Today’s Summary

I built my own static blog using Cloudflare Pages, Astro, and GitHub.

I set up Umami analytics for the blog (hosted via a self-managed Docker container).

I registered the blog with Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools (based on data from my other blogs, Bing typically drives more traffic than Google).

I implemented components for embedding both long-form and short-form YouTube videos, allowing them to be displayed and played directly within my blog posts.

I configured the website’s sitemap (Astro generates one automatically, but it needed to be updated to reflect the blog’s custom domain) and submitted it to Bing Webmaster Tools and other platforms.

I produced a long-form video using this very blog post as the script, and included a link to the blog in the YouTube video description—thereby creating a bidirectional traffic flow between YouTube and the blog.

User Experience

Compared to WordPress, many of Astro’s plugins and features are still relatively underdeveloped.

For instance, I wanted to integrate Bing’s IndexNow service; however, Astro lacks a robust plugin for this, forcing me to write custom code to trigger the updates myself—whereas WordPress offers a dedicated plugin for exactly this purpose.

Furthermore, WordPress features a built-in administrative dashboard. This allows me to update my blog posts directly via the web interface or write new entries on the go using a mobile app.

Astro, on the other hand, is built around a Git repository workflow. Consequently, I can only update articles on my computer and then push those changes to the live site via Git (while it is technically possible to use SSH from a mobile device, it is a rather cumbersome process).

Additionally, Markdown syntax is not particularly image-friendly; I am required to place images in a separate directory—such as the public folder—in order to reference them, or alternatively use a third-party CDN. However, I prefer to avoid relying on a CDN for my images.

As for other features—such as adding comment sections or implementing member-exclusive content—I plan to explore those gradually at a later stage.

For the time being, I am simply observing whether Astro offers any advantages in terms of SEO, overall site performance and speed, and the end-user reading experience. I intend to check the search engine analytics data over the next couple of days, in the hope that the site gets indexed quickly.

youtube

My core focus lies in YouTube traffic and revenue.

While an Astro blog might appear unrelated to YouTube videos on the surface, it is, in fact, critically important.

Any YouTube creator will tell you that you absolutely must encourage your audience to subscribe via email—or direct them to your independent website—as early as possible.

This is because, sooner or later, your YouTube account could be banned. Whether due to a violation on your part or other circumstances—such as an erroneous suspension or malicious mass reporting—you must be prepared with your own website in advance. This ensures that your audience can continue to access your content updates through your site at any time, or subscribe to your new YouTube channel should the need arise.

Do not leave this to chance; account bans are not a rare occurrence.

I would argue that relying solely on YouTube’s internal traffic makes it very difficult to achieve significant growth.

Many high-traffic videos actually gain traction on social media platforms—such as X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Reddit. They suddenly go viral because they are entertaining, possess unique characteristics, or get reposted by creators with large followings; therefore, we need external traffic sources to drive growth.

Personally, however, I truly dislike social media. Not only does it force you into a mindset of constant self-promotion, but it also carries the risk of having your account suspended from time to time. Even if you do manage to generate significant traffic there, it often feels like a stroke of rare luck. To this day, I much prefer blogging; I possess complete autonomy and full control, allowing me to edit, configure, and share content exactly as I please. (Although search engine traffic can be lower, it is more than sufficient for my needs.)

For some people, writing blog posts might actually be a better fit than editing videos. Don’t pursue YouTube simply for the sake of being on YouTube—what if blogging turns out to be your true calling?

Upcoming Plans

Brainstorming and updating short-form videos; I have currently published two, with room to publish about three more.

Keeping an eye on trending news and high-quality content that can be easily adapted into short videos or blog posts (it is crucial to stay abreast of current trends and engage in thoughtful reflection).

Monitoring how search engines—such as Bing and Google—index this new blog site of mine, as well as the traffic it generates (the goal is to embed YouTube videos within blog posts and feature blog content within YouTube videos, creating a reciprocal relationship that boosts traffic for both platforms).