Chapter 13. Monitoring and Measuring: Why They Matter
In This Chapter
Monitoring and measuring: The difference
Getting a grip on your readership
Using analytics and reports to improve your results and to forecast
Making sense of marketing reports and maximizing your revenue
Forecasting with analytics and reporting
Gaining some metrics perspective
Can you have a successful blog if you don't monitor who links to you and measure your blog traffic? Sure, you can. The key to building readership is writing an interesting, compelling blog, not obsessing over your stats.
However, when you get a handle on your metrics, you have a much better idea of whether, and how well, you're achieving your objectives. Knowing the most popular posts, common keywords, and most productive advertisers can help you improve your blog and your revenue stream.
In this chapter, I explain the difference between monitoring and measurement, and discuss why both are important. I then dig into your blog analytics as well as advertising and affiliate reports, including how you can use the data to forecast future results.
The most important thing about metrics, though, is to keep them in perspective. Metrics help you improve your blog, but they don't attract and engage your readers. You do.
Monitoring and Measuring Your Blog Activity
Monitoring and measurement are often confused because some of the same tools are used to do both; however, they are two different — but related — tasks. The best practice is to use them in combination ...
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