6 Wonderful Things That Happened To My Blog In 2017

It’s almost the end of 2017, and I just wanted to share with all of you 6 Wonderful Things That Happened To My Blog In 2017.

2017 was a great year for our family! We traveled to wonderful places and visited relatives. We learned a lot more about DIY ideas, new healthy recipes, hacks, and ways to keep our family entertained without using electronics. My kids are happy and healthy, and growing way too fast! And I am so thankful for having such an amazing husband who is always supporting me and encouraging me to follow my dreams.

I met wonderful people who inspired me, and also taught me amazing tricks to grow and be better each day. Like Bjork’s @PinchofYum. 1% infinity theory:

The one percent infinity means improving just a little bit (1%), everyday, forever (∞).

But there are also 6 wonderful things that happened to my blog in 2017. If you are also a blogger or think about becoming one, I hope this post helps you! Pursue your dreams, and always stay true to yourself and your believes.

6 Wonderful Things That Happened To My Blog In 2017

1. My Organic Traffic Exploded. I remember my first year’s organic traffic was 1,000 to 1,500 visits per months. My second year was a bit better but nothing too exciting. Well, this year my organic traffic exploded! From 2,000 visitors per month to 50,000! Wow! Amazing right? My blog grew, and grew, and grew. And what is most amazing is that growth continues month after month after month!

What helped me grow that traffic? Writing original and high quality content with the help of Yoast Premiun (best SEO plugin for WordPress). Being consistent with posting 2-3 times a week, adding high quality images, and always sharing on all my social media channels.

2. Pinterest Posts Went Viral. I have had a few viral posts on my blog which were so amazing and exciting but only lasted a few days and where originated from a Facebook post. This year, something really fantastic happened. I went viral on Pinterest. Several times!!! What’s different about going viral on Pinterest is the high traffic stays high for weeks or even months!

What really helped me go viral on Pinterest was signing up for Tailwind. I also signed up for their Tailwind Tribes. I schedule and share all my Pinterest content there. It’s super easy and it makes your Pinterest account grow to a higher level! I also converted all my images to long 735×2000 pin images with the help of PicMonkey. This year my highest traffic month brought almost 100,000 visitors only from Pinterest!

3. Sponsors Started To Contact Me Directly. I still remember the first time I received some free products in exchange for a review. I had to write an email asking for the samples and promised to write a full review in exchange. I was so excited to just get the free samples. Well, now the situation is a little different. I don’t ask for products anymore. They contact me all the time! And what is even more amazing is that they pay me to write a review, plus I get the products for free!

4. I Took My First Facebook Course.  I wanted to learn more about how Facebook works and found an amazing community of people interested in taking a course with Rachel Miller. The course is definitely worth it! I’m still learning new features and what Facebook likes and doesn’t like about pages. Rachel is an amazing teacher.

If you are looking to grow your Faceboook audience and the whole secret behind viral posts, I recommend you join this community. You won’t be disappointed! If you decide to start a blog, you need to take this courses. I believe that is the key to growing and staying in touch with the latest social media trends.

5. I Decided To Change My Blog’s Name. This is probably the biggest change for my blog so far. At the beginning when I started blogging, I shared only healthy recipes. The main reason why I started a blog was because of my son who was born with a rare birth defect (My Story). He had so much trouble eating solid foods that we needed to come up with creative ideas. But food, “real food”, is also medicine. So, I started writing about natural cures and ways to keep my kids healthy in a natural way. And little by little I expanded to new topics like parenting and DIYs.

I’m changing my blog’s name to: Creative & Healthy Family. I want to share with all of you creative ideas for a healthy family lifestyle.

I love writing about a healthy family lifestyle and I hope the transition goes smoothly. I already changed the name but still the URL is changing in January 2018. It is a bit scary because there is a small chance I might loose my organic traffic but I hired professional help. Fingers crossed!

6. I Had The Highest-Earning Month. I am at a point where my blog has become my profession. It feels so wonderful to do what you are passionate about, and at the same time make it your job. I feel extremely fortunate!  But something really amazing happened in 2017: my blog started generating a steady income.

This is the first time I am disclosing my monthly earnings but I really want to show you it is totally possible to blog for a living. All it takes is determination, passion, and a lot of hard work.

November Traffic 2017

November was the highest traffic month and the highest income report for 2017. Almost 300,000 views in just one month.  In total in 2017, my blog reached almost 2 million visitors!

Income Report For November 2017.

Adthrive                  $3,584.00

Sponsored Posts    $1,475.00

Affiliates                 $637.00

Total Income:        $5,696.00

The biggest source of income for my blog comes from Adthrive. They take care of placing ads inside posts and they pay depending on your traffic. Last year I started with $5.00 for every 1,000 views. This year in November, Adthrive paid me $15.36 per 1,000 views!

Sponsored posts are also great for income. This is where you get paid to review products or services. The secret to getting more sponsored content is really to select the products and services that you really love. Your posts will reflect that passion!

I have to turn down many offers every month simply because I will never buy them for my family. Stay true to yourself and what you believe in and you will see way more sponsored opportunities!

And finally, affiliate links are simply links to products and/or services I recommend. Amazon affiliates works great for me! They have a great selection of products of all kinds. Just link them to your posts  and earn a commission.

And those were 6 wonderful things that happened to my blog in 2017.

My blog exists and grows because of you. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for following Creative & Healthy Family. Thank you for your comments, likes, and shares. Thank you for liking my recipes, my DIYs, and my recommendations.

I made a commitment to donate each year a portion of the income from the blog to support Esophageal Atresia (EA) organizations. My son was born with this rare life-long condition, and we want to give back by helping other EA families.

Happy New Year!