I’m sure that most of you like me are excited to see this mythical Argus unveiled. Although maybe I shouldn’t be calling it Argus anymore. Maybe I should start calling it flamey flameboy wildfire ok, I have no clue what the new name is going to be, but I am interested to see how Argus is going to apply measured statistics to the process.
While we wait for Postie Con I thought I might talk about checking the statistics for your blog NOW. No, you don’t need to wait for Argus to know how visited your blog is. You can do that now. In fact, I expect that most of you do check your statistics. If you don’t, I think you should start.
There are a ton of blog statistics packages out there. Some of the statistics packages like google analytics(my favorite) and sitemeter will work with most blogs. Depending on your blog host, these may take a little bit of work to get installed, but I’m sure that many of us posties would be happy to help out anyone that needs help.
Most website hosts also offer a number of statistics packages like AwStats (my favorite), Webalizer or Analog. You do have to be careful looking at the stats from your host if you are hosting multiple blogs. These stats packages will show you statistics for all of your blogs combined. However, they are a great way to look at aggregate statistics data.
Of course, every blogging software I know of(correct me if I’m wrong) has a number of blogging software specific stats packages available. I personally use WordPress and I know of at least 6 different stats packages available to WordPress users. I have two of these stats packages on all of my blogs (BAStats and WordPress Stats).
Many of you may be wondering why I have so many stats packages. Well, first I’m a self admitted stats junkie. I love to know what is going on with my blogs. By looking at my statistics I know when people link to me and which links are most valuable. Stats also tell me which blog content is driving the most traffic. Knowing which content is driving the most traffic helps me to create better content in the future. By watching your statistics, you can also make sure to capitalize on a popular post by adding links to related content.
There are lots of good reasons to watch your statistics. However, each stats package gives you a little different view of your blogging environment. Some give you a high level overview of your traffic so you can look at trends over time. Other stats packages give you detailed information about what’s happened on your blog in the last 10 minutes. It’s all about using the right tool for the right piece of information.
Now some of you might think that watching statistics are overrated and that you just like blogging for fun. That’s great. Enjoy blogging. There’s nothing wrong with doing something you enjoy. I’m pretty sure that I’d still be blogging without statistics. However, I’ve also found that it’s a lot of fun to watch your blog grow, to know when and where you’re listed on google and to see which blog posts are popular.
I should offer you a couple warnings.
Warning 1: If you start looking at stats and get addicted to watching them, it’s not my fault. I’ve warned you that watching stats is addicting.
Warning 2: Don’t be surprised if you first check your stats and not very many people are visiting your blog. This is a very common occurrence. Don’t fret. Just search the web or visit the PPP boards to learn ways to drive more visitors to your blog.
Whether you’re a professional or casual blogger, watching your stats can be a lot of fun. Also, if you check your stats now, then you won’t be surprised when blogburner Argus is unveiled at PostieCon.
