Death to Blogs? Shout Outs, AI, Get Real, and the PMA Survey

What is in this issue?

• Death to Blogs?

• RBL teammate shout out!

• Is AI App Building Here?

• WTF is AI?

• Flashy, fancy ads are being taken over by Authentic and “Real” Content

• PMA Survey

• What is next for the RBL Flywheel newsletter? April is Measurement Month!

Is Blogging Dead?

The blogging landscape has undergone significant changes, and many argue that blogs are losing their relevance in the digital ecosystem. This shift is largely driven by changes in Google’s algorithms, the rise of social media, and evolving user behavior. Here’s a closer look at why blogs struggle and what this means for content creators.

Google's Algorithm Changes: The Decline of Traditional Blogging

Recent updates to Google's core algorithms have deprioritized traditional blogs, favoring high-quality, original content that directly addresses user intent.

For example, the March 2024 Core Update integrated Google's Helpful Content System into its core ranking criteria, penalizing low-value or AI-generated content while rewarding expert-driven material.

This shift has made it increasingly difficult for generic blogs to maintain visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs).

Additionally, the prevalence of "Zero Click Searches," where users find answers directly on Google without visiting external sites, has further reduced blog traffic.

Social Media's Growing Influence

Social media platforms have become dominant traffic drivers, often outperforming blogs in engagement and visibility. Algorithms on platforms like Instagram and TikTok prioritize video and short-form content over traditional text-based formats.

Moreover, social media posts are increasingly indexed by Google, allowing users to find relevant information directly through search without needing to visit a blog.

The Saturation Problem

The sheer volume of active blogs—estimated at over 700 million globally—has created intense competition for attention.

With AI tools enabling mass content production, the internet is saturated with articles lacking originality or depth. This oversupply has diluted the impact of individual blogs and made it harder for creators to stand out.

Shift in User Preferences

Younger audiences gravitate toward visual and interactive formats like videos and social media stories.

Platforms such as TikTok and YouTube offer dynamic ways to consume content, leaving traditional blogs struggling to capture their attention.

Additionally, readers increasingly favor concise answers over long-form articles, which aligns with Google’s move toward providing instant solutions via featured snippets.

Is Blogging Truly Dead?

While blogging faces challenges, it is not entirely obsolete. Blogs still hold value for businesses that prioritize evergreen content, SEO optimization, and authority-building.

A single well-optimized blog post can drive consistent traffic over months or years, outperforming fleeting social media posts in terms of longevity and ROI.

However, success now requires adapting to modern SEO practices—focusing on user intent, creating high-value content, and integrating multimedia elements for better engagement.

Key Takeaways for Content Creators

1. Prioritize Originality: Blogs must deliver unique insights or expertise to remain competitive. Having more control, like we get to do here in a newsletter format, is worth considering. I have been blown away and appreciate all the positive comments and feedback on the newsletter insights and discussion from readers like YOU!

2. Diversify Content Formats: Incorporate video, infographics, and interactive elements to appeal to changing user preferences.

3. Leverage Social Media: Use social platforms strategically to amplify blog visibility and drive traffic. We have had to do this out of necessity!

4. Adapt SEO Strategies: Focus on people-first content that aligns with Google’s evolving ranking criteria. Ah-hem, like the RBL Flywheel newsletter and the Always Be Testing podcast!

While the era of blogging as a primary traffic driver may be waning, blogs can still thrive when integrated into a broader digital strategy that includes social media and multimedia formats.

Go Alex!

Our awesome Alex Quaile has been crushing it for us and wanted to call out her contributions here!

“Alex has been a steady, calm collaborator who has adopted RBL and industry best practice while bringing her flavor of grit, expertise, thoughtfulness, and growth mindset to her role.

She continues to elevate in the RBL organization, and she embodies the RBL core values of:
1) Taking care of the customer

2) Know it and own it

3) The team. the team. the team 

4) Data Driven.” 

-Me

Can You Build an App with AI?

Is AI App Building here?

WTF is Artificial Intelligence Really?

“Getting Real” wins over flashy in Ads & Marketing

Two more great examples that the Era of Authenticity and Trust is Upon Us…

“Being human is better than being perfect.”

It is a great way to summarize the movement, impacting all aspects of life, especially marketing!

These examples continue daily and support our thesis that we live in a big Trust Gap and people are scrambling for human, unfiltered, raw, authentic voices to seek information and make decisions of all types.

PMA Survey - please submit!

I have been honored to collaborate with the PMA for years.

I am serving on the Measurement Council (get to nerd out on data, toolbars, attribution, incrementality, data, and tracking)

Mike, our COO, is serving on the influencer counsel as well.

The Performance Marketing Association's most important work is sizing the affiliate marketing industry in the United States.

Since 2018, we have achieved these estimates with data from affiliate networks and publisher surveys. 

The PMA is asking for your help as a publisher to complete our 2025 survey, which includes questions about 2024 revenue and several other sentiment questions.

London Research is administering the survey. It holds all reported information in strict confidence and reports only aggregate data to the PMA. 

You can access the 2025 survey using the following link. 

Responses required by March 31, 2025, by 5 pm ET. However, I think submissions are still allowed!

Yes, this was supposed to go out earlier, but I think PMA would benefit from as much data as possible for this!

Recap

• Are Blogs Dead?

• Go Alex!

• Is AI App Building Here?

• WTF is AI?

• GET REAL! Authentic and “Real” Content is taking over flashy, fancy ads.

• PMA Survey!

• April is Measurement Month for the RBL Flywheel Newsletter, so stay tuned and put on your data nerd hats!