This isn’t an article I wished to put in writing… 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 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 way in which folks eat content material has basically modified, and blogs are 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 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 site visitors, which could possibly be monetized via advertisements, internet affiliate marketing, and digital merchandise.
However in 2023, that each one modified. A number of the greatest names in running a blog began pulling out. Even we had been provided over half 1,000,000 {dollars} for our weblog—however we turned it down. After which, issues took a flip.
Visitors disappeared. Income plummeted. And previous search engine optimization methods stopped working in a single day.
So what occurred?
The Brutal Reality 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… except you do it the way in which I train in my programs.
No. I’m going to present you my actual, trustworthy tackle the state of search engine optimization, content material websites, internet affiliate marketing, and running a blog as a enterprise mannequin.
For those who’re at the moment a blogger and also you’ve been holding on optimistically dreaming of your site visitors coming again, or if you happen to’re a model new blogger and also you’ve simply put a ton of labor into your new web site… or if you happen to’ve all the time 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 truly opens up the most important on-line enterprise alternative we’ve ever seen.
And those that adapt now are going to win larger than ever earlier than.
Ensure you 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 . For those who’ve been questioning why blogs are shutting down and search engine optimization methods are failing, listed here are the most important 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 similar time, they prioritized boards like Reddit and Quora over impartial web sites.
For those who 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 high of search outcomes than a well-researched weblog article.
And this wasn’t an accident—Google struck a $60 million per yr cope with 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 if you happen to write the most effective 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 suppose, “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 obtained 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 revealed each single day. The search outcomes have changed into 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 obtained 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 straight from blogs with out sending any site visitors again to them.
For those who search “Greatest Locations to Go to in Thailand,” Google’s AI summarizes the most effective choices on the high 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 had been the storm, Google’s AI-generated solutions had been the ultimate tsunami that worn out the whole lot left standing. It’s like enjoying 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 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 wish fast, visible, and trusted data from folks we truly observe and interact with.
You would possibly suppose that it is 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 alteration began taking place lengthy earlier than bloggers had instruments like ChatGPT and Claude.
Is search engine optimization Completely Lifeless?
Not solely—however for many impartial bloggers, it would as nicely be.
Massive manufacturers with huge budgets will nonetheless use search engine optimization. Though ChatGPT lately grew to become one of many high 10 web sites on this planet, at the moment at quantity 7, and is climbing rapidly, Google continues to be the god of on-line site visitors for now. It’s on the high of that checklist, so massive firms with some huge cash will nonetheless struggle for these high spots.
However the days of latest bloggers rating with nice content material alone are gone. The struggle for search engine visibility is just too aggressive, and Google’s fixed algorithm adjustments make it not possible to depend on natural site visitors.
So if you happen to’re nonetheless making an attempt to develop what you are promoting via search engine optimization running a blog in 2025, you’re not simply competing with Google—you’re competing with how folks truly eat content material now.
For those who’re writing search engine optimization weblog posts and making an attempt to rank in Google for key phrases…. Cease it.
For those who’re doing a little variation of that, like making an attempt to rank for Bing or ChatGPT… Cease it.
For those who’re engaged on the technical search engine optimization on 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 Truly 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 now have 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 optimization and hyperlink constructing through the years, and constructed up our viewers, which gave us some cushioning as the whole lot 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 had been placing WAY too many eggs within the running a blog basket.
We relied utterly on Google search engine optimization, Associates, and Adverts to pay us our wage. Nevertheless it didn’t take lengthy to understand that Adverts dropped as a lot as 50% seasonally or relying on the political scenario, 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 considered one of MANY occasions that occurred to us.
Principally, we had been making unbelievable cash, however we had no management over our site visitors sources, or the earnings coming into our financial institution accounts.
That’s why we began specializing in constructing our e-mail checklist (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 methods to create an superior course, methods to promote a course, methods to create e-mail gross sales automations and funnels, and principally methods to earn cash promoting our personal merchandise via emails.
