This isn’t an article I needed to write down… however right here it goes.
Running a blog as a enterprise mannequin isn’t simply dying—it’s already lifeless.
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 eat content material has essentially modified, and blogs are not a part of the equation.
So the true 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 site visitors, which might be monetized by means of advertisements, affiliate internet marketing, and digital merchandise.
However in 2023, that every one modified. Among the largest 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.
Site visitors disappeared. Income plummeted. And previous 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 let you know running a blog is lifeless, after which later on this put up say… except you do it the best way I train in my programs.
No. I’m going to offer you my actual, trustworthy tackle the state of search engine optimization, content material websites, affiliate internet 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 in the event you’re a model new blogger and also you’ve simply put a ton of labor into your new web site… or in the event you’ve at all times needed to begin a weblog however now I’m sitting right here and shitting all around the whole 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 people who adapt now are going to win larger than ever earlier than.
Ensure you learn to the top of this put up 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 unexpectedly. If you happen to’ve been questioning why blogs are shutting down and search engine optimization 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 persons are clicking over to precise blogs. On the similar 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 prone to see a Reddit thread or TripAdvisor put up on the prime 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 a substitute of rewarding high-quality weblog content material, Google handed the search outcomes over to boards.
Bear in mind these site visitors graphs of your favourite journey bloggers tanking? Properly, 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 in the event you write the perfect put up 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 suppose, “How can I exploit this to make higher content material?” They thought, “What number of AI-written posts can I publish per day?”
Consequently, 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 acquired 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 information, or make their websites extra user-friendly—they used it to spam the net.
Because the launch and mainstream adaptation of ChatGPT, analysis reveals 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 acquired 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 instantly 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 perfect choices on the prime 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 totally.
If UGC and AI spam had been the storm, Google’s AI-generated solutions had been the ultimate tsunami that worn out every little thing 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 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 determination—whether or not it was for a visit, a brand new telephone, or a course—by studying a 3,000-word weblog put up?
You didn’t.
As a substitute, 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 would like fast, visible, and trusted info from folks we truly observe and have interaction with.
You would possibly suppose 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 alteration began occurring lengthy earlier than bloggers had instruments like ChatGPT and Claude.
Is search engine optimization Completely Lifeless?
Not totally—however for many unbiased bloggers, it’d as nicely be.
Huge manufacturers with huge budgets will nonetheless use search engine optimization. Though ChatGPT not too long ago grew to become one of many prime 10 web sites on this planet, presently at quantity 7, and is climbing shortly, Google remains to be the god of on-line site visitors for now. It’s on the prime of that checklist, so massive corporations with some huge cash will nonetheless struggle for these prime spots.
However the days of latest bloggers rating with nice content material alone are gone. The struggle for search engine visibility is simply too aggressive, and Google’s fixed algorithm adjustments make it unattainable to depend on natural site visitors.
So in the event you’re nonetheless making an attempt to develop your enterprise by means of 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.
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 doing a little 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 on 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 revenue from our web sites, however solely as a result of we’ve been round for years. We have now 4 of them, and so they’re nonetheless bringing in a couple of thousand {dollars} per 30 days from advertisements and associates.
We’ve invested tens of hundreds of {dollars} in search engine optimization and hyperlink constructing, which gave us some cushioning as every little thing collapsed.
However we knew we wanted 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 fully on Google search engine optimization, Associates, and Advertisements to pay us our wage. Nevertheless it didn’t take lengthy to understand 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 put up on how Airbnb cancelled their associates program with out warning, costing us $100,000 per yr. And that was simply one in all MANY occasions that occurred to us.
Mainly, we had been making unbelievable 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 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 tips on how to create an superior course, tips on how to promote a course, tips on how to create e mail gross sales automations and funnels, and principally tips on how to earn cash promoting our personal merchandise by means of emails.
That a part of our enterprise was actually profitable and it acquired us to the place we are actually. However now, for the previous 2 years, as a substitute of counting on weblog site visitors and search engine optimization to herald leads, we’re doing it by means of 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 seemingly be the one motive you 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. In truth, there has by no means been a greater time to construct a worthwhile enterprise.
One of the simplest ways I can clarify that is by means of 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 perfect wave within the sea.
However whereas we had been cruising on that wave… an even bigger, extra lovely, and extra sustainable wave was constructing momentum behind our wave.
That wave was Social Media.
In enterprise, you must know when to get off the wave. As a result of in the event you journey it too lengthy, it’ll crush you. And in companies that contain expertise, these waves can come extraordinarily shortly.
Within the tech panorama, the search engine optimization wave was like an enormous tidal wave that began within the Atlantic and ended within the Pacific. It lasted SO lengthy, and we’re 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
If running a blog was the previous 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 without spending a dime
- 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 a substitute of writing 3,000-word weblog posts, creators are constructing huge audiences by means of short-form video.
Considered one of our shoppers, Nadine, is a 60-year-old girl who had by no means even posted a reel on Instagram earlier than. She took what we confirmed her and applied it on her first reel, and her third one went completely atomic. She acquired 600,000 views in a couple of weeks and was quickly as much as 28,000 followers. And naturally, she made gross sales. She had a month-to-month monetary retirement purpose and after simply 6 months since posting that reel, she had a month the place she not solely hit that purpose however doubled it.
Or Jimmy, who didn’t even have an Instagram account when he began with us. He had zero followers and had by no means recorded a reel earlier than. He plugged away for a couple of months utilizing our sharing framework and all of a sudden shot as much as 80,000 followers and now makes frequent gross sales of his high-ticket monetary teaching provide. He even stop his job to maneuver to Asia together with his spouse!
2. Promote Your Personal Digital Product
In contrast to running a blog, social media allows you to monetize quick—if in case you have the fitting product. As a substitute of incomes $0.002 per customer by means of advertisements, you possibly can promote a $37 digital product and make actual cash immediately.
Individuals like Natalie from Boss Babe have revamped $100,000 per 30 days promoting a easy digital product. And we all know of a lady who revamped 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 probability that you just acquired 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 had been simply writing weblog posts for search engine optimization, it could take months, typically years, earlier than they’d see any revenue.
Even me. I constructed a fly fishing web site from $0 to $8,400 per 30 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 an internet 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 possibly can construct an e mail checklist that nurtures leads and automates gross sales.
After all, you possibly can’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 e mail checklist the place they enter their title and e mail to get your tremendous worthwhile freebie.
It’s from that freebie, and from the magic of e mail advertising that you just’re capable of 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 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 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 blogs had turn into monotonous and boring. Ask any profitable blogger, we had been uninterested in 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 out there with short-form video and nice e mail advertising.
This put up would possibly ruffle a couple of feathers. However I’d stand as much as anybody who stored claiming that running a blog is a viable enterprise.
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 worthwhile product. The longer term is having an epic e mail checklist that individuals 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 long run. 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, give attention to short-form video, digital merchandise, and e mail advertising. 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 reveals precisely how we—and our shoppers—are doing it.
The most important on-line enterprise alternative we’ve ever seen is occurring proper now. The one query is—are you going to take it?
