Yep, you read that right, as of today, beauxbeautyblog.com outranks jaclynhillmakeup.com on Alexa’s US rankings! Alexa is one of the premier ranking sites, and Jaclyn is 168,044, while Beaux Beauty is 147,341! Of course, Jaclyn’s main outlet is her YouTube channel, which I can’t even fathom coming anywhere close to- at least not in this lifetime! But, this milestone with the website comparison helps motivate us to keep on with what we’re doing, and make even more improvements.
What does this mean for YOU? It means you can do anything you set your mind to. Don’t let a few snags or roadblocks stop you from trying to accomplish your goals and dreams. When I was younger and joined the military, I was told there was no way I would make it through boot camp, and that I would be home the first week. I made it, and graduated with an Honor Flight. I was told I was crazy for going back to school, but I finished both a Bachelors and a Masters degree with 4.0 GPAs.
People told me I was “nuts” for wanting to do an extreme obstacle course. I’ve now completed four of them. Did I mention I ran ten miles Friday without walking? (See my five mile post here, ten mile post to come later.) Just as with those accomplishments, Jerry told me not to get my hopes up when I started this blog. He didn’t tell me not to do it, he just said there were too many blogs out there already. (As usual, I didn’t listen to him.)
The neat thing about the blog and vlog world is that it’s NOT a competition. We’re all doing our best to attract viewers, but we’re not actually competing for viewers. It’s not like the retail world, where one store tries to sell something cheaper than others to get business. Blogs and vlogs are FREE for the user- so they can read or watch as many as they want, with no limitations. So, why does it matter that we outrank the Queen herself?
Well, Jaclyn Hill is someone we have always looked up to, and have always had great respect for. It’s these types of people who we have tried to emulate. By comparing our stats regularly with other well-known personalities in the industry, we can find out whether we’re on the right track. Does this mean our website is better than Jaclyn’s? That would be a big, fat NOPE. I don’t think we could ever be better than Jaclyn, because we’re not Jaclyn…lol! What it does mean, though, is that we’re at least doing something right.
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We first started this website on a whim, it was kind of a happy accident. We never imagined it would so grow so big, so quickly. After finishing grad school, I wanted a way to maintain my writing skills. It also really irked me to see so many people falling victim to bogus claims, and wasting their hard-earned money on $hit products (read more information here).
Another thing that I wanted to bring attention to was good service. As a society, we’re quick to point out the flaws of others, and complain when things don’t go right. But, we’ve received such fabulous service from beauty stores, restaurants, etc., that I wanted to be able to call people out for the good they’re doing. Whenever we shop at Sephora, Ulta, Dior, Estee Lauder, even restaurants, we do our best to give a shout-out to those who provided such helpful service.
Why Jaclyn, you ask? Jaclyn Hill comes off as being truly genuine- I believe what she says, and I trust her to tell the truth. Furthermore, she’s quick to give credit to others, and praise them for the good they have done. While I want to be my own person, and Jerry wants to be his own person, these are qualities we admire, and thus want to try to use in our postings.
Champagne + Jaclyn Hill’s Champagne Pop highlighter from Becca = sweet dreams!
So, how did we get here?
Be smart enough to know what you don’t know. Never assume you’re an authority on a subject. I knew about ingredients due to my scientific background, and I knew about research protocols from working on a thesis. But, I knew nothing about blogging. So, I researched blogging for months. I learned about a not-so-little thing called “SEO.” Without SEO, nobody would be able to find our site, and we wouldn’t be where we are today. If I had just taken the plunge and started a blog without doing my research, you probably wouldn’t be reading this.
Find someone to look up to and emulate. Emulate, not copy. Find someone successful, and who you admire, and try to determine what qualities are most important. Adopt those qualities, but be yourself. For example, my personality is far different from Jaclyn’s, but I admire her honesty and willingness to recognize others.
Share the spotlight. You are NOT a god or goddess. (At least, I don’t think you are.) Have you ever heard the phrase, “It’s lonely at the top?” Building up others and their talents creates an atmosphere of success and camaraderie. If you won a free vacation, would it be more fun by yourself, or with someone you loved and enjoyed being with? If I make it to the top, I don’t want to be there by myself. This is why my first Warrior Dash was done with friends. When we started this blog, we asked a few very talented friends to contribute (check out our Featured Artists here), so when we reach the top, it won’t be so lonely!
Never stop learning or improving. We’re always looking for ways to improve our site and channel. When Jerry realized I was actually doing this, and making a good effort, he even started doing his own research. In order to keep growing, we like to keep educating ourselves through webinars, seeking advice from others, and any other type of research we can think of.
Respect and admire others. When others accomplish something, or do something you like, let them know. When you get great service at the beauty counter, fill out that customer satisfaction survey. Spread the word to your friends. The same goes for social media- for example, social media in the blog world is HUGE, and brands place great importance on the number of followers you have. I like to “stalk” other peoples’ pages, or certain hash tags, for ideas. If I like someone’s lipstick, I’ll comment and let them know. By interacting with others, you’ll gain a much larger following. But, be sure those comments are genuine, or you’ll be seen as a spammer- don’t lie just to comment!
Listen to those followers. We didn’t do YouTube, but so many people kept asking us to. We finally started a YouTube channel to enhance and expand on our blog. In this case, we again started researching, and reached out for help from others. (Many thanks to Kristen @BeingViolet!) We’ve still got a long way to go on our channel (check it out and subscribe here), but we’re growing and constantly making improvements.
Finally…
Believe in yourself. Those three little words carry more weight than you’ll ever know. I didn’t fully realize the importance of them until my friend Cade brought it up when I was trying to accomplish a fitness goal (read about it here). Only then did it occur to me that those words are how I got through every tough goal I’ve ever accomplished. You can do whatever you set your mind to, if you just believe in yourself.
The only thing missing now from our recipe for success is YOU. We’re about to pop open this bottle of champagne, and I invite you to do the same. Grab some champagne, wine, chocolate milk, kale juice, whatever floats your boat. Here’s a toast to you guys, our fabulous readers, for all the support you have given us. Without you, we wouldn’t be here, and we truly appreciate every single one of you. Thank you.
See also:
I Ran Five Miles Today; and Yes, It’s a Big Deal!
Debunking Skincare Quack Ingredients: How Do You Find the Truth?
Beaux Beauty Blog YouTube Channel
