Confession Time -

OK.... Its confession time... Complete, utter (and blunt!) transparency.

I figured since I came clean in the last post, I would finish the job. On this post I'm going to talk a little bit about the statistics I've been getting both on the blogs as well as at the giveaway I've been posting about.

I'll warn you now – you are NOT going to read about the thousands of dollars I made “last night” - mainly because I didn't. Fact is, I have not gotten a payment yet. But, there is growth, and growth is what is needed to make money.

Do not be discouraged – I'm not! In fact, I am ELATED with the results so far.

Since I promised “real” I am delivering just that. Nothing to write home about, but at least you'll know what to expect, and why I'm excited (and you should be, too.)

If you are interested, I've taken screen shots this morning (before posting this!) for all the blogs. You'll have to download them, or this post would take up too much room...

I took shots of the overview page, the traffic overview, adsense overview, and for THIS blog, I took a shot of where that traffic is coming from. Read on to see why.

You can get the folder with all the details at: DownloadStats Folder

You don't have to download, you can open the folders and look...

GrannySue's Surviving Christmas

I've had the blog name since God knows when, but the very first actual post I made on it was November 25, 2013... Less than two full months ago. Of course, its a CHRISTMAS blog, and my first post hit just before Thanksgiving – however – its getting visitors in late January, so it still counts! ;-)

I have put up 50 posts as of the time I took the screen shot. I don't post every day, and sometimes I pre-schedule a post or two so I don't have to write every day, either.

I have written a lot of the content – like I said – most came from a previous website I owned.

However, some of the content is what is known as PLR (Private Label Rights). I have re-written most of it, but the idea is that you start out with someone else's pre-written article, and put it into your own words. More on that in another post...

The ONLY “real” monetization I have on Surviving Christmas thus far is Adsense. So, it is not making much cash for me as yet. I intend to change that shortly. I do have a couple posts from holiday sales and such, but really haven't added anything of note as yet.

You can view the blog here: GrannySue'sSurviving Christmas blog

Most of the traffic is pretty generic, but there is a lot of it for a brand new blog – and that's the point of taking the screen shots! There is enough daily volume that if I set up a newsletter, and monetize well, there will be income – and those are the goals for the next couple months.

Selene's Golden Spiral

This is a super new blog. My first post didn't happen until December 17, 2013. It was a spur of the moment decision to start this blog, because I am trained in metaphysics and several healing modalities, and decided to start offering information and services.

Again, this is based on a previous business – one I opened in a storefront in 1997 and closed when Rich and I moved to Idaho in 2000. I've been “out of the community” since then, and decided to jump back in. Of course, Stephanie's Giveaway had a lot to do with the timing, lol!

If you download the stat pages, you will notice that the posts are getting fairly steady, if small amounts of traffic, but the newsletter sign up page dwarfs them all. This is a GOOD thing – I would rather have people on my list than simply visiting the blog.

Think of it this way... I have purchased NO advertising. I have done little if any SEO (search engine optimization). I don't have anyone else promoting these sites – any of them – except my entering the giveaway.

To achieve 172 visits by unique visitors in the course of 19 days is purdy derned good!! 67 just yesterday is phenomenal, and there were 27 before I started writing this this morning!

Again, other than a post or so and Adsense, this blog is not monetized. It will be. That is the FIRST priority – as the information there is attached to the giveaway and a newsletter.

Here's the link, if you'd like to view Selene's Golden Spiral 

Also note: While I have people in my circles at Google+, friends on Facebook, and followers at Twitter, no one is “following” the blogs themselves just yet. Nor have I spent even a moment creating fan pages, actively looking for circles, followers or friends. That's on the agenda, too.

Think – A Radical New Agenda

There isn't anything to say, but I include this blog here because it does, indeed exist. My one and only post was in February of 2010. Sooner or later I'll work more on it, but this is a “vent” blog, and its political in nature.... You can view this blog here, but there isn't anything to read, lol.  Nough said??

