ViperChill Monthly Report 5 (My New Apartment)
Written by Glen, this post has 79 Comments
To update those of you who are new to ViperChill, each month I change my opacity levels to 90% and reveal far more than I should. Besides sharing how many new feed subscribers I’ve gained and how many pageviews this site has had, I also reveal the top traffic sources and referring keywords to ViperChill.
I have absolutely no goals for this site (which is why I think it’s doing well) so don’t mind if the traffic goes up or down. I judge my success here by the positive comments that each article receives. At the bottom of this post you’ll also find a personal update, which I write every month.
Overall Traffic
- Visits: 19,777
- Pageviews: 37,173
- Avg time on Site: 3 mins 06 seconds
The traffic has taken a large dip from last month, purely because StumbleUpon sent 22,000 visitors in January and just 1,600 in February. Thanks to that, the time on site has doubled and there has been quite a large increase in other traffic sources. The articles written in February, were:
- How I Really Built a Blog with 6,500 Subscribers
- Wordpress SEO: The Only Guide You Need
- 7 Life Lessons I Apply to Internet Marketing
- Bloggers: This Is How Long Your Posts Should Be
- How to Really Build Backlinks and Dominate Google
Here at ViperChill there are a lot less articles published than most sites, but typically these articles are 2,000-3,000 words and cover topics in massive detail. You could say that we prefer signal over noise.
Top Referring Websites
Here are the top referring traffic sources for the month of February:
- Direct: 6,331
- StumbleUpon: 1,654
- Twitter: 1,552
- Google (organic): 1,311
- Google.com: 1,117
- Sphinn.com: 1,096
- Viperchill / twitter: 879 (I think this is a new reporting aspect to Google Analytics)
- SmartPassiveIncome.com: 504
- PluginID.com: 283
- Facebook.com: 267
Top Referring Keywords
There were a total of 1,372 visits via 472 keywords this month. The top 10, were:
- ViperChill: 297
- viper chill: 126 (it’s one word, guys!
) - guest blogging: 97
- glen allsopp: 41
- internet marketing: 39
- viral marketing: 32
- viperchill.com: 23
- viperchill case study: 20
- life lessons: 19
- minimalist internet marketing: 18
As the site is starting to fill up nicely with content and the posts here are getting quite a lot of links, the search engine traffic is increasing nicely. It’s growing around 33% every single month so I’ll be interested to see where this is at by the end of the year.
Subscriber Stats
Monitoring your subscriber stats is probably the best way to track how well your audience is growing. Although I don’t have any goals for the size of the community here, I still think it is an interesting metric to monitor.
- February 1st: 3,814
- February 28th: 4,337
- Change: +523
Last month the site grew by just over 500 subscribers but that was partly down to a number of my guest posts going live. This month, I’ve been fortunate enough to have a lot of big name bloggers talking about me, so even though I wrote no guest posts, the site is still growing well.
If you’re reading this in a feed reader or inbox, thanks for subscribing!
Personal Activity (+ My New Apartment)
As I revealed last month, I have decided to cease globe trotting and stay in one location. This will help me get things done and reach my next (admittedly large) goals. I’m back in Cape Town, South Africa, which I first visited when I was 18, and I’m really loving it. I definitely made the right decision to come back.
The only downside so far is that I’m constantly having to schedule friends and turn people down because somehow (I don’t remember this being the case in the past) I have way more close contacts than I remember. And that’s after filtering out the people who just want something from me.
I’m living in an apartment that is 30 seconds away from the biggest mall in Africa and I go there at least once per day to go shopping or grab food, and it’s also really quiet during the week. Here are some pictures of how my new place looks, if you’re interested in that kind of thing:
(As a typical 20 year old, I’m planning on getting a large flat screen TV for this wall and moving that cabinet)
The apartment has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (yes, I live on my own) and even 2 parking spaces. It also has 24 hour security which is a must when living in this country.
Right now my plan is to stay here until around March 2011, as by then I should have accomplished most of the things I set out to do over the next year. When I came here at 18 I didn’t miss home at all and I think that’s because everything was so new and exciting. I’m still really, really happy to be here, but I miss this girl and my expanding family back in the UK like crazy, at times.
This month I also found out I won a SEMMY (internet marketing award) for the best post on blogging in 2009. I had been nominated for two years in a row but never picked up anything. Thanks to all of you who voted this time (and to Matt for putting it together). It’s great to have my work recognized in front of the big guys in the industry.
What’s new with you?
| I constantly aim to find new, awesome articles to share with you all. Today I want to share: The Truth About Blogs and Money by Jonathan Fields, Quieting the Lizard Brain (Video) by Seth Godin, Cracking the Google Algorithm by Stuntdubl, 11 Characteristics of Highly Influential Bloggers by Tamar and 33 Ways to Be Remarkable by Diggy. |  |
You have some fantastic stat’s (and some numbers that I would love to be able to claim as my own. I love how you say that the possible reason for the success of your blog is that you have no goals for it. Sometimes we set our targets too low and it actually stops us from reaching the potential that we could.
Your new apartment looks great! Why did you decided on a two bedroom apartment for just one persons? Is the second bedroom for an office?
Hey Tom, thanks.
Yeah, the picture of the computer you see is in my 2nd bedroom (the office).
Awesome! I do agree with a comment a bit further down. You must feel a bit like the guy from the movie Jumper!
I haven’t seen the film.
Checking on Wikipedia, I see it is about teleportation. I’m guessing you mean that I travel a lot?
Yea, to a degree. But I think maybe it was the shot from the balcony that just reminded me the movie.
The apartment looks spacious, but feels without soul, but is ok, because I know you travel and this is just a temporary location. And that chair is comfortable ?
Hahah, my brother from another mother.
Your first comment here?
I am the soul
Yep. First comment.
I was speaking from an interior design perspective …there is not soul, no personal touch, no style, you should personalize it a little.
I haven’t decided if I will go to the trouble yet (I am renting it fully-furnished) but I will definitely improve the living room.
Congrats Glen for all your achievements. You are giving a lot of inspiration. Cheers
Awesome, thanks Oscar!
Looks like a comfortable apartment. The sites are wonderful. I’m guessing that balcony is super cool to sit out and get new ideas. Congratulations on your win and your new home. All the best for your future plans. I notice you didn’t have that much on your work board in your ‘office.’ Well done for that!
How do you manage to get so many views from SU? I still can’t crack that site. Every time I think I have, I realise I haven’t.
ok but where are the girls?
What?
This is an internet marketing blog.
Mate if you go on posting stuff and pics like this, I really have to quit my job and start doing business on my own too
Have a great day!
Haha, have a great day too!
Good Day sir!
The apartment is totally awesome and I know this because I have been in it
Hopefully going to get a place in the same complex as you in a few months time.
Good to hear that you are still doing so well with your own projects and I hope for you that your million dollar case study is going to work out 100% as planned!
Thanks for the link!!
Yeah, you abuse my spare bedroom
It is going as planned!
De rien.
I’ve been thinking about moving to Cape Town for ages. Any chance on you telling me what a flat like that costs pcm? Also, how did you find it? Looks nice – congrats on your move.
Hey Jack,
One of my best friends lives in the same building so he helped me check it out before I arrived. My old apartment cost around $500 per month, and this one costs about $1,200.
Is this USD? That’s not bad at all. I’m paying $680 for a two bedroom, two bathroom townhouse, but the view sucks, the neighbors are horrible and I absolutely hate it here
Yes, that is USD.
This is expensive for South Africa though. Most people pay $300-$400 per month if you’re happy for a one bedroom just outside the city.
It pays to comment on ViperChill. I wish I had thought of the comment thank you page for my own blog ages ago. Fantastic idea Glen.
Dude, that apartment is freaking sweet!
Thanks buddy
I’m happy with it
Congrats on everything so far! Honestly, it’s hard to imagine anything you do not being successful.
I love the view from your apartment. It makes me want to visit Cape Town…
Hey Mary,
It’s very kind of you to say so. This is a very beautiful city
Thanks!
Holy shit. That is a nice view + the nice apartment.
Do you feel like that guy in the movie Jumper? haha
Cheers
I had to ask on Twitter what the movie Jumper could do with me (I hadn’t heard of it).
Haha, I guess so
Thanks for the comment.
Thanks for sharing this information, Glen (nice place!). I’m curious if you are an active StumbleUpon user yourself, and how valuable you find SU traffic to be.
I used to be, but I haven’t really used it in over a year now.
Most of the traffic is pretty poor and doesn’t stay for long, but I definitely don’t want to turn them away. Some visitors do click around and subscribe to your RSS feed.
Nice place you have there.I’d love to have your stats…but I’ll have to work harder.
I would be pretty happy with those stats myself
Especially the 22,000 from Stumble? That’s crazy, I’m lucky if I can pull 500 from them.
Congrats on the new place.
Thanks for sharing the photos, I particularly liked the workspace photo, nice and simple.
Thanks Greg,
Glad that you liked it. I prefer to keep things uncluttered
yup you got it. The guy in the movie gets his own apartment, and travels around the world like nothing, freely. By the way its a great film
Hey great new apartment. I love the view. Thanks for sharing your stats and growth, I love to see these types of articles. I wish more people did them. It is always inspirational to see the growth of other people on similar paths to your own.
Thanks Colby,
I do like seeing them but I think anything more than once a month is a little over the top (especially when I post so much). I have decided however that I’ll stop doing them after 12 months.
Hey Glen, congratulations with your new apartment. Your parents are pretty cool and down-to-earth for letting you live off by yourself in another country. But I think your accomplishments have shown that anybody with the heart, dedication, and work ethic should have the privilege to make decisions on their own to live life freely and independently. Thanks for another inspiring article.
Interesting point Hulbert.
My parents are very open, which I’m thankful for. I moved to South Africa the first time around at 18 and they were cool with it then
Congrats on winning that award and getting all the big name mentions. Excellent news. I’ve been studying your stats and comparing them with mine. Oh I know, we’re not supposed to compare ourselves to other people but I can’t help it! Suffice to say that you kick my ass in all areas except one. Drum roll… my readers hang around an average of 14 second longer than yours! No idea why of course:)
Lovely that you’re going from strength to strength with ViperChill. In case you’re wondering how I’m getting on I probably gained about 100+ subscribers in Feb taking me up to a whopping 650. More or less. That’s the main thing that interests me. Now tantalisingly close to my target of 1000. Been doing a guest post blitz. Had one on Dumb Little Man that worked well and got my 2nd guest post on Zen Habits today so hoping that will bring me some more lovely readers. I’ve definitely been trying:) Feel free to send anytips my way if you have any!
Thanks for sharing this stuff with us. It is interesting, gives us something to aim for and shows us what we need to pay attention to.
Oh, and thanks too for getting an apartment with a spare room for us to crash in when we visit Cape Town. It looks lovely. Any hippos or crocs in the pool though? That looks as bit murky:)
Damn dude. It’s crazy to think you’ve been at the relaunch for 5 months. It’s also crazy to think how much ass you can kick if you really work hard in a short amount of time. I’ve really enjoyed the turn out and I know you’re only getting started.
Nice dude!
I’ll be sure to visit when I’m in Cape Town next (might be a while though).
Sweet-ass place. We can go give the girls some hell at Canal Walk!
Haha, it’s a deal.
Done.
When I saw the first picture I already thought it was Canal Walk. Great views my man!! Enjoy your time there. There is a chance that I will come ‘home’ (as I call SA, after living there for 3 1/2 year) in a few months.
cheers
Richard
Congrats on the stats of your blogs, I have to double check my analytics and see those / twitter referrals and dig more information about those and how they work. You get a high level of direct traffic so must have a heavy fan base with lots of people bookmarking and going directly.
Random question, but what are the broadband speeds like over there? I think a lot of people ‘based’ online would think about moving abroad for a better standard of living, but surely you need pretty quick internet access to build a business out there.
The internet here is awful for speeds and pricing, around the world.
However, you do save money on a lot of other things so it evens out quite a bit. There are connections which are really fast, but they come at a price. I expect to be paying around $350 per month once my line is sorted to have uncapped internet.
Since you run a successful online business and i know you are using paypal so how do you manage that as i was told that paypal doesn’t support south africa anymore. I was thinking of moving over but when i heard this, i was thinking of other alternatives you are using
I have both a UK and SA bank account. I keep most of my funds in Paypal and because it is linked to a UK account, i can still send it to an SA account. You can also send money from an SA paypal account, just not receive it.
Hi Glen
Are you sure about the remark that you can SEND money from SA via paypal. This would be great news as until now you could only receive money in SA via paypal and NOT send it. At least that is what the paypal website tells me. But if you have other info I would like to hear so as this would save me big headaches right now
thanks
Richard
Yes, you can put funds into an SA paypal via credit card and pay from that.
