This isn’t an article I wished to write down… however right here it goes.
Running a blog as a enterprise mannequin isn’t simply dying—it’s already useless.
In latest months, we’ve seen main blogs shut down, course creators abandon ship, and even individuals who made hundreds of thousands from search engine optimization declare it recreation over.
However right here’s what nobody is saying…
This isn’t nearly Google updates or AI. The best way folks devour content material has basically modified, and blogs are now not a part of the equation.
So the true query isn’t simply “Is running a blog nonetheless value it?” It’s “If running a blog is useless, what truly works now?”
Let’s get into it.
Why Even Prime Bloggers Are Strolling Away
For years, running a blog was an extremely profitable enterprise mannequin. Excessive-ranking weblog posts introduced in regular natural site visitors, which may very well be monetized by way of adverts, internet online affiliate marketing, and digital merchandise.
However in 2023, that every one modified. A number of the greatest names in running a blog began pulling out. Even we have been provided over half 1,000,000 {dollars} for our weblog—however we turned it down. After which, issues took a flip.
Site visitors disappeared. Income plummeted. And outdated search engine optimization methods stopped working in a single day.
So what occurred?
The Brutal Fact About Why Running a blog Tanked
This isn’t simply one other fluff story just like the hundreds of different clickbaity articles on the web proper now. I’m not going to inform you running a blog is useless, after which later on this submit say… except you do it the way in which I educate in my programs.
No. I’m going to offer you my actual, sincere tackle the state of search engine optimization, content material websites, internet online affiliate marketing, and running a blog as a enterprise mannequin.
If you happen to’re presently a blogger and also you’ve been holding on optimistically dreaming of your site visitors coming again, or for those who’re a model new blogger and also you’ve simply put a ton of labor into your new web site… or for those who’ve all the time wished to begin a weblog however now I’m sitting right here and shitting everywhere in the total enterprise mannequin… don’t fear.
There IS a silver lining right here. It’s part of this story that nobody is speaking about… a shift that truly opens up the largest on-line enterprise alternative we’ve ever seen.
And those that adapt now are going to win larger than ever earlier than.
Be sure to learn to the tip of this submit as a result of I’m going to speak about precisely what that shift is and how one can leverage it to blow up your personal on-line enterprise.
So how did we get right here? Why has running a blog taken such a drastic downturn in such a short while? It wasn’t only one factor—it was an ideal storm of adjustments that hit suddenly. If you happen to’ve been questioning why blogs are shutting down and search engine optimization methods are failing, listed here are the largest culprits behind the collapse of running a blog as a enterprise mannequin.
1. Google Modified the Guidelines
Google rolled out AI-generated search outcomes, which suggests fewer persons are clicking over to precise blogs. On the identical time, they prioritized boards like Reddit and Quora over unbiased web sites.
If you happen to seek for one thing like “Greatest Journey Credit score Playing cards,” you’re extra more likely to see a Reddit thread or TripAdvisor submit on the prime of search outcomes than a well-researched weblog article.
And this wasn’t an accident—Google struck a $60 million per 12 months take care of Reddit to make use of their boards to coach AI fashions. In return, Reddit’s content material will get precedence in search rankings, successfully pushing smaller blogs out of visibility.
This all began with the Useful Content material Replace in 2022, and continued with the Hidden Gems Replace within the fall of 2023. As an alternative of rewarding high-quality weblog content material, Google handed the search outcomes over to boards.
Keep in mind these site visitors graphs of your favourite journey bloggers tanking? Nicely, Reddit’s site visitors elevated by over 650%, hitting 1.3 billion in that very same timeframe. This was no mistake.
For small bloggers, that is devastating. Even for those who write the very best submit on the web, you’re combating an uphill battle simply to get seen.
2. AI Flooded the Web with Junk Content material
When ChatGPT launched, bloggers didn’t assume, “How can I take advantage of this to make higher content material?” They thought, “What number of AI-written posts can I publish per day?”
Because of this, search outcomes grew to become flooded with generic, AI-generated content material. Google responded by rolling out updates that penalized AI-heavy web sites, however even high-quality blogs received caught within the fireplace.
And right here’s the issue… most bloggers didn’t use AI to enhance their content material, or to assist them analysis their details, or make their websites extra user-friendly—they used it to spam the net.
For the reason that launch and mainstream adaptation of ChatGPT, analysis exhibits that as many as 7.5 million weblog posts are being printed each single day. The search outcomes have was a wasteland of soulless, regurgitated AI content material. Google knew this was an issue, so their response? Burn all of it down.
Sadly, that meant even high-quality blogs received caught within the fireplace.
3. Google’s AI Solutions Took Over Search Outcomes
Google now generates AI solutions proper within the search outcomes—pulling info straight from blogs with out sending any site visitors again to them.
If you happen to search “Greatest Locations to Go to in Thailand,” Google’s AI summarizes the very best choices on the prime of the web page. Customers get the data they want with out ever visiting a weblog.
