Another year is gone, time to push out new blog posts for 2020. But before we dive into the new year, let’s take a stroll down memory lane and round up the top posts of 2020 here on the Symon Says Smile blog.
What makes a blog post a Top Blog Post?
There are so many factors that could decide if your post is successful. For me, this list is exclusively based on the number of unique viewers. I didn’t count the total views, because that number could be inflated by a user who pops back on to read the same post. Comments have never been a strong factor for me. I save those for social media.
Sometimes successful posts are more likely to become even more successful. There’s the obvious SEO ranking- if a post moves up the search engine results, it will get more clicks. That will move it up even higher. But what if you don’t make the first page?
A simple way to increase your views on already popular posts is a Top Posts widget in your side bar. If a user clicks into any blog post, they will have the opportunity to click one of your top posts. Voila- your top posts are now getting more views, which will keep them on the top posts.
But without further delay, lets dive into my top posts of 2020…
Top Blog Posts of 2020
10. Phasing into a New Normal- Adjusting to Life after a Big Experience
Transitioning is hard. Originally this post was written to help us transition back into the new normal after the coronavirus quarantine. But unfortunately we are still living in a state of socially distant, semi-restricting, far from the old normal life. These tips are still great for other big experiences though.
9. Boo You, Coronavirus. It’s my birthday!
Guess who turned 30 in the middle of the pandemic? I did! I hosted a Mean Girls themed birthday party for myself at home, with no guests. Check out this post for tips on how to create your own Mean Girls themed birthday party, especially if you’re an adult.
8. Book Review: Women on Top by Michelle Miller
This book was not my favorite, and frankly the review is very transparent about my opinion of it. However, I think the title of the book works in its favor when it comes to SEO. People are searching for the title, but not in the context of it being a book… if you catch my drift. That might even be why the book itself has so many downloads- people don’t know the content is very different than the title suggests.
7. Donating Blood During a Pandemic
When I wrote this blog post, the reasoning for donating was very basic: people who require blood transfusions don’t stop needing them during a pandemic. Although I didn’t update, research has found there are so many more reasons to donate now. Donation clinics are automatically testing donors for covid-19 antibodies, which can help you learn if you had been exposed. But also that blood is being used to treat covid patients. There are so many benefits, and I hope this blog post helps ease the mind of people who are considering it but worried.
Considering my goal for 2020 was to write at least 10 travel posts, I’m happy that one of the few posts I did get to write made the Top Ten list. Obviously I wasn’t able to travel nearly as much as I wanted, but Savannah was a wonderful day trip and the beach was a nice change of pace from Charleston beaches. I hope to return post-‘rona and take some of the historic tours.
(PS- I also visited Mepkin Abbey, so check that post out here: An Hour at Mepkin Abbey: Local Tourist in Charleston)
5. This Mama Loves her New Apple Watch
I’m shocked that my Apple Watch post is still on the top ten! I have updated it twice now, but it was originally written in 2019! There are so many amazing tech review blogs out there that I didn’t think I would be able to compete with them. I don’t know all the specs, and probably don’t know all the technical details either. But I know what makes the Apple Watch useful for a mom, and clearly that has been why this blog post is so successful.
4. Step into Fall: Shoes and Booties
Ya’ll know I am not a fashion blogger. I tried to share my outfits a bit in 2019, but it’s not my vibe. As for shoes… I love me some shoes. Specifically, I love fall shoes because it is the best time to build a collection of different styles. Summer is essentially all sandals. But in the fall there are a hundred different styles of footwear. This post shows my favorite.
(PS- I also shared my favorite cardigans, here: Cardigans You’ll Want to Wear)
3. Book Review: What You Did by Claire McGowan
My goal for 2020 was to read 50 books (which is my goal every year), and sadly I didn’t reach it. But I am glad I was able to read this book, because it probably made it only my top ten list of books I read last year. It’s a mystery around rape and abuse, where the reader thinks they have enough information to know what the characters don’t… but of course we’re wrong. And unfortunately there is no happy ending.
(PS- even though it didn’t make the top ten, if this interested you I wrote another similar post: Overcoming Social Media Addiction: tips to living offline )
1. I Tried it: Verb Energy Review
The top post for 2020 probably earned this spot on accident. Verb Energy popped onto my social media feed one day and I ordered a sample pack. I fricken loved them, and needed to write a review post. Shortly afterwards, Verb launched their influencer program and the brand was being pushed across social media. At that time, this blog post was the only blog post review! That caused my post to hit the front page of the search results (where it still resides). I won’t complain! All opinions are my own, and it is not sponsored in any way.
There you have it! These were my Top Ten blog posts of 2020. If you are a blogger, drop a link to your top blog post of 2020 in the comments below and I’ll head over and show it some blogger love.
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