PF Bloggers Throw Down
Sometimes in a life of a PF Blogger a moment comes when he/she wonders, “how do I stack up against other PF bloggers?”
Though I don’t run too serious of a PF blog here, I still would like to know what’s going on with others such as myself traffic-wise. Because in earlier posts I’ve established that traffic is king, I feel it’s a great indicator of a site’s success since ad revenue will most likely follow traffic.
First, I compared my website reach to that of No Credit Needed. He keeps it informal most of the time, which I like. However, I’m not too crazy about the lime green template. As you can see, we enjoy pretty much the same reach, though recently he had a jump in popularity due to being a part of a carnival. Note to self, “stop saying shit and ass, keep it more serious, maybe you be mentioned more, too”.
The next blog I read is Building My Empire, written by an affiliate marketer lady. She does not allow my comments to be posted on her site by moderating me out, but hey, I’ll still read about her adventures in affiliate marketing. He blog is very “bloggy” – highly personal, detailed, descriptive. From the chart I can see that sometimes she quadruples my traffic due to external mentions, but most of the time we’re pretty much enjoying the same traffic.
Let’s get serious. JLP at All Things Financial is dwarving me like my Benz is dwarving a Geo Metro. He makes short quick posts and seems to have a pretty well-organized website with some ads, Amazon Associate links, and a ton of Feedburner readers, I think, closing in on a thousand. With that kind of traffic, I’m sure he’s clearing a few bucks from ads and sales. It also helps that he can be taken seriously because he’s a bona fide PF blogger. He does not talk about crappy cars, or voice opinions about politics. Note to self, “stop cussing all the time, maybe you’ll be treated a bit more soberly, too”.
Nev’s Blog‘s traffic is pummeling my traffic like Cassius Clay would me. We’ve already discussed his earning potential, so that’s old news. Also, I’m losing interest in this comparison. From this point on, I have nothing on all other more-less reputable PF bloggers. How about I pit some of the bigger ones against one another? This is a reach comparison of Nev vs. Jeffrey.
This is a reach comparison of Nev vs. Jeffrey’s bigger site, Saving Advice. A few feints through October, then bam! – Jeffrey’s double combination hits opponent in year’s end – it’s a clinch! – Nev’s back in the bout, doubling Jeffrey’s efforts.
This is a comparison of Nev vs. All Things Financial. Another clinch; kind of close for a while.
So you might say with sarcasm, “Oh jeez, How To Be Poor, great discovery … We already knew Nev was popular. After all, he’s covered in newspapers and such”. Not so fast, my sarcastic readers, not so fast. There’s a traffic Mac Daddy in the house. Until recently, he’s doubled Nev’s reach. His name is Jonathan from My Money Blog.
What’s he doing right that even Nev’s not doing?
- Useful information;
- Great delivery;
- Nice layout;
- Frequent updates.
And no, I’m not saying Nev doesn’t have good information. However, Jonathan takes time to find cool stuff like credit cards with signup bonuses, balance transfer deals, etc. Nev’s more of a motivational type of blogger.
There you have it, folks. In conclusion, here’s Jonathan in comparison with a good example of a properly positioned blog:
Rematch in three months. I pity the foo.
Interesting…but Alexa numbers leave a bit to be desired – at least with comparing my two sites. They look to be about even according to those charts and there is no way they are that close. Now whether that is pf being overstated or sa being understated I have no clue…my guess is pf is being overstated.
I do agree with nev and mymoneyblog comparision – you hit it right on the nose.
Comment by personal finance advice — March 8, 2006 @ 2:03 am
Awesome analysis. You make me feel less geeky.
Too bad our blog is too new. Alexa’s got nuthin’ on us.
Comment by Him (Make Love, Not Debt) — March 8, 2006 @ 8:23 am
Hey, thanks for pointing out that I’m getting crushed by these other guys as well…
(slinks away slowly…)
Really, though, interesting post. (Lime green rules!)
NCN
Comment by ncnblog — March 8, 2006 @ 9:15 am
Excellent post, your analysis and the graphs were very entertaining!
Comment by Tim — March 8, 2006 @ 10:12 am
Thanks. Not THAT lime green :)
Comment by How To Be Poor — March 8, 2006 @ 10:12 am
By the way, did you notice how on average, all these PF blogs seem to follow roughly the same pattern? Why is that?
Comment by How To Be Poor — March 8, 2006 @ 10:19 am
nev has pretty damn consistent traffic, for someone that doesn’t post frequently.. and for someone that has lots of stalker that hates on him.
I keep reading stuff about how alexa is totally inaccurate, but I still havent found more info on that.
last graph kept things in good perspective.. course comparing any blog to engadget will result in something like that.