For bloggers, this implies they’re not simply getting buried in search rankings—they’re getting erased from the equation solely.
If UGC and AI spam have been the storm, Google’s AI-generated solutions have been the ultimate tsunami that worn out every part left standing. It’s like taking part in a recreation the place you do all of the work… and another person takes the trophy.
Right here’s the opposite brutal reality nobody is speaking about—even when Google wasn’t killing blogs, shoppers already moved on.
Give it some thought. When was the final time you made a purchase order determination—whether or not it was for a visit, a brand new telephone, or a course—by studying a 3,000-word weblog submit?
You didn’t.
As an alternative, you most likely:
- Watched a YouTube assessment
- Checked TikTok for fast professionals & cons
- Checked out Instagram reels for real-world examples
- Requested in a Fb or Reddit group for suggestions
- Learn Amazon evaluations and checked testimonials on social media
That is simply how folks purchase now—we wish fast, visible, and trusted info from folks we truly observe and have interaction with.
You may assume that this can be a direct results of folks dropping belief in blogs as a result of so many are simply written with AI, however that’s not the case. The reality is, this transformation began taking place lengthy earlier than bloggers had instruments like ChatGPT and Claude.
Is search engine optimization Completely Useless?
Not solely—however for many unbiased bloggers, it’d as effectively be.
Large manufacturers with large budgets will nonetheless use search engine optimization. Although ChatGPT lately grew to become one of many prime 10 web sites on the planet, presently at quantity 7, and is climbing rapidly, Google continues to be the god of on-line site visitors for now. It’s on the prime of that record, so huge corporations with some huge cash will nonetheless combat for these prime spots.
However the days of recent bloggers rating with nice content material alone are gone. The combat for search engine visibility is simply too aggressive, and Google’s fixed algorithm adjustments make it not possible to depend on natural site visitors.
So for those who’re nonetheless making an attempt to develop your corporation by way of search engine optimization running a blog in 2025, you’re not simply competing with Google—you’re competing with how folks truly devour content material now.
If you happen to’re writing search engine optimization weblog posts and making an attempt to rank in Google for key phrases…. Cease it.
If you happen to’re performing some variation of that, like making an attempt to rank for Bing or ChatGPT… Cease it.
If you happen to’re engaged on the technical search engine optimization in your web site and making an attempt to optimize it. Cease it.
It’s an entire waste of time.
There are different issues try to be engaged on if you wish to construct a sustainable, future-proof enterprise, and we’ll get to {that a} bit later.
What Really Occurred to Our Running a blog Companies (And How We Pivoted)
We nonetheless make passive revenue from our web sites, however solely as a result of we’ve been round for a few years. We now have 4 of them, and (fortunately) they’re nonetheless bringing in over six-figures a 12 months from adverts and associates.
We’ve invested in search engine optimization and hyperlink constructing through the years, and constructed up our viewers, which gave us some cushioning as every part collapsed.
However we knew we wanted to pivot years in the past. Greater than 7 years in the past, we realized that we have been placing WAY too many eggs within the running a blog basket.
We relied fully on Google search engine optimization, Associates, and Advertisements to pay us our wage. But it surely didn’t take lengthy to appreciate that Advertisements dropped as a lot as 50% seasonally or relying on the political state of affairs, and associates? Don’t even get me began…
I already wrote a submit on how Airbnb cancelled their associates program with out warning, costing us $100,000 per 12 months. And that was simply considered one of MANY occasions that occurred to us.
Principally, we have been making unimaginable cash, however we had no management over our site visitors sources, or the revenue coming into our financial institution accounts.
That’s why we began specializing in constructing our electronic mail record (a site visitors supply that we OWN) and promoting our personal merchandise—one thing we had management over. This took me down a rabbit gap and years of analysis into studying the best way to create an superior course, the best way to promote a course, the best way to create electronic mail gross sales automations and funnels, and mainly the best way to earn cash promoting our personal merchandise by way of emails.
That a part of our enterprise was actually profitable and it received us to the place we at the moment are. However now, for the previous 2 years, as an alternative of counting on weblog site visitors and search engine optimization to usher in leads, we’re doing it by way of social media.
Now earlier than you say what I used to say again then and be like “I hate social media”, let me inform you that for one, you’re most likely 40+ like me, and two, that angle will probably be the one purpose you most likely received’t have a profitable on-line enterprise in 5 years.
What This Means for the Way forward for On-line Enterprise
Running a blog is now not a viable enterprise mannequin, however that doesn’t imply on-line enterprise is useless. In actual fact, there has by no means been a greater time to construct a worthwhile enterprise.
The easiest way I can clarify that is by way of a browsing analogy. No, I’m not a surfer, however simply bear with me for a minute…
We have been driving this large wave of search engine optimization and Running a blog. We made hundreds of thousands of {dollars} on that wave and on the time, we thought it was the very best wave within the sea.
