A lot of you could have seen that our weblog has actually modified up to now yr and this week we’re going to share every part about why we’ve made some pivots and the way we started rising our web site site visitors after 10 YEARS of not rising. This episode is each actually enterprise oriented and actually private to us as people. We’re undoubtedly spilling all of the tea for ABM.
Yow will discover the podcast posts archive right here.
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Present Notes:
Use code ABM for 10% off Cooking with Key phrases and Running a blog with Key phrases
The most important progress eras for ABM
- Early running a blog (something labored!)
- 10 years in the past we have been doing three weblog posts a day
- The previous six months targeted on key phrases
Try our craft posts on childhoodmagic.com
Why is your weblog altering?
- We care what you suppose & we love you!
- We’re altering people (household, priorities, pursuits).
- It’s so exhausting to work laborious with out progress. It’s dangerous for morale.
- The complete trade has modified within the 15+ years we’ve got been running a blog.
- We have to safe a sustainable revenue.
Why are you posting so many recipes?
- It really works! Our site visitors is nearly double what it was final yr at the moment.
- We’re good at it. It’s Emma’s major ardour and Elsie is having fun with it too.
- It’s sustainable.
Try julieblanner.com
Why aren’t you posting a lot on Instagram?
- With much less sponsors, we’ve got much less $ incentive.
- With a smaller workforce, we are able to’t give 100% to our web site and create movies for social, so we selected our web site.
What are your objectives for ABM (aka I don’t get it)?
- Prime degree—to have a versatile schedule that serves our household life.
- To get pleasure from our work.
- To create passive revenue for the longer term
How we grew our weblog after 10 years of not rising
- Cooking with Key phrases & Running a blog with Key phrases
- Writing our weblog posts based mostly on key phrase lists as an alternative of random concepts.
- It’s not solely recipes, we even have a sequence on vegetation. This yr, we shall be doing paint colours, nail artwork and crafts.
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Episode 216 Transcript:
Elsie: You’re listening to the A Lovely Mess Podcast. A lot of you could have seen that our weblog has actually modified up to now yr. And this week we’re going to share every part about why we’ve made some pivots and the way we’ve begun rising our web site site visitors after 10 years of not rising. This episode is each actually business-oriented and likewise actually private to us as people. So we’re undoubtedly spilling all of the tea. I’m so excited.
Emma: Yeah. I really feel like we’ve gotten quite a few feedback on the weblog or different locations too, the place persons are like, so what’s up? It appears totally different. Or they’re possibly slightly bit low-key or high-key complaining about how they don’t like no matter content material we’re doing or no matter, they need extra crafts or no matter it’s they’re lacking, you already know, various things for various commenters, however yeah, it’s enjoyable to speak about.
Elsie: Yeah, I’m excited. So we’re going to attempt to reply all of your questions. So only a preview of what we’re answering within the episode. We’ve had a variety of like confused slash not comfortable feedback from individuals who simply wish to know the next questions. Why is your weblog altering? Why are you posting extra recipe posts? Why aren’t you posting as a lot on Instagram proper now? And what are the objectives for A Lovely Mess? A. Okay. A. I don’t get what your technique is.
Emma: I don’t get what you’re doing.
Elsie: So we are going to reply all of that. However first, I’ve been ready for this all yr. This is sort of a massive second for me as a mum or dad, and I feel you’re all gonna find it irresistible.
Emma: It’s an enormous second for me as an aunt. I’m excited too.
Elsie: Okay, so I’m simply gonna flip it over to Nova proper now. That is her first yr to be a Woman Scout, and that is her first time ever to promote Woman Scout cookies, so I’m simply gonna flip it over to her and let her inform you about it.
Nova: Hello, I’m Nova, and I’m promoting Woman Scout Cookies. After this my mother’s gonna inform you find out how to get on there and get the Woman Scout cookies, however first, I simply wish to inform you that there’s a variety of sorts. You’re welcome to take your time to choose, and I hope you should buy them as a result of it’ll actually assist my Woman Scout troop. Oh, additionally, I hope you like the cookies, too. Thanks.
Elsie: And sure, if anybody needs to purchase Woman Scout Cookies, they are going to be linked at present within the present notes. Nova has her personal cookie retailer, and I’ll hyperlink them in every single place. All proper, say thanks.
Nova: Thanks, and I, once more, I hope you just like the cookies.
Elsie: Okay, so thanks to everybody for supporting the cookies. Clearly, like, don’t purchase them since you really feel dangerous, don’t really feel pressured, however simply, in case you love them, in case you’re like me, and also you simply, like, eat all of them winter lengthy out of your freezer, then go for it.
Emma: That’s me! 4 months pregnant, my cute niece is promoting cookies. Yeah, you higher consider my freezer is gonna be full of those cookies as quickly as they arrive within the mail.
Elsie: It’s very particular. She set a excessive purpose. She set form of a excessive purpose. So I attempted to speak her down. Yeah. She first stated she needed to promote a thousand containers and I talked her all the way down to 250 containers, which I feel remains to be an enormous purpose.
Emma: I feel that’s a terrific purpose.
Elsie: I’ve by no means accomplished it. So I don’t know the way aggressive that’s, however we’ll discover out. And yeah, thanks to everybody who helps it. It means quite a bit to us. I do know it’ll in all probability principally be our podcast listeners and that’s very significant.
Emma: And me.
Elsie: Sure. And also you. Oh my gosh, that’s cute. Okay, we’re gonna get into it. I’m so enthusiastic about this episode. I’ve been trying ahead to this for months as a result of yeah, like we stated, we’ve got had a number of individuals simply checking in, asking questions. And I’m saying, have I missed an announcement? And undoubtedly, you didn’t miss something. We’ve simply been working behind the scenes for greater than two years now to enhance our web site site visitors, which is how we earn cash and a bunch of different issues surrounding it. So at first, I needed to speak about like our greatest progress areas for A Lovely Mess as a result of I feel a variety of it’s like understanding blogs typically. If you happen to’ve by no means had your individual web site otherwise you’ve by no means accomplished it professionally, then you definitely would possibly not likely even perceive how web sites earn cash. I’m certain you want, no, there’s the annoying pop-up adverts. And that’s a method that web sites earn cash. These are the most important progress errors that we’ve got ever had via an exquisite mess. So early running a blog, we’ve been running a blog for greater than 15 years. So early running a blog, I’d say, is something over 10 years in the past, like the primary 5 years.
