ToolGuyd’s last major design and layout overhaul was in August 2011, and although I have made some changes to the look here and there since then, it is about time I started thinking about another refresh.
I spent some time this morning looking through anonymous stats, and thought some of you might find it interesting to see how readership numbers have changed over the years.
Last 30 Days (Jul 7th – Aug 6th, 2013)
Top operating systems in terms of visits: Windows (54.4%), iOS (21.0%), Mac (12.2%), Android (10.0%), Linux (1.4%), Other (1.08%)
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All Time (Dec 2008 – Aug 2013, 4.6 years)
2,379,596 unique visitors
3,560,041 visits
7,974,675 pageviews
2,486 published posts
14,502 comments
428,318 filtered spam comments + 621 manually-removed spam comments
5 Highest Traffic Dates
Black Friday 2012
Thanksgiving 2012
Thanksgiving 2011
Cyber Monday 2012
Black Friday 2011
Alexa Ranking (As of Aug 7th, 2013)
USA: 68,783
Worldwide: 232,117
56% bounce rate
2.20 pageviews per visitor
1:57 daily time on site
Traffic data is via Google Analytics, post and comment counts are via WordPress, and Alexa stats are via Alexa.
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Appearance Changes
Unfortunately, I haven’t really taken screenshots of how ToolGuyd’s look changed over the years, but here are a couple of main changes, according to my memory, archived files, and the Wayback Machine.
1.0 Initially, I adapted a 3rd party theme to suit the look I wanted.
2.0 Once the site was up and running for a few months, I installed a bare-bones framework and rebuilt the look I wanted from scratch.
3.0 Back in 2010, I used WordPress’s then-default theme as a starting point and built an updated look and layout from there.
August 2010 Snapshot (via Wayback Machine)
3.1 With increased holiday traffic, I thought it would benefit readers if I condensed things to fit more headlines on the front page. I liked the look and kept it for a few more months.
November 2010 Snapshot
April 2011 Snapshot
3.2 I commissioned a new logo and rebuilt the theme again in August of 2011, with the intent to give it a cleaner look.
3.3 I trimmed things down a bit and made a few minor changes all around.
3.4 In the earlier part of 2013 I updated a few things, mainly the look of the header and arrangement of the horizontal menus.
3.5/ 4.0 I’m still working on some ideas, but right now it looks like the look and layout refresh will only result in minor changes.
Jim
In your current logo, the hammer is claw forward. Is there any backgound on this? From a logo perspective, it seems backwards. Tearing down vs. Building?
Just thinking…..You could get creative like Google and change the tool in hand from time to time.
Stuart
In theory, the backwards hammer is being held up in celebration of tools. Or it could be pulling a nail from the ceiling.
In reality, I just liked the way it looks, compared to flipping the hammer to the right side. I commissioned the logo from a designer friend-of-a-friend, and I don’t think she realized it was backwards.
Two alternative drafts featured an open end wrench and an adjustable wrench, and I really didn’t like the way they looked. Ultimately I thought the backwards hammer was distinct but not distracting.
I have the original files and believe I possess enough graphics skills to draw up and swap different tools into the hand, but I’m not sure how good it would look.
If you look at the September 2012 snapshot, there used to be series of 4 small tiled images on the right side of the header. The original plan was to swap images every so often, perhaps as often as once a week, but in the end that didn’t happen.
I might look into refreshing the logo as well, but for the time being it works. The pending refresh will probably focus on further improving user readability and access, but if I can’t get it mostly done by September it will have to wait until January.
Blair
I had wondered about that for some time now, thank you Jim, for bringing it up, and Stewart, for explaining it!
PS: I’m not sure what it says about me, but I think it has an almost “Hitchcock” look to it, it almost appears to be a shadow, and I keep imagining a human head below it………
skfarmer
hey, i think i was one of those half dozen way back when you can’t see the line!
congrats on the climbing numbers. that is the type of trend line you want to see.
may you have many more years of success.
Stuart
Your earliest comment, at least that shows in my inbox, was on January 31st, 2011, so it was fairly early. Thanks for sticking around! =)
Jerry
I was looking that long ago, but dont think I commented until much later. Congrats on a successful site.
skfarmer
i wonder what i said? maybe we don’t want to know……
can you search for comments and is that search available to the readers?
pretty sure i had been here before that as it seems your site has been on my bookmark for a long time.
Stuart
Your first comment that I can find is in response to the zOMG, is That a Flashlight in Your Desk? How Ridiculous and Uber Extreme!! post. (Comment link.)
What I did is search through my inbox using your name and email address, and then again in the WordPress backend just to be sure. These resources are not publicly available, so there’s no way for you to search for your past comments.
You might be able to do a custom google search, e.g. skfarmer site:toolguyd.com, but that doesn’t seem to bring up anything useful.
In the past I explored the idea of switching to Disqus or a Facebook-based commenting system, but decided against it. The only other potential way is to possibly allow for user registrations moving forward, but I don’t think anyone would find much benefit in that.
skfarmer
thanks for the link. i remember that post well and i am positive i was here long before that.
