Well, it’s about time I did a state of the blog address. The best way to determine how a web site is doing, is by looking at the stats. No matter how you look at it, Access Niagara and the Niagara Falls Blog are growing well.
First, here are the stats (as of the end of April 2008):
Traffic
- Jan 2007 – 3,410
- Jan 2008 – 9,595 (up 181%)
- Feb 2007 – 3,359
- Feb 2008 – 11,171 (up 232%)
- Mar 2007 – 3,772
- Mar 2008 – 13,618 (up 261%)
- Apr 2007 – 2,336
- Apr 2008 – 12,638 (up 441%)
- Total traffic (unique visitors) for Jan – Apr 2007 – 12,877
- Total traffic (unique visitors) for Jan – Apr 2008 – 47,022 (up 265%)
Total Posts
- Jan-07 – 37
- Jan-08 — 66
- Feb-07 – 49
- Feb-08 — 80
- Mar-07 – 69
- Mar-08 — 67
- Apr-07 – 58
- Apr-08 — 70
- Total posts for Jan – Apr 2007 – 213
- Total posts for Jan – Apr 2008 – 283
- Month with most postings ever – 87 in August 2007
Comments
- Total comments for Jan – Apr 2007 – 419 Comments
- Total comments for Jan – Apr 2008 – 1,017 Comments
- Total number of comments — 3,602
Top 5 commented posts
- No longer “Marvel”-ous? – 70 comments
- Fight at casino club – 45 comments
- 20 floors and counting at the Hilton – 42 comments
- Niagara Falls Question: What is the biggest eyesore next to the Falls? – 32 comments
- Holiday spirit on trial – 31 comments
Top 3 categories
- Niagara Falls News (849 posts)
- Niagara Falls Attractions (485 posts)
- Niagara Falls Hotels (337 posts)
Niagara Falls Image Gallery
- Total number of pictures in Niagara Falls Image Gallery – 2,320
Link Tracking (link visiting)
- Total number of tracked links (all time) — 1,399
- Total number of click-throughs (all time) — 92,548
Top 5 clicked links
- Another Fight On Clifton Hill Niagara Falls — 1,470 clicks
- Clifton Hill official web site – 878 clicks
- YouTube – Niagara Falls Fireworks for Pizza Pizza’s 40th Anniversary – 870 clicks
- Niagara SkyWheel official web site – 834 clicks
- Great Wolf Lodge Niagara falls – 817 clicks
YouTube Videos
- Total number of YouTube video views – 22 videos, 30,594 views
Top 5 YouTube Videos
- Marineland Canada Topple Tower — 8,466
- Great Wolf Lodge Niagara Falls Bear Track Landing Waterpark — 4,930
- Orca Whale Splash Show at Marineland Canada — 3,541
- Great Wolf Lodge Niagara Falls Bear Track Landing Wave Pool — 2,681
- Jay Cochrane’s Skywalk — 2,300
Now, what does all this mean?
The site is doing great. Obviously the site is drawing in more people than before. The publicity from the Niagara This Week article and the interview on 610 CKTB helped, but not as much as I’d hoped.
I guess I always come back to the question of where do I want this to go? I guess I don’t really know. I supposed ultimately if I could make hundreds of thousands of dollars from the site I’d quit my “day job†and do this full time, but that isn’t going to happen. All I can say is that I want the site to keep growing. I need to keep coming up with good content. I need to keep posting pictures and videos. I certainly need to get moving on the main part of the site (not just the blog).
I have things to do, but you have things to do as well. I need your help! I’m not a marketing guy. I’m having a hard time getting the word about the site. If you know anyone from radio, newspaper, or TV in your area, mention the site and suggest that they feature it. If you have a web site of your own, link to me. If you come to Niagara Falls, let the various operators know that you read about their attraction/hotel/restaurant on Access Niagara or the Niagara Falls Blog. If you’ve been lurking around but haven’t been leaving any comments, please join in! If you have things to say or have found something out, email me and I’ll post what I can.
Thank you all for your help. I look forward to more exciting times ahead!