Hi everyone,
On January 1, 2025, I started my first blog using WordPress.org, writing in Italian for my Italian audience. I began with 7 posts and by the end of January, I had 15. Normally, I plan to publish 6 to 8 posts each month while managing other responsibilities. My blog focuses on travel, and I’ve been learning about SEO with a free keyword research tool.
January Game Plan
For my first month, I aimed to publish as much content as I could to grow my site. I also have a YouTube channel and an Instagram account, both small (35 subscribers on YouTube, 344 followers on Instagram), that I plan to use for promoting my blog, even though I haven’t done much promotion yet.
I also:
Submitted my URLs to Bing for indexing (so far, only 3 have been indexed).
Applied for Google AdSense (still waiting for approval).
Joined an affiliate program for a travel insurance company.
February Game Plan
In February, I hope to:
Publish at least 8 posts.
Start using Pinterest as a beginner.
Promote more on Instagram and YouTube.
Apply for CJ and Booking affiliate programs.
January Results
Out of the 15 posts I published, 3 did really well and brought in almost all the traffic:
Two posts were seasonal about snowy mountain hikes, so I expect their traffic to drop soon.
One is a guide for a very popular hike, and apparently, no one wrote about it before.
The other posts, like those about Japan, have high competition, so I anticipated low traffic.
Google Search Console Data (01/01 - 31/01):
Total Clicks: 176
Impressions: 2,580
CTR: 6.8%
Average Position: 40.1
Google Analytics Data (01/01 - 31/01):
Active Users: 151
Pageviews: 640
Sessions: 446
What do you think? Am I doing anything wrong? Should I change my strategy or keep going? Are these results okay?
Nice work, you’re off to a great start with your planning! I wish you all the best .
I’m thinking about starting my own blog this month in the tech category. How do you come up with ideas for your posts? Are they random or planned? What tools do you recommend for a newbie like me
@Levi
Hi! Thank you! Since my blog is about travel, I write about trips and excursions I’ve taken, itineraries, places to stay, where to eat, and all things travel. Instagram reels, though, are a struggle for me. As for tools, I’m not sure what to suggest. I’m a developer but quite new to WordPress, SEO, and blogging, so I can’t help much there, sorry!
You’re off to a fantastic start! Keeping a consistent schedule and using different platforms is a great plan. Your Google Search Console stats show good engagement with a 6.8% CTR. Focus on low-competition keywords, and Pinterest can really help with travel blogs. Keep it up!
trixiebecky said: @Franky
Yes, the three best posts made it to the first page for low-traffic keywords. They were indexed quickly and hit the first page this month.
That’s awesome I want to ask you some questions like this too. Can you DM me? I am starting my blog and need help.