Personally speaking

Twenty- five Seven

Personally speaking

DOES REVEALING YOUR IDENTITY REALLY IMPROVE BLOG TRAFFIC?

Today I realised that blogging is a mug’s game.

Image for revealing identity and improving blog traffic

OR

You could call me a slow learner.

After almost

10 years of blogging,

around 7 years of being a member of Blogadda,

about 5 years of being a part of Indiblogger,

3 years of participating in the #A to Z Challenge ,

several years of linking up with #SkywatchFriday and #WriteTribe

and around

2 months of linking up with #UltimateBlogChallenge,

I find that the figures are dismal.

I have only 137 subscribers on WordPress, 112 on Twitter and a handful on Facebook.

My best views so far have been 205 on a single day way back in November 2015 and the post that was visited most that day was my ABOUT page.

My last effort of generating more traffic was participating in the recently concluded month long #A to Z Challenge in April. Here too the statistics were not really worth the effort.

So I put out a question to the Universe and only ONE blogger responded with a positive feedback on what I should do to improve my blog ergo generate more interest and traffic.

Firstly, she told me not to bother about the numbers but to just write from the heart. That makes good sense.

But what she told me next is something that has been bothering me for a while – personalisation.

Will an identity reveal affect blog traffic?

[Tweet “Should I really come out of my shell and share more about myself in terms of images and identity?”]

Like many bloggers, my blog is often my sounding board – a place where I share my doubts, anxieties and joys. Often when I read similar posts on other blogs I often wonder OMG what a whiner! Is anybody out there really interested in listening to your tales of woe? Is everybody’s life truly a soap opera? Besides, my life is not that chaotic or tragic or exciting. I am just a normal, every day person leading a normal every day life. So are people really interested in knowing the face behind the words? Will it really make a difference if I come out of my shell?

Do let me know your thoughts on this.

Does sharing more information about yourself really affect your blog traffic?

Image for BellyBytes

27 responses to “DOES REVEALING YOUR IDENTITY REALLY IMPROVE BLOG TRAFFIC?”

  1. Ramya Avatar
    Ramya

    I think, knowing the identity behind the blog makes a personal connection to the reader Sunitha. If i like some new blog, i read about me page to better understand them.

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    1. Bellybytes Avatar
      Bellybytes

      Thanks. So should I put a photo of myself on the about page or on every page ?

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      Reply
  2. Ishieta@Isheeria's Avatar
    Ishieta@Isheeria’s

    well, i like knowing the name of the person atleast, i find it a little scary to start ‘interacting’ with someone in the virtual world – coz of the obvious trust & security issues. having said that, even if the name was made up, i wouldn’t know :(

    blog traffic seems to be a function of how many blogs u visit, comment on and share. or people who personally know you. that’s all that i learnt, but then i am a newbie, so i don’t know how much i really know! LOL!

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    1. Bellybytes Avatar
      Bellybytes

      Thanks for this insight . Very valuable and will definitely work on it. One thing I figured is that bloggers are more responsive in the afternoon IST

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  3. Deepa Avatar
    Deepa

    I believe it is good to know a person behind the blog as it makes it easier to interact and connect with them. But I won’t say it is the most important thing. There are many other things like how much you interact with other bloggers and how active you are on social media websites.
    But definitely, the first step is to have a good about me page.

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    1. Bellybytes Avatar
      Bellybytes

      Thanks for this feedback. Truly appreciate this

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  4. kunal Avatar
    kunal

    Yes, revealing your identity improves blog traffic, though gradually.

    The reason is simple, people can know they are reading from some person and not a computer. If people know who you are and what kind of person you are, they are more likely to attach to you and that attachment will bring them to your blog to see what’s new.

    I have a blog and I never hide my identity. Instead, I always mention on every post to connect with me on my Facebook or Twitter profile if they need any kind of assistance.

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    1. Bellybytes Avatar
      Bellybytes

      Thanks for your inputs . Will give it a thought

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  5. Dahlia Avatar
    Dahlia

    A very valid question and if you find the answer do let me know :) Personally speaking I prefer to keep my professional identify and blog identity separate. I ventured into writing very late and i was more comfortable with my professional self and the ‘writer’ was a bit of a shocker. If I couldnt accept my alter ego would another accept it? Also, the anonymity gives me a sense of freedom to be and write without any baggage. And I am very apprehensive about having to be conform to set standards and norms. Oh darn it – have I deviated from the topic? As you can see I am of no help….

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    1. Bellybytes Avatar
      Bellybytes

      Actually you have hit the nail on the head. I too feel that anonymity is liberating and there is no point in revealing your identity unless you are a public figure / celebrity. Thanks for your advice . I will stick to being Bellybytes

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  6. arv Avatar
    arv

    It’s a very relevant post. Although most bloggers have their picture on blog along with name, some of us choose to differ….. reasons may be differ!

    I do think, having a picture makes a lot of difference. I realized this when few blogger pointed it out to me as my picture was more for branding. That’s when I changed it in gravatar.

    Also, what really matters is that your content needs to be good enough for bloggers to come and check it out. Also an important thing to note is branding!! what is associated with your blog? You certainly need to have a very clear branding.

    I do have lot to share, but I guess i’ll leave at this in your comment. Let me know if you would like to discuss it further. :)

    P.S. I find commenting on your blog problematic because I have to fill the entire form rather than just write comment while WP takes care of the rest! can you do something about it?

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    1. Bellybytes Avatar
      Bellybytes

      Thanks so much for this feedback. I definitely appreciate the time you’ve taken to give such detailed advice. I have no idea about the comment form. You mean the commentator has to fill up his details which should be auto fill? I don’t know how to do this but I will try and figure it out .
      And about the branding … that is an aspect I still don’t know how to go about ….
      Isnt my gravatar good enough?

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      1. arv Avatar
        arv

        I think yours is a premium wordpress account. In a normal circumstance while being logged in WP, I wouldn’t be required to fill in my name, emails and website but here I have to. Also, on WP mobile app, there is no option to comment. I can only like your post. So unless I use a comp I can’t comment!! I know it sounds technical, but then it makes a whole lot of difference. It’s like visiting your friend’s house but you got to pass through many gates…which sounds cumbersome!!

        I can help you out to resolve some issues, for that I need to revisit your blog site and note each….it’s a little homework but that’s necessary! send me a twitter or Fb message or email…whatever suits you, in case you need my help any further.

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      2. Bellybytes Avatar
        Bellybytes

        Thanks will definitely take you up on this

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  7. Amrita Basu (Misra) Avatar
    Amrita Basu (Misra)

    Yes please .But only if ypu want to improve ypur traffic. Otherwise it doesn’t matter.Be very sure why you want traffic and why it matters .I would love to see the face behind the blog ?

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  8. Shivi Avatar
    Shivi

    I think, know the person behind the writing helps to understand better .I don’t know whether it will increase the traffic,as I am new to blogging, but definitely helps to make a personalised connection between the author and reader.

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    1. Bellybytes Avatar
      Bellybytes

      Thanks so much for your insight. I will definitely think about personalising my posts rather than just revealing my identity

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  9. Vishal Bheeroo Avatar
    Vishal Bheeroo

    This year my hits have dwindled by half. I feel it’s a blessing in disguise since hits were making me sacrificing content. It gets tricky and what matters is content not hits. I came to this realization. Just my honest feedback. I am not qualified to speak on this but feel hits are so overrated.

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    1. Bellybytes Avatar
      Bellybytes

      Thanks Vishal for your honest opinion. I think I was losing sight and getting tangled in my own web. You have given me a new perspective.

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  10. Shilpa Gupte Avatar
    Shilpa Gupte

    Sunita, I haven’t read any of the above comments, but from my personal experience, I really don’t think revealing much about yourself on your blog will affect the traffic to your blog. I tried it…nothing happened. I don’t have many visitors to my blog, just the ones I visit and some more regular ones – my blogger friends, my old school friends who know that I blog and some of my family members. So, there you go!
    I, too, worry why my blog doesn’t get as many visitors as the others. But, I think we can do something about it. We need to visit as many blogs as we can so we will have those bloggers visiting us and sharing our blogposts in return. Then again, it’s better to do it without any expectations. Apart from that, I share my posts to as many blogging sites as possible and then move on to the next post! :D
    Please don’t feel too bad about it, sweetie…You aren’t alone…I am here. <3
    Love and hugs!

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    1. Bellybytes Avatar
      Bellybytes

      Oh it’s heartening to know that I’m not the only one . I am trying to be more zen like and doing things because I like them and without expectations . But I’m only human and a long way from being a karmayogi :(

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      1. Shilpa Gupte Avatar
        Shilpa Gupte

        That’s okay, my dear! None of us here are perfect, except a rare few. We all have those seven deadly sins working their magic on our minds and that’s why we crave for the things we do!
        So, just chill…and when you can’t, then rant about it on your blog! You will feel relieved! :D

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      2. Bellybytes Avatar
        Bellybytes

        From the general consensus it seems that revealing your identity has little or no effect on your blog traffic. So I’ll continue to portray myself as three little gerberas and revel in the anonymity of being Bellybytes. I’m also going to stop obsessing about the numbers and just blog on regardless.. Thanks for your support!

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  11. SHALINI BAISIWALA Avatar
    SHALINI BAISIWALA

    Yes pls stop obssessing about numbers- its just not worth it! Write form your heart and you will put more of yourself into the content.

    It is nice to know the face behind the blog – that is a given for most of us as Virtual world can be very scary!

    Bottomline – what you put out there is going to be viewed and judged by countless others who have an opinion or view totally different from yours and each others – so there is no alogarithm to define how many hit are generated by what aspect of your blog.

    From my experience I think I have learnt to just write from the heart but also have an open communication with bloggers whose work you respect/admire and just be a little out there.

    Cheers

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    1. Bellybytes Avatar
      Bellybytes

      Thanks once again for your feedback. Will definitely try to write from my heart rather than write for the sake of writing.

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  12. Solomon Avatar
    Solomon

    Theгe’s definately a lot to find out about thіs subject.
    I really like all of the points you’ve made.

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    Super Boost Wifi Review

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