Understanding Your Blog Analytics

You're creating great content—but how do you know if it's working? Analytics help you understand what resonates with your audience, which topics drive engagement, and how to improve your content strategy.

Why Analytics Matter

Analytics answer critical questions:

• Which posts are most popular?
• Where is your traffic coming from?
• What content should you create more of?
• Are readers engaging with your content?
• How is your blog growing over time?

Without analytics, you're creating content in the dark. With them, you can make data-driven decisions that improve results.

Waldium's Built-In Analytics

Your Starter plan and above includes a built-in analytics dashboard accessible from your Waldium dashboard.

Key Metrics Overview

Total Views

• How many times your posts have been viewed
• Tracks overall blog traffic
• Shows growth trends over time

Published Posts

• Number of live posts on your blog
• Publishing velocity and consistency
• Content output tracking

Total Engagement

• Combined metric of views, time on page, and interactions
• Indicates content quality and relevance
• Helps identify what resonates

Top Posts

• Your best-performing content
• Shows which topics and formats work
• Guides future content strategy

Analytics Dashboard

Navigate to Analytics in your dashboard to see:

Overview Tab

• Traffic trends (daily, weekly, monthly)
• Top performing posts
• Traffic sources
• Key metrics at a glance

Posts Performance

• Individual post statistics
• Views per post
• Engagement metrics
• Publication date and trends

Traffic Sources

• Where visitors are coming from
• Direct, search, social, referral breakdown
• Top referring domains

Time-Based Reports

• Compare different time periods
• Spot trends and patterns
• Track growth over time

Essential Metrics to Track

Focus on these key indicators of blog health:

Page Views

The total number of times your posts are viewed.

What it tells you: Overall traffic volume and reach

Good: Steady growth month over month

Watch for: Sudden drops (technical issues?) or spikes (viral content?)

How to improve:

• Publish consistently
• Promote posts on social media
• Optimize for search engines
• Create shareable content

Engagement Rate

How readers interact with your content beyond just viewing.

What it tells you: Content quality and relevance

Good: Readers spending time on your posts, scrolling through content

Watch for: High bounce rates (readers leaving immediately)

How to improve:

• Write compelling introductions
• Use clear formatting and structure
• Add relevant images and examples
• Include internal links to related posts

Top Posts

Your best-performing content ranked by views and engagement.

What it tells you: Which topics and formats resonate

Good: Diverse top posts across different topics

Watch for: Only old posts performing (need fresh content)

How to improve:

• Create more content on successful topics
• Update and repromote top posts
• Analyze what makes them successful
• Replicate winning formulas

Traffic Sources

Where your visitors are coming from.

Direct: Typed your URL or bookmarked Search: Found you via search engines Social: Clicked from social media Referral: Linked from other websites

What it tells you: Which channels drive traffic

Good: Diversified traffic sources

Watch for: Over-reliance on one source

How to improve:

• Build multiple traffic channels
• Optimize for search engines
• Share on social platforms
• Guest post and get backlinks

Google Analytics Integration

For more detailed insights, connect Google Analytics (available on Pro and Custom plans).

Why Use Google Analytics?

Deeper Insights: Demographics, behavior flow, conversion tracking

Advanced Segmentation: Analyze specific audience groups

Real-Time Data: See what's happening right now

Custom Reports: Build reports for specific questions

Integration with Other Tools: Connects with Google Search Console, ads, and more

Setting Up Google Analytics

Step 1: Create Google Analytics Account

1. Go to analytics.google.com
2. Sign in with your Google account
3. Click "Start measuring"
4. Create an account and property

Step 2: Get Tracking ID

1. In Google Analytics, go to Admin
2. Select your property
3. Click "Data Streams"
4. Copy your Measurement ID (starts with G-)

Step 3: Add to Waldium

1. In Waldium, go to Settings → Integrations
2. Click "Connect Google Analytics"
3. Paste your Measurement ID
4. Save settings

Step 4: Verify

1. Visit your blog
2. Check Google Analytics Real-Time report
3. You should see yourself as an active user

That's it! Data will start flowing within 24 hours.

