In 2023, Google rolled out the “Helpful Content Update” that had bloggers scrambling for answers. I still can’t wrap my head around how so many of us suddenly became “unhelpful” enough to deserve a total wipeout in search rankings.
Overnight, search traffic plummeted, and sites that once thrived were buried. It felt like Google had quietly decided most bloggers were no longer worth showing to the world.
I was one of those bloggers caught in the web. The timing couldn’t have been worse. I had just decided to take my blog seriously a little over a year before the update, showing up consistently, and finally put in the work. Then, boom! My growing traffic suddenly nosedived!
The AI Wave and the Blogger Purge
This happened right when AI was going mainstream. Like many others, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that Google was using the “unhelpful content update” label as a cover to clear up the space for something else; and independent bloggers were the collateral damage. We had played our part enough.
A simple Google search now often shows you AI-generated snippets. AI can do what bloggers did: “provide information.” So why keep us around? People who want to stick to traditional search results now type “-ai” after every phrase just to avoid AI answers. At least they gave you that option – if you can call it that.
After The Purge, What next?
After my search traffic tanked, I stopped posting entirely. Without readers, it felt pointless to publish anything. Who was I even writing for? The only reason my blog is still alive is because I’m attached to the domain name.
A lot of bloggers tried getting it right with Google. Many hired SEO experts to clean up their sites, and some even went as far as deleting suspected “unhelpful contents”, starting afresh and changing niches to please the unpleasable. Some spent hundreds, if not thousands of real money trying to fix their blogs with no result.
So many bloggers called the bluff and moved on to other channels: Email, Pinterest, Facebook, X, even Instagram. Some chased the next big thing, creating videos and shorts. That’s great for them, but it’s not something I’m cut out for.
I also did a terrible job keeping my email subscribers engaged. Now that I actually need their attention, my next email will probably leave half of them wondering how and why they even ended up on my list.
Unlike previous updates, this one left no clear path to recovery. It feels like Google has bigger plans for AI, and bloggers aren’t part of them.
I Don’t Blame AI (But It Changed Everything)
I don’t hate AI. It’s an incredible innovation. Like every major shift, it comes with downsides, but it has far too many upsides to focus on the downsides, which for some reason, is also far too many. My point is, its upsides are too big to ignore. AI isn’t going anywhere, it’s here to stay and has already changed more than the blogging landscape forever.
In many ways, it’s the beginning of the end for the old model of “information blogging.” The kind where you could just answer questions, rank in Google, and grow your audience organically. The game is different now.
Pivot or Let Go
That leaves us with two options: pivot, or let blogging go completely. I’m too invested in my domain and my voice to quit. Two years is long enough for sulking.
It’s time to move with the wind, adapt, and see what’s still possible in this new landscape.
