur and offer business resources to readers which quickly turned into a more personal blog followed by lots of social networking, social media marketing and building great relationships in the blogosphere. I’m really down to earth, drama free and a social butterfly by nature!

So with daily chaos, 4 children, FT Job, Small Business, Social Networking, Networking in my local community, and a partridge in a pear tree! Life is hectic! Honestly without chaos I’m not that productive. So, I guess I wouldn’t have it any other way! If I can manage to sleep in on Saturday mornings and sneak in some “ME” time on the weekend that’s bliss! Welcome to my world…

Revised About Me: Professionally I’m a Marketing Coordinator but, I eat, sleep and live my BRAND! In every conversation I make sure that people know what I do. In addition to my many titles I am Jael Custom Designs. I’m full time working mom entrepreneur, raising my four children ranging from toddler to teen. When my business was a mere thought before I actually had the courage to launch in 09′ I thought my life was hectic. I’ve been challenged and re challenged and now my life is one joyous roller coaster. I have my hands up in the air and sometimes I laugh and sometimes I scream!

I started blogging back in June 09’ to document my journey and follow my dream of becoming a mom entrepreneur and now three years later I have watched my ideas grow an flourish into a business. My digital journal turned into a resource for other small business owners and moms interested in social media and any individual with like minds. I can only dream of where I’ll be in the next three years.

So with daily chaos, 4 children, FT Job, small business, social networking, and networking in my local community, life is hectic! Honestly without chaos I’m not that productive. So, I guess I wouldn’t have it any other way! If I can manage to sleep in on Saturday mornings and sneak in some “ME” time on the weekend that’s bliss! Welcome to my world…

Analyzing My Baseline & Blog Traffic

Okay, remember I told you I was going to join another challenge, well here I go! This is an effort to really fine tune my niche and incorporate my business into my blogging while still engaging, networking and sharing with my virtual buddies!

Day 1: 21 Days To A Better Business Blog – Analyzing My Baseline & Blog Traffic

I use Google Analytics, Sitemeter and Stat Counter to measure my site traffic. They all show different numbers for different reasons and I usually take an average of all three and come up with a number as close to accurate as I can.

Assignment: Take a look at each of these seven metrics and blog about your results and about what you learned from looking at them.

Number of visits, Number of page views, Bounce rate, Average time on site, Traffic sources, Keywords and Most popular posts.

My Answer: I’d definitely like to generate more traffic to my blog, and captivate my audiences attention to have them want to search and investigate my site even more. The average time someone will spend on my site is about two minutes. My traffic comes from Twitter, Facebook and Google. The most popular keywords used to find my blog (right now) are yo gabba gabba birthday cake, designs, Jael, mommy blogs and BlackBerry. My most popular posts for last month were: About Me, Does NC need an official language, A day at the museum, If at 1st I don’t succeed I’ll keep trying.

What I’ve learned from looking at the metrics is that I may need to tailor my blog to be searched by different keywords that fit more within my niche. I also see that people like to know who they are visiting with my “About Me” page being one of my high traffic pages. I always try to find balance with my content because I do giveaways from time to time, I participate in blog ambassador programs for different products and I love to share current events. Especially when I live tweet an event and post on Facebook. I’ll recap the event on my blog. I do posts about branding, social media, marketing and networking also. I guess I’m still working on finding the right balance for my content, we’ll see where this ends up!

I Think I’m Addicted to Challenges

I just recently blogged about being apart of the 30 day Ultimate Blog Challenge which I didn’t fully complete due to a few back to back events in the month of April and I am also still currently involved in the Social Media Bootcamp. I’m doing these challenges to try and excel in my blogging and social media journey. Another blog challenge caught my eye that I want  to take part in for 21 days in May. I’ll be taking on the 21 days to a better business blog challenge Did you know that even though I’m a Marketing Coordinator by day I’m a Graphic & Web Designer by night?

I do want to grow my business online however, I don’t post about my business often. I am torn between what content I’d like on my blog. AND here I thought I had my niche all figured out! I really enjoy recapping events I attend, and sharing special personal moments with you. I also share any relevant branding, social media, mobile apps or recipes that I may try. Social Media is a HUGE part of my life and I use it constantly for networking and marketing purposes. I guess after a couple of years I’m still trying to find what works. I just need to find that balance! I don’t want to post business all the time, I have to keep it somewhat personal because that’s how I connect and engage with everyone on a daily basis.

The goal behind this challenge is to use my blog to effectively build my business. We’ll have daily posts with exercises from the “Blogging for Branding” website that will help us to Make our blog look more professional and “businesslike”, Write compelling content that people actually want to read, Find new readers and turn them into clients and customers, Figure out who’s coming to our site using analytics tools Learn more about WordPress, plug-ins, RSS, ect. and much more… *Taken from 21bbb Well, here’s to another blog challenge! Wish me luck!

error: Ask And You Shall Receive!!