Comment by Cap — March 8, 2006 @ 10:42 am
I love you nevblog/mymoneyblog comparison. You’re diplomatically saying that nev’s blog doesn’t have useful information, have a great delivery, have a nice layout and no frequent updates. I can’t wait for the next set of rounds, ding, ding!
Comment by John — March 8, 2006 @ 11:05 am
I meant “I love your” I don’t know you well enough to love you….
Comment by John — March 8, 2006 @ 11:12 am
D’oh… I swear it’s nothing personal! :P Most all comments get caught in that damn spam filter…
Thanks for the comparision… It almost feels like I’m playing with the big boys now… hehe.
Comment by Empress — March 9, 2006 @ 10:34 am
No offense taken.
Well, eveyone said something about this post except for the man himself, Jonathan. If anyone sees him, tell him I’d like his comment slash input.
Comment by How To Be Poor — March 9, 2006 @ 10:45 am
Me? That last graph made me sad, so I left to go kick the Engadget blogger’s ass (oops, used your word Max!) but I got stopped by his personal security detail and a few dobermans. Who knew rabies shots were so painful…
But seriously, Nev and I have completely different blogs with different focuses and minimal overlap of topics, so I don’t think one can really compare us directly. I too have no idea where Alexa gets their info from.
Engadget, you will be mine!!
Comment by Jonathan — March 9, 2006 @ 4:39 pm
Ah yes. Heard I was discussing you? =)
I am trying to conglimerate all my hosting accounts. A customer rep lady who is also an affiliate marketer told me anything below 250-300 uniques per day (or 200 humans) cannot be considered a serious project in general terms.
About comparing you to Engadget … totally different ballgame. I was trying to get a feel for where everyone else is in terms of visits, traffic, etc.
Glad you joined in!
Comment by How To Be Poor — March 9, 2006 @ 4:49 pm
Interesting post. I hadn’t heard of Alexa until I read about it in your post.
I’m impressed with MyMoneyBlog’s success.
NevBlog used to link to me but I noticed that he took it down. Oh well, I wasn’t getting much traffic from him anyway and I don’t read his blog too much anymore.
Comment by JLP at AllThingsFinancial — March 9, 2006 @ 10:59 pm
Couple of points:
1.) I READ somewhere the #1 killer of success is comparing yourself to another person, but it’s fun to compare at times!
2.) IT’S ODD that Jonathan of MyMoneyBlog and I are even compared. He’s older, more educated, more experienced and represents the American demographic much better than I do. Also, sometimes he posts more times in a day than I do in a month!
3.) BASED ON Alexa ratings, IwillTeachYouToBeRich.com might be in contention for this contest.
4.) JLP’s COMMENT before mine was uncalled for.
5.) GOOD JOB Max on the post. Comparing bloggers to gain more traffic for your own site…brilliant!
Comment by Neville — March 12, 2006 @ 2:20 pm
Thanks, Nev. I did a comparison of bloggers I read. There are quite a few more very talented/influential bloggers I haven’t gotten to.
Yeah, traffic quadrupled for three days. Downside – no ads whatsoever, though 300sd.com did get a nice boost, too.
Again, thanks for commenting.
Comment by How To Be Poor — March 12, 2006 @ 2:26 pm
I don’t understand what I said was uncalled for.
Comment by JLP at AllThingsFinancial — March 13, 2006 @ 12:43 pm
Oh my God! They are about to comment-battle!
=)
Comment by How To Be Poor — March 13, 2006 @ 12:49 pm
Nah, not me. I guess in hindsight, I probably should have left the last part of the “offending comment” out since it really didn’t have anything to do with the topic. I guess I should think before I write. Sorry about that.
Comment by JLP at AllThingsFinancial — March 13, 2006 @ 2:59 pm
Max,
So why are you worried about what other blogs are doing? The problem with looking to other blogs to see what is happening (like studying history), is that it limits your creativity in creating something that is different, something that is useful but not yet there. The same principles apply to popularity contests, in that the best almost never win.
I would add this to your list: Just like the stock markets or any other investment of time, money or anything else of value, be yourself, do your own thing, and eventually others will recognize your value — and when they do, they will be talking about you and not you about them…
If that is too deep, all I intended to say was “be yourself and enjoy it while you can.”
Gary
http://www.MechanicsofMoney.com
Comment by gary — April 15, 2006 @ 10:00 pm
I am being myself. I doubled my traffic since this post.
Comment by How To Be Poor — April 15, 2006 @ 10:03 pm
[...] How To Be Poor has a post where he compares his stats to mine (and other pf blog sites). Interesting post. He has a unique style, to say the least. Check it out. [...]
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