When Julianne Bayer began her weblog, Beyond Frosting, again in 2012, she couldn’t have imagined the rollercoaster journey it could transform.
She began her website with plans to show it right into a enterprise, and he or she actually achieved that objective. Alongside the way in which she wrote a bestselling cookbook, appeared on QVC, and had recipes go viral on social media.
Simply when issues have been going nice, she was hit with an algorithm replace and misplaced 60% of her visitors in a single day. However slightly than throw within the towel, she rolled up her sleeves and began working to construct up her website once more.
As we speak she spends minimal time on her weblog and outsources no matter she will be able to so she could be there for her household. And though she hasn’t absolutely recovered from the replace, she’s nonetheless incomes 6 figures a yr.
Hold studying to search out out:
- How she bought her e book deal
- Why she created her web site
- What sorts of content material she posted initially
- The place her earnings comes from
- How a lot visitors she’s getting
- Her ideas on web optimization
- What occurred after the algorithm replace
- How she will get visitors from social media
- How she approaches key phrase analysis and hyperlink constructing
- Her content material creation course of
- How she grows her e mail record
- Her go-to instruments
- Her largest problem
- Her best accomplishment
- Her predominant mistake
- Her recommendation for different entrepreneurs
Meet Julianne Bayer
My identify is Julianne, and I weblog at Beyond Frosting, which I began in 2012.
Initially, I began running a blog as a result of I used to be actually getting again into baking after taking some cake adorning lessons. I’ve all the time beloved to bake, and studying to brighten actually impressed me to discover extra.
I labored full-time within the attire trade for the primary 7 years of running a blog. Throughout that point, I wrote a cookbook, No-Bake Treats, which hit the Amazon bestsellers’ record, and it introduced me to QVC to go reside within the Kitchen with David, the place my e book bought out in a matter of minutes.
In 2019, I left my company job to pursue blogging full-time. At the moment, I used to be additionally 3 months pregnant with my first baby. He was born in early 2020, and I gave delivery to my second son in early 2023.
I really like being a mother and have not too long ago found a ardour for getting my children within the kitchen with me.
I reside within the Pacific Northwest with my husband and two boys. We like to snowboard, and my husband and I like to journey to completely different mountains to discover.
How the E-book Deal Got here About
I used to be approached by my writer, Web page Road, in 2015 about writing a cookbook. I used to be clearly very enthusiastic about it, however was uncertain how I’d handle writing a e book, working full-time, and nonetheless making an attempt to weblog.
Through the course of, I used to be nonetheless running a blog a bit of bit on the aspect, however I needed to take an enormous step again so as to work on the e book. They initially needed all 80 recipes in 4 months, however I pushed again on the timeline.
I developed, wrote, and shot your complete e book myself, 75 new recipes and 5 present ones from my web site. It was a reasonably loopy course of.
Earlier than the e book was launched, I bought information that it was going to be on QVC, which was SO thrilling. Nevertheless, I had additionally relocated from California to Oregon in mid-April and two weeks after I began I needed to fly to Pennsylvania to do a coaching to go on reside (they principally must ensure you could be a good match for reside TV). Across the time my e book got here out, I flew again to the set and was there for a fast 24-hour journey.
Throughout my interview for my job, I had not talked about something about my cookbook or my weblog, so it was a reasonably loopy expertise to then must share all of that information and ask for break day to be on TV proper after beginning a brand new job.
It was superior, although. They have been very supportive and I hosted a tasting of recipes from the e book after I bought again.
Why She Created Her Web site
On the time I began running a blog, it felt like there have been already so many profitable bloggers, but additionally bloggers have been beginning to earn cash and treating it like a enterprise, however it’s nothing like it’s at the moment. The advert networks we all know at the moment didn’t exist but.
Whereas I actually loved baking once more, I additionally knew that running a blog could possibly be a enterprise. I had all the time hoped that someday after I had children, I could possibly be dwelling with them whereas they have been younger. I believed that running a blog may present a possibility to just do that, however I had no thought the highway it could lead me down.
Within the early days of running a blog, the objective was to be completely different and distinctive in recipe creation, and I might publish recipes like “Circus Animal Cookie Dough Truffles” or “Bourbon Bacon S’mores Cookies.”
