I know my blog posts have been bland lately, I am being too careful. When I first wrote this blog I just wrote what I thought, right then. ” The devil take the hindmost”.

Then I got a Google Analytics reading of this blog going and found out how many people actually read it (less then I dreamed, more then I feared in my darkest moments) and I got self-conscious.

I know my current blog self is not working, my blog readership is off 24% (24%?)

Now, I had not been self-concious here before which is a big change for me. I was raised to be self-conscious and self-aware (of the negative) to the nth degree. I had overcome it somewhat as an adult but we all know we never really get past these things, not really completely.

So, I am going to try to get back the me that used to write this blog with a magnificent act of self-destruction.

here we go:

I have done everything I can think of to make NewNeedlepoint.com (like I am going to bother with links, like it matters?) appealing. I have changed my web site over & over & over. Changed my outlook, changed my stock, changed it all.

I have thought long and hard about what you (the invisible you) my customer wants. I have listened to every idea that has come my way, even the ones from strangers and blog commenters and put some of them into action.

I have made more & more investment into the stock of my web site, all of this to try to attract buyers. I was willing to accept a slow start, willing to wait the year + it takes to build a really thriving web site. But this is ridiculous.

Everyone tells me the web site is good, even gorgeous. Everyone except customers that is.

For a long time the #1,2 & 3 key word searches that led people to my web site were Bargello related searches.

I knew my previous Bargello category was a dud when despite that no one ever bought one. No one even enquired about one.

The same way I knew my line drawn. stitch drawn canvases were not going to be enough to sustain the web site. I sold very few.

Ok, now I have these wonderful, professional handpainted canvases, I have the new rare and hard-to-find books category and I know, know rationally, that it is way too soon for this new stuff to show up on the major search engines.

But still.

I have almost 800 *unique* visitors to my web site every month, which doesn’t include the people who have it bookmarked or who go there more then once a month.

So WHY? will someone please tell me what I am doing wrong?

NO ONE BUYS ANYTHING

I make 1, maybe 3 sales a month. Most very small sales. Some very very small sales. Before I wrote the tiny item restriction in my tools category I sold a DMC color card to someone in Puerto Rico, just the card with free shipping. I think I made like 25 cents on that transaction.

WHY? what am I doing wrong?

I do this work 5 to 6 hours a day, 6 to 7 days a week.

I add things, I change & edit things, I try to keep it fresh.

I mean, here’s an example.

My friend Patt’s business Patt & Lee Designs is going great guns, stores are making repeat orders, Patt is turning this stuff out as fast as she can.

But hardly anyone buys her things from my web site. I have a huge number of her canvases for sale. I sell them as canvases alone or as kits.

Patt even tells people they can come here and immediately buy her designs from my web site. They do not come here or if they do, they do not buy.

Is it because it is a web site? Other needlepoint web sites do OK. Elaine Magnin- jeez -Erhman Tapestry all have huge web presence.

SO WHY?

Yes, this is a “cri de coeur”.

And I know I should not have written it

But, what the hell.