As a blogger yourself or as an avid reader of blogs (or both), you have probably heard of Bloglovin’. If you haven’t, it is a website/app where you can follow all of your favorite blogs in one place. You can view posts and interact, too.
I have only used Bloglovin’ once, and I did not really understand it. Partly because I tend to follow my favorite bloggers on Twitter, so I can see when they publish a new post, and partly because of what the bulk of this post is about:
Bloglovin’ steals page views from bloggers.
Yes, you read that right, Bloglovin’ steals page views. This is because the default settings on a Bloglovin’ account are set to open posts within a window on the Bloglovin’ website or app.
But the Page Looks Like the Actual Blog?
That’s the scary part. Bloglovin’ manages to recreate the website while still keeping the post on Bloglovin’. Big brands like this have the power to hire people to develop their websites any way they like. They can forge a blogger’s website. They can do whatever they want.
Why Does it Matter?
If you simply like reading blogs, I can understand why you might not think it matters. You’re still reading, commenting, and sharing posts by your favorite bloggers. What’s the big deal?
Well, reading someone’s blog post on Bloglovin’ or any other sort of blog reader that does not direct you to the actual blog can negatively affect someone’s page views. While page views aren’t everything, they do matter.
I like to look at my page views to see growth. If my number of page views (here on the blog) don’t grow, I will think I’m doing something wrong. I will never see how many people read my posts through Bloglovin’. I also will never be able to see what posts are popular.
It also becomes a problem when a blogger wants to work with a brand or put up ad space. A lot of brands will have minimum page view requirements. If you don’t quite reach the minimum, then no sponsored post or other partnership for you.
What should You Do Instead?
Well, I say follow your favorite bloggers on Twitter (I’m @HannahHaefele)! Most bloggers post their latest blogs on Twitter the day they go live. Check out their other social media, too.
As bloggers, we like to promote our work and share them on social media, so you can find the link that way.
If you want to keep using Bloglovin’, use it as more of a notification tool. When you see a post from X blogger, go to that blogger’s website. We really appreciate it.
I know you can also change your settings so that Bloglovin’ redirects you to the proper URL, but since I do not use the program, I am not sure how to do that. If you know, leave a comment, or a simple Google search should help!
My Favorite Tool for Following Blogs
I LOVE Pinterest! I follow a lot of bloggers on there, and I share my own posts, too. I love that you can repin articles from other bloggers and they can share yours.
The great thing about Pinterest is that it redirects you (either through a new tab or the Pintrest browser on mobile) to the right link!
Blogger Love
I love supporting other bloggers, and I believe that one of the easiest ways to show your support is to read our posts ON our blogs! I understand the convenience of something like Bloglovin’, but it really is not the same.
Reading posts on a person’s actual blog is an easy, free way to support them. So follow your favorite bloggers on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, or check their website once a week. It’s a simple way to keep up with bloggers and support them.
Have you used Bloglovin’? What are your thoughts about the whole page view issue? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
Okay, I had NO idea Bloglovin did that! That seems kind of shady to me. I started using it about 9 months ago, but really didn’t understand it either. I can’t even remember the last time that I went on Bloglovin’, far less used it. Thanks for this article.
Yeah. It seems like bad business practice. It’s great for finding blogs as long as you actually visit them!
I used it for couple of months.. just to try it… but was obvious what is going on there. I do not recommend either.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels that way. It’s super shady.
i’ve noticed this as well, but i didn’t pay much attention to it n i thought it is not supposed to open in the same window, maybe i am using it wrong. thank you for this post!
Glad to help! It seems super shady how Bloglovin won’t tell their users about this issue.
I had JUST started up a Bloglovin because I thought that was what all the cool and hip bloggers did and I’m just a lil baby blog. This is so good to know, thank you for the advice! It’s so awful to see corporations take advantage of content creators like this.
Glad I could help a fellow blogger! It’s a sad, sad world we live in where people manage to make money off of other people’s work.
Hi Hannah, thank you for this post.
I saw other lots of bloggers over the years mention Bloglovin on their blogs either in comments or with badges or something in the sidebar but only recently decided to see what it’s all about.
I just now created an account and wasn’t even sure if it worked because I went straight to an error page. And then there was no intro/welcome page to guide new members to how the site works and where to even start.
I immediately started to get a bad feeling about that place.
And your post confirms what I was beginning to fear – that bloggers get no page views (and I’m guessing no ad revenue either?) since readers stay on Bloglovin and don’t visit the actual blog.
Based on what I saw in my first 5 minutes on the site along with your post here, Bloglovin is a no-go for me.
I want more traffic, not less lol.
Yeah, I’ve never understood the appeal of it either as a blogger or reader. I haven’t tested it in years, so maybe it’s gotten better, but maybe not.