Then when web optimization got here into the image, the entire content material technique shifted to posting extra primary, searchable recipes. There was a time after I thought to myself, “Why would I publish a chocolate chip cookie recipe when everybody else has one?” It’s loopy.
How A lot She’s Incomes
My major earnings stream is advertising on my web site, whereas a small portion is constructed from affiliate income and model partnerships.
The weblog brings in six figures per yr, with share of earnings in This fall.
Yr-to-date, I’m up 60% in income over final yr and I’m experiencing 20% progress in visitors every month during the last 9 months.
As for the breakdown, 84% is advert income, 14% from model partnerships and 1% from affiliate gross sales.
Site visitors sits between 600k to over one million pageviews per thirty days, relying on the time of yr.
As for the way a lot time I spend on my weblog, the previous couple of months I’ve labored lower than 10 hours every week since I had a new child and a toddler. However as my child has gotten older, I’ve been capable of get extra night hours in after the children go to mattress.
I principally batch-produce my content material throughout the occasions when I’ve household come to go to and might help with the children. I additionally do fairly a little bit of baking with my toddler, and that is normally after I work on recipe growth, though he’s just about completed with me after the primary recipe.
Her Ideas on web optimization
Once I began specializing in web optimization, lots of my prime posts weren’t optimized however have been rating for some very excessive search quantity key phrases.
At first, I used to be listening to a variety of podcasts from The Concept of Content material about learn how to maximize alternatives that customers are already coming to you for.
I began including H2s into my posts and making an attempt to reply the FAQs that appeared in Google. I might publish a number of recipes for sugar cookies, for instance, concentrating on completely different key phrases.
Site visitors was on an enormous progress trajectory.
Then, every week after leaving my company job in 2019, I bought hit by a Google replace and my weblog misplaced about 60% of natural visitors in a single day. I misplaced all of these prime positions for issues like vanilla frosting, whipped cream, sugar cookies, and chocolate cake.
In January of 2020, I employed my web optimization staff, Swift Horse Advertising, and at the moment I additionally lastly pulled the dates from my URLs. We centered on general website well being and instantly went to work on optimizing a few of these prime posts that fell.
Google visitors was tough, however as a result of every little thing modified because of the pandemic, and other people have been nonetheless dwelling all yr, I ended up solely utilizing 22% of Google visitors year-over-year.
I’ve by no means absolutely recovered from that replace, and as of late natural search makes up solely 20% of my general visitors.
Google has modified a lot since then, and the way in which they ship search outcomes is getting tougher to get content material seen.
This yr, we’ve spent nearly all of our time republishing outdated content material, which has introduced life again into older posts.
web optimization is essential, however it isn’t every little thing, and generally I feel individuals put an excessive amount of weight on that. Increasingly, I really feel like writing for the precise reader is necessary.
There was by no means a time during which I wrote extra simply to have longer posts and filler content material. However I discover myself enhancing down increasingly to actually simply ship what the consumer wants.
My readers do respect the extent of element I present, particularly relating to extra difficult desserts. It’s a troublesome steadiness. This has labored in our favor within the current Useful Content material Replace. I noticed some enhancements, however most significantly, I didn’t lose any bigger rankings.
Social media is my primary visitors supply, with Pinterest being primary and Fb being quantity two.
In July of 2021, I employed a Pinterest service to handle my account. I used to be doing the naked minimal to remain afloat. They create 50 new pins for me a month, schedule out all new content material, and we’re nonetheless utilizing Tailwind. Outdated pins nonetheless have traction on Pinterest in addition to outdated video pins.
Facebookwise, the large distinction for me additionally comes again to reels. I see an enormous uptick in clicks when I’m constant about posting.
Key phrase Analysis
My course of is a little bit of a mixture.
My web optimization staff generally supplies a variety of concepts for key phrase alternatives. Creating content material solely primarily based on keywords bought outdated in a short time, made issues very mundane, and may put me in a inventive funk.
So I additionally make recipes that encourage me or are simply plain enjoyable to do. My “Strawberry Pop Tart Cookies” and “Circus Animal Stuffed Sugar Cookies” don’t herald search visitors, however they do nice on social media.
I additionally by no means go up a possibility to make one thing that I wish to make, even when it’s a high-volume key phrase that may be difficult to rank for.
