Hello and Happy New Year! My December 2021 Food Blog Update is here! My last written post was the November 2021 checkin, so it has been a few weeks since I sat down to write. In that post, I talked about what my December goals. Unfortunately, very little of those goals happened. However, that does not mean December was unsuccessful. Instead, it means that other things had priority – and that is okay!
Skip to the Good Parts
Life Updates
Google Analytics and Traffic
Posts in December
Food Blog Goals 2022
Personal Resolutions 2022
Life Updates
December was a very busy (and maybe a bit stressful) month for me. I took this month off from baking for the blog so I can spend time with friends and family.
Photo gallery explained from left to right.
- Limited edition Timbiebs from Tim Hortons
- My festive fireplace mantel with red poinsettias, and 3 little red stockings
- Me holding a Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookie
- Cookies from my friend (these were all amazing and yummy)
- A gingerbread house fail. This gingerbread house was not sticking together and it fell!
December 2021 Food Blog Google Analytics and Traffic
Now let’s take a deep dive into my December 2021 Food Blog Google Analytics and Traffic:
I’ve mentioned before that November/December are high traffic months for Food Blogs. In December, I logged 288% more users then October. And 271% more sessions. (Sessions are important because it shows how many times a user was actively engaged with the page).
However, January and February tend to see a drop in users and sessions. So if my January checkin does not look as great – it is expected!
December 2021 Food Blog top 6 pages begins with the Tims x Justin Bieber: Timbieb Review and Ranking. Timbiebs are special Timbits that was made in collaboration with Tim Hortons and Justin Bieber. This blog post was very popular because it was kind-of a big deal here in Canada! This post may soon drop off this list as Timbiebs were only available until December 31st 2021.
Next we have Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies, which continuously stands as my MOST popular recipe on the blog.
Running up as my popular posts are: Pumpkin Pie Spice Scones, Cranberry White Chocolate Scones and Cinnamon Nutmeg Apple Crisp. For a full list of my popular recipes in 2021, check out this blog post for more!
If you have been following my check-ins for awhile, you know that “organic” search results are ideal. So having “Google/organic” as my top source of traffic is amazing! (Full disclosure: most of these results are for the Timbieb Review and Ranking, but we have to start somewhere!).
Pinterest has been a steady source of traffic throughout my Food Blog journey. I have decided to increase my posting schedule for this platform!
Posts in December
My only recipe for December was Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, which were very popular with my friends and family. These cookies were soft and filled with cocoa powder and chocolate chips.
Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
November 2021 Check-in: 4 Months of Food Blogging
6 Best Christmas Recipes to Make This Holiday Season
Food Blog Goals in 2022
- Creative break: I’m still new at this but I’m deciding what direction I want this blog to go in. (i.e: Should I focus on desserts only? Should I add in dinner recipes? etc..). The idea of Vlogging (Video blog on YouTube) has been an interest of mine for years, since 2008 when vlogging became popular. I’ll be thinking about incorporating vlogging into my life and how that will fit into my food blog.
- Reshoot older recipes: I’m planning on reshooting a few older recipes and refresh the blog posts. These recipes include the Oat Flour Waffles, Spiced Oat Flour Pancakes and Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies. Since my photography style changed and improved over the past few months, I want to reshoot these recipes so my blog and Instagram looks “cohesive”.
- Change my posting schedule: In 2021, I was posting a new recipe once a week. For 2022 I’ll be posting every other week. This new posting schedule will allow me to spend more time on recipe development. Also, gives me an opportunity to work on my other projects (see #1 creative break).
Personal Resolutions for 2022
Every year I make New Years Resolutions, but it’s sticking to them that is the hard part. To help me stick to my goals, I made a spreadsheet to track my progress. (Now it’s remembering that I have this spreadsheet!).
My resolutions are:
- Read 1 book a month: I used to read A LOT, now I’ve been too distracted with social media and Netflix to read. So I’m making it a goal to read 1 book a month! If you have any book recommendations, leave a comment below!
- Meditate for 5-10 minutes everyday: Meditation is a great stress reliever and I have been meditating on and off for the past 4 years. It’s important to meditate everyday to create that muscle memory for times I am feeling stressed or overwhelmed.
- Take myself out on a date once a month: Dr. Sherrie Campbell lists 6 reasons why you need to take yourself out on a date. All of these reasons are valid and important.
I can add my resolution progress to the monthly checkins and do a final post at the end of 2022!
Connect with me here: Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube
