Is Blogging Dead In 2025? Nah (why blogs will stay)
In March 2024, Google rolled out a core update — a big one. It was a followup to their helpful content update (HCU) from the previous November, which didn’t affect me. But this time, my site got hit pretty hard.
I bounced back.
And then, in November 2024, we were hit with another major update.
But we’ve been here before — many times. The Penguin update, the Panda update, other animals. It’s starting to feel like déjà vu.
Things change, fear sets in and then there’s a new normal. So I think we’ll be alright. Because this is the pattern, is it not?
Like all things that have ever existed (and ever will exist), blogging is simply evolving. And so, new strategies and fresh mindsets are needed.
So in this post, I’m sharing my optimistic take on things.
Now let’s do this dang thing!
The Current State of the Blog
If you have a blog, then you know what’s going on.
AI is everywhere, ranking feels like the stock market with its volatility and Google started dating Reddit.
Plus, people are using Google way less and TikTok way more for searching the internet.
But I get it — go and try TikTok’s search feature if you haven’t yet. It’s pretty much Google (except way more helpful, cooler and all video).
And as for smaller publishers like you and I, a lot of us have gotten hit pretty hard — which is pretty annoying when your content quality is way better than what’s ranking and AI overviews are just repurposing your hard work.
I mean, I get it. Google is in a tight spot trying to please everyone — stockholders, advertisers, AI, content creators and changing consumer behaviors.
Still, why ya gotta do us like this?!
“If Google actually wants to stay competitive, they probably shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds it — you know, disincentivizing and deranking high-quality sites whose content trains their AI data and giving users sh*t UX full of ads and questionable forum answers.”
I’ve been trying to stay patient and optimistic throughout this season. Because the truth is, content will always be needed. I don’t see a world where a unique written voice is simply pointless.
Fluff, on the other hand, that job can be taken.
It’s like this: generic Walmart art does okay for home decor…I guess…but nothing beats an original from an artist. And nobody needs to buy a physical book anymore — and yet, we do.
So what’s the state of the blog? We’re going through some growing pains.
But SEO and content marketing are only 20-something years old. So I guess I’m not too surprised.
Which means I’ll strive for patience and curiosity about when and where we land.
Because I don’t think blogging is dead. It’s just getting older.
Explore more:
➤ The Future of Blogging
Why Blogging Isn’t Dead…
AI Kinda Sucks at Being Human
Don’t get me wrong, AI is incredible. But when it comes to experiencing the nuances of human things, it falls short.
Great news for bloggers!
It means that we’re still needed — people still value the human touch.
For example, if someone was researching Tokyo travel tips, they would much rather get insights from someone who has traveled and/or lived there before over an AI that’s just collecting and regurgitating information (i.e., not really adding anything new).
Only you can explain what it’s like to navigate the crowds in Asakusa during the Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival or fully capture the smells and feelings of Shibuya past midnight.
And so, fresh (human-made) content creation is still needed.
Google Isn’t the Only Search Engine
Google has 90% of the search engine market share. But they’re losing some of that market dominance (and even dealing with an antitrust lawsuit because of it).
Still, even if Google loses 50% of its market share, that’s still over 4 billion people using the platform every single day.
But let’s say we lose Google altogether. In this blogger’s dystopia, would this make blogs completely obsolete?
I don’t think so. Google isn’t the only search engine or driver of SEO traffic.
There are a lot of new players (who rank blog content just the same as Google). ChatGPT Search, Perplexity and Pinterest are a few of the bigger names that come to mind.
So I’m more interested in learning how to optimize for those new platforms, should they become big search drivers.
Some People Will Always Prefer Reading
Some people will always prefer reading over watching. Especially since content consumption in contextual and nuanced.
If the information requires deeper analyzing or if you’re in a public space without headphone, captions in a video may not cut it.
And still, reading hits different.
I think future blogs simply provide more than one way to consume their content — visitors can either read, listen, watch or scan the information (as a summarized infographic).
What we’re really worried about here is the potential for everyone using the internet to altogether stop reading information there. That seems unlikely.
Blogging Isn’t Just Long-Form SEO
Blogging is dying, it’s evolving. And part of that change is moving away from exclusively writing long-form content with perfect SEO.
X is essentially micro blogging — or, social blogging. Perplexity Pages opens up a new type of blogger — the content curator — rather than the writer. And text-based Instagram posts or TikToks perform great.
You can even turn a blog into video using AI automation, expanding your reach into YouTube or other video platforms.
Blogging is expanding and becoming hybrid.
So again, I’m staying more curious about what’s ahead rather than trying to fight it or fear it. Observe, asses, learn — and then adapt.
Some Parts of Blogging Are Dying…
1. Blogs Without a Unique Perspective
If you want to succeed in modern blogging and SEO, you need to bring something unique to the table.
Regurgitating the same advice and perspectives as everyone else isn’t what Google or readers want (again, we have AI for summarizing).
More and more, modern blogging is requiring you to participate, test and experience your niche directly. And sometimes, all it takes is making a subtle shift from “how to [do something]” to “how I [do something]”.
2. Low Quality, High-Volume Sites
Previously, publishing quantity was a surefire way to get traffic and more rankings. It still is in the most practical sense (more blogs = more lines in the water).
But now, there needs to be added intention. Your posts should always be relevant to your brand and niche and high-quality.
Prioritizing quality over quantity is something I’ve been doing a lot more of — and my traffic has been growing for it.
3. Single-Traffic-Source Blogs
Relying on a single source of traffic is risky. You’re only one algorithm update, platform change or user trend away from losing everything.
So future blogs need to incorporate other ways to reach readers, such as:
Email
YouTube
Pinterest
Social media
SEO for other search engines
Later ✌️
Blogging isn’t dead. It’s just evolving like everything does. So, I’m adapting.
My main blog goals right now are to focus on my authenticity and branding, update my content strategy and add new traffic channels.
I’m forever optimistic, but I’m logically confident that this blog situation is not the end. Rather, it’s an opportunity.
The greatest disruptions and challenges create the greatest opportunities.
So, keep on blogging. This isn’t the end — but it may be the beginning of something new.
