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 lifeless.
In current months, we’ve seen main blogs shut down, course creators abandon ship, and even individuals who made thousands and thousands from search engine marketing declare it sport over.
However right here’s what nobody is saying…
This isn’t nearly Google updates or AI. The way in which folks eat content material has basically modified, and blogs are now not a part of the equation.
So the actual query isn’t simply “Is running a blog nonetheless price it?” It’s “If running a blog is lifeless, 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 visitors, which may very well be monetized by advertisements, affiliate marketing online, and digital merchandise.
However in 2023, that every one modified. Among the greatest names in running a blog began pulling out. Even we have been supplied over half one million {dollars} for our weblog—however we turned it down. After which, issues took a flip.
Visitors disappeared. Income plummeted. And outdated search engine marketing methods stopped working in a single day.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 let you know running a blog is lifeless, after which later on this submit say… until you do it the best way I educate in my programs.
No. I’m going to present you my actual, trustworthy tackle the state of search engine marketing, content material websites, affiliate marketing online, and running a blog as a enterprise mannequin.
In case you’re presently a blogger and also you’ve been holding on optimistically dreaming of your visitors coming again, or in case you’re a model new blogger and also you’ve simply put a ton of labor into your new web site… or in case you’ve at all times wished to start out 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 really opens up the largest on-line enterprise alternative we’ve ever seen.
And those that adapt now are going to win greater than ever earlier than.
Ensure you learn to the top 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 modifications that hit abruptly. In case you’ve been questioning why blogs are shutting down and search engine marketing methods are failing, listed below 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 implies fewer individuals are clicking over to precise blogs. On the identical time, they prioritized boards like Reddit and Quora over unbiased web sites.
In case you seek for one thing like “Finest Journey Credit score Playing cards,” you’re extra prone to see a Reddit thread or TripAdvisor submit on the high of search outcomes than a well-researched weblog article.
And this wasn’t an accident—Google struck a $60 million per yr 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 visitors graphs of your favourite journey bloggers tanking? Nicely, Reddit’s 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 in case you write the very best submit on the web, you’re preventing 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 exploit this to make higher content material?” They thought, “What number of AI-written posts can I publish per day?”
In consequence, 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 info, or make their websites extra user-friendly—they used it to spam the net.
Because the 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 became 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 data immediately from blogs with out sending any visitors again to them.
In case you search “Finest Locations to Go to in Thailand,” Google’s AI summarizes the very best choices on the high of the web page. Customers get the knowledge 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 all the things left standing. It’s like enjoying a sport the place you do all of the work… and another person takes the trophy.
Right here’s the opposite brutal fact nobody is speaking about—even when Google wasn’t killing blogs, customers already moved on.
Give it some thought. When was the final time you made a purchase order resolution—whether or not it was for a visit, a brand new cellphone, or a course—by studying a 3,000-word weblog submit?
You didn’t.
As an alternative, you in all probability:
- Watched a YouTube evaluate
- Checked TikTok for fast execs & 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 would like fast, visible, and trusted data from folks we truly comply with and interact with.
You would possibly assume that this can be a direct results of folks shedding 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 occurring lengthy earlier than bloggers had instruments like ChatGPT and Claude.
Is search engine marketing Completely Useless?
Not solely—however for many unbiased bloggers, it would as properly be.
Massive manufacturers with large budgets will nonetheless use search engine marketing. Regardless that ChatGPT not too long ago grew to become one of many high 10 web sites on the earth, presently at quantity 7, and is climbing shortly, Google remains to be the god of on-line visitors for now. It’s on the high of that record, so huge firms with some huge cash will nonetheless battle for these high spots.
However the days of recent bloggers rating with nice content material alone are gone. The battle for search engine visibility is just too aggressive, and Google’s fixed algorithm modifications make it unattainable to depend on natural visitors.
So in case you’re nonetheless making an attempt to develop your small business by search engine marketing running a blog in 2025, you’re not simply competing with Google—you’re competing with how folks truly eat content material now.
In case you’re writing search engine marketing weblog posts and making an attempt to rank in Google for key phrases…. Cease it.
In case you’re doing a little variation of that, like making an attempt to rank for Bing or ChatGPT… Cease it.
In case you’re engaged on the technical search engine marketing to your web site and making an attempt to optimize it. Cease it.
It’s a whole waste of time.
There are different issues you need 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 earnings from our web sites, however solely as a result of we’ve been round for a few years. We have now 4 of them, and (fortunately) they’re nonetheless bringing in over six-figures a yr from advertisements and associates.
