I know I mentioned in my Monday Harvest post that I might not get the opportunity to do a Top 5 this week, but that was before I remembered that:
- a. I am the proud owner of a 10 year old and very beaten up laptop and that
- b. there was a possibility that the laptop still worked. Guess what, it does, just – the internet drops out every 5 minutes but still it works!
As computers are front of my mind at the moment I thought it only right that today’s post have a technological bent. Social media and social networking are very much in the media at the moment here and it got me thinking about what draws people to my blog. This weeks top 5 is exactly that: the top 5 google searches (courtesy of Google Analytics) that have lead people to Suburban Tomato in the past month. (Note: I haven’t included searches for “suburban tomato” in the list)
1. Parsnip Soup – I have to say I was really surprised by this. Clearly there is a large need for parsnip soup in the world, or indeed comparatively few sites that mention it.
2. When to plant tomatoes in Melbourne – Frankly who wouldn’t want to know when to plant tomatoes in Melbourne?
3. Growing tomatoes in Melbourne – Or indeed how to grow them. In fact this is the sort of thing I would search on myself.
4. Broccoli aphids – I can’t tell you how often I have personally googled garden pests so this is probably the least surprising search in my list.
5. Eggplant Masala – I was really interested in just how many of the visitors to my blog arrived via searches for food or recipes rather than gardening. Also in the Top 10 searches were: Vietnamese Coleslaw, Caponata, Pumpkin recipes south indian & Lemon Cordial.
Do you track visitors to your blog? Which searches draw people to yours? Or for the blogless amongst you how did you find the blogs you follow?
Garden Glut has written a fabulous Top 5 – Cut & Come again vegetables, and the The New Good Life had yet to publish when I wrote this but it would be worth checking if she has now.
That’s a great list Liz, here are my top five searches for the last month:
1.euphorbia lipstick
2. olga the brolga
3. “silverbeet recipe”
4. jackie french books
5. extreme ironing
That is an eclectic mix! I’m clearly going to have to google euphorbia lipstick images as I need to see what they look like.
My top two are “pineapple tomatillos” and “how to braid onions”. Though number four is “garlic scape dressing” so that one is a recipe.
I do think its interesting how often people seem to google plant names and I will need garlic scape dressing recipes soon so I reckon I’ll have a look at that one too.
Oh I am a bimbo… how do I find out? This looks like too much fun not to know about. I am totally intrigued by Barbara’s list – I would never think of euphorbia and lipstick going together…..
I was quite amazed too. Euphorbia lipstick is a plant I love and wanted to grow BTW. Also featuring high in the list was sporf (as in spoon/fork/knife) and steel drum festival, go figure.
Loving the sporf reference.
Ok, bimbo Louise has found out how to play this intriguing game. My Top 5 searches that got people to my blog in the last month are:
* homemade kimchi
* baby mouse vs baby rat
* epacris longiflora
* goldfish skirt
* plant with small babies on leaves
I love that people are actively looking for goldfish skirts!
I am impressed with Barbara’s list. I’ve read renegade mama doing blog posts on her bizarre google searches to her blog which are highly entertaining (if you like her sort of writing – I do!). My best efforts are pretty poor – “green macerata cauliflower” and “what is sugar mama watermelon”, although “all the rain we have had” perplexes me…
Louise – you just go to your blogger home and go to stats and traffic sources. Tis easy!
I’m now going to have to google renegade mama to have a look at her blog – sounds intriguing. I do like it that there are people out there desperately (ok so maybe they were just bored at work…) seeking green macerata cauliflower.
Ah, in the time of me typing you found it yourself!
Yay! I am learning!
My most common search terms are:
Night Sky (I once published a post called “Night sky over Fleet”)
Callicarpa
How to use a Brie baker
and Worms!
My most popular post is the Night Sky one, but next after that is a Guest post by my daughter, on the subject of Balcony Composting. In fact all posts with the word “composting” in their titles seem to be pretty popular.
Isn’t that mad – no vegetables? I have to admit having to google callicarpa as its not a tree I’m familiar with.
My top five blog searches are:
sweet piccalilli
glencoe berry
glen ample
allotment plan
allotment planner
I left out searches for my blog by name and my top search is also for a recipe!
On my gardening website the most searched for out of the last 100 visits is :
garden spiders
sweet piccalilli
life cycle of a runner bean for children
runner bean diary
ants social creatures
Sweet Piccalilli is there again but the searches lean more towards wildlife or information on runner beans.
I seems to show that my website and blog attract quite different audiences.
I’ve not included my other websites and blogs as I could become boring. What was that you whispered?
There’s a lot of desire for picalilli in this world clearly – actually I know someone in the next room who would love some but we can’t find a brand he likes here so I will clearly have to consult your recipes to fulfill his cravings.
I’d never thought to look at the top search terms before. Last month’s top five included ‘raspberry’ and ‘raspberry and white chocolate muffins’ – someone out there must be looking for ways to use up their harvest.
I do find it interesting I have to say. Mine does vary a fair bit according to the season. A few months ago quite a lot of mine were about ginger and turmeric.
Sorry to hear about your internet woes. FWIW, we have the same issue here of the internet dropping out constantly. In our case it also decreases in speed every time it reconnects, until it’s going slower than dial-up. The only thing we found works (because Telstra refuse to fix the cable fault out in the street) is leaving the phone off the hook. You might give it a try for temporary relief.
The frustrating thing is that I’m never sure if its the computer or the internet connection that is at fault. Lately I’ve been blaming the computer but its entirely possible I should be yelling at Optus instead.
I first found your blog through Barb’s and what interested me was your All About post
and your love for growing tomatoes!
My top 5 are I’m Eggcited
Winter Wildflowers
Harvest Monday&Salad Days
Harvest Monday
Where I blog & the Reno.
I have found other blogs through interesting/funny comments on blogs I’m following .
I have found quite a few other blogs through comments too, and I have to say I do like that method.
I don’t have a blog (yet!) but most recently I searched for crowing hens. Yup. My egg-laying and definitely female chook has taken to making a tortured-sounding attempt at crowing first thing in the morning. Sigh. The neighbours will start complaining soon, I reckon. I know I would (and do!). Sheesh, I only have two chooks and one has been broody (and non-productive) for nearly two months and the other thinks she is a rooster. This is not what I envisioned when I took on chook husbandry.
I’ve also searched info on broadbean pollination, recipes for green tomatoes (I have a stash in the freezer), growing curry plants and whitefly control. These are the things that are important to me, right now!
Essential topics! I think I’ve written on growing curry leaves (or did you mean the other curry plants?) before but not the others. I did see some bees near my broad beans today and got quite excited.
I most certainly read your hints on curry leaves (and yes, that’s the sort of info I was after). Mine was given to me by a friend (via her sister) and there is a self-imposed pressure to make sure it survives. My friend’s sister is someone you might call ‘exacting’ and I’m almost terrified of allowing the plant to wane. So far, so good!
And go, bees!! Spring may truly almost be upon us. About time!!
I reckon it has got through the worst so if its looking OK now then it should start looking better an better from here.
I’m one of the “backwards” blog owners that never bothered to put a site meter from the getgo, but it is a curious thing to see what search terms brought visitors to the site!
Probably sensible rather than backwards…
The most common searches on my blog are about how to grow jalapeno peppers. I’m curious about parsnip soup now!
Parsnip soup – delicious!