However whereas we have been cruising on that wave… an even bigger, extra stunning, and extra sustainable wave was constructing momentum behind our wave.
That wave was Social Media.
In enterprise, it’s a must to know when to get off the wave. As a result of for those who journey it too lengthy, it’ll crush you. And in companies that contain know-how, these waves can come extraordinarily rapidly.
Within the tech panorama, the search engine optimization wave was like an enormous tidal wave. It lasted SO lengthy, and we’re extremely grateful for that.
However now, the brand new wave is right here, and it’s been right here for a very long time, us older era simply didn’t see it.
The Way forward for On-line Enterprise: Social Media, Digital Merchandise, and E mail Advertising and marketing
If running a blog was the outdated wave, social media is the brand new one. And it’s the largest alternative for natural site visitors and monetization we’ve ever seen.
This wave is the largest alternative we’ve ever seen within the on-line world:
- It’s the largest alternative to construct an enormous viewers free of charge
- It’s the largest alternative for natural site visitors
- And it’s by far the largest alternative to monetize and make hundreds of thousands of {dollars} from promoting digital merchandise
1. Construct an Viewers with Brief-Type Video
Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts are the place persons are consuming content material now. As an alternative of writing 3,000-word weblog posts, creators are constructing large audiences by way of short-form video.
2. Promote Your Personal Digital Product
In contrast to running a blog, social media helps you to monetize quick—when you’ve got the proper product. As an alternative of incomes $0.002 per customer by way of adverts, you’ll be able to promote a $37 digital product and make actual cash immediately.
Folks like Natalie from Boss Babe have revamped $100,000 per thirty days promoting a easy digital product. And we all know of a lady who revamped 1,000,000 {dollars} in a 12 months from her tiny viewers of lower than 3,000 folks.
This simply wasn’t attainable with running a blog. There may’ve been some off likelihood that you simply received picked up by a giant TV community or one thing and also you went viral in a single day, however for 99.9% of bloggers who have been simply writing weblog posts for search engine optimization, it will take months, usually years, earlier than they’d see any revenue.
Even me. I constructed a fly fishing web site from $0 to $8,400 per thirty days in a single 12 months. However for the primary 6 months, it earned subsequent to nothing. And I knew what I used to be doing!
3. Use E mail Advertising and marketing to Automate Gross sales
Your weblog needs to be an internet site—not a content material hub. It ought to:
- Construct authority
- Seize emails
- Promote your product
E mail advertising and marketing is the place the true cash occurs. By main social media followers to a freebie, you’ll be able to construct an electronic mail record that nurtures leads and automates gross sales.
After all, you’ll be able to’t simply generate profits on social media by posting humorous cat movies. You create extremely focused content material that speaks to a particular particular person, helps them obtain a particular transformation, and that content material sends them to your electronic mail record the place they enter their title and electronic mail to get your tremendous invaluable freebie.
It’s from that freebie, and from the magic of electronic mail advertising and marketing that you simply’re in a position to promote your digital product to them and generate profits on autopilot.
Look, making $17 on a $500 Airbnb reserving was nice, and incomes 0.002 cents per customer on our weblog was additionally cool, however there’s nothing like the sensation of waking up and seeing that somebody bought your $500 course or your $4,000 teaching program. It’s validation, it’s thrilling to have the ability to have a actual impression and assist folks, and it’s the primary steps in constructing an actual, loyal neighborhood.
The Future is Right here—And It’s Not Running a blog
Running a blog was once an unimaginable enterprise mannequin, however occasions have modified. Google and AI have made it practically not possible for brand new bloggers to succeed the way in which we did years in the past.
However that doesn’t imply the chance is gone. It’s simply moved.
Writing search engine optimization blogs had develop into monotonous and boring. Ask any profitable blogger, we have been bored with writing the ten greatest issues to do in Bangkok and the 15 greatest finances microwaves.
Do I miss the passive revenue from running a blog? Completely, however that very same passive revenue is on the market with short-form video and nice electronic mail advertising and marketing.
Blogs take a TON of labor. So to do all that work simply to have a Google Algorithm replace or AI fully wipe you out in a single day? That’s simply not value it.
The long run is short-form video. The long run is making a invaluable product. The long run is having an epic electronic mail record that folks love being subscribed to. The long run is being an actual human being, and actually connecting together with your viewers on-line.
That is the long run. And the individuals who embrace this shift now are going to win huge.
If you wish to construct a enterprise that truly works in 2025, give attention to short-form video, digital merchandise, and electronic mail advertising and marketing. That is the way you create an actual, future-proof enterprise.
If you happen to’re able to cease losing time on outdated methods and begin constructing a worthwhile enterprise, seize our free coaching under that exhibits precisely how we—and our purchasers—are doing it.
The largest on-line enterprise alternative we’ve ever seen is occurring proper now. The one query is—are you going to take it?
