March 2015 Blogging Income Report

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Here’s my latest income report.  I’ll delve into what I’m doing, how it’s working and how I’m trying to increase traffic and income!

Visitors

Users: 101,981 (up 13% — keeping in mind that March has 3 more days than February — which is about 10% more just in days)

Unique Views: 138,023 (up 14%)

Sessions: 111,559 (up 14%)

*I use Padsquad and it inflates my pageviews, I have found a way to find my “unique” pageviews which more directly compares them without the inflation of how they can mobile views ~ although, it seems lower than unique views before I went on Padsquad, it seems my best comparable.  I tend to compare sessions most often.  A session is each time someone comes to my blog.  I am supposed to be getting a fix for this ASAP.  Thank you PadSquad!

The links included may include affiliate links and I may be paid a small portion of your income with those companies with no cost to you! You can read my full disclosure here. If you go with one of my ad networks, please mention that you heard about them from me! I’d love the referrals!

Ads

Padsquad

Income with Padsquad was up 23% at just about $675!  They had a REALLY poor month until the last week when CPM’s skyrocketed… and saved my bacon (or, put bacon on my table).  There are getting to be more mobile options, and I’m still not sure if I’m going to change, but the income with Padsquad is still great!

The Blogger Network

The Blogger network was up to 215 (11% higher).  I feel like The Blogger Network is just SUPER stable.  CPM’s don’t change all that much.  I appreciate that.  I mean, everyone likes HUGE CPM’s, but the fact that your CPM doesn’t vary all that much is also great too! If you use them, let them know I sent you.  My Agent is Skyler!

BlogHer

Blogher doesn’t compute the full income until later in the month.  The income I had at the end of the month was up 30% from where I was a month’s end the month prior at $76.43.  They usually add about 30% during the following month which will probably bring me to around $100 — but I have no idea.  I have actually given my notice to Blogher.  They require quite a lot of notice and I may go back, but I need the flexibility to change.  I did have a conference call with one of their “higher-up’s” — they area really hoping for higher CPM’s now that they’re more joined with She Knows.  She just didn’t know (ha, ha) what that was going to really look like.  They’re aware CPM’s are horrible, that’s their paycheck too!

Media.net

I really feel like these ads to best when you’re going through a search engine to my blog, but the reality is I don’t get a lot of search traffic — I’ve been putting more ads up and income is under $2 bucks for them at this point.  Working on SEO and I am hoping that helps my Media.net sales!

Total Ad Sales: $969.42 (a 17% increase)

I really want to see this income consistantly above 1k.  I think I’ll be close once Blogher closes out (I am just too impatient to wait to write these reports)

 Sales

Amazon was a good month.  I think the reality is that selling an e-book takes people to Amazon.  Whether they buy or not, it’s still my affiliate link and I think that sticks around for 48 hours.  Hence, if they go back to buy watch batteries, I still get credit for that.  I did an e-book sale, which helped my affiliate sales — up to 40% at $62.97.

Spreadsheet I’m pretty much livin’ large on these since I sold 1!  OH well, it’s not up for the income.  It’s up to share it with others.  I love it.  You can buy it fairly cheaply for use on your own blog!  If taxes were painful for you — I bet this spreadsheet will help it be easier next year!  Through that link I even have a video to show you how it works (feel free to make your own, but it’s taken me HOURS to figure out all the formulas I want).

Kindle E-book — I had a sale where it was cheapest on day one and then the price increased as the week went on.  I ended-up selling 34 (8 of those were to the Kindle Lending Library, and I’m still unclear how much I’ll make off of those — I should know more at the end of April as I will get my first paycheck including those).   My income without those 8 was $34.72  I am hopeful to do another say around my birthday in May. 🙂  Happy birthday to YOU! 🙂

I didn’t make any money on affiliate sales this month — but the Ultimate Bundle has one coming up and that is a GREAT way to make good affiliate sales.  You can learn more here.  I am hopeful I will be able to share their Homemaking bundle with my readers coming up soon!

Sales total: 100.69 (Down 18%)

Most of it is down because my book is no longer “new” — getting 20 bucks/month from the book would be REALLY great for me.  I’m hopeful. 🙂

 Sponsored Posts:

I had a few sponsored post opportunities in March.  Both fit well into my blog and things I liked/felt passionate about.  I think that’s always the best fit.

Sponsored post total: $325

 Blog income total for March $1395.11

(Up 39%) Glad to have this up.  Keep in mind, I didn’t do any sponsored posts in February.  Those are come and go, ebb and flow.  I have a few more coming up that I’ve already written one for April.  I’d like to do around 2/month.  But it is what it is.

Traffic was up.  More about that below.

My entire blog CPM including all revenue streams is just about $12.50 per 1000 sessions.  If you just count ad revenue it’s about $9.50.  That means, for every 1,000 visitors to my site — JUST ad income, I make $9.50 (keep in mind my visitors split between desktop and mobile, and those two sets see an entirely different site and ads)  In case you wondered (my spreadsheet calculates that all out for me!).