Key Google Analytics Reports

Audience Overview

• Demographics (age, gender, location)
• Technology (devices, browsers)
• Interests and categories

Acquisition

• Traffic channels in detail
• Campaign performance
• Search keywords (limited in GA4)

Behavior

• Most viewed pages
• Site speed performance
• User flow through your site

Conversions (if configured)

• Newsletter signups
• Link clicks
• Custom goals

Interpreting Your Data

Raw numbers don't mean much without context. Here's how to analyze effectively:

Look for Trends, Not Snapshots

Don't panic over one bad day. Look at:

• Week-over-week changes
• Month-over-month growth
• Seasonal patterns
• Long-term trajectories

Compare Time Periods

Most analytics tools let you compare:

• This month vs. last month
• This quarter vs. last quarter
• Year-over-year growth

This gives context to your numbers.

Identify Your Winners

What do your top posts have in common?

• Similar topics or themes?
• Specific format or length?
• Particular style or tone?
• Certain keywords or angles?

Create more of what works.

Find Your Losers

Which posts underperformed?

• Wrong topic for your audience?
• Poor headline or description?
• Published at wrong time?
• Lack of promotion?

Learn from what doesn't work too.

Track Your Goals

Define what success means for you:

• X views per month?
• Y% month-over-month growth?
• Z top ranking keywords?

Track progress toward these goals regularly.

Actionable Insights

Turn analytics into actions with these strategies:

Content Strategy

What's working? Double down on successful topics and formats.

What's missing? Identify content gaps in your coverage.

What's outdated? Update old posts that still get traffic.

SEO Optimization

Top search keywords: Create more content around these terms.

Low bounce rate pages: Understand why people stay and replicate.

High exit pages: Improve or add internal links to keep readers engaged.

Promotion Strategy

Best traffic sources: Invest more in channels that work.

Underperforming channels: Either optimize or abandon.

Referral opportunities: Build relationships with sites that send traffic.

Publishing Schedule

Best days/times: Publish when your audience is most active.

Posting frequency: Find the cadence that maximizes engagement without overwhelming readers.

Content mix: Balance different content types based on performance.

Common Analytics Mistakes

Obsessing Over Vanity Metrics: Views are nice, but engagement and conversions matter more.

Not Tracking Consistently: Check analytics regularly (weekly or monthly) to spot trends.

Ignoring Context: Traffic drops during holidays or summers might be normal.

Analysis Paralysis: Don't overthink it. Pick a few key metrics and focus on those.

Not Taking Action: Data without action is useless. Use insights to improve.

Comparing to Others: Your growth trajectory matters more than comparing to competitors.

Advanced Analytics (Pro Plan)

Pro and Custom plans offer additional analytics features:

AI Discovery Tracking

See when your content surfaces in:

• ChatGPT responses
• Claude conversations
• Perplexity searches
• Other AI systems

This helps you understand how AI systems discover and recommend your content.

Search Console Integration

Connect Google Search Console to see:

• Search rankings for keywords
• Click-through rates
• Search impressions
• Mobile usability issues

Content Recommendations

AI-powered suggestions for:

• Topics to write about
• Content gaps to fill
• Optimization opportunities
• Best times to publish

Privacy and Compliance

Waldium takes privacy seriously:

Cookie Consent: Built-in cookie consent for GDPR compliance

Data Ownership: You own all your analytics data

Privacy-First: We don't sell or share your data

Anonymization: IP addresses can be anonymized in Google Analytics

Setting Up Goals

Goals help you track what matters beyond just views.

Common Blog Goals

Newsletter Signups: Track how many readers subscribe (coming soon)

Link Clicks: Monitor clicks on external links or CTAs

Time on Page: Measure engagement with content

Scroll Depth: See how far readers scroll

How to Set Goals

1. Decide what actions matter to you
2. Set up tracking in Google Analytics
3. Monitor progress regularly
4. Optimize content to improve goal completion

What's Next?

Now that you understand analytics, explore these related topics:

• SEO Optimization: Use analytics insights to improve search rankings
• Content Strategy: Plan content based on what performs
• Social Media Promotion: Drive traffic from your best channels
• AI Discovery Optimization: Ensure AI systems can find and recommend your content

Analytics are your compass in the content creation journey. Check them regularly, learn from the data, and use insights to create better content.

Ready to dive into your analytics? Head to the Analytics section in your dashboard and start exploring! 📊