Is Blogging Dead in 2023? Do People Still Read Blogs?

Blogging has been one of the most popular ways to make money online for years, but changes in how internet users consume content have led many people to wonder, is blogging dead?

Five or ten years ago, if you were looking for a way to make money online, you were sure to run into many people telling you to start a blog. Today, blogging seems to have lost some of its appeal due to the growing popularity of YouTube channels, podcasts, and social media influencers.

I started my first blog in 2007, and I’ve been running my own blogs and websites full-time since 2008 (currently, I own a few different blogs). Over the years, there have been countless changes and transitions. Growing and running a profitable blog in 2007 or 2008 is almost completely unrecognizable today. The social networks are different, Google’s algorithm and policies have changed drastically, and the approach needed to grow an audience has evolved.

Despite all of the changes, blogging is not dead in 2023. The process of growing a successful blog is much different than it was just a few years ago, but the opportunity is still there. In fact, I believe the payoff for becoming a successful blogger is better than ever (more on that below).

It’s true that personal blogs have mostly gone out of style in recent years. Social networks have replaced blogs as the ideal way to share or consume personal content. But for the purposes of this article, we’re looking at blogs that are started for earning income.

The State of Blogging in 2023

There are more than 600 million blogs online in 2023. With a total of 1.9 billion websites in existence, blogs account for about 32% of all websites today. And those blogs publish about 6 million posts per day.

Okay, so lots of blogs exist. But that doesn’t prove that they’re still effective today.

Studies show that anywhere from 60% to 80% of people (depending on the study) read blogs daily. Those numbers prove that blogs are still relevant, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the real statistics are actually higher than these numbers.

As we’ll talk about later in this article, many blogs today do not look or feel like the blogs of years past. In fact, many people arrive at a blog through a Google search or a link on social media and don’t realize they’re reading a blog. They see it as an article and may not consider it a blog post. If that’s the case, the stats on blog readership are probably understated.

Blogging is still an effective way to reach your audience, and people are still reading blogs. Yes, video content is more popular than it used to be, but people consume much more online content every year. There’s still a need for text-based content, and people are still reading it. Plus, you can integrate videos into your blog to supplement the written content.

The Evolution of Blogging (Blogs are Still Relevant)

There’s no doubt that blogging has changed drastically over the years. Here are some of the specific ways blogging today is different than it’s been in years past.

Quality Over Quantity

Blogging has always been about content, but the bar has been raised regarding what’s considered helpful content. I cringe when I look back at the content I published years ago. Even the posts that did extremely well and attracted thousands of visitors are downright embarrassing by today’s standards.

Google demands higher-quality content today if you want to rank at the top of the search results. For example, they’ve made significant changes to their algorithm for product review content. Blogs and websites that want to rank well for their product reviews must go in-depth and show Google that they’ve done thorough research and testing.

It’s not just Google that demands quality content. Social platforms like Facebook and Pinterest are also constantly evolving and trying to find new ways to showcase only the best content shared by users. And, of course, today’s blog readers expect content to be useful and worthy of their valuable time.

The amount or quantity of content a blog publishes will always impact the amount of traffic the site gets. A blog with 1,000 posts has more opportunities to attract traffic than a blog with 100 posts.

But now more than ever, quality trumps quantity in content marketing. Bloggers are better off dedicating the time needed to create one high-quality post than three low-quality posts.

The Importance of User Experience

User experience continues to become an increasingly significant factor for blogs (as well as other types of websites). Today, it’s absolutely critical that blogs are mobile-friendly so the content can be accessed from any device.

Page load speeds are also more important than they’ve ever been. Visitors have always been impatient and likely to click away if a page loads too slowly, but now it’s also a factor that can impact search engine rankings. Google uses core web vitals as one of many factors in its algorithm. If your blog loads quickly and provides a positive user experience, it may help you to get more Google traffic.

Shifting Trends in Social Media

When I started blogging in 2007, the popular social media platforms for bloggers were Digg, StumbleUpon, Delicious, and Reddit. Reddit is the only one that’s still relevant today.

The most popular social networks today include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. These platforms are ideal for connecting with other users, including people who may be readers of your blog.

Digg, StumbleUpon, and Delicious were all more appropriate and effective for sharing free content than connecting with other users. As a result, they were excellent sources of blog traffic. My first blog got loads of traffic from social media. In fact, I don’t think it would have ever gotten off the ground, and I doubt I would have ever become a professional blogger had it not been for the traffic I got from social media.

Social media has also impacted the type of content published on blogs. Years ago, the average blog post was much shorter than today. Individuals and companies would use blog posts to share news or post short announcements. Today, these posts are typically shared through social media rather than on blogs.

