The State of Digital Bounds in 2017 and our future in 2018
That’s a wrap on 2017. It was a wild year for just about everyone, but for Digital Bounds it’s been a successful but trying year. I don’t write for my site fulltime, which means I’m always searching for an extra hour or two to write a review or cover a topic. Even though I’ve been crunched for time and wrote less throughout 2017, the site has still grown. I’ve refocused the site on gadget reviews and news and launched a sister podcast and newsletter; Gadget Smart. In 2018 I want to review and write about every off the wall gadget that I find interesting and can get my hands on.
In 2017, I published quite a bit of content from reviews, general news articles, and best of lists. The articles that top the list are a mix of pieces that continue to bring in the most traffic. The traffic is a mix of search engine referrals and direct linking from other Digital Bound articles. The list might surprise you;
- Life360 Review: A great alternative to Apple’s Find my Friends
- Phone case companies aren’t making cases for the Essential Phone
- Affordable alternatives to the Sonos Playbase
- Dreamscreen TV Review – Smart TV lighting
- Best cases to protect the Galaxy S8 and S8+
On a daily basis the Life360 review brings in dozens of readers who are looking for an alternative to Apple’s Find my Friends, and hopefully, I helped them a little bit. The second article is about the Essential phone and lack of phone cases on Amazon. I noticed the lack of cases and worked hard to find some, which I have updated over the weeks with new case links as more companies release cases for the PH1. The third article is affordable alternatives to the Sonos Playbase, which was a favorite. I knew I wanted a Playbase, but I didn’t want to spend $400 or more on a soundbar. The fourth article is my favorite. The Dreamscreen is a great gadget that makes your shitty TV a little less shitty. I still use the Dreamscreen on my TV too! The fifth and final article is about the best cases for the Galaxy S8 and S8+ which was written after I received a dozen or so cases for the phone. 
Digital Bounds in 2018
2018 is an exciting year. It has a ton of potential, and we have so much room to grow. If I’m able to commit more time to the site, I’m 100% sure I’ll be able to reach more readers, review more gadgets, and help more people decided on if a gadget worth it.
It’ll be my 5th year at CES, my 4th year at SXSW, and I’m looking forward to attending a handful of other events. In addition to attending these events this year, I’ve set a few goals for the site and myself.
- Publish a review every week in 2018 – It’s a lofty goal, but I’m confident that I can find enough off the wall gadgets to review 52 devices
- Publish three podcasts a week – I want to publish three bite-sized podcasts on Gadget Smart every week through the Anchor app
- Reach 50,000 monthly visitors – Reaching 50,000 monthly visitors would double the currently monthly traffic, but I’m confident with a little SEO on reviews and best of list; it’s possible.
- Publish more videos from reviews to vlogs – I’ve dabbled in video for years, but I want to commit to more videos from reviews to vlogs.
2018 looks promising, and I’m driven to make Digital Bounds a full-time job. I believe I can reach more readers through the great content I’m already and will produce in 2018. I want to say thank you to all the current and future readers of the site. I also appreciate everyone that follows the social accounts and comments on videos and articles! Thank you so much!