One of the interesting tools available to bloggers is a report each day on where visitors to your blog come from. I can find out, for example, what fraction came directly (e.g., by clicking a link in an RSS feed or email, or by having bookmarked my site). I can learn how many were referred by sites that link to Alumni Futures. And I can find out how many clicked through on a search result, from Google, for example.
The last one is interesting because I can also see what the searcher typed into the search engine. This tells me not only what kind of information people are looking for when it comes to alumni relations, but the degree to which Alumni Futures meets their needs. (Don't worry - I cannot see who did the searching!)
I've kept a reference list of search terms' popularity as a general guideline for future postings. But I also have a second list, search terms that made me laugh or shake my head when I saw them.
Here are my five favorites from the past several months. These are verbatim from real online searches:
- "ohio state alumni angry football tickets"
- "low and tight across your lap"
- "how to sue [blank] university and who to serve"
- "alumni associations more than asking for money"
- "alumni office stop asking for money"
Do you think the last two sort of cancel each other out?