Growth of Video Content

The demand for video content has increased drastically over the last decade (one of the main reasons some people think blogging is dead). That’s a big part of why more people are starting YouTube channels or social media profiles instead of starting a blog to make money. However, the rise of video content doesn’t mean that text-based content is irrelevant or dying.

There’s still plenty of demand for written content, and the truth is, video content can be used alongside written blog content. You can embed YouTube videos with your blog posts to support the written content or even create your own videos. Many YouTube channels exist as an extension of a blog or website instead of a replacement for a blog or website.

Goodbye to Blog Comments

One of the biggest changes I’ve seen in my years of blogging is related to reader comments. Years ago, the conversation between readers and the blogger was an important part of most blogs. But over the years, comments became more and more infrequent.

Today, many blogs (including all of my own) no longer include a comments section. I remember when Copyblogger removed comments in 2014. They were ahead of the curve in realizing that communication on social media was replacing blog comments.

Sure, some blogs still have very active comment sections, but they’re in the minority. Most blogs today either have no comments section or they accept comments, but most posts have no comments at all.

Updating Old Content

Years ago, updating old blog posts seemed weird and pointless. Very few bloggers ever updated posts aside from fixing errors or broken links.

Today, for existing blogs that have a decent amount of content, updating and improving old posts is every bit as important as writing and publishing new content. Sometimes the updates are minor, and other times they might involve completely re-writing an outdated article. It can also involve deleting posts that are no longer relevant.

Google wants to see content that’s fresh and up-to-date. Keeping your posts relevant, especially those that generate most of your traffic, is key to building a successful blog today.

Increased Competition

There’s no doubt that growing a successful blog is harder today than it was in 2007 when I first started. With many more blogs online and businesses investing in content marketing, there’s more competition for attention and Google rankings. The truth is, you need to be better to have success today. That may sound discouraging, but the next point is equally important, and it will make you feel better.

Higher Payoff

While it’s harder to build a successful blog today, the payoff is higher than it’s ever been, and there are several reasons for that:

• Today’s ad networks like Mediavine and AdThrive are very good. You can make more money from less traffic than you could with Google AdSense or the advertising options around ten years ago.
• There are more affiliate programs for monetizing your site, and the income potential from affiliate marketing is higher than it used to be.
• There are more (and better) resources for selling your own products, creating landing pages and sales funnels, and automating email marketing. A few years ago, I ran a blog primarily monetized by selling digital products. I switched to ThriveCart for handling the checkout and immediately doubled my revenue thanks to features like high-converting checkout pages, order bumps, and upsells. Other resources like ConvertKit, Podia, and Teachable make it easier to monetize a blog than ever before.
• More and more brands are looking for bloggers and influencers to publish sponsored content or participate in brand partnerships. This can lead to a significant boost in revenue for the blogger.
• If/when you go to sell your blog, valuations are higher than they were in years past. More individuals and businesses are looking to buy blogs and content-based sites, which drives higher prices. Several years ago, you might be able to sell a blog for 24-30 months’ worth of profit. Today, it’s not unusual for a blog to sell for 40 months or more of profit. That’s a huge difference that can have a major impact on your long-term financial situation.

My Approach to Blogging in 2023

My approach to my blogs today is much different than it was five or ten years ago. You may have heard or read about “niche websites,” another common way of making money online. These content-based websites are very similar to blogs, but traditionally, there have been some distinct differences.

In my opinion, many successful blogs today (including my own) are being run more like niche websites than traditional blogs. What does that mean? Well, here are some of the details that have changed in my approach.

Very Tight Focus

Some bloggers and marketers publish content on a wide range of topics. I’ve always tried to keep my blogs focused on specific topics, but that’s more true today than ever.

Every Post Has a Purpose

I don’t publish content simply because I need something new to publish. And I don’t write articles just because I feel like writing about a topic. Each blog article must have a specific purpose. It may be written to target a specific keyword for search traffic, to mention or promote an affiliate product, to attract links, or for some other specific purpose.

Over the past two years, I’ve done full site audits on a few older blogs, and it’s astounding how much of the old content lacks a real purpose. Now, I aim to avoid that by ensuring that each post has a specific purpose before it’s written.

Every Post Must Be High-Quality

Since the quality of content is so important to Google and readers, I want to ensure that I’m only publishing quality content. If a post feels low-quality, I’ll either improve it before it’s published or scrap the idea altogether. I don’t want to add any low-quality content to my sites.

I Prioritize Organic Search Traffic

Search traffic has always been important, but in the past, I’ve also dedicated a lot of time and effort to social media and clickthrough traffic from inbound links. Today, I focus almost exclusively on search traffic.

