1/2: This afternoon, probably somewhere around teatime, diamond geezer will receive its half-millionth visitor. Actually that's not quite true, it'll just be the half-millionth time that a slightly ropey stats package has registered a unique visitor, which isn't the same thing at all. But what's quite interesting, to me at least, is to consider how and why these visitors have arrived here:
• 20% of my visitors arrived here via a search engine. Most of these poor deluded souls no doubt clicked here expecting that my site would yield the answer to some esoteric query, only to be disappointed by what they didn't find. I therefore shouldn't really count these hundred thousand as true visitors - they arrived here under false pretences. • 40% of my visitors arrived here via another website. That's two hundred thousand arrivals via someone's else's blogroll, or because something I wrote got mentioned somewhere. I have no idea how many of these people ever came back again. • 40% of my visitors arrived here direct, without clicking through from a search engine or any other website. Which is nice, because it suggests that at least two hundred thousand visitors have come here deliberately.
Let's explore that second category in a bit more depth. It's time once again for an update of my regular 'league table' of top linking blogs, ordered by volume of visitors clicking here from there. I've also included the 'highest climbers' since my last update back in February. Thank you all for linking. Go on, go check out a few of the following and return the favour...
Analysis suggests that the above list is the product of two particular types of bloglinks - slow drips and big bangs: • Slow drip links send a steady flow of visitors here over a long period of time. A tiny 'diamond geezer' link might nestle quietly in the blogroll, perhaps sending a few passing clickers here every week, or perhaps used daily by the blog's owner. But those few clicks all mount up over months or even years and hey presto, a position in my Top 20. Thanks to all of you slow drippers - the blogosphere wouldn't work without you. • And then there are big bang links, which appear on major(ish) blogs with high visitor traffic. One single prominent mention can attract hordes of visitors who suddenly, rightly or wrongly, descend to see what all the fuss is about. Just one big bang link can outrank a slow dripper in 24 hours flat, or even continue to gather readers three years later.
I can illustrate this by considering my new number one linking blog - girl with a one track mind. If you've never before visited this fine blog (not-worksafe), it's probably best described as "everything hot-blooded men wished girls thought about". Here's how the Girl ended up sending thousands of visitors my way: • Back in February I was filling a slot on her blogroll and she was feeding me a slow dripper. This was merely foreplay. • In March she thrashed me into submission to win best UK/Irish blog in the Bloggies, and my dribble-through increased. • In April came an explosive bang when the Girl directed readers towards my April Fool post. Her passionate readers expected pussy, but all they got were kittens. None have yet sued for misdirection. • And now she has a blockbuster paperback, recently sprawled across the media in a most unattractive manner. As thousands of new readers come across her daily, I continue to be on the receiving end of countless misguided infiltrations. • End result: the Girl stands atop my pile, astride all opposition.
In conclusion I'd like to thank everyone - all the slow drippers, the big bangers and especially those of you who arrive here unaided - because every click-through is appreciated. Here's to the next half million...