Glen thank you VERY much, I have just called Paypal to get this confirmed, and they did. I have spoken to a representative in the past and they told me that you could only RECEIVE money in SA and not send, but this is a lot better
So again … great post, saves me a lot of headaches!!! hahaha
Enjoy your weekend
Richard
thanks for the report glen, very nice apartment too:)
Glen your apartment looks great, congrats!
I’m glad it’s all going good for ViperChill. You are writing terrific content here, success is well deserved!
Fantastic. Nice to see this blog has been really well-read and you just deserve for pumping out really superb content in every posts.
Nice apartment too. So that you’ll stay here in that place forever ( or long time)?
Just for around a year, then I’ll continue to travel
great. after i graduate, I’m planning to travel as well for quite some time but I doubt i could reach Africa. heheh.
You provide really useful information, so I’m definitely not surprised by the blog’s success. Keep up the good work.
Hey again Glen,
Was thinking about your stumble hits. Is there a way of tracking how many stumblers result in a sale/subscriber etc. 22,000 sounds great for stats but is it really worth it. Why was this months stumble traffic so low?
Hey,
Yeah, you can use Event tracking in Google Analytics. I’ll cover it in a future post, but for now there’s some great guides on Google
That first picture is a gorgeous view from the balcony. I had no idea Cape Town was so nice. It’s so funny, I clicked on “miss this girl” expecting to find a picture of a pretty girl, and I did, but just not in the way I expected LOL
She’s adorable. And congrats on the SEMMY.
Thanks bro
I appreciate your support
you have a great blog especially i found you have MORE content and wondering you don’t have ads on your blog.
why don’t you monetize your blog & see ?
I don’t need the money, and I want people to be able to trust what I have to say
That’s why this blog looks unique from others….Now i am into your RSS feed.
Gorgeous apartment, Glen – and impressively tidy!
Glad ViperChill is going so well, it’s both fun and interesting to see your stats each month. I also like the way you’re judging success here … being a blogger/writer is about way more than just numbers.
Thanks Ali!
Always great to see you here. Those pictures were actually from the day I moved in haha. I have a maid to thank for my tidyness now
Man! How do you get time to reply all of your comments.
I don’t find the time to write a blog entry.
22,000 visitors is good but as the traffic is not relevelant [they are sutumblers], its hard that lot of them subscribed. I guess you should be getting more subscribers from google organic traffic.
What do you say?
There’s always time. You “found” time to write your comment
I don’t think StumbleUpon converts very highly, this is why the average time on site increased so much. I think I get more subscribers when other bloggers link to me.
Thanks for the reply Glen…
Keep up the good work.. I will follow you
Hi Glen,
Found your site via Jason at Make Money Dynamo and I am adding you to my google reader. I am completely inspired by your whole story and the fact that you have achieved all this in your teens/twenties. Amazing.
As you will see, from my own site, things are going slowly but steadily. I still have lots to learn but I look forward to being able to leave my job and travel as you have.
As a very nosey person, I would just like to say thanks for adding the pics of your apartment. Very nice.
Good luck in SA.
Tiptopcat
Hay Glen, I’m a South African who has been reading your posts on and off since your PluginID and PluginHQ days. I must admit it is amazing what you have achieved in your time so far. I personally use the net as a side hobby and try make a little pocket money from it via blogging. So your articles on anything internet are brilliant and I usually end up changing my site/s straight away after reading what you have said just because it makes so much sense.
I think you should try drop a mail to SA tourism to let them know that you are making people want to come to SA or Cape Town and so they should support you somehow. They seem to be internet proactive and even have their own url shortner for the World Cup mzan.si (if you hadn’t seen it)
Well done, again, for the great writing and tools of the trade. You have helped lots.
LOL! Man, I was a little surprised that you still a tube for a television and a cabinet. With all the money you’re making, you should have upgraded already!
And to tease you a little more, I think it’s funny you have your marker board on that basket to hold it up lol…
But all jokes aside man, you have a pretty nice place.
Jay
Haha, they came with the place.
Buying a 50″ flat screen next month.
I just read in another one of your articles that you have an interest in DJing (me too! I just got started a few months ago and I’m loving it), but I don’t see any DJ equipment in your apartment? Stop slacking and get yourself some CDJs or turntables!
Hey buddy,
How’s it living on your own? I’m getting ready to move out and live on my own in the next year or so and I was thinking that living alone would be too lonely. I make a full time income online just like you do (yay for us young guys!) but being alone all day sucks. Do you go clubbing every night just to get out and interact with regular people? Lol