Posted by
I recently compared the traffic for Offbeat Home & Life with Offbeat Families, and was amazed to see that Offbeat Home & Life has not only caught up to Offbeat Families — but surpassed its traffic pretty significantly with over double the visits.
And you know what’s responsible for most of those visits? FUCKING BASIL. A throw-away post that combined a snapshot a basil plant taken by one of one of our editors, combined with some common sense, and a few quotes from comments left on another one of our blog posts. Somehow, this post has gone beyond viral on Pinterest, and is now responsible for almost 15% of the site’s traffic:
FUCKING BASIL, you guys!
As a publisher, I feel like sometimes I have a sixth sense for which posts are going to be popular. I know, for instance, that if I link a post about cultural appropriation on Facebook, it will garner a huge wave of traffic and a flurry of comments — even if I link the post at 4pm on a Friday, and the post itself is two years old. I feel like I know my readers, what they care about, and what they want to discuss…
…unless it’s basil. Then I’m completely blindsided.
Ha! I’ve been seeing that under Today’s Hot Posts for months now, and though basil is awesome, I was also a little mystified at how it hasn’t budged from that spot. Glad to finally see where it came from! I’ve been peeking at those ever since one of my articles (8 tips for developing personal style) made it to the list of top posts. o.O How’d that get there?
Dude, I know right? Seriously, I’m tempted to add a new lead image to that post just because I’m sick of seeing it so frequently! 🙂
That said, your personal style post did AWESOME, and continues to have a long tail of clicks:
It was such a great topic, and I also loved the lead image Megan found for it.
Ooh, thanks for showing me the graph! Very cool.
A new lead image for the basil would be fun. The silliest thing I could come up with is the main character from The Great Mouse Detective.
Want to vote on a replacement image? All Creative Commons licensed:
Oh, I love the last one! From that angle the plants remind me of sunflowers.
I’d go with the second, although the third would be my second choice. The arm or whatever it is in the background of the first one just seems a little odd. (Alternatively, I have a couple of little basil plants on my balcony at this point, and I could totally photograph them for you if you’d like! :p)
I’d vote for the first one, with the third as my second choice.
I like the first one!
I vote third image!
The third picture makes it look like the mighty little plant it is!
Information on growing basil is useful, and it doesn’t say Offbeat the way “make your own orange enzyme cleaner” (also useful information!) does. It doesn’t inspire a lot of -conversation-, but it is a useful thing to read (and share). As someone who has a sad little basil plant growing on her front porch (and orange enzyme cleaner in her kitchen) I get it.
Also I’m going to admit that when I read “Fucking basil: blowing your goddamned mind” my first thought was a weird combo of the Joy of Cooking and the Joy of Sex, and I was…intrigued. But you know, graphs are good, graphs are good, too.
Hahahahaha, THIS. I figured out pretty quickly that it wasn’t actually about the act of fucking basil (or involving basil in one’s sex life in any way), but my mind definitely did go there.
Me too ! I thought… maybe basil scented massage oil? Tossing basil petals in bed? Pesto body paint?
I thought it was going to be about a way to produce mind altering drugs from basil. Blowing your mind and all that… xD
Hilarious. I have no idea why basil is so popular (other than it being delicious). I had to read this out loud to husband to be!
Yeah, I’ve noticed that in the “today’s hot posts” section on the side of OBH&L that basil is there EVERY SINGLE FREAKING DAY. Internetters love basil. 🙂
Alternative titles this post could have had:
Mary Jane is OUT OUT OUT and Basil is IN IN IN!
What herb do hair dying tattooed freaks love? Basil!
The new Salt, Basil
“The new Salt, Basil” is so great
Sounds like you’re talking to a guy named Basil.
I wonder how many people were looking for some information about how to grow basil, after all basil is a tricky enough plant to grow that it definately is worth a search for advice, then you notice that the blog also has a post about an octopus shower curtain and your hooked. Nearly every blog I read has been found this way. I found my favourite british blog because I was looking for advice about how to REALLY clean your oven with bicarbonate of soda.
Maybe someone can have some photoshop fun and make it an offbeat basil plant?
With an octopus plant pot and as many other offbeat stereotypes as you can imagine!
It’s the special snowflake of the herb world!
Because basil is FUCKING DELICIOUS. Seriously, I would add it to EVERYTHING if I could.
Offbeat Bride – Grow Your Own Fucking Basil Centerpieces
Offbeat Families – Replace Sugary Cereals With Fucking Basil
Offbeat Home – Fucking Basil: It Does Literally EVERYTHING
Offbeat Empire – There’s Some Fucking Basil-Growing Tips At the Bottom of This Business Post
You now have another view because I read this going “what f’in basil post”. Enjoy!
The title of this post is still cracking me up. I also love the post itself. And a thought about basil it is transient summer plant, expensive unless you grow it, it’s part of the magic of summer , empowering and frustrating, everything we want to be as a success ful adult. Cooking with basil from your own plant on a summer night,