Emma: So there actually wasn’t a variety of social media again then.
Elsie: Yeah, nearly none.
Emma: Journey again in time with us and suppose again 10 years. It’s simply principally running a blog. In order that was actually the place progress was and likewise how you’ll monetize.
Elsie: Yeah. Social media at the moment was like Fb and MySpace even, and Twitter had simply been invented. And we hadn’t even heard of Instagram but. We have been simply getting our first iPhones, you already know, we have been simply getting our first filter apps. Every little thing was altering. So, within the early days of running a blog, I’ll simply say something labored. The extra you publish, the higher. So we discovered in a short time that it wasn’t what we posted, it was the frequency that we posted. So it was important to publish on daily basis. And a variety of the posts that we might put up have been similar to form of a life-style journal about our day. And you need to bear in mind this was earlier than Instagram. So it made much more sense again then why we might share what motion pictures we watched or we had a variety of like footage of Emma and me getting espresso collectively, which was like clearly staged, but it surely’s one thing that we labored to get, but it surely was additionally like form of simple. It was like, all we’ve got to do is take some footage.
Emma: We did really drink the espresso, so it wasn’t completely staged.
Elsie: We at all times went to eating places the place we actually needed to go. And yeah, but it surely was a variety of strain to share, I’d say at the moment, probably the most requested factor that folks needed was simply to listen to about our lives, and see our lives, so a variety of issues we might speak about have been form of random. I feel that was a terrific introduction to running a blog. It, you already know, it undoubtedly wasn’t strategic, but it surely was form of I feel how our weblog turned so well-rounded is that we tried so many various issues. So we’ve at all times had recipes as a result of that’s Emma’s greatest ardour, however we additionally had, as we purchased our first homes, we began doing like dwelling DIYs and little decor updates.
Emma: We shared our marriage ceremony.
Elsie: Yeah. We shared our weddings. We shared outfit posts for a very long time, in all probability greater than 5 years.
Emma: Initially we shared quite a bit about our retailer. We had a neighborhood retailer, and that was an enormous a part of what our weblog was within the early days. It was form of selling what we have been doing there and form of simply exhibiting it. It wasn’t even essentially advertising and marketing in that it didn’t translate into gross sales within the retailer per se, however typically it did, I suppose.
Elsie: Yeah. In order quickly as we began to understand that we may promote adverts on our weblog, and we have been promoting them ourselves individually to small retailers, I feel there was like Google Adsense already, but it surely was like very low incomes, you already know, it wasn’t form of something at the moment. So we realized that the extra continuously we posted, the extra site visitors that our web site would obtain, which was interesting to the individuals we have been promoting adverts to. After which we quickly after that began doing sponsored posts, which additionally to them, you already know, they might at all times wish to see like what our site visitors was. So our greatest motivator in these years was simply having a variety of posts. So all of our posts have been very quick. Relative to how they’re now, they have been in all probability like 25 p.c as lengthy, like a recipe could be like simply the recipe, and like a paragraph about what we thought of it. That was how we have been in a position to publish 3 times a day, was just about writing the shortest, best publish, and there have been undoubtedly ones in there that took extra time and have been extra complicated, however a variety of them have been simple issues to do, like 10 methods I blah, blah, blah. You realize what I imply? Issues like that.
Emma: Yeah. This may change into related later, however simply my very own little private running a blog journey. A lot of you could have in all probability been weblog readers for very lengthy, however I do know a few of you haven’t. Elsie and I used to weblog individually, however A Lovely Mess was initially simply Elsie’s weblog. And I form of helped her with behind-the-scenes stuff, like promoting adverts and issues. And I had my very own weblog, which was initially referred to as From Scratch, after which I renamed it Meals Coma.
Elsie: These are each nice names, by the best way.
Emma: Thanks. Yeah. And so they have been each meals blogs. I initially obtained into running a blog as a result of I beloved meals. Meals blogs. I used to be studying a number of different meals blogs on the time. A few of my favorites means again within the day and nonetheless to this present day are Smitten Kitchen and Pleasure the Baker. Yeah, so I used to be stepping into cooking and I additionally obtained actually captivated with meals pictures. I’ve at all times beloved pictures. I’ve accomplished it since highschool. However I didn’t actually ever get into meals pictures till meals running a blog, it simply made it obligatory. But additionally I simply began taking a look at much more meals footage. And in order that was a variety of the place my inventive ardour was in running a blog initially. After which after I joined Elsie, we simply labored with the methods that labored finest for the location, which was enjoyable.
Elsie: Yeah. And I’ll say, I feel I’ve gotten higher over time, however I used to be a really controlling little 25-year-old.
Emma: She’s obtained a variety of concepts.
Elsie: We are able to have meals, but it surely needs to be cute. Every little thing is cute. And I used to be similar to obsessive about every part being cute.
Emma: You’re proper, really she’s an actual bitch.
Elsie: I imply, I might be, I might be, let’s be trustworthy. So anyway, 10 years in the past, so we’re, give this 2014 ish, we have been in our three posts-a-day content material machine period, I feel the best we ever obtained was round 4 and a half million web page views a month, which is quite a bit for an internet site like ours.
Emma: Yeah, I feel so.
Elsie: It was our peak. We began to get a number of sponsors at the moment. We obtained these year-long campaigns, like with Canon, who we ended up doing year-long campaigns with for greater than 10 years. So it was like an excellent period. It was when our enterprise grew quite a bit.
Emma: I nonetheless use my Canon Proof each week.
Elsie: Oh, I do too. I find it irresistible. No, I’m IP 8720 for all times. They’re not sponsoring us anymore, however we’re loyalists for certain. No, it was a enjoyable time. It was the time after we began running a blog out of my dwelling as our workplace, after which we shortly realized that was a nasty thought, after which we obtained slightly, one other dwelling, which we realized was a nasty thought when our neighbors began reporting us.
