I sold off a few of my niche websites a few days ago. Although I’m keeping one site in my portfolio, I’ve quit the niche website business. The glory days of monetizing solely via SEO and paid ads are over. Many business owners I know have either abandoned this model or branched out.

It took time and soul-searching to get to this point. Thanks to the proliferation of AI tools and the fickle Google algo, relying solely on SEO and ads is risky. Niche sites can still work, but the gold rush is over. I wouldn’t rely on them entirely for an income.

So, I’m partnering with a digital marketing agency that helps SaaS companies with their content strategy (more on that soon). I’m also building a personal brand in the creator space. I’d expect an 80/20 revenue split between these two projects.

If you’re rethinking your business model like me, here’s what I recommend.

Forget about a personal website.

That strategy worked until 2020. More than one creator went big solely by driving traffic to their site. These days, creators build a brand by going where their readers and clients spend their time.

And believe me, 90% are not reading a blog on a personal website, no matter how good-looking the theme, stock photos, or content. Whip up a good lead magnet. Slap it on a landing page, point your domain towards it, and start drive traffic.

Write on one or two social media platforms.

I’ll save you time. Skip Medium and Bluesky. The former is pretty much dead, and the latter is for journalists. My X is stuffed with politics, so I mostly avoid it (but that’s my experience). No one I work with uses Facebook.

I’m writing on LinkedIn and Substack these days. LinkedIn works well for finding agency clients, and Substack is popping off right now for creators.

I’m also recording more AI tutorials for my YouTube channel. However, creating content for YouTube is more expensive and time-consuming than other platforms. You must hire an editor and thumbnail designer and turn on a camera, so it’s not for everyone.

Prioritize growing your email list.

A few prominent creators sell directly on social media. “Here’s what I do, buy my courses or coaching.” Selling on social is hard unless you’ve tens of thousands of followers or dialled in your ideal client profile.

Instead, I used social media to drive subscribers to my email list. Then, I can either promote my content or make an offer without worrying about an algo.

If you don’t have a list yet, start with Substack. It doesn’t cost anything, and you can grow your account organically by writing daily notes on the platform. If you already have a site or digital products, use Kit. You can grow organically via the Creator Network and sell with it, too.

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