Get Cash Now

And now we arrive right back here at home... This is one of my favorite blogs, but that doesn't mean I'm going to do anything different than I have with the others. While I do intend to develop an income from it, that is far from its main purpose.

My purpose, as stated, is to help others in a similar situation to the one I've faced.

Still – I think its interesting that people have “Plussed” a post or two, and my big-whopping-three-dollars-and-some-odd-sense in Adsense earnings across all four blogs have mostly come from here.

It shows you that you are not alone in wanting or needing this information – if nothing else.

The first post on this blog was on October 29, 2013. It has a total of 25 – not exactly sweat-worthy work habits. Of course, I'm giving advice here, and so just like on Golden Spiral, I have to check out my facts and be able to back them up.

Thus far, I have no PLR or “other people's material” on this blog. Doesn't mean that will be the case forever, though. If I find something of value, I will get permission to post it, or ask for a guest post. I want to provide good, solid and practical information here, so I am LOOKING for others to help out!

I also figure that there's a lot I don't know, so if someone has an article that I can check facts on, I have no problem publishing it – whether they have a bio box or wrote a PLR article.

If it works, sooner or later its going to find its way here.

I took a shot of the actual referring sites and urls, and its in the download folder. But, what I have noticed is that there is a lot of jumping around in here, which means that people are actively seeking this information and taking time to stick around and see what I offer.

Another thing is that this is the ONLY blog of the three active ones that is getting traffic DIRECTLY from Google. Not a lot yet, but it is there. That's huge.

But – and its a big BUT – that's why I chose Blogger!! Google owns it. Therefore, Adsense and Google traffic are almost no-brainers.

Remember, I'm not optimizing, I'm not paying to advertise, and (though not previously mentioned) I have not actually submitted the blogs to any traffic generating sources – not even the traffic exchanges.

The newsletter isn't up yet, there is no free book to entice anybody to sign up for anything, there is no active strategy as yet – I'm just writing....

So... What's the Upshot??

K. Here's the lowdown. I have a lot of passions, and a lot I can write about. My main strategy for the past two months has been to get some of my stuff “out there” and see what I really want to focus on for 2014.

Having three active blogs doesn't take a lot of time, let's me write what I love to write about, and tells me just where to focus if I want to take it further – and its all done COMPLETELY FOR FREE.

Even just doing this, I made about $1.20 each in profit if time is not counted. Like I said – its nothing to write home about.

It has shown me where the potential is, and which of the blogs I need to work on first. It shows where my attention needs to be and has given me ideas as to what to do to actually start earning.

I've lived my life in the meantime, and not spent 23 ½ hours a day on this. More like about 1 or 2. If I were putting in 40 hour weeks, I might have a complaint – but that's not how it is.

Just for comparison:

I see more complete strangers visit my least popular blog in a day, doing NOTHING to bring them in, than sometimes I saw in my brick-and-mortar store in a day.

I don't have overhead. No bills, no monthly payments to make.

2 – 3 hours per day vs a 40 hour work week seems a fair trade off.... No?

One Last Thing to Think About

IF... I put up ONE offer for a product or service that would pay me $40...

On ONE blog...

- And -

IF... only ONE person per day saw it, liked it and purchased it...

I would be making the same income as an average entry level office worker.

We won't mention anything about business tax deductions, time spent, etc....

Just thing about that for a minute...

Many Blessings,

GrannySue

PS.  A LOT of people have told me NOT to publish this page... They say its marketing suicide.

I don't believe them!! 

First of all - I have full faith and trust in my readers, and I believe you appreciate my candidness and utter disclosure. The good, the bad, AND (maybe especially) the ugly!

Secondly - its high time business owners decided that the truth and actually serving their clients is more important than hiding behind manufactured statistics, fancy store-bought videos, bogus hype and meager platitudes - just to make a buck. 

Maybe I AM being a bit too honest... But... Maybe you're looking for a little reality for a change -