Is Blogging Dead? Nope (unless you don’t want to show up in AI)
*THIS POST IS BEING UPDATED
please check back soon :)
July 07
For the past year or so, I’ve been wrestling with the state of this whole blogging thing.
Some days, I ask myself why I even bother publishing anything at all. Other days, I think about deleting my sites altogether.
It’s a question that keeps echoing in all of our minds: is blogging dead?
LLMs continue to take our traffic and Google is busy doing whatever the hell it’s doing (aka, sucking a**).
So yea, things feel bleak. But don’t throw in the proverbial towel just yet…there’s still hope.
Recently I discovered a compelling point about AI, blogging and the importance of long-form content. And it’s all pointing to a future where blogging is not just alive, but more important than ever before.
This is my hot take on why blogging isn’t dead.
My thesis? It should be a core part of any serious creator’s content strategy (especially in an AI world).
Table of Contents
2025: The State of the Blog
If you have a blog, then you know what’s going on.
AI is everywhere, ranking feels like a volatile stock market and Google has a mad crush on Reddit.
Plus, people are using Google less and ChatGPT or social media more.
But I don’t blame anyone. I do too.
Still, it’s pretty dang annoying when your content quality is way better than the AI overview (which likely repurposed your ideas for itself anyways).
“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.”
So what can small publishers and blogging artists (who genuinely enjoy writing) do?
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 stuff can be taken.
So what’s the state of the blog? We’re going through some growing pains.
But there’s sign for hope that blogging is still not dead.
Explore more:
➤ The Future of Blogging
Blogging Isn’t Just Alive—It’s A Strategic Move (here’s why)
LLMs Are Trained On Long-form Written Content (not as much on social media)
People use ChatGPT (etcetera) a lot. The adoption rate is nuts. So obviously, you want to show up there (like we used to crave Google’s attention).
This increases blog traffic, brand awareness and authority. And to do that, we need to optimize our content for it.
One of the best ways to do that? Long-form content (like blogging).
The depth and scope at which LLMs (like ChatGPT or Claude) are currently trained on social media content is limited.
This means that if you focus solely on IG content (for example), you’re less likely to be referenced in external AI platforms or overviews.
Here’s why:
…
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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.
Okay, So How Should I Be Blogging to Show Up In AI?
Become the Go-To Source Within Your Niche of One
…personal brand keywords
Explore more:
➤ LLMO for Creators: The Future of SEO
Have Unique Perspectives + Experiences
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]”.
Skip Low Quality, High-Volume Content Strategies
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.
Avoid 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.
