… my last theme would have killed EverydayHDR!
On this site I try to present the most helpful content I can to the HDR/Photography community. There is a ton of free content, really, there are over 115 video tutorials scattered throughout. I want visitors to come here and enjoy their experience. I want them to go from page to page indulging in the content whether they agree or disagree. The last thing I want is for them to visit one page and leave.
As it turns out, the last theme I had running (from February 7th until March 1st) was doing just that. There is a service Google provides called “Google Analytics” and it is a great service! For those who have never heard of it, basically what it does is hangs out in the background of your site and collect valuable data. Data like how many visitors you receive daily, how many pages they view, what pages they view, how long they stay, even down to the city and IP address they are from. It does not tell you names of visitors as that would be an invasion of privacy!
It also tracks this small, but very valuable piece of data called Bounce Rate. What is a Bounce Rate? Have you ever walked into a restaurant, bar, club, or party and before you even took your jacket off you said, “This place is lame, let’s Bounce?” That is exactly what Bounce Rate is, it tells you how often people land on one page on your site and then leave.
With the last them I watched my Bounce Rate go from 3% to 73%. That is an insane increase and the worst part is, it happened overnight! I figured I would let it go for the month of February to see if maybe it was just the user getting to know the new theme. However, it didn’t change, as a matter of fact it just got a bit worse and then maintained a stable 73.79%.
I thought maybe, just maybe that data was being calculated wrong, so I looked into my Pageviews as well. On the 6th of February (the day before the theme change) EverydayHDR had 1,315 Pageviews. The 8th (the first full day with the new theme), only 610 and by the end of the month the average was near 524. While I expected my Pageviews and Bounce Rate to be similar in nature, I didn’t want to believe it. 
So I decided to switch back to the old theme, the theme that worked. The theme that allowed the visitor to enjoy their experience on EverydayHDR. So, just because something looks better doesn’t mean they are better. The proof is in the pudding, in the details, on the inside. Ironic how themes and women can be so much alike! I have a couple of questions for you.
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Do you own a website?
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Have you ever looked at it analytically, or do you just post the content without worrying about the details? (I wish I could be the latter!)
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Have you ever run a new theme and watched your numbers increase or decrease?
For Blake, it's all about the art and process synergy. He dives deep into complex topics and makes them easy to understand through his outside-the-box thinking so that you can use these tricks in your workflow today!
Hi Blake,
This is probably not what you are looking for as I do not have a website to comment on the analitics but I have to say what you do here is very informative, and I try to visit most days when a new post is due.
All the best to you and your new family!
Sweet! Thanks Gerald. I enjoy feedback of all kinds, especially the good kind!
Thanks Blake…am I glad you changed….best to you. William
Thanks. I like the old theme better, it just seems to work and never let me down!
Great move going back to the original theme. Sometimes good enough IS good enough 🙂
Thanks for all you do,
Vinny
No problem Vinny! Thanks for the feedback.
While I like new, I did like the way your old theme worked. I found you on YouTube, then went to your site and I prefer your site. there is so much information here.
Thank you so much.
Not a problem. I am glad to hear you came here. I wasnt too sure how many people actually came here from YouTube. That is great to hear.
Blake –
Quest 1 – yes 4
Quest 2 – yes but not google analytics – there were stability issues in the past with it.
Quest 3 – 3 of the sites have been running for 5 years now – numbers hold pretty much the same, some peaks when we put a controversial or very interesting post on our facebook site, the fourth is in redevelopment.
Working my way through Zone Edit at the mo – enjoying it too.
Regards
steveb
Awesome. Glad to hear you like Zone Edit. Thanks for the insight on my questions as well. I tend to be very analytical… I know, hard to tell from my tutorials right? I wish I could separate myself from analytics but it is too addicting!
Well I was cerainly one of those who did not bounce. I have enjoyed the communications asking you questions and welcoming your new yong photographer. If the old is new again, great. I cannot build a suitable website for myself nor afford one of quality to be done. Howver I do visit most of the websites of those who pop up on everdayhdr and have learned from their work.
Thanks! I certainly appreciate you for coming by often. I am open to anyone if they have questions, I am just glad to be able to help from time to time.
I had a difficult time navigating the new website, but eventually ended up in the right place.
Hi Blake
Guess the old saying applies here ‘”if it a’int broke don’t fix it”. Really enjoy your website and also you Topaz webinars – all great. Congrats on your new arrival – William. Hope there are not too many sleepless nights.
Very true! I am glad you like it and I appreciate the feedback! The sleepless nights are more on the wife than me, she is a great woman and provides for him well! I am on Michael (the older brother) duty at night. I appreciate your kind words!