Pivoting in the Marketing World

I admit I’ve relied on slightly outdated strategies and methods to create passive income. This is my fault and no one else’s. I’ve seen many good and bad years, but this time feels different. It feels like an end, and I don’t want it to be. I’ve worked harder than ever to keep things rolling. When faced with adversity, I work hard and try new things. However, with the rapid changes in tech, AI, and Google’s evolving crud, I must make a move.

I’ll review what has happened over the past few years. If you’re in the industry, you might already be aware of these developments. I also feel that speaking the truth might lead to Google suppressing this article since they don’t want to hear complaints. However, I don’t care.

I’ll also discuss the latest Google Core update and its impact on my portfolio of sites. This won’t be a technical breakdown of the update but rather an account of its effects on my work. I’ll then share what ChatGPT suggests I do and my responses to its advice. Finally, I’ll touch on what I love about online marketing and some of the things I plan to pursue moving forward.

The Effects of the Google Core Update

The first thing I want to discuss is how we got here. This isn’t the only reason, but it’s one of the main ones. Working in SEO, I consider myself a tier 4 specialist out of 5, maybe more like 3.8. I’ve always worked in highly competitive industries. Sure, I didn’t always get to number one, but that didn’t stop me from trying. I’ve created sites, spent thousands of dollars, and often didn’t recoup a dime for my efforts. However, the times I succeeded more than made up for those losses.

When I mentioned outdated methods, I meant not diversifying my traffic. Until last month, I never spent a dime on getting traffic beyond my initial spend back in the day which led me into affiliate marketing and content creation. You can read my 2004 story here. Up until last month, all of my traffic has been organic from search engines like Google.

I sensed a major shift happening around 2019 and 2020. Making money online became much more difficult as millions of people joined the ranks during the pandemic, increasing competition. We’ll save that for another discussion. Work From Home. Ha…

In September 2023, Google launched a Helpful Content Update for the search results. While many were complaining, I saw an increase in traffic for about two months. In late December, traffic started to fall off. I wasn’t too concerned at first, thinking I could recover by working harder and ranking other pages. Little did I know, this was the beginning of a significant change. Google set to reduce the influence of independent publishers, pushing their AI and increasing ad spend. Deals with Reddit made sure Reddit showed up for almost every search term.

Fast forward a few months, and my main ticket site continued to bleed traffic slowly. From November 2023, traffic fell off and plateaued for about three months. Then everything changed dramatically. Stories about sites being manually penalized and deindexed were rampant. My site held ground initially, but then the traffic dipped hard. As of May 16th, traffic is about 60% less than it was when things were going well. The image below gives you a visual of what happened.

This core update crushed thousands of independent and small agencies, leaving big companies to dominate and spend more on advertising. Meanwhile, independent site owners and other small businesses were wiped out once again by conglomerate monopolies.

Did some sites deserve to be hit by this update? Sure. However, many sites built to genuinely help people were unfairly targeted as spammers. I’ve relied on Google for 20 years. While they’ve helped me make a living, they now seem intent on crushing those who depend on them, all to push their AI.

So, the question is, now what? What should I do with the great pivot of 2024?

Asking AI (ChatGPT) for New Ideas

Here are the responses I received when I asked ChatGPT about some new ideas when it comes to making passive money online through marketing and other methods. This question was asked on May 16, 2024, and you tell me what you think.

This is what I put into the prompt – Since Google and AI are replacing SEO and Marketing methods I need 10 new ideas I can do to drive passive income.

1. Create an Online Course: Share your expertise on a platform like Udemy or Teachable. Really?AI is replacing all course materials and everything will be answered by AI, who will want to buy a course when everything is free.
2. Write an E-book: Publish an e-book on Amazon Kindle. Again, Really? All of the information is at our fingertips. Who needs an e-book about marketing anymore?
3. Affiliate Marketing: Promote products and earn commissions on sales through your blog or social media. Sure, I’ve been doing this for 20 years. Both Google and AI just killed the majority of independent publishers.
4. Invest in Dividend Stocks: Buy stocks that pay dividends regularly. This was interesting. I’ve been doing this all of my life, but without risking your shirt, you need a lot of money invested in high dividend-yielding stocks.
5. Start a YouTube Channel: Monetize videos through ads and sponsorships. Well, I have a YouTube channel and I have subscribers but not enough watch hours to get monetized. This is another annoying thing about YouTube.
6. Create a Membership Site: Offer exclusive content for a monthly fee. Again, I can get everything I need for free. Sure, some things may be worth the cost, however, unless you have something substantial to provide at cost, I’m not going to rip someone off. Plus, I like giving my information away for free.
7. Sell Digital Products: Create and sell printables, templates, or digital art on Etsy.  This one I thought about. Here is a look at one of my T-shirt designs. Donkey’s Rule.
   
8. Rent Out Property: Invest in real estate and rent out properties. This is something I tossed around for about 10-15 years. I was about to jump into real estate but instead, I bought a much bigger house that I needed to pay for. I could take out a HELOC, but with rates the way they are, I would need a great situation.
9. Develop an App: Create a mobile app and earn through ads or in-app purchases. Well, good Sir. This is what I’ve done many times over. This field is getting very difficult as well, but it is one that AI won’t destroy. Don’t get me wrong, many apps will get crushed by AI.
10. Create an Online Store: Sell products through dropshipping or print-on-demand services. This is another idea I was considering over the past year. For 20 years I’ve tried to avoid overhead or a product situation. However, Google seems to give stores that have REAL products some love.

What I Love About Online Marketing

Working for yourself and earning an income is the main reason I entered this field. The truth is, my drive deepened when I achieved success by ranking #1 for some of the most competitive keyword terms. Creating something from nothing and watching it grow into a business is incredibly rewarding. It’s about collaborating with partners on various projects, regardless of their outcomes. There are many reasons to love online marketing beyond just the financial gains. If a major shift (PIVOT) occurs, it will need to be something I truly believe in and want to pursue.

Other Methods Need to Be Implemented

There are some options out there. I’ve been working for myself for 20 years and, yes, it will be difficult to work for someone else, but something is appealing about it if the environment is right. Working in a toxic corporate job isn’t something I want to do. Here are some options I’m considering.

1. App Development – I’ve been thinking about this for a couple of years. I’ve had good runs in this industry. I’m still in this industry, but it isn’t performing like my previous company. It’s also another oversaturated field, but the rewards can be great if you hit it big. I’ve worked with a developer for many years, but he’s lost his touch and his prices have increased significantly. Developing a good app costs a fortune these days.
2. Getting a J.O.B. – I never thought I would be considering this. However, I’ve thought about it many times recently, especially when paying for health insurance and other benefits I miss out on being self-employed. I’m open to ideas if anyone is interested in hiring.
3. Keep Grinding – Is SEO Dead? I’m not sure if it’s fully dead. Many sites that were hit aren’t coming back, but that doesn’t mean new sites can’t make gains. However, with all the changes in Google, building new sites might not make sense. These AI additions could kill both old and new sites. Without knowing the true outcome, this is still an option and it’s what I’m doing at the moment.
4. Financial Advisor – I’ve been investing in the markets since I was 8 years old and I love stocks. The question is whether I want to be responsible for other people’s money. This could be a great opportunity, but it’s something I need to think hard about as I plan my path forward.

There’s a lot on my plate right now. I’m working 50-60 hours a week trying to make something happen. I’m not in a good spot and need to figure out what to do next. It’s not easy, especially at my age. I keep telling myself to stay positive and good things will happen, but I’m running out of time. What happens next could be an interesting lifestyle pivot. Hang on, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.