I’ve a killer banana bread recipe. Banana bread has a search quantity of 200k with a key phrase problem of 80%, it’s very very arduous to rank for. The recipe has gone viral on Pinterest a number of occasions and in a years’ time, it was #7 of my prime 10 recipes with 70% of the visitors coming from Pinterest.
Pinterest analytics should not accessible for the lifetime of the pin, however within the final 180 days, it’s had over one million impressions.
Hyperlink Constructing
I’ve by no means frolicked on link building, however I had the chance to work with main manufacturers and firms years in the past, which helped set up a few of my area authority. I don’t actively work on hyperlink constructing outdoors of submitting particular person weblog posts for recipe roundups.
Up to now, I’ve collaborated with the Wilton Workforce and traveled to their headquarters to study extra about their product launches and take a look at their behind-the-scenes operations.
On the time, I used to be additionally contributing to the Higher Properties and Gardens weblog. This landed me a possibility to take part in a Candy 16 Baking Problem, and I used to be a finalist.
I traveled to the Higher Properties and Gardens headquarters, the place the ultimate 4 extremely proficient bakers (Jocelyn from Grandbaby Muffins, Amanda from I Am Baker, and Aimee Shugary Sweets) went head-to-head within the take a look at kitchens and the employees voted on our recipes to find out a winner. It was a reasonably unimaginable alternative.
I’ve one other long-time consumer, the American Dairy Affiliation (who I nonetheless work with happening 7 years now), which started after they invited me to tour dairy farms and study dairy manufacturing in Ohio.
Walkers Shortbread is one other firm that I’ve labored with on and off over the previous a number of years, in addition to corporations native to Oregon: Oregon Berries and Bob’s Crimson Mill.
A couple of years in the past, I began working with Sprint Model Administration. They signify me and deal with all of the conversations and negotiations with my present partnerships, which is a mixture of manufacturers that attain out to me and in addition manufacturers they pitch on my behalf.
This has led to offers with main retailers like Kroger and Safeway. Pitching manufacturers was by no means a energy of mine, and prior to now most alternatives got here my approach by way of social media or manufacturers and PR companies reaching out to me, so to have Sprint deal with this for me has been an enormous weight off my shoulders,
Julianne’s Content material Creation Course of
I’ve 900 articles revealed on my website, and I’ve deleted over 100 articles and recipes that I might think about skinny or outdated content material that doesn’t serve my website anymore.
During the last couple of years, time for work has been extraordinarily restricted. As a full-time mother, I match work in the place I can.
This previous yr I shifted from publishing two new recipes per week to posting one new recipe every week and updating one outdated publish. Or generally I’m going a number of weeks merely republishing and bettering outdated content material.
I’ve additionally been reshooting and including course of pictures to older recipes. There may be a variety of worth in older posts that simply want a little bit of a facelift, and I’ve seen that payoff this yr.
Her E-mail Listing
Again in 2019, one the issues I selected to deal with was growing my email list.
I work with Matt Molen on his E-mail on Autopilot course. Matt helped to get me arrange on ConvertKit and his method to e mail may be very approachable and simple to execute.
I’ve been working the identical lead magnet for numerous years on my website, however it’s one space we’re trying to develop in 2024, and I’m on the brink of launch some new ones in This fall as effectively.
I will even look to push my e mail signups on my social media websites, which I’ve not completed beforehand.
Proper now, I’ve edited my record right down to 35k subscribers and I’m working to maintain solely energetic subscribers, so I delete customers often to maintain the numbers decrease. E-mail presently solely accounts for about 2% of my visitors.
Her Favourite Instruments
My favourite instrument is synthetic gentle.
For years I advised myself I wanted extra flexibility when it got here to capturing footage. I lastly realized a bit of bit extra this final yr and it’s a recreation changer for me.
The winters are lengthy and darkish within the Pacific Northwest, so being able to nonetheless produce high quality pictures, at any time of day, has put much less strain on me to shoot solely on sunny days.
Plus, with my children, it’s turn out to be tougher to search out the time to shoot. I can shoot course of pictures within the morning after which the heroes within the afternoon, however nonetheless have constant lighting.
I’m now capturing utilizing a flash, whereas earlier than I used to be depending on pure gentle.
