2016 Blog Recap

Around this time last year, I recapped my year of blogging. Sharing my favorite posts, most popular posts, and my social media stats for the year. I debated on whether to write the same type of post this year, but I decided to do it because it’s always nice to have these sorts of things to look back on. I also hope that by sharing my numbers with all of you, it’ll inspire you to keep track of your own growth! I don’t think it’s a good idea to obsess about numbers (I’ve stopped keeping track of my day-to-day numbers entirely), but I do think it’s important for you to see your own progress in a quantified way!

But before I get into numbers, let’s talk about the most popular posts in 2016!

Most popular posts.

1. Must Have School Supplies for Every College Freshman

I wrote this post around the time I started this blog (almost 3 years ago!) but it only just started getting action this year after I cleaned up the post and created a pinnable photo. I’ll never stop telling people how important the pinnable photo is. I’ve seen posts go from getting 2 pins to 12,000 pins just by changing the photo, not the content. It makes a huge difference!

it ends with us

2. Summer 2016 Reading List

I was honestly really surprised this post took off but I was insanely happy about it! My book posts usually don’t get much traction but this one went wild on Pinterest and brought me a ton of traffic this year.

3. Perfect Planners for College Students

This was the post that started it all for me! I wrote this two summers ago and am pleased to see that it’s still getting lots of views!

4. Perfect Planners for College Students + Millennials

Round 2 of this post was a lot of fun to write and it was exciting getting to partner with so many brands and see so many beautiful planners in person!

day designer may book

5. Preparing for the Fall Semester

Here’s another oldie but goodie that is still racking up page views for me! I’m hoping to write a new version of this post once I begin grad school.

Favorite posts to write.

1. GRE Study Essentials

I absolutely loved working with Phonetic Eyewear for this post and I had a blast talking about how I prepared for the GRE. The GRE itself wasn’t pleasant, but writing this post was fun!

phonetic eyewear

2. How to Stay Productive Over the Holidays

I loved writing this post because it stemmed from a conversation I had with some fellow bloggers. I felt it was a topic that more than a few people could relate to and needed advice about!

3. Majoring in Speech-Language Pathology

I love talking about my major to anyone who will listen so I enjoyed writing this post probably too much! I’m hoping that there will be a lot more SLP talk on the blog soon once I hear back from grad schools.

4. How to Survive a Library Study Session

The struggle was SO real when I wrote this post and it was a nice break from studying for neuro!

5. Perfect Planners for College Students + Millennials

I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into this post and I feel like it shows! It was one of the most arduous posts I’ve ever had to write but I absolutely loved every moment of it. I was definitely in my element, gushing about planners and covers and layouts!

And now, for the moment you’ve all been waiting for… my 2016 stats.

kayla blogs

2016 Blog and Social Media Stats

Posts published in 2016: 78 (+19 from 2015)

Number of Sponsored Blog Posts: 17 (+9 from 2015)

Number of Page Views: 515,653 (+434,778 from 2015)

Number of Unique Visitors: 308,845 (+241,383 from 2015)

Twitter followers: 1,575 (+695 from 2015)

Facebook likes: 668 (+326 from 2015)

Instagram followers: 2,737 (+1,651 from 2015)

Pinterest followers: 3,699 (+3,140 from 2015)

Bloglovin’ followers: 582 (+345 from 2015)

YouTube subscribers: 186 (+186 from 2015)

Feeling #blessed after seeing these numbers but also feeling very motivated to make 2017 an even better year! Thank you all so much for reading and listening and commenting. I hope that your year is everything you’re hoping it will be.

This week and next week Ryan and I will be traveling/road-tripping so be sure to keep up with me on social media (especially Snapchat) where I’ll be documenting our adventures!

Follow:

31 Comments

  1. January 3, 2017 / 12:41 am

    Congrats on so much success this year! Can’t wait to see what you accomplish in 2017 🙂

    – katrina || yourstrulykatrina.com

  2. mQs
    January 3, 2017 / 10:46 am

    I love blog recaps. You definitely got after it in 2016, best of luck with 2017!

  3. Kara Tapangan
    January 3, 2017 / 11:59 am

    I’m so jealous of how organized you are! It definitely is helping the success of your blog!

    Have you found other planners that are slightly lighter?

