A Million Views Later

/ rtrube54
Screen capture of part of my WordPress stats page, 3:30 pm ET, 5-30-2021.

I don’t usually post on Sundays, but thought I’d share a milestone for Bob on Books, the blog, today. About 3:30 pm today. I passed the one million view mark.

One one hand, that is not a particularly remarkable accomplishment. It has taken nearly eight years and over 2500 posts to reach that mark, There are some bloggers who reach that mark with a single blog post! In my case, it was a matter of perseverance.

What is remarkable is all the people who helped make that possible and the real intent of this post is not so much to brag as to say “thank you” for all those who visited, over 683,000! Then there are all the authors whose books I reviewed, the publicists who sent many of those for review, and the loyal followers from Youngstown who not only visited but often suggested ideas for posts, and sometimes materials I could not otherwise have found. I’ve been blessed to be able to post in a number of Facebook groups that have helped grow the audience and I appreciate all the admins who have put up with me! I’m also grateful for the Bob on Books Facebook page and its 11,000+ followers and the nearly 1100 who follow on WordPress. I’ve appreciated all those who commented, and am grateful that for the most part, I’ve been free of “trolls.”

One of the pieces of counsel I came across early was not to pay attention to views or worry about audience and simply do the work:

  • Post consistently
  • Make an effort to write good material
  • Engage with those who comment
  • Post in groups appropriate to content and engage and always abide by group rules.

The audience has grown over the years from 3,281 in 2013 to 102,054 in 2015, my first year over 100,000 views, to 223,837 in 2020. This year looks on track to reach 275,000 to 280,000 views. The highest single day I’ve had on the blog was 8196 views on December 27, 2015 , a list of the Top Ten Youngstown posts for that year. It was my all time leading post at over 20,000 views, again, pretty modest by most standards.

I write six posts a week, and that nearly daily routine keeps me sharp, and hopefully over the years, has made me a better writer. I admit that it has been a constant learning curve on everything from grammar to understanding SEO. I’ve also learned that a rich archive of posts is like savings in the bank that keep yielding dividends. On many days, old posts account for 50 to 75 percent of the traffic.

As for the future? One never knows, but I have to admit that I still enjoy the writing and all the interactions on the blog, so, Lord willing I’ll be around to write again when I reach the two million mark, which I could reach in a bit less than four years at the current pace.

I also have to say thanks to the team at WordPress, which hosts this site. They have been helpful on a number of occasions when I’ve run into technical problems beyond my expertise.

Above all, I appreciate you, whoever is reading this. I wondered when I started out on this in August of 2013 whether anyone would read what I wrote. I still am amazed when someone tells me they bought a book because of a review, or liked one of my Youngstown stories. I’m both humbled and grateful!

20 thoughts on “A Million Views Later”

  2. I look forward each week to your post. Even though I was born in Youngstown attended grade school there, went on adventures at Idora Park and Mill Creek Park, and attended YSU, your postings have brought back s many memories. We bisited Youngstown just last week, and we wnt to Lantermans Falls, the Cinderella Bridge, and Riverside Gardens, and ate at the little restaurant and gift shop there. It was really very good, and we throughly enjoyed it. I look forward to your future posts.  Thank you,Mary Ann Field.

    Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone

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  3. Congratulations, Bob! You have bridged a lot of different “creek branches” by insisting on civility and thoughtfulness – both in your own posts and from your readers. By doing so you have built your audience to span a wide range of readers. I look forward to the Bob on Books every day, and if I get to the end of the day and haven’t seen the Question of the Day, I dig for it. It is a treat to know it is not only about books, which I love, and full of other bibliophiles, from whom I learn, but also free of “f-bombs” and nasty, snarky, rude comments.You have managed to herd all of us “cats” well. I also admire your writing discipline – each post requires having done preparatory reading or researching yet you are still putting out six posts a week! It is bearing fruit. “Well done.” Thank you! Kim S.

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  4. Bob: Yes, I have purchased many books after reading your review, usually on the same day, right after I read the review. So, I’m sure you are helping to support several authors! My latest purchase was last week when you reviewed the book on praying in the night by Trish H. Warren. –EG

    PS: I have no idea what the http:// address is in the blank below. I’m sure I set something up but what? And when did I do that?

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    • I’m not sure what you are seeing. But I do thank you for writing, and for buying books that you think worthwhile. At very least you are defraying some of the cost of those review copies they send me!

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  9. Congrats on your milestone! You have such a wide range of subjects that you review and write about. I look forward to seeing what new ideas you introduce daily. I sure do hope you will be writing to reach your 2 million mark.

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