Yes, there’s some risk in not diversifying, but I’ve found that other traffic generation efforts haven’t paid off as well in the past, so I’m putting my focus on what’s generated results for me.

Focusing on search traffic involves creating high-quality content and keeping existing content updated, which ultimately results in a better website.

Social media sites like Facebook and Pinterest are still useful for generating traffic, but I feel they’re more temperamental than Google. Of course, Google updates its algorithm frequently, and it’s very common for blogs and websites to experience decreases in search traffic. But Facebook and Pinterest are on another level in terms of volatility.

I’m not saying it’s unwise to focus on social media, but with limited time to run multiple blogs, I’m focusing on what’s generated the best results for me.

I Do Extensive Keyword Research

Several years ago, I did very little keyword research. Now, keyword research is a major part of my content strategy.

There are a lot of different keyword tools out that, but I mostly use KWFinder. I say “mostly” because I do use and try other tools from time to time, but KWFinder is the only one I pay for month in and month out.

I aim to find keywords that people are actively searching for, although the search volume doesn’t have to be extremely high. I also look for low levels of competition, but I’m willing to target more competitive keywords if I think the content will be a valuable addition to my site. KWFinder helps me to do that without spending countless hours digging through reports.

I Assume Most Visitors Are First-Time Readers

This is a subtle change that most people probably wouldn’t notice, but it’s a complete 180 from how I used to write blog content.

Since most of the traffic across all of my blogs comes from search engines (Google), most people reading my posts have never been on my site before.

In my early days of blogging, I wrote posts for regular readers and subscribers. This is common among blogs but not common with niche websites. If you’re writing for repeat visitors, you’re assuming readers know something about you or are familiar with your site and the existing content that’s already been published.

If you’re writing for new visitors, you’re not assuming that readers are familiar with your personal story, and you’re not assuming they know anything about the other content you’ve written. It takes away a bit of the personal feel of a blog, but it’s far more useful for new visitors because they don’t feel like they’ve stumbled onto something unfamiliar.

No Concerns About Post Timing

In the past, I tried to publish at regular intervals. For example, I might aim to publish two new posts per week: one on Monday and another on Thursday. Maybe I didn’t always hit those exact days, but the content was still spread out.

This goes back to the point about writing for subscribers and existing readers. I didn’t want to publish content too quickly because it would be hard for regular readers to keep up. And I didn’t want long gaps that would frustrate people who come to the site frequently.

Today, I publish content whenever it’s ready to publish. I might publish three new posts in one day, or there might be ten days between posts. Generally, I don’t try to spread it out. Instead, I just want to publish it as soon as it’s ready.

How to Succeed with Your Blog in 2023 and Beyond

In summary, here are my recommendations for how to keep your blog relevant and have success with making money:

• Choose your primary topics and stick to them. Personally, I’m not a fan of lifestyle blogs that cover a bunch of different topics. I know some people have success with them, but I believe the odds of success are much higher if you focus on a specific niche or topic.
• Create high-quality content to establish your expertise. Great content is essential if you want to succeed in blogging today and in the future. Take more time on your content if necessary and publish less if that’s what you need to do to maximize quality.
• Create content with a purpose. Make every blog post count. Think about why you’re writing it, how it will help your readers, and how it will benefit you and your business. Don’t write content just to have something to publish.
• Keep your content up-to-date. This will decrease the amount of content you’re able to publish because you’ll need to dedicate time to updating content, but it’s worth it. You’ll be able to increase the quality of your site overall, and you’ll see that your search traffic increases.

The Truth About Blogging in 2023

Blogging is not dead, but what’s needed to succeed has changed over the years. The success rate or percentage of bloggers that actually make money has always been low. In my opinion, that’s mostly because there are so many different ways to grow a blog. With endless possibilities, there’s not really a clear plan to follow, and there’s a lot of room for error.

But if you approach your blog more like a niche website or an authority site, there’s a clear plan to follow, and the odds of success are much higher. If you want to learn more about that plan, please see my Guide to Building a Profitable Niche Website.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Blogging Dead? Final Thoughts

Blogging is still a great way to make money online. However, a lot has changed in the past decade, and you need to be willing to adapt if you want to have success and earn extra income with your blog.

To succeed today, you’ll need to focus on creating better content than other websites and blogs in your niche. That includes creating content with a purpose and updating your posts so they remain relevant and useful.

Is blogging dead? No, it’s not. But it has changed, and it will continue to change. We need to be willing to adapt.

References:

• Web Tribunal: How Many Blogs Are There? We Counted Them All!
• Demand Metric: Content Marketing Infographic
• Hubspot: 40% of People Say They Don’t Read Blogs: Here’s How You Can Still Get on Their Radar