Emma: We didn’t find out about zoning. We have been younger. We have been idealists.
Elsie: I don’t know the way we discovered this out. I feel they stated it. We had form of a variety of workers and we had like a really, like, three or 4 males after which three or 4 girls. Like, it wasn’t simply all girls. However anyway, they thought that we have been possibly having some form of like a porn content material. I don’t know the place the concept got here from, I’d like to know as a result of we wish to go exterior and take footage of ourselves, however they weren’t, like, they have been foolish footage.
Emma: I’m actually flattered by that assumption.
Elsie: Me too! Goodness. That’s the edgiest we ever have been and it wasn’t even actual. Anyway, so yeah, throughout that period, we have been seeing simply how a lot we may develop. And I shall be trustworthy, it was principally about like the amount and the numbers. We weren’t as cautious about like posting like a protracted, thorough article. Like that’s not one thing that may have been on our radar in these days.
Emma: I feel we have been leaned much more into like. No matter we have been captivated with no matter was sparking our creativity and never a lot making an attempt to be a useful resource to others. Not that we didn’t need different individuals to learn it, we simply have been extra entertaining than we have been educating, I’d say.
Elsie: Yeah. And I feel I additionally didn’t precisely know what different individuals needed to seek for or needed at the moment. I feel I used to be beneath the impression, which typically I feel proved true in these days that it was like, in case you share what you’re into, then that’s the factor you’ll be finest out and that’s probably the most genuine.
Emma: That in all probability is true. That works for you’ll be most genuine, and that’s in all probability true.
Elsie: Yeah. So, 2014 rolls by, and we hit our peak, after which our site visitors began to go down, and never so coincidentally, it was at the very same time that our Instagram began to go up. So, social media started to take off. And we really made it in A Lovely Mess, social media, and it began to develop wildly. However on the identical time, our weblog site visitors began to go down, and it wasn’t abruptly, however I’d say it was fairly substantial and fairly noticeable. And for a few years, possibly very drastic, after which it simply form of was stagnant for 10 straight years, the previous 10 years, our weblog site visitors has by no means considerably gone up and it’s by no means considerably gone down.
Emma: Yeah, we’ve had just a few viral issues. And I’d additionally say 2020 was slightly bit greater site visitors of a yr, I feel because of extra individuals being dwelling and being on-line, however not in a, you already know, massively important numbers means. However simply in case you checked out a chart, which I did not too long ago as we have been making ready for this episode. I used to be like, Oh, okay. It went up slightly bit in 2020. Effectively, that is smart given what was taking place on this planet that yr. So yeah, didn’t actually have a lot to do with us, I assume, is what I’m saying so far as our content material.
Elsie: Undoubtedly didn’t meet, ’trigger I bear in mind I barely blogged that yr in any respect. I’ve two younger youngsters at dwelling. Survival mode.
Emma: I feel it was a tricky yr.
Elsie: After which after that, our subsequent greatest progress period ever is the previous six months. Even just like the previous three or 4 months. We’ve lastly, we’ve been working for 2 years on this key phrase analysis methodology of running a blog and making an attempt to enhance our site visitors and making an attempt to be extra strategic and extra deliberate, and up to now few months, it has lastly considerably risen our site visitors. So our purpose at first was to double our site visitors and it’s like form of shut now I feel we’ll be there this yr. It’s been an especially encouraging factor for us after so a few years of not rising, that for a character sort like mine, that’s extraordinarily draining and it took a variety of perseverance to simply not care and never let that be discouraging.
Emma: Yeah, it’s laborious to work at one thing that you just really feel such as you’re dangerous at on a regular basis. That’s a irritating feeling for certain. And on my finish, you already know, a part of my function is to maintain our firm financially wholesome. And so I’ve been spending the previous few years fearful and looking for methods to save cash or minimize prices and, you already know, do it in applicable good methods, which is basically laborious to do when you need to do it on a regular basis. You get to the place your online business is a skeleton and when it was a full particular person, it’s form of unhappy.
Elsie: Yeah, sometime we may do a complete episode about what it’s prefer to run a profitable enterprise that’s declining. It’s profitable and declining on the identical time. That has been, like, our state of affairs.
Emma: Do you wish to hear one thing miserable?
Elsie: It’s not the story you at all times hear about, although, as a result of a variety of instances it’s like once you understand it’s not profitable, or once you understand you should stop form of on the identical time, we’ve recognized it’s not value quitting, but it surely’s additionally not, you already know, it’s rising for a very long time. It was simply form of like, I don’t know, stagnant issues are actually laborious for me to simply accept. So this has been like probably the most energizing change of occasions potential. So yeah, I feel that’s one thing I actually needed to share on this episode is that this has been so good for our morale. And similar to our spirit as inventive individuals and bloggers, it’s been life-changing. Okay. So the following query we wish to handle is why is your weblog altering. Why? Why? Why? We’ve had so many questions and I perceive like I wish to say like up entrance we care about you, we love you. Our readers imply quite a bit to us particularly when individuals say like I’ve adopted you since they usually’ll say a milestone like your marriage ceremony or the store days or you already know any of these instances, it means greater than 10 years, and it means quite a bit to us that folks have been with us via all these totally different eras, you already know, we’re not the identical individuals we have been after we began running a blog and meaning we’ve form of grown up collectively, which is a very particular factor. So, yeah, I wish to begin out by first, making it so clear that after we get these questions and feedback, I take it actually significantly. Actually, it does harm. It hurts as a result of we care about pleasing the individuals who have supported us our whole careers.
Emma: Yeah, in fact. I imply, I don’t know, you’d should be a fairly dangerous bitch to not, and I take into account myself fairly cold-hearted. However no, they matter quite a bit and we’ve got to outlive. We’ve to do what’s working. We’ve to concentrate to our backside line. We’ve to do what excites us, and is significant to us as creatives and as enterprise individuals. And typically, not at all times, however at the least within the final couple of years, or at the least this yr, I really feel like for a few of our viewers, these two issues are in opposition and it’s a bummer and it bums us out, however you already know, we form of should do what we really feel is the very best transfer for us.
