This isn’t an article I needed to put in writing… however right here it goes.
Running a blog as a enterprise mannequin isn’t simply dying—it’s already useless.
In current months, we’ve seen main blogs shut down, course creators abandon ship, and even individuals who made hundreds of thousands from web 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 individuals eat 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 price it?” It’s “If running a blog is useless, what truly works now?”
Let’s get into it.
Why Even High 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 might be monetized by way of advertisements, internet affiliate marketing, and digital merchandise.
However in 2023, that each one modified. Among the largest 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 And outdated web optimization methods stopped working in a single day.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 useless, after which later on this put up say… until 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 web optimization, content material websites, internet affiliate marketing, and running a blog as a enterprise mannequin.
In case you’re at the moment a blogger and also you’ve been holding on optimistically dreaming of your 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 at all times needed to start out a weblog however now I’m sitting right here and shitting everywhere in 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 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.
Be sure to learn to the tip 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 modifications that hit . In case you’ve been questioning why blogs are shutting down and web 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 similar 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 more likely to see a Reddit thread or TripAdvisor put up 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? Properly, 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 if you happen to write the most effective 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 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 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.
For the reason that 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 become 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 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 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 fully.
If UGC and AI spam have been the storm, Google’s AI-generated solutions have been the ultimate tsunami that worn out every thing 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 choice—whether or not it was for a visit, a brand new cellphone, or a course—by studying a 3,000-word weblog put up?
You didn’t.
As an alternative, you in all probability:
- Watched a YouTube evaluation
- 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 critiques and checked testimonials on social media
That is simply how individuals purchase now—we wish fast, visible, and trusted info from individuals we truly comply with and interact with.
You may assume that it is a direct results of individuals 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 web optimization Completely Lifeless?
Not fully—however for many unbiased bloggers, it’d as nicely be.
Massive manufacturers with large budgets will nonetheless use web optimization. Despite the fact that ChatGPT just lately grew to become one of many high 10 web sites on the planet, at the moment at quantity 7, and is climbing rapidly, Google continues to be the god of on-line visitors for now. It’s on the high of that checklist, so large corporations with some huge cash will nonetheless battle for these high spots.
However the days of latest bloggers rating with nice content material alone are gone. The battle for search engine visibility is simply too aggressive, and Google’s fixed algorithm modifications make it unattainable to depend on natural visitors.
So if you happen to’re nonetheless making an attempt to develop your small business by way of web optimization running a blog in 2025, you’re not simply competing with Google—you’re competing with how individuals truly eat content material now.
In case you’re writing web optimization 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 web 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 you ought 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. Now we have 4 of them, and (fortunately) they’re nonetheless bringing in over six-figures a yr from advertisements and associates.
We’ve invested in web optimization and hyperlink constructing over time, and constructed up our viewers, which gave us some cushioning as every thing 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 utterly on Google web 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 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 instances that occurred to us.
Mainly, we have been making unimaginable 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 checklist (a 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 easy methods to create an superior course, easy methods to promote a course, easy methods to create electronic mail gross sales automations and funnels, and mainly easy methods to earn cash promoting our personal merchandise by way 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 an alternative of counting on weblog visitors and web optimization to herald 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 let you know that for one, you’re in all probability 40+ like me, and two, that perspective will seemingly be the one motive you in all probability gained’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. 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 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 web 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 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, it’s a must to know when to get off the wave. As a result of if you happen to trip it too lengthy, it’ll crush you. And in companies that contain expertise, these waves can come extraordinarily rapidly.
Within the tech panorama, the web 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 Electronic mail Advertising
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 an enormous viewers at no cost
- It’s the largest alternative for natural 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 Quick-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 permits you to monetize quick—if in case you have the precise product. As an alternative of incomes $0.002 per customer by way of advertisements, you may promote a $37 digital product and make actual cash immediately.
Folks like Natalie from Boss Babe have remodeled $100,000 per thirty days promoting a easy digital product. And we all know of a girl who remodeled one million {dollars} in a yr from her tiny viewers of lower than 3,000 individuals.
This simply wasn’t doable with running a blog. There may’ve been some off likelihood that you simply 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 have been simply writing weblog posts for web optimization, it could 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 Electronic 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
Electronic mail advertising and marketing is the place the true cash occurs. By main social media followers to a freebie, you may construct an electronic mail checklist that nurtures leads and automates gross sales.
After all, you may’t simply generate profits on social media by posting humorous cat movies. You create extremely focused content material that speaks to a selected particular person, helps them obtain a selected transformation, and that content material sends them to your electronic mail checklist the place they enter their identify and electronic mail to get your tremendous beneficial 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 individuals, 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 instances have modified. Google and AI have made it practically unattainable 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 web optimization blogs had turn into monotonous and boring. Ask any profitable blogger, we have been bored with 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 offered 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 utterly wipe you out in a single day? That’s simply not price it.
The long run is short-form video. The long run is making a beneficial product. The long run is having an epic electronic mail checklist that folks 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 large.
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 coaching beneath 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?
