Update on HyperlocalBlogger.com Status
Hi all … it’s been almost four months since I announced that this blog would be shutting down. I mentioned that I’d consider selling the blog and all its content, or just selling the domain someday in the future after I move the content to my main blog. I continue to get emails asking about the status of things, and have been cutting and pasting replies each time. But I thought a blog post might be more effective than that.
Here’s what is going on:
1.) Several people/groups (probably 10-15) have kicked the tires about buying everything outright. I’ve provided analytics access when possible and answered questions as best I can. But no one has made an offer, and I suspect no one will.
Why? Because I never tried to monetize this blog, and never did much promotion of it. So, when an interested buying asks to see monthly revenue, my answer is “zero.” When they want to look at analytics, the numbers aren’t very exciting. We had a great and active community of commenters here, but traffic was never huge. Over the last year of active blogging (November 2009 to October 2010), the site averaged about 2,200 visits and 3,600 pageviews per month.
2.) Some have inquired about buying just the domain. I might be open to that, but not until I’ve had time to migrate the best content to my other blog, setup the necessary 301 redirects, and the search engines have processed the change of URLs on those articles. I don’t know how soon I’ll have time to start the migration, but it’ll take several months.
3.) The main problem in either situation is that I place a lot more value on what this site/domain is worth than anyone else does. That’s how all site owners are — we all think our own stuff is more valuable than anyone else does. Even though this blog was never monetized and never had enormous traffic levels, I have no problem saying that I think the domain and all its content is worth thousands of dollars. I put a lot of sweat equity into this site, and that’s part of how I value it.
So, to sum up, nothing has changed since the previous post. If someone wants to blow me away with an offer for the site and all its content, email me with your offer.
The most liklely scenario is that I’ll finally find enough time to migrate the best articles over to my other blog and this domain will eventually go away. But I don’t have any idea when that might happen.
Thanks again to all who have expressed interest in the site. I’m sorry I don’t have better stats and dollar figures for you to review.
- Matt
End of the Road for this Hyperlocal Blogger
If any group of readers understands the hard work and time commitment involved in blogging, it’s you. So I’m optimistic that you’ll understand completely when I say this: After a little more than two years of calling HyperlocalBlogger.com home, the sun has set and I’ll be shutting the blog down.
The reasons are simple, and some are probably obvious:
I’m simply too busy to keep the blog going. You may have noticed that there were only two posts in all of October, and those were simple link roundups. My work at Search Engine Land and Sphinn is taking more time than ever, and likely to expand more in the not-too-distant future. My blogging at Small Business Search Marketing helps put food on the table and has to be a higher priority than Hyperlocal Blogger, which has always been a hobby. Just last week, I signed an agreement with Omnibus Press to publish an update of my book, U2 – A Diary, which was originally published in 2008. That work will take up most of my free time over the next several months.
I’ve basically spread myself too thin and am now making tough decisions on where my time is best focused. There’s a chance the four hyperlocal blogs my wife and I started to help her real estate career may also be shuttered soon; haven’t decided on that just yet.
What Will Happen to HyperlocalBlogger.com?
I told a close friend about this decision a week or two ago, and he suggested I sell the blog. Hmmmm. I’ve never monetized this site and never made a real hard push to promote it far and wide. I don’t know who would be interested in it or what it’s worth but, after thinking about it, if someone wants to buy the entire blog with all my previous content, or wants to buy just the domain, speak up now.
To be frank, I don’t expect anything to come of that. So, in all likelihood, the blog will sit in its current state for some time. You’ll be able to read and reference old articles. And, someday, when I have time (ha!), I’ll probably grab the best content and move it over to my SmallBusinessSEM.com site. And then I’ll do a 301 redirect on this entire domain and point it there. But that won’t happen soon; too busy.
Closing Words to Readers
Thank you.
Since day one, this blog has been a learning experience for me — a place to post about my own successes and failures as a local blogger. Some of you have been so kind as to tell me this blog has become a learning source for you, too. That’s pretty much the best thing you could tell me.
Despite my overall lack of promotion, we built a fun, active, and generous community here. You helped each other time and time again in the comments. I loved watching that happen. And it was only possible because you all joined in, and then told your friends in the hyperlocal blogging space to join in, too.
Again, thank you.
I’m sorry that I can’t keep serving this community of readers, but I hope that you all keep kicking a** and serving yours. Best of luck in all you do.
- Matt
Podcast: Hyperlocal Blogging for Business
Hyperlocal blogging for business was the topic of an interview I did last week with Don Campbell of Expand2Web, a California-based small business consulting company. We chatted about the blogging opportunities that exist for small business owners and a number of other things.
Read more and download the audio on Don’s web site.
ps – Don, thx for the great chat!
Looking for Guest Blog Posts
Hi gang,
Between working on the monumental “SEO for Hyperlocal Blogs” series (which keeps getting more unwieldy each time I work on it) and a very busy month of June coming up, I’m looking for guest bloggers to write some articles here on Hyperlocal Blogger. Actually, I’m always happy to have guest bloggers, but it’s more imperative over the next six weeks or so.
If you’re interested in sharing a guest post here on HLB, please contact me with your idea and let me know when you think you’ll be able to send it. The tagline I use here is “Tips & Discussion for Local Bloggers,” so any idea that fits under that theme will probably be welcome.
You might check out the previously published guest posts to get an idea of what works, but I’m open to just about any idea.
I think we all get smarter by hearing about the experiences of others who work and play in the local blogging space. Whether you’re a local blogger, someone who provides services for local bloggers, a traditional journalist who has thoughts about local blogging … or whatever! … I want to hear from you. You’ll get some exposure for your ideas, not to mention a link or two that might lead to some new traffic (and help with your SEO).
Give it some thought and drop me a line with your ideas. Looking forward to hearing from you!
Nominated for a SEMMY Award
Hyperlocal Blogger has two articles nominated in the Blogs & Blogging category of the 2010 SEMMY Awards. The nominated articles are:
Judges will now decide if either article is good enough to be a finalist. If so, I’ll be posting again next week asking for your votes. 
If you’re not familiar with the SEMMYs, they’re an annual awards for online marketing content. Disclosure: I created the awards three years ago. I did not, however, nominate my own articles for inclusion. One or two of the other seven nominating judges must’ve put mine on the list.
Most Popular Posts of 2009
At the end of each year, I like to dig through my blog stats to see what happened and why over the past 12 months. I wrote a really long, navel-gazing post on my SEO blog, but I’ll spare you that here on Hyperlocal Blogger.
Instead, how about a look at the top 5 blog posts published in 2009? Here you go:
- (Now) 40 Local Blog Directories
- Pros & Cons: Big City Blogging vs. Small Town Blogging
- How To Find Free Photos for Your Local Blog
- How to Create a Local Newswire for your Blog
- 5 Ways to Grow a Local Blog
That last one is a guest post, so I’ll use this opportunity to remind you that I’m interested in publishing more guest posts in 2010, so contact me if you’re interested.
I should add, too, that several of the most popular posts of 2009 were written in 2008. All of the articles in the Starting a Hyperlocal Blog series continue to get a lot of traffic long after they were posted.
The thing that excites me the most about where this blog is right now is the number of active commenters. When I invited everyone to talk about your local blog, we had close to 40 comments. And there are plenty of other posts that hit double figures in comments. Thank you for your contributions here — as a group we all make each other better local bloggers.
All the best for you and your blog in 2010!
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