Elsie: One purpose is that we’re altering people. Somebody despatched me this like, form of, I feel they meant it as a very candy factor on Instagram that was like, a variety of girls was like, principally like a workaholic and like your online business was every part and you place it first and then you definitely turned a mum or dad and now you place your loved ones first and also you simply can’t return to being that different particular person ever once more. That’s true. I didn’t know what to make of it after I acquired it, however I used to be like, I see that you just’re making an attempt to grasp, you already know, the place we’re coming from. Which is good. Our household, yeah it’s a very powerful factor in our lives for certain. And an enormous a part of that’s making a sustainable, lifelike enterprise that we are able to do in these for me, it’s like not even a full work day, you already know, like I’ve from 7 am. until 2 pm. on daily basis to do every part that I do for my enterprise. And yeah, I work slightly bit on nights and weekends sometimes, however for probably the most half, I stick to that schedule. And when my youngsters have a sick day, every week off faculty, the longest Christmas break ever, your entire summer season dwelling, that additionally modifications, like, how a lot I’m in a position to work. So, yeah, that has extraordinarily modified the best way we take into consideration, like, how we prioritize our web site. Another excuse is our pursuits have modified, and I feel this one is likely to be, laborious to listen to, however I do wish to be trustworthy about it. I’m bored with DIYing. I’ll simply say it. I’m bored with my home at all times being a development zone. This yr we’re taking a compulsory yr off from renovating, and we’re barely doing something to our home.
Emma: Yeah, I additionally like, nonetheless actually love crafts, however I don’t have as a lot time to do them as I used to, and a variety of the crafts I do proper now, like a variety of simply the place my thoughts is at, is on my two and a half-year-old. And I’ll have one other toddler this summer season, and so like, little issues after some time that he can do too.
Elsie: She’s within the handprint artwork zone, yeah.
Emma: And I find it irresistible, by the best way, and it’s additionally a really particular period, and I don’t actually wish to miss it. And that stuff goes on childhoodmagic.com. So in case you don’t learn that web site, you in all probability don’t see that we’re really nonetheless doing form of a variety of craft content material. At the least I did a ton final yr. However, you already know, so a variety of instances we see a variety of feedback on Lovely Mess that’s like, the place’s all of the crafts? And I wish to be like, nicely, it’s on this different web site, as a result of proper now I’m doing a variety of stuff that’s like, geared in direction of my household and youngsters. That’s simply the place my mind is. It’s the place my creativity is correct now.
Elsie: Okay, one other factor that I wish to speak about is how laborious it’s to undergo a flop period. I discussed this slightly bit earlier than, however for the previous few years, we’ve got been utilizing the time period flop period quite a bit. I do know we’ve stated it on the podcast earlier than, however we stated it much more internally to one another. We knew we have been in our flop period. You realize, we’ll discuss extra about our state of affairs with sponsors and stuff slightly additional down, however like we form of stopped getting sponsors. It wasn’t sudden, but it surely was, it was substantial. And we’ve got been making an attempt to develop our web site site visitors for greater than two years. We invested a variety of money and time retraining ourselves. Studying only a ton of stuff, like, to enhance and do higher, and it took a very long time of trial and error earlier than that began, like, kicking in and having optimistic results. So, yeah, I form of need you to simply, like, if there’s one factor you may have compassion for us as people on, is knowing that, like, it’s so discouraging to work actually laborious on an internet site. That’s not rising the place your efforts will not be rewarded. So discovering one thing that rewarded our efforts was crucial to us.
Emma: It will get further laborious once you’re like, I’m away from my child all day in order that I can work on this factor that I’m doing dangerous at, or that isn’t having any measurable outcomes from, you already know, that’s laborious to make.
Elsie: You may’t put your child in daycare all day and work on one thing that you just really feel isn’t incomes cash. Like, it simply doesn’t actually make sense.
Emma: Yeah, not for me anyway. Perhaps another person may and that’s wonderful to every their very own on the alternatives, however not for me. I simply couldn’t. That simply makes me too unhappy.
Elsie: No, I imply, I feel actually, like we’re doing a enterprise episode. I can actually say I really like incomes cash. I’m motivated by cash.
Emma: In enterprise, sure.
Elsie: I’m working to help my household. There’s nothing improper with that. I feel as girls, we really feel like typically we’ve got to attenuate that or that folks will form of like a decide. And it’s like, why? You realize what I imply? I feel that the time for that’s means up to now and we are able to admit that we get pleasure from incomes cash and that we’re motivated by it, you already know, like no massive deal.
Emma: Oh yeah. I imply, for work particularly, you already know, like I’ve hobbies that don’t make any cash and I get pleasure from these too. However I don’t put my son in full-time daycare to do them. If somebody chooses to, that’s their selection. However for me, I wouldn’t really feel nice about that. Simply my very own decisions in my very own life.
Elsie: One other massive factor is that your entire running a blog trade has modified a lot in 15 years. That’s one purpose why our weblog has modified additionally. There’s simply a variety of content material that may do higher and makes extra sense to placed on social media. And, you already know, if we have been an individual who needed to do full-time social media and full-time running a blog. We might put various kinds of content material on each of these locations as a result of various kinds of content material do nicely in each of these locations. In order that’s actually why there’s a variety of issues I feel individuals need us to jot down our weblog like we did, you already know, greater than 10 years in the past, pre-social media. And that’s similar to, it doesn’t actually make sense anymore.
Emma: No, we must always try this on Instagram if we have been gonna do it.
Elsie: Yeah. Certainly one of my favourite issues on Instagram is to do these little Q&As and simply, like, have this little chatty time now and again on the weekends, and that’s so enjoyable, but it surely’s not one thing that is smart to do on the weblog anymore. It is mindless.
Emma: No, for the technique. And, yeah, it doesn’t make sense.
Elsie: After which, apart from that, securing a sustainable revenue, that’s crucial to us that we, you already know, work smarter as a result of we form of can’t work tougher. Like we’ve got restricted quantities of time and we’re mothers. And, you already know, we’re additionally like individuals who have lives.
