I Abandoned My 6-Figure SEO Business for a Newsletter
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Hi Reader, For years, I ran a content publishing business. I published 100s of articles a month with the help of a team of freelance writers. I got millions of page views from SEO. I earned five figures a month from display ads and affiliate revenue. Last year, I let my editorial team go. I sold off most of my niche websites. And I changed my business model. Now, I run a daily newsletter. And I provide content strategy and coaching services to a few high-paying clients. When I posted about this change on LinkedIn, one follower asked: “Why are you changing your business model?” “I’m having a mid-life crisis!” I said No… I quit because… AI tools are lowering the barrier to entry for niche website owners. Most people consume content on social media, not on a content website. The Google algo favors big brands like Forbes and Reddit over smaller creators. And… I was tired. SEO content is boring to write and publish. Slam keywords into an over-optimized article, all in the hopes of some more traffic? No thanks. I’d rather write story-driven content for my newsletter. Content that converts a few readers into clients. As for staring at Google Analytics and Google Search Console? I’d rather help a few clients and creators get what they want. I haven’t replaced income from my old business model yet, but my newsletter and revenue is growing. I’m attracting higher-quality readers than from SEO. By higher quality, I mean readers willing to invest in themselves and their creator businesses. It’s more profitable and less work. You can do the same.
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