Most bloggers like to keep up with their blog’s statistics and analytics, to see how we’re doing over time with our readers.
I’m no exception, and I thought you might be interested in some of the data from the last six months about popular items on this blog.
The source of my data is Google Analytics, the free and incredibly comprehensive analytics package from Google.
Sorry, don’t think I can share specific readership numbers, but let’s say that it’s more than just my Mom but less than a million.
Your Favorite Posts
*** Military family travel to Hawaii: 11 affordable places to stay
I’m former Navy myself and used to live in the islands, so this was a logical post for me to write. It also made sense to highlight lodging on islands other than Oahu, not only for visitors but for the military families in living in Hawaii as kama’aina (locals.)
*** Where I’d take my kids: best US family beach vacations
This was a search engine no-brainer. People plan to take their kids to the beach all the time, and they’re searching for that info year-round. The fun thing about this post for me was that I was able to highlight many of my own family’s favorites in one post, while still providing popular content that readers and search engines would like. Since I often write about rather obscure things, it’s fun to “go mainstream” and be successful in the search engine battle for those keywords, but not feel that I was just cranking out crap for Google bots.
*** When your kids encounter a squat toilet
Awesome. I hope this one hangs on in the upper tier forever. I wrote it because we had to deal with this topic when we lived in Japan and traveled in Asia, and you should write what you know. Again, if I’m wrestling with a kid looking at that toilet and yelling “What do I do?” then I know other parents are, too.
*** My top tips for travel with kids to Tokyo, Japan
This was what I used to call a “lazy” post because it’s simply a roundup of info that I’d previously published on this blog, the Perceptive Travel Blog and some other publications. I used to think that every post had to be a sparkling example of Pulitzer Prize-winning originality, or I was a blogging failure. I got over it and figured out that the occasional roundup of related content was helpful, not lazy.
*** Finding the best iPhone and iPad apps for kids
I don’t own either device (my smartphone is an Android) but I could see amongst my parenting peers how popular iPhones and iPads were becoming for keeping kids reasonably entertained on the road. My friend Christine Lu uses her iPhone kid’s games with her son all the time. This post basically points you to another friend’s resource blog on the topic, but that’s what blogging is all about for me – sharing great info.
*** Kids in Tokyo: escape to Yokohama
I am so glad that people still like this one; it’s one of my very early posts. While in Tokyo, I found myself going down to Yokohama a lot because the waterfront was so spacious and nicely laid out. Having a local show me the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum in town was a major bonus.
Where You Come From
About half the traffic is from search engines: sure, Google is the top one, but I do get significant traffic from images/photos (which is why I use the ALT tag religiously) plus Yahoo and Bing.
StumbleUpon likes it here, too. Here is my SheilaS StumbleUpon page if you want to see what I like on the web.
Most visitors are from the US, but we do have readers in the UK, Canada, Australia, India, Germany, Japan and the Netherlands. As a three-time expat myself, I do try to keep my international audience in mind.
Words You Use to Find Us
People type in words like “family travel,” of course, but we’re also found by people looking for info on whether TripIt is safe, cool travel souvenir ideas and stuff for kids to do in Michigan.
What is fun for me is that a lot of the posts I wrote because I was looking for certain information are favorites because apparently you were looking for the same info.
That makes me very happy. Thanks for reading.
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With the title ‘When your kids encounter a squat toilet’ I have to check it out.
Do these stats based on all time? I always wonder what time frame do people use when they look at their most popular posts.
Hi Amy,
This info is based on data from the last six months.
I just discovered your blog, and this post outlining your most popular articles is just perfect. You seem to be a bit focused on Japan, too, which is just lucky for me, as we’re planning a trip there for next year, Looking forward to reading and enjoying your travel articles. Thanks.
Hi Dan,
Love Japan – hope you have a wonderful time.
That is a great list of family travel blogs, it’s great to read how other families cope and give travel tips for the destinations.
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