Emma: And possibly it’s as a result of I’m a mother now. I don’t actually know. It’s laborious to divorce the 2, however I undoubtedly had a protracted period of my life the place I beloved working on a regular basis. I labored most weekends and I beloved it. It by no means felt like a burden to me. It felt like enjoyable. And I simply don’t really feel that means anymore. I assume that I’ll once more at some point. I simply form of see it, however I don’t proper now. And it’s in all probability largely as a result of I wish to spend time with my child. Additionally, there are occasions, like, he is likely to be at grandma’s, and I nonetheless don’t wish to work. I form of simply wish to, like, clear my home, or, like, make slightly necklace, or work on a interest I’ve been doing, or no matter, learn a guide, you already know?
Elsie: Yeah. No, me too.
Emma: And I’m simply, like, in an period the place I don’t actually really feel so workaholic.
Elsie: No, I feel that makes excellent sense. Identical right here.
Emma: It’s simply not the place I’m at.
Elsie: Okay, so the following query we’re going to reply is, why are you posting so many recipes? So, three causes. We’ll undergo them. One, it really works. Two, we’re good at it. And three, it’s sustainable. Let’s begin with the way it works. So our site visitors is near double what it was this time final yr. Like not fairly, however like shut. Shut. It’s Like working so nicely.
Emma: Plainly possibly they’re not leaving as many feedback because the people who find themselves unhappy they missed the crafts, however somebody’s studying all of the recipe content material, so it’s working. We are able to see the numbers. Individuals prefer it. Persons are utilizing that content material. So is smart to maintain moving into that course.
Elsie: Yeah. So let’s discuss slightly bit about like search engine optimization. And I do know like some individuals hear the abbreviation search engine optimization and your mind form of turns off and also you’re like, Oh, that sounds so boring. Or like, it doesn’t sound like enjoyable and thrilling, however let me promote you on why it truly is enjoyable and thrilling. So greater than two years in the past, we took like a weekend course with Julie Blanner, that taught us find out how to do search engine optimization.
Emma: Yup. Shout out, Julie. We love Julie!
Elsie: Yeah. Shout out, Julie. We love Julie Blaner. After which after that, we took cooking with key phrases by Aleka Strzok. And he or she additionally has a course referred to as Running a blog with Key phrases. We’ve a code for a reduction.
Emma: The code is ABM, all capital.
Elsie: The code is ABM. After which we’ve got a particular hyperlink. We’re going to place these in our present notes. So if you wish to find out about search engine optimization, there is no such thing as a higher course than this, at the least not that I’ve seen, it’s so good and we discovered a lot. It was life-changing for us.
Emma: We contacted her to get this hyperlink on this code as a result of we knew we needed to speak about it as a result of I’ve already shared this course with so many blogger buddies. Like I’ve already influenced so many individuals to take this course as a result of it actually has been very life-changing for us to simply assist us see issues another way. Assist us study to analysis the content material that we wish to write another way. Discover issues that we is likely to be good at writing that folks wish to find out about like looking for that intersection of the Venn Diagram of like stuff I’m passionate and good at and stuff that folks really wish to know and that’s the stuff we wish on our web site. I feel this course actually helped us Sort of determine that out. Put it into apply.
Elsie: Yeah, our present technique is we write posts, we write weblog posts, often recipes with key phrases in thoughts that persons are looking each month. Lots of people are trying to find them each month. Our purpose after we write these posts is to be on the prime of Google searches when individuals seek for a lot of these recipes. And it has labored rather well for us. We get new ones each month. For me, it’s form of like, been like, gamifying, fogging as a result of I similar to, love seeing what spots we get. And even after we get like, typically we’ll get like spot 15, which isn’t actually going to present you site visitors, but it surely like encourages us that if we preserve including to the publish and enhancing it, then, you already know, fairly quickly possibly we’ll get to identify three or someplace the place we get site visitors from it. So it’s been like a unique method for certain. And I can perceive for a loyal, longtime reader, the way it appears totally different, which possibly doesn’t really feel like, you already know, regular at first, it appears like we’ve modified and also you’re unsure why. So we’re explaining now, that this is the reason we’re working off a guidelines. So this yr for 2024, we deliberate our whole yr of weblog posts in November, like final November. And we already began it earlier than the brand new yr, we’re so organized. And it’s in order that Emma and I can pre-schedule and take off your entire summer season, this summer season whereas Emma’s having a child and my youngsters are on the age the place they’re dwelling from faculty the entire summer season, and it’s one thing that like I by no means dreamed we’d have the ability to do, it appears like such a chance for us.
Emma: Yeah, it form of, at the least for me, helps me. So the principle factor is I’m going to have a maternity depart this yr, and that’s clearly going to be me taking off work. It is a low work yr for me. Which I’m wonderful with as a result of I’m excited for the newborn. However, I additionally suppose this sort of helps me to create slightly little bit of house as somebody who works for herself. I’ve different profession objectives and I do know you do too, Elsie. You’ve shared with our listeners about your portray. You’ve shared another tasks you’ve needed to work on. I wish to write. I’ve one guide out, Handmade Homicide. I’ve one other guide I’m engaged on. And people are issues that I don’t make some huge cash from but. I make slightly bit, however not quite a bit. So, I form of have to suit it into the slots that I’ve out there and so being actually organized and like discovering work that’s like going to do nicely on our web site. Provides me the house to do some extra inventive work that possibly doesn’t fairly make cash but, however I’m hopeful that at some point it may, and likewise if it doesn’t, no matter, I simply don’t wish to be a inventive particular person.
Elsie: Yeah. So a few different the reason why we’re posting so many recipes, it’s one thing we’re good at. Emma has at all times been the principle meals author for our web site, so she nonetheless is. Truly, I’ve written cocktails for greater than 10 years too. And I took on primarily to complete the cocktail archive. So I’m actually writing each in style cocktail recipe.
Emma: It is best to see her liquor assortment at her home. It’s epic. It appears like a bar. It appears like a bar in your home. It’s superb.
Elsie: It’s a full dwelling bar. I could make something. I at all times am like, would you want a cocktail? I could make something. And nobody ever says one thing loopy.
