Blogging Tips · October 5, 2017

Income and Traffic Report – September 2017

I am cringing in my seat a little bit right now, as this is the first income and traffic report I am writing for this little blog of mine. I started my blog in February 2017 with the hopes of turning my passion into a business. And guys – it’s starting to work. I actually started making money last month, and while I have a long way to go in terms of my business goals, I am thrilled that I have at least started going in the right direction.

Related:

WHY POST AN INCOME AND TRAFFIC REPORT?

Before I get into the details, I want to explain why I want to post income and traffic reports. Back in February 2017 I quit my full time marketing job so that I could be home with my new baby. I immediately knew that I wanted to do some type of side hustle that was incredibly flexible, had the potential of earning money, and that would be a creative outlet for me. I did research on different things I could do – from picking up a part time, work-from-home gig to starting a consulting business – and everything in between. I finally landed on starting a blog. Income and traffic reports were a large part in my decision making process.

When I was on Pinterest one day, I saw a pin that said how someone had earned over $100K a month…yes, a MONTH, blogging. I was in awe. How could someone earn that kind of money with a blog? So, I looked a little deeper and did a lot of research. I realized that I could begin a money-making blog doing what I love to do and what I am already doing anyway – creating a beautiful and thriving home on a budget. I wanted to share my passion with other like-minded creatives and create a community where I could teach, learn, and ultimately help others create a home they love through DIY projects and decorating. That’s how this little blog was born.

Some bloggers post monthly income and traffic reports, while many others don’t. It’s a personal choice, and I understand completely why a blogger would choose not to.

I am choosing to post income and traffic reports as a way to pay it forward. I also want to give bloggers in the home decor/DIY niche a place to reference. There are not an abundant amount of bloggers in this niche who post income and traffic reports. I am living proof that you can make money if you’re a blogger in this niche – even if your blog is only seven months old!

WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING ON THE BLOG?

September 2017 was a crazy insane month for me personally. I didn’t devote as much time as I would have liked to blogging, but nevertheless, I saw the highest traffic and income to date during September. I only published five posts the entire month, and I didn’t post anything past September 18th – but I still made money.

Blogging is one of those careers where you can literally make money while you’re sleeping. And, I’m a proven case where that actually happened. I had set my marketing strategies on autopilot for the whole month and then stepped away. It’s truly incredible to me that I was able to make money while not actually working during that timeframe.

During September, I was also named a weekly DIY Superstar on a site called Cut Out & Keep. This site helped bring in some additional traffic to A Brick Home which I am very thankful for.

TRAFFIC REPORT

I am incredibly happy with my traffic statistics in September, especially considering I didn’t spend as much time on my blog as I would have liked. Regardless, I still saw an incredible increase in traffic compared to the previous month.

Here’s a screenshot of my month-over-month traffic.

A Brick Home: Sept. 2017 traffic report

In August, I was thrilled that I got to 2K users. Now I’m over 10K users. That’s insane! Reaching over 11K sessions in September was also an incredible jump in traffic. I nearly fell on the floor when I saw that both the users and sessions increased by nearly 300%. 🙂

HOW WAS I ABLE TO SEE THIS JUMP IN TRAFFIC?

A few reasons come to mind as to why I saw such an incredible increase in traffic. First and foremost, I followed this trio of tactics. I also saw a large jump in traffic because one of my posts went viral on Pinterest. And by viral, I mean that it generated the most traffic I have ever seen to my blog. My post, The Best Neutral Fall Decor, was re-pinned over 5K times in just one month. It generated 5,174 pageviews, or nearly 38% of my total pageviews during the month of September. That’s incredible for my little blog.

Here’s a breakdown of my top-viewed posts:

  1. The Best Neutral Fall Decor – 5,174 pageviews
  2. 40 Fabulous Fall Finds Under $40 – 3,139 pageviews
  3. Fifty Fabulous Farmhouse Fall Decor Finds – 1,468 pageviews

Although I saw an incredible jump in sessions, users, and pageviews in September, it’s still important to remember that when it comes to the masses of blog land, I still consider my blog to be a small one. Fortunately, bloggers with small blogs can still make money.

INCOME REPORT

INCOME

  • Amazon Associates – $430.07
  • Tailwind – $25.00
  • Google Adsense – $3.41
  • Other Affiliates – $2.65

Total Income: 461.13

 

EXPENSES

  • Tailwind – $9.99

Total Expenses: $9.99

 

NET PROFIT – $451.14

Some earnings during the month don’t get paid out until a later date, but I think this is the best way to track it for now.

Amazon Associates was clearly the largest income driver in September. In October, I want to continue to optimize Amazon Associates but also focus more on optimizing Google Adsense. About half-way through the month of September, I decided to finally add some Google Adsense ads to my blog. I am always leery about adding too many ads to my site because I don’t want to create a bad user experience. During October, I plan to spend more time learning the best ways to utilize Google Adsense on A Brick Home.

I am very happy with my blog’s progress in September. I plan to continue growing quickly by utilizing these smart marketing strategies. I can’t wait to see what happens in October. Stay tuned sweet friends!

 

PIN IT FOR LATER

A Brick Home: Income & Traffic Report - September 2017