I have a new spot on my spreadsheet that calculates year to year changes.  I’m up 72% from 2014 March Vs March.  So exciting (I think it’s important to do that, as each month has certain quirks that can mess with your ad/sponsored post income).  It’s a great way to see that I’m growing.

 Blog costs:

• RFE hosting (love them — 14 bucks)
• PO Box 6 bucks (need one to have a newsletter, although in switching to mailpoet, I don’t see it on their newsletters, so I may be able to ditch this)
• Viral Tag 6 bucks
• I’m switching my Pinterest to Boardbooster, that will be about 10 bucks/month, but in the initial switch phase I just paid 5 bucks (it is a penny/pin) — more about them later!
• Vaultpress 5 bucks (I am thinking of switching to UPdraft, that will save me 5 bucks/month).
• SEO fixing by KanWebSpeed.com 90.00 — see below
• Went to my first conference with SoFab On The Road $49.00 (more below)

Total cost : $175

That puts me about $1150 for the month.  That’s getting in a range where it is worth my time.

I spend probably 10-15 hours/week on the blog.  That means about 50 hours/month (I don’t count adding things to my FB page I find amusing or pinning for pleasure — the hours would probably be much higher if I counted that).  I figure making about $20 bucks/hour to do something I love is pretty great.  Not that I wouldn’t want to make more (and in reality, I make more at my actual job).  But I’m pleased.

5 Fixes:

1.  KanWebSpeed is still working on my site (I started it last month).  They told me it would be about 2-3 months for me to see any changes.  I know they worked on broken links, and have chaged a few post names.  I’m nervous, in the fact, I have see absolutely no changes at this point.  I had really tried to work on SEO on my own.  I do have a money back guarantee with them (and I think that may be JUST for me, as I am one of their first blogs that they’ve done, although they have done it for a lot of websites).  I also used Kan to increase my speed in January.  He’s a stand-up guy and I do recommend him.  Tell him I sent you, and he will give you a discount.

2. The switch to Board booster is almost complete.  I had a lot of pins already schedule through Viral Tag that I had previously scheduled.  I can’t tell you how much time this is going to save me!  It will automate my posting, and I can adjust and tweak it as I need, instantly.  Rather than having pins for weeks scheduled that I already feel like are set in concrete.  If you use Pinterest, I can’t recommend it more.  I will also say that I use Ahalogy, Viral Tag AND Board Booster and I feel like they all work the same, with no preference given to one pin or another.

3.  I attended SOFab On The Road.  I REALLY liked it.  I was prepared to hate it.  I’m not one for clique’s or feeling sub-standard.  To my surprise, I was one of the larger blogs I met.  I really liked this, because it was close to my home, and was just one Saturday (a really long Saturday, but just one day).  The information was really valuable.  They had a session on photographing food which gave me SO many ideas on increasing that part of my blog.  I cook A LOT and I’ve always done my Menu Plans, but I was hesitant to do my own dishes, but no more.  It was also just nice to know that I REALLY know what I’m doing.  I know how to work Wordpress and I’m actually fairly well connected in the blog world without having been to a conference before.  That being said, I am mulling over a longer conference in my future.  It was so fun and important to just really concentrate on my blog for a bit.

4. With all the upheaval in my life I feel like I need to simplify to one post/week.  Sometimes I just want to sit down and complain and that doesn’t create good blog posts. 🙂  They will be on Tuesdays with other random posts thrown in.  I am also refreshing a lot of old posts that the graphics just aren’t bringing in traffic like I wish they would.  The reality is that it doesn’t really hurt my traffic when I don’t have new posts.  The other reality is that I REALLY like writing.  It’s cathartic. 🙂  I pre-schedule my posts, I’m into May and I think that’s important for me and my peace of mind as things shift right now.

5.  Pinterest changed, I think. My traffic is HUGE lately.  I did get invited to a Better Home and Gardens board (THANK YOU BHG) and I am pinning along some REALLY big bloggers.  I couldn’t be more thankful for that opportunity.  I (in April) am getting at LEAST 4k visits/day and that hasn’t happened for along time.  I’m thrilled (it is seriously the bright spot that keeps me going sometimes).  I haven’t really changed much (except using Board Booster more — see #2), so I’m not sure what else it would be.

6.  After SOFab I vowed to images more with my twitter account.  I have been.  It’s useless.  I’ll keep trying, but twitter still mystifies me.  Come tweet with me!

So, that’s what’s up around Pulling Curls.  The income is HUGE for me right now.  I feel like I have some stability and I know that this blog is part of a larger plan for me.  I’m thankful for each and EVERY reader I have.  Especially those that comment.  I know you’re out there, and I appreciate the time you give me!