Emma: Dude, as soon as I’m accomplished breastfeeding, I’ll ask you for one thing bizarre. I promise.
Elsie: Please do. That’s like my dream for somebody to ask me for like a distinct segment cocktail after which I similar to make it.
Emma: You’re like, no downside. And do you know the historical past is?
Elsie: And persons are at all times like, just a few wine. I’m like, okay.
Emma: However yeah, as I discussed earlier with my little let’s return in time, I’ve beloved meals running a blog without end. So for me, I really feel like very in my period in a variety of methods. And in addition when persons are like, why is your weblog altering? I’m form of like, Hey, did you by no means learn my blogs earlier than my publish? As a result of I’ve been doing meals running a blog this entire time.
Elsie: For Emma, it hasn’t modified. It’s extra like the encompassing posts have modified, however her content material has remained the identical. And actually, that’s one of many the reason why a few of Emma’s posts from 10 years in the past are nonetheless prime posts that also earn cash for us each month.
Emma: And although I feel I’ve discovered much more, particularly within the final yr, about find out how to make my meals running a blog extra helpful to readers and never similar to fairly meals pictures that I’m enthusiastic about which I nonetheless am doing as a result of I really like meals pictures and I really like, you already know that, however I even have discovered much more about writing in a means that’s going to be useful to individuals who wish to make this stuff and possibly wish to study one thing about it within the course of. And I feel that’s actually enjoyable too. I really like writing. As I discussed, I wish to write fiction. I additionally like writing weblog posts. I feel it’s form of a enjoyable train. It’s a complete totally different factor, but it surely’s enjoyable and fascinating. And so I’ve discovered much more about that. And I feel my meals posts are quite a bit stronger now than they was. However yeah, I really feel like I’m doing the factor that I’ve beloved for a very long time, and it lastly issues to somebody.
Elsie: No, I really feel that means too. I’ve at all times loved studying about, like, cocktails and stuff. However now, like, making an entire archive, I’ve discovered a lot. I’ve to jot down, like, a historical past for each single one, which at first I discovered it form of boring. After which after some time, now that I do know so many, it’s, it’s really actually enjoyable.
Emma: And form of fascinating. Generally you examine it and also you’re like, I didn’t know that. Or there’s like conflicting, some individuals suppose this, some individuals suppose this, and that’s form of enjoyable to study the historical past of the place sure issues come from or how, you already know, totally different cultures form of declare, like, it’s like, some individuals suppose it began right here, however different individuals suppose it began over right here. And also you’re like, Oh, I don’t know. I don’t know who had the primary tomato sauce. That is fascinating. It’s what I’m doing on a Tuesday.
Elsie: It’s all true. The principle purpose, that is the most important purpose for me. Why we’re doing so many recipe posts is it’s so sustainable? So there’s so many issues that we’ve accomplished in enterprise. Like we’ve had retail, you already know, we, you in all probability bear in mind we’ve got like our magnificence containers. We’ve had totally different subscriptions. There are a variety of weblog posts the place you’ll write like this stunning, beautiful publish, and also you’ll be so pleased with it, however then it is not going to actually get site visitors after the following day prefer it’s the one day that it ever will get a spike in site visitors is the day it was posted. After which, you already know, as a distinction, we’ve got some weblog posts that have been actually written 10 years in the past which are nonetheless our prime publish yearly. Even you already know this yr and people posts have earned a lot cash over time in comparison with a few of my larger costlier posts that didn’t actually earn any cash or earned slightly bit. So yeah, the principle purpose why we’re doing our lengthy checklist of like Emma’s accomplished nearly each espresso recipe. I’ll do each cocktail recipe, this yr Emma’s doing each sauce recipe, and there are 50. She’s really gonna make 50 sauce recipes and actually, they may in all probability nonetheless be incomes us cash 5 or ten years from now, and it’s like the one factor that I can consider that we might make this yr that might try this. So it’s a very good alternative. If we take a yr off from running a blog, which sooner or later we are going to, it’s certainly one of our desires. We’ll nonetheless earn cash that yr and possibly even a full revenue.
Emma: We do a great job now. We’ll see.
Elsie: Yeah. In order that’s one of many the reason why we selected it. We’ll discuss extra about this later, however why we selected it over social media is that we obtained to a spot the place we’ve got a small workforce now, and we didn’t really feel that we may do each. So we selected the one that’s sustainable for apparent causes as a result of it’s like, do it now and we earn cash now and we earn cash sooner or later.
Emma: And I feel too, for me, like simply on a private degree, I like running a blog. I feel everybody who works on-line you already know, there’s YouTubers who’re additionally massive on social media, however you may form of inform the factor they’re most into. And it has to do with like, your writing voice, what sort of content material you prefer to create in case you love to do movies, in case you love to do, and which algorithm your expertise play into the very best, you already know? And for me, running a blog suits all of these, and it additionally occurs to be the one which’s like, had my coronary heart for thus lengthy. So I’m simply on this long-term marriage with running a blog and I’m simply seeing the place it’s going as a result of it’s my factor, you already know, simply suits for me. So, and a few individuals I feel really feel that means about totally different social media platforms or YouTube or, you already know, various things and that’s actually cool. I’m only a blogger at coronary heart.
Elsie: It’s true. Why aren’t you posting as a lot on Instagram? So this one is a bit more difficult.
Emma: We’re going to do a complete episode, I feel subsequent week or the week after form of about social media. So we’ll go extra into extra issues there, however we’re going to do some high-level stuff right here.
