As a website operator, 3:30 p.m. Pacific time marks an important time of day for me. It's the moment when I check in on the day's goals and evaluate our progress thus far. Here are some of the things that go into my 3:30 p.m. routine:

Assessing Traffic

First and foremost, I want to know how many eyeballs have landed on our site that day. I track this metric hourly, but 3:30 is when I take a holistic look at our traffic for the day. How much are we up or down versus yesterday? Compared to the previous week? Have any particular pages gone viral, and if so, what can we learn from them?

Checking Ad Revenue

If your website makes money through display ads or similar formats, you know how vexing ad revenue can be. My 3:30 check-in is the moment when I take stock of how much we've earned in ad revenue thus far that day. Again, I compare to previous days to see whether we're on track to meet goals.

Evaluating Content Strategy

As a website operator, I'm only as good as the content I create. So at 3:30, I evaluate the day's new content to see how it's performing. Which pieces are attracting clicks and shares? Which ones are falling flat? Are there any obvious trends in what topics are resonating with our audience?

Checking Social Media

For many websites, social media can be a huge driver of traffic. At 3:30, I check in on our social media channels to see what's resonating there. Have we posted anything that's generating a lot of buzz? Are we getting more followers? Are any particular posts getting a lot of engagement?

Focusing on SEO

For all websites, search engine optimization (SEO) is a top concern. I use my 3:30 window to check in on our SEO progress. Are we ranking higher for any important keywords? Are there any new keywords we should target? Are there any technical SEO issues that need to be resolved?

Planning for Tomorrow

Finally, my 3:30 check-in is the moment when I start to prepare for tomorrow. What content should we create? Are there any big events happening that we should cover? Are there any new social media or SEO tactics we should try? By planning ahead, I can hit the ground running the next day.

By focusing on these areas, I'm able to keep my website running smoothly and ensure that we're always growing and improving. Whether you're a seasoned website operator or just starting out, setting a 3:30 p.m. check-in can be an effective way to keep your site moving forward.