Crunching the Numbers, 2020

Never have I ever wanted to see the back-end of a year more than 2020. It certainly was a tough one for us all. On this first day of 2021, as I slam the door on last year, I wanted to take some time to reflect on my blog’s 2020 stats and contemplate the year that lies ahead.

So how did my blog, Princes, Paupers, Pilgrims & Pioneers: Our Predecessors and Me, perform this past year? Were 2020’s results better than the year before? After comparing last year’s numbers with the statistics of 2019, I am sorry to say that my numbers are down…significantly. It seems that everything is in a slump.

In 2020, my blog was viewed 9,009 times by 4,551 visitors in 93 countries with the vast majority of them from the United States (the United Kingdom came in a distant second). Also, my blog gained 680 likes and 159 comments.

The top 25 posts in 2020, receiving the most views, were the following:

1. Gateway Ancestor: Peter Worden
2. Book Review: One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow
3. Book Review: The Secret Orphan
4. Rev. Joseph Hull
5. More Alike Than Unalike
6. Middle-Aged Morning
7. Book Review: The German Midwife
8. Strong Women
9. Say What?
10. Long Line
11. Gilbert “The Red” de Clare
12. The Spangler Progenitor
13. Close to Home
14. Tristram Hull
15. Stick a Fork in Me, I’m Done!
16. Creating Connection for Children
17. Book Review: We Must Be Brave
18. Book Review: Out of the Embers
19. Book Review: The Secret Letter
20. 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Favorite Photo
21. 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks? You’re On!
22. Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester
23. Christopher Erb
24. The Old Country: Lombardia, Italia
25. Book Review: The Things We Cannot Say

Although those numbers might sound good, 2019 was a better year for my blog which was viewed 10,399 times by 5,987 visitors in 86 countries with the vast majority of them from the United States (Canada came in a distant second). Also, my blog gained 1,040 likes and 295 comments.

My top 25 posts in 2019—the ones that received the most views—were:

1. Rev. Joseph Hull
2. Book Review: One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow
3. Book Review: The Secret Orphan
4. Book Review: The German Midwife
5. Gateway Ancestor: Peter Worden
6. Gilbert “The Red” de Clare
7. The Spangler Progenitor
8. Patience (Oliver) Croasmun
9. Middle-Aged Morning
10. The Case of the Lost and Found Grandma
11. Book Review: Lost Roses
12. Gateway Ancestor: Edward Foulke
13. Say What?
14. Blogging…Why Bother?
15. Book Review: The Things We Cannot Say
16. Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester
17. Book Review: That Churchill Woman
18. Book Review: We Must Be Brave
19. Book Review: The Abolitionist’s Daughter
20. Let’s Go Crazy
21. Book Review: We Hope for Better Things
22. Johann Henrich Schlösser
23. Matryoshkas & My Matrilineal Matriarch
24. Book Review: The Dry Grass of August
25. Book Review: Time After Time

In 2020, the top ten referring sites to my blog were It’s Good to Be Crazy Sometimes, The Heart of the Family, My Descendant’s Ancestors, Slave Name Roll Project, Empty Branches on the Family Tree, Tales of a Family, Scrapbook Your Family Tree, Joan’s Ancestral World, The Lives of My Ancestors, and Writing My Past. (Please note: I am not including referrals from search engines, Ancestry.com, BookBub, BookSirens, Facebook, FindAGrave, Goodreads, LibraryThing, Twitter, Pinterest, or WordPress.)

Whereas in 2019, the top ten referral sites—again, not including search engines, book sites, or genealogical sites—were My Descendant’s Ancestors, It’s Good to Be Crazy Sometimes, Empty Branches on the Family Tree, Tales of a Family, Slave Name Roll Project, Scrapbook Your Family Tree, Joan’s Ancestral World, The Cowkeeper’s Wish, The Lives of My Ancestors, and Genealogy for Children.

Finally, in 2020, my top five most prolific commenters were Eilene Lyon, Carol Radowenchuk, Rebecca Cuningham, Marian Wood, and Carol Anne. Thank you all so much for stopping by my blog and caring enough to comment.

In 2019, my top five most frequent commenters were Ann Marie Bryant, Eilene Lyon, Jamie Gates, Linda Stufflebean, and GenTraveling. Again, my sincere thanks to you all!

However, something that statistics cannot show is the invaluable and inspirational interactions I have had with other bloggers, amateur/professional genealogists, book reviewers/authors, and “long-lost” family members. My deepest thanks go out to all for your insights and encouragement!

So, with 2020 behind me (Hallelujah!) and the new year just beginning, I will work to surpass last year’s statistics and share more of our ancestors’ (and my own) tales. Thank you for joining me on my journey!