Elsie: Yeah. Subsequent week, we’re going to do a complete episode about social media. It contains ideas and issues we’ve discovered and all types of stuff, but in addition a variety of it’s like our personal private causes and private, you already know, views and issues like that. The principle purpose why we’re not posting on Instagram as a lot is what I simply stated. We used to have a bigger workforce with 5 individuals, seven individuals. Now we’ve got a smaller workforce with three individuals, together with us. So we’ve got one worker for A Lovely Mess, which was what we needed. It’s one thing we’ve got needed for a very long time. Having a small workforce was a dream for us for the longer term, and now the longer term’s right here. However one factor that you just simply should face with having a smaller workforce is that you’ve much less capability and you need to prioritize the place you place your time. With a smaller workforce, we couldn’t do one hundred percent good job on our web site and on social media as a result of social media proper now’s actually simply creating movies, and it’s a variety of work. I’ll say, that I get pleasure from it, and I’ve a lot respect for it, I really like watching them, and I really like supporting my buddies, however the purpose why we selected the web site was as a result of we’re higher at it, it’s extra sustainable, and it’s extra what we get pleasure from doing. After which the opposite purpose why we’re not posting as a lot on Instagram is that in 2022, we skilled a dramatic lower within the variety of sponsors we had. So our sponsors for the previous 10 years have been comparatively very regular, often going up. It went from being totally on our weblog to half and half weblog and social media, after which up to now few years earlier than 2022, it turned primarily solely social media, so we knew that wasn’t good for us, after which social media modified to be actually solely movies that folks ask at the least us for sometimes we get requested for one thing else, but it surely was principally movies. Movies are their very own ability, and I do know that I might be good at it, but it surely’s by no means one thing that I’ve utilized myself to in the best way that I feel you should, to change into, like, a star. However, yeah, that’s why we’re not posting as a lot on social media, it simply turned a variety of movies, and it’s simply not what we needed to do.
Emma: Effectively, and after we had the dramatic drop in sponsors, that’s the principle means you make cash on social media. So on our weblog, we’ve got our CPM-based adverts, the annoying quote-unquote pop-up adverts that you just see. And people simply get stuffed based mostly on site visitors and based mostly on availability. So time of yr, you’ll see extra of them in This autumn. Individuals spend more cash promoting in This autumn. You’ll see much less of them in the summertime. And that’s simply, you already know, a part of it. For sponsors, it’s like, if individuals don’t ask you for sponsored content material, otherwise you’re not soliciting and other people saying sure, then there’s actually no strategy to monetize Instagram. Sure, they’ve some reel bonuses. I feel that’s what they used to name it, possibly they’ve modified the identify, I’m unsure. However they’re, in my view, at the least after we obtained them, a joke.
Elsie: Share what, like, certainly one of them was so individuals can get an image for it.
Emma: I don’t even bear in mind, but it surely was like, we had a few of our highest reels we’ve ever made, like, possibly a few hundred {dollars}. So it’s simply not sufficient to pay any workforce and even a person.
Elsie: It’s not cash you may stay on in in all probability any state of affairs.
Emma: They may as nicely hand out reward playing cards. It’s cute in that means. It’s not revenue. So in case you don’t have sponsors, you’re not making an revenue from it except you’ve monetized it in another means. Perhaps you’re promoting a course. And all of your content material funnels individuals right into a course or one thing like that.
Elsie: There are individuals who publish a lot of affiliate hyperlinks on daily basis. That makes a full-time revenue from that. We’ll discuss extra about this in our subsequent episode. However for us, we simply began incomes much more cash from our web site once more. So we began placing much more time into our web site once more. That was just about the entire thing for us.
Emma: Yeah. And we form of at all times had it at the back of our minds that at some point possibly sponsorships would dry up for varied causes. And it occurred. The longer term snuck up on us. And fortunately we had, you already know, we’ve talked about this up to now, however like, you wish to have a desk with 4 legs as an alternative of 1 leg. And fortunately we had another legs and so we’ve actually been leaning into that.
Elsie: Utterly, fully agree. So what are your objectives for A Lovely Mess aka, I don’t get it. Yeah, a variety of the feedback, it’s bizarre how comparable they’re. And it often begins off with saying one thing about how they’ve been a really loyal reader for a really very long time and giving the reason why we all know that’s true, after which saying, I don’t like what you’ve been posting not too long ago because of this. It’s often aimed toward my content material, really. It’s often like, I wrote like 30-shot recipes for the vlog.
Emma: Nobody’s ever cared about me. I don’t get a variety of hate as a result of nobody cares.
Elsie: Effectively, I posted a variety of repetitious content material, which writing for key phrases is extra repetitious, in order that’s comprehensible.
Emma: I additionally suppose a variety of pictures proper earlier than New Yr’s make sense, individuals! However anyway, that was my selection.
Elsie: However they at all times finish by saying one thing like, If what you’re doing is working for you, then nice, do it, however, and it, like, implies that they suppose there’s no means that what we’re doing is working. Yeah, that’s, like, an enormous factor that I, like, wish to share is, like, prime degree, it’s working nice. We’re, like, so comfortable. It’s like probably the most sustainable progress we’ve ever had.
Emma: Yeah. And it’s actually enjoyable. However these feedback do nonetheless make me unhappy, as a result of it clearly, only for them, often they’re saying. It’s totally different than it was and I get pleasure from it much less and that’s a bummer. I want they loved it simply as a lot as they used to. I actually do, but it surely doesn’t imply that I can change what we’re doing as a result of what we’re doing is working for us, but it surely does make me unhappy.
Elsie: Yeah, that’s true. So certainly one of our greatest objectives is to have a versatile schedule that serves our household life. We’ve that now. We simply took three weeks off in the course of the holidays, nearly a complete month. It was superb. I labored for about 20 minutes a day. Like, I’d approve some feedback. Write again to individuals, put a few hyperlinks in, and that was all I did for 3 entire weeks. And we made the identical amount of cash by working forward and pre-scheduling, and it was nice. And we’re going to do this this summer season. We’ve frequent days off. We, you already know, we’re residing our dream, like we’re mothers.
Emma: Don’t really feel burdened when my child’s sick and I obtained to choose them up early. It’s good. It’s so good as a result of I do know a variety of dad and mom don’t have that of their life. And that makes me unhappy for them. Children get sick. There are snow days, these items occurs in our society, I don’t suppose does a terrific job of constructing in, you already know, the house for fogeys. And so Elsie and I are constructing it in for ourselves. I want everyone had it although, I actually do. It’s simply form of ridiculous when you concentrate on it, however that’s a complete totally different soapbox.
