When Should You Claim Past Achievements? A Blogger’s Dilemma

The Question of Traffic Peaks

I recently found myself questioning whether to include a past achievement on my professional profile: my blog once reached 328,000 pageviews in a single month. While impressive on paper, the traffic has since declined significantly, leaving me wondering if I should still claim this as an achievement.

The Numbers Game

For context, 328,000 monthly pageviews is exceptional in the blogging world. Most established bloggers consider 10,000-30,000 monthly pageviews a solid benchmark. At that peak, my blog was performing at roughly 10x the average successful blog.

The Honesty Factor

Here’s the truth I had to confront: much of that traffic spike came down to luck. I’m still using the same domain, but the domain authority that once propelled those numbers doesn’t seem to remain. Google’s algorithm changes, shifting trends, or perhaps a viral moment that couldn’t be replicated—whatever the cause, the traffic wasn’t sustained through my strategic efforts alone.

The Profile Dilemma

When crafting a professional profile, we’re constantly told to highlight our achievements. But what about achievements that weren’t entirely of our making? Should we claim lucky breaks as personal accomplishments?

Finding the Middle Ground

There are several approaches to handling past successes:

• Frame them within their specific time context (“Grew blog to 328,000 monthly pageviews during Q1 2018”)
• Focus on what you actually did rather than the outcome (“Created viral content that reached hundreds of thousands of readers”)
• Omit metrics that don’t represent your consistent capabilities

The Value of Professional Integrity

I ultimately decided that professional integrity matters more than impressive numbers. While I could technically claim the achievement, doing so would set expectations I’m not confident I can meet again. Instead, I’ve chosen to focus on consistent skills and achievements that better represent my actual capabilities.

What Would You Do?

Have you ever faced a similar dilemma with past achievements? How did you handle it in your professional presentation? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.