As for key phrase analysis instruments, I exploit each Semrush and KeySearch to assist take a look at key phrase concepts and to see how issues are performing.
I additionally use SmarterQueue. I used to be a bit of late to the sport right here, however I discover it to be a tremendous instrument for scheduling and in addition discovering content material to share on Fb from different bloggers.
It was at one level a terrific instrument for scheduling Facebook content, however I’ve since reverted again to Meta Enterprise Suites as a result of Fb appears to favor that you just use their scheduling instruments. I do nevertheless nonetheless use it for Instagram and I find it irresistible.
My Fb web page fluctuates: when issues are good, they’re good, however once they’re useless, it’s tough.
I get quantity of visitors from different bloggers who share my content material and I’ve had a number of reels go viral on Fb a number of occasions, together with my Vanilla Frosting, Sugar Cookie Icing, and Fruity Pebble Whipped Cream.
Julianne’s Greatest Problem
I might say Google is my largest problem. Can they only make up their thoughts already? Kidding, form of.
It’s most likely a scarcity of time. I spent 7 years solely with the ability to put in half the trouble.
In transitioning to full-time running a blog, I solely had 6 months of time the place I used to be really full-time, and through that interval I used to be additionally pregnant. I’m consistently feeling behind or gradual to get began on new alternatives that come up just because I don’t have the bandwidth.
I suppose this can be a frequent downside regardless of how a lot time you must dedicate to a enterprise as a result of the to-do record by no means will get shorter.
For sure, I might not have the expansion that I’ve had with out the staff I’ve serving to me. Through the years I’ve invested in and have employed a number of individuals who’ve helped me maintain my enterprise.
Every little thing from my web optimization staff, who writes and updates content material, to unbiased photographers, and digital assistants, and I most not too long ago employed a social media supervisor which I’m actually enthusiastic about.
I don’t do that alone and there’s no approach I may.
Her Best Accomplishment
I might say publishing my cookbook and going to QVC have been the 2 largest highlights that come to thoughts.
I used to be working full-time after I wrote my cookbook and I principally needed to put my weblog apart for nearly a yr to dedicate the time to the e book, however I’m actually pleased with what I did.
The opposite one is after I lastly hit over one million pageviews. That quantity has all the time eluded me and after I lastly hit it, I simply needed to have a good time it.
What She Needs She Knew When She Began
Initially, I might not have written about what was occurring on The Actual Housewives or The Bachelor that week as a result of 12 years later, it means nothing!
Be open and adaptable to alter. The one fixed factor on this line of labor is change, and you must be open to adapting.
I nonetheless must remind myself of this on a regular basis.
Her Greatest Mistake
I might say this nonetheless holds true at the moment, however I do consider you want to discover methods to diversify.
It’s one thing I take into consideration on daily basis, and to be trustworthy, I’m horrible at it. I’m a creature of behavior and have a tendency to stay with what I do know and do finest. This has brought about me to overlook out on alternatives or to adapt faster.
I used to be late to the sport to leap on Reels, as an example. Once I began making them, I immediately noticed wonderful progress on Instagram, which had been stagnant.
In 2021, I netted solely 8,408 followers and visitors from Instagram was 5% of my referral visitors for the yr. I posted a number of reels in This fall of 2021 after which actually centered on it in 2022.
Within the first 6 months of 2022, I netted 29k followers and, by the tip of the yr, 40k followers. Instagram nonetheless made up for five% of my referral visitors, however I grew visitors from Instagram by 55%.
I can solely think about if I had gotten in earlier, how this might have made a distinction. I additionally had a small efficiency bonus from Fb, which once more I may have perhaps capitalized on earlier if I had jumped on it earlier.
Her Recommendation for Different Entrepreneurs
I might say that you just simply can’t anticipate to have the ability to do every little thing. Discover the issues that convey you essentially the most pleasure and search assist to execute on the issues that don’t.
Additionally individuals used to inform me that when I left my job and will dedicate myself to my weblog that I might see a variety of progress. It’s completely true, however don’t anticipate to see that success in a single day, particularly whenever you get hit with an algorithm replace the next week!
So in the event you’re studying this questioning in the event you ought to go away your full-time job, I might say that there are a variety of components concerned, together with ensuring financially that you are able to do it, no matter meaning for you.