Elsie: Yeah. No, I agree. Our subsequent purpose and precedence is to get pleasure from our work, and that is actually probably the most I’ve loved it for greater than 5 years. I imply, I’ve a number of good recollections. We’ve had a number of good instances with A Lovely Mess, and it’s laborious to place like a finest on it. However I really feel like proper now, it’s undoubtedly the very best mixture of a work-life steadiness that we’ve ever had. Sure! After which, yeah, our subsequent purpose is to create a passive revenue for the longer term. search engine optimization work creates cash that you would be able to earn for years to return. Social media, you already know, influencer work creates cash that stops the second you cease taking over extra. So that’s the reason why we selected that. Okay. So then after that, I believed we might share some extra element about how we grew our weblog after 10 entire years of not rising as a result of for anybody else who has an internet site, I do know you’re like, in all probability considering of questions you wish to write in, or, you already know, you need extra particulars as a result of anybody can do that with any web site. It’s actually not laborious. In our present notes, we are going to hyperlink proper on the prime, the cooking with key phrases and running a blog with key phrases programs, you should use our code ABM.
Emma: It’s 10 p.c off any of our programs.
Elsie: Good. Yeah, she additionally has a extra superior course for individuals who already find out about key phrase analysis. She has like a monitoring course as nicely.
Emma: Yeah. I consider she has one only for utilizing Ahrefs too. So there’s a bunch of choices, and you will get 10 p.c off any of them with our code.
Elsie: And I ought to say additionally, we additionally did a personalised teaching week together with her. Final yr, which was actually useful for us, we have been form of simply discouraged with the method of making an attempt to do key phrase analysis and key phrase running a blog. And we obtained, you already know, a variety of useful ideas and, she made us a listing of issues to optimize and it helped very a lot. It was very value it.
Emma: Agreed. She’s actually cool, too. She’s a former trainer. Yeah. So I actually like her educating type. It’s very digestible and she or he additionally simply makes researching appear enjoyable legitimately and it’s. And I don’t know. So I feel she’s a terrific trainer, too. So it’s a terrific course.
Elsie: Yeah. No, I at all times say that discovering key phrases is like mining for gold. It’s my favourite half. It’s a recreation of all of the issues we do for our weblog proper now, my favourite half by quite a bit is trying to find new key phrases.
Emma: She’s at all times sending me like an enormous checklist. She’s like, I obtained just a few extra concepts for you and it’ll be like 50 issues. I’m like, wow, okay. Cool. Cool.
Elsie: It’s so thrilling. We not too long ago had one the place Emma obtained a number-one spot on the primary day. And it was a very great spot.
Emma: One thing else he advised me to do this was simply form of random. And I used to be like, yeah.
Elsie: Yeah, it was low competitors, excessive site visitors, attending to the purpose the place you’ll find issues like that’s so thrilling. So I need everybody who blogs to study these items and at the least strive it for themselves. Being an expert blogger for thus lengthy, having to study new methods of doing it.
Emma: It’s laborious to vary.
Elsie: Yeah. It was laborious for me. It took greater than a yr of making an attempt earlier than I began to love to see good outcomes. And I really feel like I used to be in a position to, like, have some management over the outcomes I used to be getting. However, yeah, it was so value it, and it’s undoubtedly been, like, an enormous motivating factor. Steadiness shouldn’t be certainly one of our objectives anymore, we are going to put like, 4 sauce recipes in a row, 4 cocktails in a row, similar to it doesn’t actually matter, no matter’s within the drafts, we’ll put it up. And it received’t be as nicely balanced, however it is going to be helpful. It’s at all times one thing helpful that persons are trying to find.
Emma: And I’ve put my coronary heart and soul into these sauce pictures, let me inform you.
Elsie: Yeah. No, you may inform. So yeah, some examples of our key phrase checklist, Emma has simply accomplished her espresso sequence. I feel, is it full?
Emma: Yeah. The roundup goes to go up fairly quickly. I don’t know after I’d suppose after this episode, however yeah.
Elsie: I’m nonetheless competing, I’m doing all the favored pictures, all the favored cocktails, all the favored salads. A few different issues. So, we’ve been engaged on that. Laura is doing nail artwork this yr, which is a very enjoyable one for us. And he or she writes most of our plant posts. We’ve informative posts about find out how to care for various species of vegetation. She writes most of these and people have been actually profitable for our weblog. And so they’re additionally similar to actually helpful as a result of in case you’ve ever had a plant that’s half lifeless and half alive, you want a publish like that to provide the tricks to preserve it alive. And yeah, it’s not solely recipes, this yr I’m doing all of the paint colours in my home which are in style paint colours, which I like thought of that after I was selecting the paint colours, you’re welcome, web. Yeah, it’s enjoyable. I actually get pleasure from dwelling decor. It’s undoubtedly nonetheless certainly one of my greatest passions. It’s simply not one thing that I can, like, pump out each single day as sustainably as different issues. Thanks to everybody for, like, supporting us. I do know we’re gonna get good messages. You guys, you’re so good.
Emma: Too good, actually.
Elsie: So, sure. I’m actually glad we obtained an opportunity to catch you up on what we’re doing with A Lovely Mess and why. Yeah, we’ll nonetheless be doing the podcast this yr. That goes up each Monday. We nonetheless do 10 issues on Sunday, often each Sunday. Not a variety of different issues are altering, however the issues which are altering have already modified and now you perceive why. In order that feels good. Yay. Okay, so let’s go it over to Nova. Hey Nova, what do you could have for us this week?
Nova: A joke.
Elsie: Okay.
Nova: Why can’t you do your check within the jungle? As a result of there are too many cheetahs.
Elsie: I find it irresistible.
Emma: Thanks a lot for listening. Our podcast household is so, so particular to us, actually. We hope that after this episode, you may really feel how a lot your help means to us. And we’re so grateful to your weblog feedback and opinions, particularly opinions on our recipes once you love them, meaning quite a bit. Podcast opinions at all times imply quite a bit. We learn them. We care. And I’ve learn nearly each evaluate of Handmade Homicide. I promised myself I wouldn’t in case I obtained imply ones. And you already know, I obtained a pair, however I obtained so many good ones since you guys are so supportive and we actually, actually admire you. We’ll be again subsequent week.