That a part of our enterprise was actually profitable and it obtained us to the place we at the moment are. However now, for the previous 2 years, as a substitute of counting on weblog site visitors and search engine optimization to usher in leads, we’re doing it via 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 most likely 40+ like me, and two, that angle will possible be the one cause 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 not a viable enterprise mannequin, however that doesn’t imply on-line enterprise is lifeless. The truth is, there has by no means been a greater time to construct a worthwhile enterprise.
One of the simplest ways I can clarify that is via a browsing analogy. No, I’m not a surfer, however simply bear with me for a minute…
We had been driving this huge 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 most effective wave within the sea.
However whereas we had been cruising on that wave… a much 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 if you happen to journey it too lengthy, it’ll crush you. And in companies that contain expertise, 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 technology simply didn’t see it.
The Way forward for On-line Enterprise: Social Media, Digital Merchandise, and E mail Advertising
If running a blog was the previous wave, social media is the brand new one. And it’s the most important alternative for natural site visitors and monetization we’ve ever seen.
This wave is the most important alternative we’ve ever seen within the on-line world:
- It’s the most important alternative to construct an enormous viewers free of charge
- It’s the most important alternative for natural site visitors
- And it’s by far the most important alternative to monetize and make hundreds of thousands of {dollars} from promoting digital merchandise
1. Construct an Viewers with Quick-Type 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 huge audiences via short-form video.
2. Promote Your Personal Digital Product
Not like running a blog, social media helps you to monetize quick—if in case you have the appropriate product. As an alternative of incomes $0.002 per customer via advertisements, you’ll be able to promote a $37 digital product and make actual cash immediately.
Individuals like Natalie from Boss Babe have remodeled $100,000 per thirty days promoting a easy digital product. And we all know of a lady who remodeled 1,000,000 {dollars} in a yr from her tiny viewers of lower than 3,000 folks.
This simply wasn’t attainable with running a blog. There would possibly’ve been some off likelihood that you just obtained 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 had been simply writing weblog posts for search engine optimization, it might take months, typically years, earlier than they’d see any earnings.
Even me. I constructed a fly fishing web site from $0 to $8,400 per thirty days 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 to Automate Gross sales
Your weblog ought to be a web site—not a content material hub. It ought to:
- Construct authority
- Seize emails
- Promote your product
E mail advertising is the place the true cash occurs. By main social media followers to a freebie, you’ll be able to construct an e-mail checklist that nurtures leads and automates gross sales.
After all, you’ll be able to’t simply become profitable on social media by posting humorous cat movies. You create extremely focused content material that speaks to a particular individual, helps them obtain a particular transformation, and that content material sends them to your e-mail checklist the place they enter their identify and e-mail to get your tremendous invaluable freebie.
It’s from that freebie, and from the magic of e-mail advertising that you just’re in a position to promote your digital product to them and become profitable 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 influence and assist folks, and it’s the primary steps in constructing an actual, loyal group.
The Future is Right here—And It’s Not Running a blog
Running a blog was an unbelievable enterprise mannequin, however occasions have modified. Google and AI have made it practically not possible for brand spanking 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 had been bored with writing the ten greatest issues to do in Bangkok and the 15 greatest price range microwaves.
Do I miss the passive earnings from running a blog? Completely, however that very same passive earnings is out there with short-form video and nice e-mail advertising.
Blogs take a TON of labor. So to do all that work simply to have a Google Algorithm replace or AI utterly 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 e-mail checklist that individuals love being subscribed to. The long run is being an actual human being, and actually connecting along with your viewers on-line.
That is the longer term. And the individuals who embrace this shift now are going to win massive.
If you wish to construct a enterprise that truly works in 2025, concentrate on short-form video, digital merchandise, and e-mail advertising. That is the way you create an actual, future-proof enterprise.
For those who’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 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?
