I got this wonderful idea from Colene Murphy‘s post last Friday. I’ve always wondered how new people find my blog. And what d’ya know, Google Analytics (which I set up on my account ages ago) can tell me exactly what people typed into their search engines to get to me. (I forgot I could do this. I never check my stats.)
It seems most of my random traffic comes from people Googling my name (there are several Jennifer Hilliers I know of), or Googling Simon & Schuster (but interestingly, not my imprint, Gallery Books), or Googling my agent’s name.
But mixed in with the obvious is the unexpected, so without further ado, may I present a list of The Most Interesting Keywords/Phrases That Might Have Led You To My Blog:
10. “top ten biggest fears”
Yikes. Do I talk about fear a lot?
9. “just kill me”
I feel you, buddy. You must be a writer in Query Hell or on submission, or just totally hating your WIP.
8. “leather pants”
Whatever you were searching for, I’m sure it wasn’t my discovery that cameltoe is one word.
7. “pet peeves”
Um, so, yeah. Guess I do have a lot of pet peeves. Listed here, here, and here.
6. “the monster you should smell like”
You would have found this post where Grover mimics the Old Spice Guy. I heart Grover! And I heart the Old Spice Guy!
5. “things that bug me about bloggers”
Dude. That’s mean. Bloggers are lovely people. Usually.
4. “how about a little nookie?”
So? How about it?
Kidding. Though I’m sure you were disappointed when you clicked on this really old post only to find me pondering a purchase of a Barnes & Noble Nook. BORING.
3. “art of compartmentalizing”
Ah, this post. Can’t remember what I was bitching about, but I’m still working on that whole compartmentalization thing.
2. “porno jenny”
Um, nobody’s supposed to know about my nickname.
Kidding.
Maybe.
1. “what stage is after the first draft?”
I’m so glad you Googled this, because it’s a little-known secret that what comes after the first draft is the FOURTH draft. There is no second or third. Yes, it’s just as you suspected!
Do you know how people find you?
What a fascinating question. I truly have no clue how people find me. I think the ghost of Mark Twain tricks them onto my site. Have a great mid-week, Roland
I never looked to see. I just figured people found me through comments I leave at other blogs. I found you through comments, after all 🙂
Blogger has this new stat thing – which isn't nearly as good as Google Analytics, but it's quicker. According to it, the all-time top phrases people use to find me are: 'authors and their agents', 'the end is near', and 'can't do attitude'. Whether they're drive by visitors or they actually stay is anyone's guess.
I don't remember how I found you. Or even whether you found me first and I jumped back through your comments. Either way, I'm glad. =o)
Huh. My Google Analytics is broken. But I checked the top five on the Blogger Stats:
Number one and number two by far are combitube and combitubes, all relating from one post I made comparing an EMT device (the combitube) to writing. It probably helps that I included a picture. But I also doubt any of those folks have stuck around.
Number three is nevets qst, which is pretty cool because the absolute only reason someone would search that combination that I can think of is that they were trying to get back to my blog or my web page. Woohoo!
Fourth is "blue october" or "octobre bleu" or "blue azul". That shows some pay-off from a little thing I've done a few times, "soundtrack for writing the post provided by… [band name]." But that's random traffic and I'm not sure anyone who got there would have stuck around to read.
And fifth: writejunk. Yep. That says it all.
I remember that one person found my site from typing in 'voltare pots'. 😀
Haha, so random! I love the last two especially 🙂 It's amazing what people look for sometimes.
Hahahaha!! Love it!! I'm so glad you did this, Porno Jenny! (oh yea…I'm using it until I forget. Which…probably wont take too long…)
#2 is hysterical. I don't know how people find me.
Oh my God, I can't believe number two!
I have a little something for you over at my blog.
LOL – these always crack me up. Porno Jenny is particularly intriguing, as is "the monster you should smell like". That just conjures all kinds of ideas.
There were several laugh out loud moments here, well done. Here are some recent searches which lead to my blog: "how to write a pathetic but endearing character", "odd resolutions for 2011", and my favorite, "the catcher in the rye holden doing unusual things".
LOL. Those are some interesting words!
I've never really thought about how people find my blog.
When I was setting up the site for Paws and Learn, I was tagging pages for search engines…I kept trying to come up with misleading things that would bring people to the site. I mean, a female dog is technically a "bitch" and some people do call cats "pussy", right? I'm sure using YOUR imagination Jenny you could come up with some killer porno titles…But imagine how disappointed some guy would be after typing those two words into a search engine to get an animal education website…Or maybe he wouldn't be, which is disturbing on a whole other level. That was way off topic, but that's what this post made me think of. I can't remember how I got here (and you're probably sorry that I did now), but you caught me with your humor and fabulouso writing and I've never left!
I love checking out the Google searches that land people on my blog. My all-time favorite is: "got drunk and told my husband I lived as a lesbian." How that got them anywhere near my blog will forever remain a mystery.
I am blissfully ignorant and do my level best to maintain that status.
I think people track me down from other blogs, things like comments & blogfests. I don't see many hits from search engines, but the most recent one was "The Ministry of Crap Design".
I think people are usually looking for writing competitions (I post details about a lot of those) but I'm going to go and check my stats in case I find something a bit more unusual.
I don't remember how I found your blog, but I'm sure glad I did! It might have had something to do with the queries you posted once upon a time…
Most folks stumble across mine due to links to magazines I'm submitting to — and the random titles I give my posts. Very little to do with actual content, apparently.
I just followed the road signs that said MYSTERY WRITER THIS WAY. 🙂
This is hilarious and awesome! I have to go check mine out…