Whenever I have a workshop or a presentation on blogging, someone asks how you know if you have a "successful" blog. And my answer is always the same: <strong>you define your success.</strong>  You set the goals for your blog and if you reach those goals, then you have success.

Start with having SMART (<span style="text-decoration: underline;">s</span>pecific, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">m</span>easurable, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">a</span>ttainable, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">r</span>ealistic, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">t</span>imely) goals, <strong>emphasis on measurable and specific</strong>.

Goals could be:
<ul>
	<li>Get a certain number of readers each day</li>
	<li>Get readers to click on links or go to a certain page on your website</li>
	<li>Get readers to subscribe to your newsletter or to your RSS feed</li>
	<li>Stimulate discussion or get comments</li>
	<li>Get shares on social networks</li>
</ul>
Once you have goals, you will track these using an analytics program such as Google Analytics. There are many resources out there, but I found this post by Jeff Sauer very helpful: <a href="http://www.jeffalytics.com/google-analytics-for-bloggers-presentation/" target="_blank">Google Analytics 101 for Bloggers</a>. Although I use Google Analytics, there are other programs out there (some free, some not). There may be a better choice for you, as Tom Ewer writes: <a href="http://www.leavingworkbehind.com/clicky-web-analytics/" target="_blank">Why I Use Clicky Analytics</a>.

What are the goals for your blog? Are you actively tracking them?

<em>Do you want to improve your blogging? Attend my <strong>How to Write Your Blog</strong> workshop next week on November 12 in Washington, DC. <a href="http://dbmcbloggingworkshop.eventbrite.com/" target="_blank">Learn more and register today!</a></em>

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