Is Blogging Dead? The Golden Age is Over (and That's Ok)
Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on October 9, 2023.
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You know when a blog about blogging asks the question, “Is blogging dead?” the answer is probably going to be a loud and emphatic “No!“.
But we will also be the first to admit that blogging has changed significantly over the years, so much so that the current landscape of blogging is significantly different from when most of us old-timers started 10, 15, and, in some cases, 20+ years ago (fun fact: the world's first blog turns 30 in 2024!).
So while it may often feel like the rug is about to be pulled out from under us at any moment, with new social networks changing where we can reach potential fans, search algorithm updates throwing everyone for a loop, and decaying reach all around, the simple truth is that blogging has always been an industry in flux.
We will be the first to make the argument that the golden age of blogging has ended, but, for most bloggers who weren't around to experience it, this may also be a good thing.
Niche Product Sites Case Study #6 – Getting in a Groove
Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on September 18, 2023.
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Welcome to the sixth entry into our niche product site case study series.
In this case study, we are tracking the performance of niche product sites I created between 2020 and 2022, sharing what is working, what is not, income and traffic changes, and lessons learned along the way.
The first site we will look at is The Grape Pursuit, a wine blog I started in early 2020. The second site is Hipster Homesteaders, a home & garden plus food & beverage blog we started in late 2021 (where we merged two lagging product sites, a coffee blog and sous vide blog, into a broader umbrella branding to allow for more content to be produced with other topics).
In the last six months, the wine blog has started to find its footing and is gaining momentum with new ideas we are replicating at scale. The homestead site's growth in traffic has been slow, but an uptick in affiliate sales shows that we're on the right path all the same.
5 Things to Do (and Not to Do) If You Have a Copycat Blogger
Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on September 12, 2023.
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It is never a fun feeling in blogging to find out that you have a copycat. It has happened to me many times over the years, and even to this day I still always have a moment of panic over all of the what-ifs that could happen.
Most end up resolving themselves just fine, but some become a persistent issue that I simply have to recognize become a part of doing business.
So in this one, we thought it'd be fun to discuss the topic of copycat bloggers more and share some things you should (and shouldn't) do when someone is imitating your business.
That said, we should also note that you may have two kinds of copycats to watch out for, namely, one that follows your lead and builds an eerily similar brand as your own and another that steals content outright. While we call both of these copycats insofar as the word's connotations allow, some approaches below may best apply only to one case over the other.
How Does the Facebook Performance Bonus Work? A Breakdown
Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on November 5, 2023.
Disclaimer: This Week in Blogging uses demographic data, email opt-ins, and affiliate links to operate this site. Please review our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
In mid 2023, Meta announced a new bonus program, aptly named the Facebook Performance Bonus, that would reward creators with payments for engagement-related metrics on most all types of posts excluding Reels and Stories.
Unlike past bonus incentives, this one was quite exciting to many creators as it appeared that we would get paid for the content (and subsequent engagement) we were already generating day in, day out.
After getting accepted into this one for my local blog, I decided to look closely at my data to see if I could find any trends in how money is earned and ways to increase our revenue via the program.
When Blogging Tests Fail – Is It a Bad Idea or Wrong Time?
Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on August 20, 2023.
Disclaimer: This Week in Blogging uses demographic data, email opt-ins, and affiliate links to operate this site. Please review our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
It is hard to believe that I have been blogging for over 15 years now, and since starting in 2008, it feels like I've made just about every blogging test imaginable to determine what does and does not work on my sites (be it for traffic, affiliate sales, social media reach, and more).
One common trend I've seen repeatedly is that I make a test, find that the results “didn't work,” write the idea off, and move on to something else. Then, months or years later, I returned to the idea one more time only to find that it worked better than I ever dreamed.
As it turns out, the idea itself wasn't bad, but instead that it I was not analyzing the results correctly or, in most cases, simply doing the test too early in my blogging journey!
So in this one, I thought I'd share a bit more about some lessons I've learned and why you may want to repeat past experiments as your site grows and evolves.
