Nearly a Year In: Trying New Ways to Build Momentum

I want to get into the habit of documenting my progress more regularly, so I’m going to try sharing a weekly update about what I’ve been working on, what seems to be moving in the right direction, and what I’m learning along the way.

It won’t always be a dramatic update. Building a website is often about making small improvements consistently and waiting to see which ones make a difference.

My current website is now approaching its first birthday. It’s strange to think that nearly a year has passed since I started it, but I’m pleased with how much I’ve managed to build during that time.

There are currently 353 posts published, with another 12 drafts nearly ready to go. That’s a lot of content when I step back and look at it, even though it doesn’t always feel that way when I’m concentrating on the next article or task.

Traffic is still slower than I would like, but I’m starting to see some encouraging signs.

Over the past three months, Google Search Console has recorded 537 impressions under Generative AI. Bing has also reported 130 citations during that period, although those citations currently point back to just one page.

I’m still learning exactly what these figures mean in practical terms. They haven’t resulted in a large increase in traffic yet, but it is encouraging to know that the content is beginning to appear within AI-generated results.

Search is changing quickly, and it feels as though being discovered is no longer only about appearing in the traditional list of search results. Whether this develops into a useful source of traffic remains to be seen, but it’s something I’ll continue watching.

A Different Approach to Pinterest

One of the main things I'm changing at the moment is the workflow for Pinterest.

Until now, Pinterest has sometimes felt more like a place to publish pins and hope that something gains traction. The new approach is to treat it more like a search engine and think carefully about what people are actually looking for on the platform.

That means paying more attention to the wording used in pin titles, descriptions and boards, as well as matching pins more closely to the topics people are searching for.

It’s too early to know how much difference this will make. Pinterest can take time to respond to changes, so this will probably be another case of putting the work in now and reviewing the results further down the line.

Taking the First Steps with YouTube

I’ve also started venturing into YouTube.

For now, I’m experimenting with AI-assisted videos. Some of them are already receiving views, which is a positive start and allows me to learn how the platform works without making the process too complicated.

Eventually, I would like to appear on camera myself. I think that would make the videos more personal and allow me to share more of my own experience. Finding the time and confidence to do it properly is the challenge, so that step may have to wait a little longer.

The important thing for now is that I’ve started.

Looking Back... And Forward

It’s easy to focus on slow traffic or the things that haven’t worked yet. However, with the website nearly a year old, I also want to recognise the progress that has been made.

Publishing 353 posts, building a queue of new content, appearing in generative AI results, changing the Pinterest strategy and beginning to explore YouTube all represent progress.

There is still plenty to learn, and I’m sure the strategy will continue to change. For now, I’m quietly encouraged by the signs I’m seeing and interested to find out where the next year takes me.

I’ll share another update next week.