Back To The Basics Of Blogging (And The Rise Of AI In Search)

On the shift of old-time bloggers writers to content creation, this happened a long time ago but it’s worth touching on here. I know quite a few popular bloggers who already abandoned their websites in favor of Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. I don’t see anything wrong with that; those bloggers are just adapting to the change on how people choose to consume content. In a way, it’s part of evolution and survival. In fact, many bloggers have already established themselves as content creators.

The next major change is the shift in search engine results from content written by humans (e.g. publishers) to AI generated answers. I’m thinking big publishers are unfazed by this development because they have already established their brand, authority, and presence in different platforms. Their presence is not confined in search results alone but spread across different channels.

Now, it’s a different story altogether for small-time publishers like me. This somehow becomes alarming if the publisher relies on blogging as their full-time work. Walang kita, ika nga, pag mababa ka sa search results kasi wala ka rin clicks and views.

As someone who blogs as a side hustle, apektado rin ako kasi malaking tulong para sa akin ang extra income ko from blogging. Nakakapagbayad ako ng bills and tuition fees ng mga anak ko because of my side income. I can save the money that I earn from my full-time job for future big expenses.

Dahil nga sa search algorithm changes in the last 2 or 3 years, unti-unting bumagsak sa search results ang small blogs and even some news outlets. Hence, bumagsak din ang pageviews. Yung matagal kong pinaghirapan to gain pageviews, nawala rin lahat. Yung page views ko ngayon, same level na lang nung nagsisimula ako.

Ang sakit isipin na I have to start all over again. Yung ipinundar ko, na naging source of pride ko na rin, bigla na lang naglaho. At some point, nawalan na rin ako ng gana magsulat. For a time, ayoko na rin mag take ng action dahil hindi ko rin naman alam kung saan magsisimula ulit.

Ilang beses na rin ako nagtanong kasi kung ano ba ang laban ko sa AI generated content? Lahat na lang ng sagot kaya nitong ibigay. Napaka-convenient at mapapa-isip ka na lang talaga kung mapapalitan ba nito ang trabaho ng ibang tao at some point. Ang hirap lumaban sa teknolohiya.

On the other hand, buti na lang din at I take time to reassess my goals and go back to my core as a blogger and that is to provide informative content. Hindi man ganun karami, pero meron pa rin sigurong babalik at babalik dito sa blog ko kasi they find my content helpful.

Kaya rin kung mapapansin nyo, nag-shift na rin ako sa Tagalog language (with English pa rin naman) as way of announcing to cyberspace that I’m a human and only a living, breathing, and thinking human can understand another human.

Convenient man ang AI, may emotion pa rin ang mga isinusulat ko na hindi kayang ibigay ng AI. Ito na siguro ang magiging differentiator ko sa search landscape, the value that I can offer and help me create my distinct voice versus AI. I’m going back to the basics of blogging and yun ay ang paggamit ng authentic voice for my blog posts. Hindi yung kailangan ko mag-please ng search engine, but it’s to please my readers. Kung pwede lang sana bumalik sa panahon na ang blogging ay purely kwentuhan at palitan ng mga stories. 

Ang sabi ng ibang mga bloggers wala daw kasi value yun; para sa akin, yun nga ang essence ng blogging. Hindi mo kailangan laging magbenta at kumita.

As a parting word, if you are a long-time reader and you are reading this post, I hope you can continue to support me by reading my articles. Kahit konti lang, it will be a big help for me.

Hanggang dito na lang muna po at ingat palagi.

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