    Best,
    Kara Tapangan, The Blog
    http://www.karatapangan.com

    • January 3, 2017 / 12:14 pm

      I seriously love my Day Designer and don’t see myself switching anytime soon, but there’s a mini version I’ve been eyeing which is smaller and therefore, lighter! I also have a few smaller options listed in my planner post that I mention above (https://kaylablogs.com/2016/07/planners-for-college-students/)

      Thank you so much for reading!

  4. January 3, 2017 / 12:02 pm

    You are organization #goals 🙂 I’m so proud of how much your blog has grown, good job!

    • January 3, 2017 / 12:15 pm

      Thank you! I’m pretty amazed about it myself, haha. Thank you for reading!

  5. January 3, 2017 / 1:38 pm

    As someone who’s trying to get my blog in order and keep track of things, I loved coming across your blog! I am also excited about the posts you shared that I can go check out 🙂 I also love that you like planners!! I’m pretty obsessed with mine 😉

  6. Greta Hollar
    January 3, 2017 / 3:26 pm

    Such an amazing year for you! Have a great time on your road trip this week!

    Greta | http://www.gretahollar.com

  7. January 3, 2017 / 6:33 pm

    So impressive you keep up with everything so well! Do you use a template?

  8. January 3, 2017 / 7:02 pm

    Sounds like an amazing year! I will be starting my freshman year of college this year so I will definitely be reading your school supply post!

    xoxo,
    Katie
    chicincarolina.blogspot.com

  9. January 3, 2017 / 7:43 pm

    I am so sending my sister some of these links! She’s a freshman in college and would really enjoy your tips! Have a wonderful 2017!

  10. January 3, 2017 / 7:59 pm

    OOoh, I’m going to have to go back and read through some of your posts. Congrats on a successful 2016, looking forward to your 2017 posts!

  11. January 3, 2017 / 11:18 pm

    I love seeing how much your blog has grown!! I literally just wrote this post for my blog because I love this idea so much haha. You’re totally killing it with those views!!

  12. January 4, 2017 / 2:36 pm

    This is awesome! now I want to go through and do a little blogging round up… I can only imagine how much my stats have changed over the last 12 months!

  13. Macarena Ferreira
    January 4, 2017 / 5:03 pm

    Congrats on the success! I definitely need to start tracking my success as well as making better, pinnable posts.

    xo // http://www.thematerialgirl.co

  14. January 4, 2017 / 9:03 pm

    Congratulations on a successful year! Couldn’t agree more about the importance of a good pinnable image. Wishing you loads of success in 2017!
    erin | sandsunandmessybuns.com

  15. January 5, 2017 / 8:49 am

    Wow, your traffic numbers are incredible, especially considering that you’ve only been blogging for two years!! I’d be curious to see that number broken out into organic search, social, direct, referrals, etc. if you feel comfortable sharing it!

  16. Adriana
    January 5, 2017 / 9:56 am

    You grew your numbers all around – how awesome! I love your post for college freshmen, too good! I wish I had it back then!

  17. January 5, 2017 / 10:07 am

    You had AWESOME content in 2016. I can’t wait to see what you have in 2017!!!

  18. Bianca A. Nunez
    January 5, 2017 / 10:23 am

    I need to read your blog more and as a college student as well you inspire me to write more! thanks for sharing!

  19. January 5, 2017 / 10:50 am

    You killed it in 2016, Kayla! I need to be better about tracking my growth, and this post was the perfect reminder. Thank you for that!

    XO, SS || Seersucker Sass

  20. January 5, 2017 / 11:27 pm

    Congrats! That’s exciting stuff. I feel you about a Pinterest pin makeover – it’s amazing how much it can help!

  21. January 9, 2017 / 9:46 am

    Girl you had a GREAT 2016 in terms of your blog! I love all of your college posts despite the fact I graduated a year ago! Your book list has helped me with my own goal of reading more!
    xoxo
    Ashley

    • January 23, 2017 / 11:06 pm

      Thanks Ashley! I’m so happy to have motivated you to read more!

  22. Molly O'Connor
    January 10, 2017 / 8:07 am

    Your numbers are SO impressive! What would you say helped you grow the most? Pinterest? Also, I loved your new planner post- such a fun post and way to pair with so many amazing companies!

    http://www.mollyonthemoveblog.com

    • January 23, 2017 / 11:05 pm

      Thanks Molly! Yeah, I think it was definitely Pinterest bringing me the most traffic!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.