Stuart
It’s very possible that you started reading ToolGuyd way before that; that’s just the earliest comment I can find for you. In any case, I’m happy to have you as a reader now, then, and tomorrow. =)
fred
I’m guessing that the climbing numbers relate to the interesting and varied content as well as the frequent updates that keep me coming back to take a look. While I’m not very interested in some of the tools and topics – there is usually enough that I learn something on a regular basis. Some other tool blogs sometimes seem to “scoop” you on some new releases – others are more directed at contractors and/or industrial users – but I’ve not found any – other than yours that I care to look at on a daily basis.
Keep it coming.
Stuart
Not to sound immodest, but that’s what I’m thinking too. =) A lot of traffic comes in via Google searches, where longevity, post frequency, and quality of content help improve search rankings over time.
Not every visitor becomes a returning reader, but that’s true for any digital or print publication.
Jason
Wow, the spike before the Christmas holidays is pretty crazy it looks almost triple the normal traffic you get the rest of the year. Your site and Tools in action are on the sites I check out daily you have the best news on tools and tool releases, and Tools in Action I like Dan and Eric’s reviews. I check out A concord carpenter also he has great giveaway’s.
Stuart
It does get really busy and really intense during the holiday season, and I try to double my post frequency to meet the increased attention. During that time I try to balance new reviews with deal posts and consumer product reviews in hopes that returning readers and new visitors are all happy.
I like Dan and Eric’s reviews as well, and their videos are hilarious. You might think we all compete with each other, but with few exceptions everyone gets along great.
Adam Yamada-Hanff
Those are impressive stats considering this is not your fulltime job. (At least I don’t think so.)
Congrats on the growth you have had over the years Stuey and I hope ToolGuyd is around for many more years to come.
Stuart
Thanks!
Well, right now ToolGuyd actually is my full-time job, along with a few freelance assignments when I can squeeze them in. Not that I’m not looking for traditional employment; I have yet to find a physics or materials science & engineering research position in my area. On the bright side, being self-employed has finally given me the opportunity to study a few topics I didn’t have the opportunity to study while in school.
Javier
Not to crush your dreams but I hope you don’t switch careers soon. Your site is my go to place for tool news and info. The site is great and has regular posts keeping us readers busy, interested, and coming back for more. Keep up the good work. Also don’t forget the awesome benefits to your truly self employed position, no nagging bosses or customer clients to deal with.
MikeH
I agree with what everyone has said – there is no problem in having a solid regular readership and a fluctuating group of “in and outers” who get here through search engines or other means. I think the site is setup very well for finding topics easy and it is easy to search. You nailed it when you said that it’s about content – I check the site at least two times a day hoping for a new review (yes I have a job, I just got my boss hooked so its okay to be on Toolguyd during the day) – your reviews are always sound and fair and reflect great tool knowledge. Although I’m mainly interested in tools I use or have the potential to use, it’s the unique tools that I tend to gravitate towards as I find your analysis educating. I know that you were worried about introducing advertising but it really hasn’t been obtrusive/annoying (and quite honestly I’ve clicked the links a few times). I really like the current site so I look forward to any innovations you dream up…but remember keep it simple.
Bill K
Boy there sure is a traffic spike when people are looking for deals. Looks like your reader numbers are all on the upswing, which is no surprise to me. There is no competion in the same league with you, IMHO. I agree with Javier, I selfishly want to keep Dr. Stuart at ToolGuyd, but did think recently how much I’d appreciate your mindset and expertise at Consumer Reports.
Speaking for myself and likely many others, we support your ToolGuyd efforts and if we can help in any way, providing input or creative thinking, or whatever….. just ask. Keep up the great work!
Stuart
Thanks, I appreciate the sentiment and kind words!
I am always open to feedback. There has been increasing number of readers and visitors using mobile devices, but nobody really seems wanting of a mobile-friendly theme.
Regarding holiday-time traffic spikes, it’s not just visitors looking for tool deals; reviews get a lot of extra attention as well.
JG
Well, I’m new to this site, found it about a month ago. Now it’s on my daily visits list and adblock off list, good job mate.
jesse
What happened to Firefox among the OS stats? Nobody using FF likes tools? WTF? (What the Firefox?)
Kevin
I believe Stu only listed operating system figures rather than Web Browser stats. I use Linux Mint with Firefox 99.9 percent of the time I’m on the web.
Stuart
In regard to browsers, Firefox is 4th behind Safari, Chrome, and Internet Explorer, in that order.
In regard to operating systems, “Firefox OS” is #6 after Linux, but with 1.00 pages/visit, 00:00:00 average visit duration, 100% new visits, and 99.58% bounce rate. This activity only showed up between mid-May and mid-July. I have no idea what the weird numbers means; maybe someone or a group are visiting ToolGuyd using Firefox smartphone test samples.
Coach James
I don’t remember when I first started coming here, but I remember Stuart introducing it on another site I frequent. I used to read the Toolmonger site and do still check it out, but the updates there seem to be infrequent. As the activity there dropped, I started spending more time here reading back through old updates that I missed. Great site Stuart and I hope it is still here for a long time.
ipod dock
Very shortly this web page will be famous amid all blog people, due to it’s pleasant articles or reviews