We’ve invested in search engine marketing and hyperlink constructing over time, and constructed up our viewers, which gave us some cushioning as all the things collapsed.
However we knew we would have liked 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 marketing, Associates, and Adverts to pay us our wage. However it didn’t take lengthy to appreciate that Adverts 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 yr. And that was simply one among MANY occasions that occurred to us.
Principally, we have been making unbelievable cash, however we had no management over our visitors sources, or the earnings coming into our financial institution accounts.
That’s why we began specializing in constructing our electronic mail record (a visitors supply that we OWN) and selling our own products—one thing we had management over. This took me down a rabbit gap and years of analysis into studying learn how to create an superior course, learn how to promote a course, learn how to create electronic mail gross sales automations and funnels, and principally learn how to earn cash selling our own products by emails.
That a part of our enterprise was actually profitable and it received us to the place we are actually. However now, for the previous 2 years, as an alternative of counting on weblog visitors and search engine marketing to usher in leads, we’re doing it through social media.
Now earlier than you say what I used to say again then and be like “I hate social media”, let me let you know that for one, you’re in all probability 40+ like me, and two, that angle will doubtless be the only motive you in all probability received’t have a successful online business 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 lifeless. In reality, there has by no means been a greater time to construct a worthwhile enterprise.
One of the best ways I can clarify that is by 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 marketing and Running a blog. We made thousands and 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… a much bigger, extra lovely, and extra sustainable wave was constructing momentum behind our wave.
That wave was Social Media.
In enterprise, you need to know when to get off the wave. As a result of in case you journey it too lengthy, it’ll crush you. And in companies that contain know-how, these waves can come extraordinarily shortly.
Within the tech panorama, the search engine marketing wave was like a large 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 technology 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 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 a large viewers without spending a dime
- It’s the largest alternative for natural visitors
- And it’s by far the largest alternative to monetize and make thousands and thousands of {dollars} from promoting digital merchandise
1. Construct an Viewers with Quick-Kind Video
Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts are the place individuals are consuming content material now. As an alternative of writing 3,000-word weblog posts, creators are constructing large audiences by short-form video.
2. Promote Your Personal Digital Product
In contrast to running a blog, social media enables you to monetize quick—when you have the best product. As an alternative of incomes $0.002 per customer by advertisements, you may promote a $37 digital product and make actual cash immediately.
Folks like Natalie from Boss Babe have revamped $100,000 monthly promoting a easy digital product. And we all know of a lady who revamped one million {dollars} in a yr from her tiny viewers of lower than 3,000 folks.
This simply wasn’t potential with running a blog. There would possibly’ve been some off probability that you simply received picked up by an enormous 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 marketing, it could take months, usually years, earlier than they’d see any earnings.
Even me. I constructed a fly fishing web site from $0 to $8,400 monthly in a single yr. 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 a web 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 actual cash occurs. By main social media followers to a freebie, you may construct an electronic mail record that nurtures leads and automates gross sales.
In fact, you may’t simply generate income on social media by posting humorous cat movies. You create extremely focused content material that speaks to a selected individual, helps them obtain a selected transformation, and that content material sends them to your electronic mail record the place they enter their identify and electronic mail to get your tremendous useful 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 income 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 unbelievable enterprise mannequin, however occasions have modified. Google and AI have made it practically unattainable for brand spanking new bloggers to succeed the best way we did years in the past.
However that doesn’t imply the chance is gone. It’s simply moved.
Writing search engine marketing blogs had develop into monotonous and boring. Ask any profitable blogger, we have been uninterested in writing the ten finest issues to do in Bangkok and the 15 finest price range microwaves.
Do I miss the passive earnings from running a blog? Completely, however that very same passive earnings is obtainable 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 price it.
The longer term is short-form video. The longer term is making a useful product. The longer term is having an epic electronic mail record that folks love being subscribed to. The longer term is being an actual human being, and actually connecting together with your viewers on-line.
That is the longer term. And the individuals who embrace this shift now are going to win huge.
If you wish to construct a enterprise that really works in 2025, concentrate on short-form video, digital merchandise, and electronic mail advertising and marketing. That is the way you create an actual, future-proof enterprise.
In case you’re able to cease losing time on outdated methods and begin constructing a worthwhile enterprise, seize our free training beneath that exhibits precisely how we—and our shoppers—are doing it.
The most important on-line enterprise alternative we’ve ever seen is going on proper now. The one query is—are you going to take it?
