Well… you are reading a blog right now, so… yes?
But I get why you’d ask. Blogging has been around long enough that it almost feels old-school, like skinny jeans or checking your email on a desktop computer. Every time a new platform shows up—Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube Shorts—the “Is blogging dead?” chatter comes back.
I’ve been in this online business game for over a decade, both as a blogger myself and now as a web designer and SEO strategist for health and fitness professionals. I’ve watched blogging go from “Dear Internet, here’s what I had for breakfast” to being one of the most powerful marketing tools you can have in your business… if you use it right.
So here’s the spoiler up front: yes, blogs are still a thing… just with a twist. Let’s talk about what’s changed, why they still matter, and how to actually make them work for you in 2025.
So, grab your latte and let’s get into it.
The Evolution of Blogging
When I first started reading blogs in the early 2000s, they were basically online journals. Grainy digital camera pics, questionable font choices (hello, Comic Sans), and a “blogroll” of your favorite sites in the sidebar. They were personal, messy, and surprisingly addictive.
Then came the hobbyist era with recipe blogs, craft blogs, travel diaries, etc. usually written for fun, but sometimes monetized with ads.
By the mid-2010s, blogging had fully professionalized. Businesses started churning out SEO-focused content designed to rank in Google and bring in customers. And while the strategy worked, it also brought in a lot of boring, keyword-stuffed articles that nobody actually wanted to read.
Now? We’re in the era of value-first, multimedia blogging. Readers want content that’s useful, credible, and easy to consume—whether that’s through text, video, audio, or interactive tools.
Quick Timeline:
- 1994: First blog appears (links + commentary)
- 2000s: Personal diaries and hobby blogs dominate
- Mid-2000s: Businesses start blogging for SEO
- 2010s: Content marketing boom
- 2020s: Multimedia integration, skimmable design, AI-assisted drafting
The Myth: “Nobody Reads Blogs Anymore”
Ah yes, the rumor that social media “killed” blogging. Not true.
While platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn dominate short-form content, blogs still hold the crown for search-driven discovery. In fact:
- 77% of internet users still read blogs regularly
- Google handles over 8.5 billion searches per day
- Blog posts with strong SEO can keep bringing in traffic for years, unlike that Instagram post that fizzled after 48 hours
Social media and blogs aren’t competitors, they’re teammates. Social is the flashy extrovert who gets attention fast; your blog is the dependable introvert who quietly does the heavy lifting in the background. Social media is great for quick hits of attention. Blogs are for depth, trust-building, and long-term discoverability. You don’t have to choose… use both strategically.
“Blog content is like planting trees. Social media posts are like cut flowers.” – Random-but-accurate internet wisdom
Common Mistakes That Make Blogs Ineffective
If your blog feels like it’s not working, it might be because…
You’re writing for robots, not humans.
If your posts sound like they were generated by mashing keywords together in a blender, readers will bounce fast.
You’re inconsistent.
Posting once every six months means Google thinks your site is abandoned, and your audience forgets you exist.
You ignore the mobile experience.
Over half of blog traffic comes from phones now. If your text is tiny, your images are huge, and your paragraphs are walls of text, you’re losing readers.
You hit publish and walk away.
A blog post isn’t done when it’s live—it’s done when people are reading it. Promotion matters.
How Search Engines Keep Blogs Relevant
Google is basically nosy. It wants to know: Do you know what you’re talking about? Have you been here recently? Are you trustworthy?
Blogging checks all those boxes. Fresh, in-depth content signals that you’re active and knowledgeable. Strategic blog posts give you:
- More pages for Google to index (more chances to be found)
- Opportunities to target specific, niche keywords your clients search for
- A way to demonstrate E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness
For example, I worked with a personal trainer who wrote one “How to train for your first Hyrox” blog post. Within six months, that post alone was bringing in hundreds of ideal visitors every month—and several signed up for her program directly from it.
Strategies for Blogging Success in 2025
Here’s how to blog in 2025 without burning yourself out:
Blend formats.
Add short videos, audio snippets, or infographics. Some readers skim, some watch, some listen—cover your bases.
Do smart keyword research.
Find what your audience is actually typing into Google, then create posts that answer those questions better than anyone else.
Make it skimmable.
Use headings, bullet points (sparingly), short paragraphs, and images to make the page inviting.
Repurpose everything.
Turn one blog post into an Instagram carousel, a podcast episode, and an email newsletter. Your content should work harder than you do.
You’ll know it’s clicking when…
- Your organic traffic is growing and you’re ranking for keywords you actually care about.
- People join your email list because of a freebie you promoted in a blog post.
- You start getting inquiries that begin with, “I found you on Google.”
- Other websites are linking to your posts as resources.
Pro tip: Track these wins so you can see exactly which posts are bringing in results—then make more like them.
Final Thoughts
Blogs are still very much a thing. But like all marketing tools, they work best when they’re done strategically with targeted topics, consistent posting, and content that’s genuinely useful to your audience.
Think of blogging as a long-term asset, not a quick win. It’s not about publishing for the sake of it—it’s about building trust, authority, and visibility over time.
And if you’re sitting there thinking, “Cool, but I don’t have time to plan all that out”… well, funny thing—I’m a web designer and SEO strategist, and I literally have a service where I can hand you ready-to-go blog outlines tailored to your business. Especially if you’re a health or fitness professional, this is my jam.
Wink wink.
