Hello and welcome back! If you haven’t read through my previous check-ins, all those blog posts are available in my Behind the Bakes category! Today let’s talk about my food blogging journey in November 2021. November and December are the busiest times for food bloggers, with Thanksgiving and Christmas being huge baking holidays. When we talk about my Google Analytics, you will see what I mean!
Skip to the Good Parts
Life Updates
Google Analytics and Traffic
November Recipe List
Looking Ahead
Life Updates
This month was a quieter month for me, mostly baking and blogging. I did go into the City (Downtown Toronto) to watch a Raptors game. This was the first time I went to a large event since you-know-what.
The City started to look sparkly with fun Holiday decorations. We also put up the Christmas tree, which is considered early in our household. However it made me happy to see the sparkly lights on the tree. Mixer ornament is from The Bay.
Lastly, I did my first Food Review! See my blog post on Tims x Justin Bieber: Timbiebs Review. This was a fun side project that I wrote up in 1 day! (As I’m writing this in December, this post is currently my top page!).
Google Analytics and Traffic
November to December are high traffic months for food blogs. These months include popular baking Holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. So there was no surprise that my traffic totals increased. Last month (October 2021) I had 239 sessions logged, compared to 898 sessions for November. There’s a huge spike at November 24th, which correlates to Thanksgiving on November 25th. (I love this type of research).
My top page of the month is Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies, and this is the top recipe of ALL TIME* on my blog. The next top pages are: Pumpkin Pie Spice Scones, Cinnamon Nutmeg Apple Crisp and Apple Cinnamon Crumble Cake. All of these recipes have traditionally fall ingredients and great for Thanksgiving dinners!
*This stat is based on August – November totals
My Pinterest referrals have increased about 600%! I have been consistent with posting to Pinterest daily, and Pinterest makes it easy to post due to the scheduling function.
Next we have Google / Organic. As you know, I have been working on my Search Engine Optimization (SEO) so seeing organic search results makes me know that progress is being made!
November Recipe List
Carrot Cake with Raisins
Dairy Free Maple Vanilla Chai Tea Latte
Cranberry and White Chocolate Scones
Eggnog Pancakes
Other Posts in November
October 2021 Check-in: 3 Months of Food Blogging
Tims x Justin Bieber: Timbieb Review and Ranking
Looking Ahead
As we enter the final month of 2021, I’m happy to feel like my blog is successfully growing. In my August 2021 checkin, I had 151 sessions. Now I have 898! I do expect to see a dip in sessions for January and February, but 898 is still amazing and should be celebrated for a 4 month old blog.
In December, we only have 1 recipe left. (Which at this time has been posted – Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookies). I decided not to create new recipes for December for several reasons:
- It’s time for a break: The month of December is always filled with friends and family!
- 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..).
- I have Christmas baking traditions: Every year I make sugar cookies, cinnamon rolls and Black (rum) cake (both from existing recipes) and I would like to continue with these traditions. Next year I hope to have my own sugar cookie, cinnamon rolls and Black cake recipe!
- Shifting my focus on other projects: The idea of Vlogging (Video blog on YouTube) has been an interest of mine for years, since 2008 when vlogging became popular. From being active on Instagram, I’m becoming comfortable with the idea of talking to the camera and hearing my own voice. So vlogging has re-entered the picture! Going back to reason #2, I’ll be thinking about incorporating vlogging into my life and how that will fit into my food blog.
I wish everyone a Happy Holiday season and we will catch up in 2022 ♥︎
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