It’s been almost three years since my last post. During that time, this little corner of the internet sat quietly, waiting.
Before getting back to writing regularly, I decided to take a small step first: to update the basics. I wanted to make the blog a bit more readable, easier to find, and a little more “alive” again.
Over the past few days, I’ve been setting up some essentials: WordPress customization, Google Analytics, and Yoast SEO.
SEO—short for Search Engine Optimization. It may sound technical, but it’s really about making your words easier to reach.
It began as a way to help search engines like Google understand websites better, but today it’s more about helping real people find what they need. Like anything else, SEO can be overdone when you start writing for search engines instead of people.
I wanted to understand how it really works, what affects what, and how, and maybe have a little fun with the analytics side of it along the way.
A Quick Recap: What I Did to Restart My Blog
If you’re thinking of reviving an old blog (or starting fresh), here are the simple steps that worked for me:
1. Switched to a clean WordPress theme.
I chose a minimalist design (Baskerville 2) that focuses on readability and balance. It’s easy on the eyes and doesn’t distract from the content.
2. Set up a custom domain.
Having my own domain made the site feel more personal. It’s also better for SEO visibility.
3. Connected essential tools.
- Yoast SEO: to optimize posts for clarity, readability, and search visibility.
- Google Analytics: to track traffic and understand how readers interact with the site.
- Google Search Console: to monitor how Google indexes the content and what keywords bring people in.
4. Customized fonts and visuals.
I went for Nunito for headings and Lato for the body; clean, modern, and readable across devices.
5. Revisited old posts.
I translated, rewrote, and updated existing content to make it more SEO-friendly.
6. Learned how to use Yoast.
I explored the basics; setting a focus keyphrase, writing a clear meta description, and checking the readability and SEO indicators (the green dots).
7. Connected Google Analytics.
Once I got the basics in place, I connected Google Analytics to start tracking how people interact with the blog. Analytics helps you see what happens after someone visits your site, which posts they read, how long they stay, and where they come from (social media, direct links, or search). It displays page views, time spent, and clicks, providing a clear understanding of how your content performs. Setting it up through Google Site Kit took just a few minutes, and now all the stats appear right in my WordPress dashboard.
8. Connected Google Search Console.
Next, I linked Google Search Console, also through Site Kit. Search Console shows how visitors find you. It tracks which search terms bring people to your website, how often your pages appear in Google results, and what your average position is. It’s especially useful for understanding which topics are being discovered naturally and which ones might need better visibility.
One thing to note: Search Console data doesn’t appear instantly, it usually takes 48 to 72 hours for Google to start showing your first impressions and clicks.
If you’re restarting your own blog, here’s my takeaway:
Don’t rush to post; start by organizing. Clean your theme, set up analytics, learn a little SEO, and then write.
Post-note: I didn’t spend much time polishing this with Yoast SEO, and it clearly shows. The plugin kindly reminded me of many “problems” and “improvements,” both in SEO and readability. But honestly, I’m too tired to dive into all those details. I’m not a designer either, so that part will take time. I’ll keep learning and improving things little by little. We’ll track how this blog’s readability and design evolve over time. For now, I’ve learned that this whole thing is an art of its own. Cheers to the designers!
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