This isn’t an article I wished to jot 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 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 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 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 could possibly be monetized by adverts, affiliate internet marketing, and digital merchandise.
However in 2023, that each one modified. A number of the largest names in running a blog began pulling out. Even we had 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 previous 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 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 provide you my actual, sincere tackle the state of web optimization, content material websites, affiliate internet marketing, and running a blog as a enterprise mannequin.
Should you’re presently 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 website… or if you happen to’ve at all times wished 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 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 unexpectedly. Should you’ve been questioning why blogs are shutting down and web 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 suggests fewer individuals are clicking over to precise blogs. On the similar time, they prioritized boards like Reddit and Quora over unbiased web sites.
Should you seek for one thing like “Greatest 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 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 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 perfect 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 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 turned flooded with generic, AI-generated content material. Google responded by rolling out updates that penalized AI-heavy web sites, however even high-quality blogs bought caught within the hearth.
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.
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 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 bought caught within the hearth.
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 visitors again to them.
Should you search “Greatest Locations to Go to in Thailand,” Google’s AI summarizes the perfect 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 completely.
If UGC and AI spam had been the storm, Google’s AI-generated solutions had been the ultimate tsunami that worn out all the things 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, 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 submit?
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 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 comply with and have interaction with.
You may 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 modification began occurring lengthy earlier than bloggers had instruments like ChatGPT and Claude.
Is web optimization Completely Useless?
Not completely—however for many unbiased bloggers, it’d as effectively be.
Large manufacturers with large budgets will nonetheless use web optimization. Despite the fact that ChatGPT lately turned one of many high 10 web sites on the earth, presently at quantity 7, and is climbing rapidly, Google remains to be the god of on-line visitors for now. It’s on the high of that record, so huge corporations 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 simply too aggressive, and Google’s fixed algorithm adjustments make it unattainable to depend on natural visitors.
So if you happen to’re nonetheless attempting to develop your enterprise by web optimization running a blog in 2025, you’re not simply competing with Google—you’re competing with how folks truly eat content material now.
Should you’re writing web optimization weblog posts and attempting to rank in Google for key phrases…. Cease it.
Should you’re doing a little variation of that, like attempting to rank for Bing or ChatGPT… Cease it.
Should you’re engaged on the technical web optimization on your web site and attempting to optimize it. Cease it.
It’s a whole 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 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 years. We’ve got 4 of them, they usually’re nonetheless bringing in a couple of thousand {dollars} monthly from adverts and associates.
We’ve invested tens of hundreds of {dollars} in web optimization and hyperlink constructing, which gave us some cushioning as all the things 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 web optimization, 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 considered one of MANY instances that occurred to us.
Mainly, we had 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 promoting our personal merchandise—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 mainly learn how to earn cash promoting our personal merchandise by emails.
That a part of our enterprise was actually profitable and it bought us to the place we at the moment are. 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 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 possible be the only purpose 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.
The easiest way I can clarify that is by a browsing analogy. No, I’m not a surfer, however simply bear with me for a minute…
We had 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 perfect wave within the sea.
However whereas we had 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 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 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 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 previous 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 without 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 Brief-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 large audiences by short-form video.
Meet Nadine!
One in all 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 bought 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 aim and after simply 6 months since posting that reel, she had a month the place she not solely hit that aim however doubled it.
Meet Jimmy!
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 give up his job to maneuver to Asia along with his spouse!
2. Promote Your Personal Digital Product
In contrast to running a blog, social media allows you to monetize quick—you probably have the precise product. As an alternative of incomes $0.002 per customer by adverts, you possibly can 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.
A a lot fatter model of me unveiling my first running a blog course 😂
This simply wasn’t attainable with running a blog. There may’ve been some off probability that you just bought 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 web 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 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 Electronic mail Advertising 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
Electronic mail advertising is the place the true cash occurs. By main social media followers to a freebie, you possibly can construct an electronic mail record 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 electronic mail record the place they enter their title and electronic mail to get your tremendous priceless freebie.
It’s from that freebie, and from the magic of electronic 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 neighborhood.
The Future is Right here—And It’s Not Running a blog
Running a blog was once an unbelievable enterprise mannequin, however instances have modified. Google and AI have made it practically unattainable 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 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 electronic mail advertising.
This submit may ruffle a couple of feathers. However I’d stand as much as anybody who saved 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 priceless 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 along 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 really works in 2025, concentrate on short-form video, digital merchandise, and electronic mail advertising. That is the way you create an actual, future-proof enterprise.
Should 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 going on proper now. The one query is—are you going to take it?
