How AI is Affecting Blogging and Influencers (+ Tips on AI-"Proofing"* Your Blog!)

AI (Artificial Intelligence) programs have progressed by incredible leaps and bounds over the last year and will only continue to improve and become more integrated into our daily lives. I’ve been blogging for the past 10 years and have noticed a big change in the blogging world, for myself and acquaintances in the industry. Here I thought I’d share some of my personal observations as well as tips that will hopefully help preserve your blog against AI.
DISCLAIMER: This posts shares personal opinions/observations and predictions on how to help your blog in this changing world. I am not an expert and you should do your own research on these matters and use my tips at your own discretion/risk. Please also keep in mind that AI is rapidly evolving and observations and predictions shared in this post may not apply in the future.

How AI is Affecting Blogging + Influencers

Decreased Traffic

With people utilizing AI more and more these days, they tend to visit websites less. This is especially obvious with the integration of Google’s Gemini (AI feature), among others. Now when you Google something Gemini will often give you a summary of the best or most common answers at the top the search results. This will probably answer your question enough to keep you from clicking around at the rest of the search results and viewing individual pages.

Decreased Ad Revenue

This one is pretty straightforward… less traffic = less ad revenue. After all, websites get paid for ads based on how often an ad is viewed or clicked on and if there’s less traffic to a site, there will be less ad revenue.

Decreased Affiliate Link Clicks

Again, this one is pretty straight forward - if you have less traffic to your website, less people will be seeing and clicking on your affiliate links, meaning less affiliate income.

The decrease in traffic is really hitting ad and affiliate link revenue HARD for so many websites, not just regular blogs.

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How to AI-“Proof”* Your Blog

*It’s worth noting that I don’t think you can truly 100% “AI-Proof” your blog - AI tech is really good and only getting better — HOWEVER, I do think there are steps you can take to help preserve your blog, traffic, and income. They include:

Gain a Loyal Following

Try to gain a loyal following of people who read your blog regularly. Some ways you can do that is to regularly post engaging content to keep them coming back for more - maybe a regularly occurring series (like making over a room step-by-step or chronicling your decluttering or healthy-lifestyle journey). Or regularly posting new, great recipes to try. Try to find your niche and your followers will continue to check back in for more.

Keep a Loyal Following Across Multiple Social Media Channels

These days they best way to see and be seen (and have your blog be seen), is to post on social media. This is how a lot of people will discover your content or blog in the first place - but don’t put all your eggs in one basket! It’s important to try to gain a following across all social media platforms, that way if one goes down (or gets banned.. like TikTok may) you still have a reach across other platforms.

Write Detailed Posts with LOTS of Pictures (Especially for How-To Articles)

Right now for the most part AI is great at summarizing and giving general answers - but if people want specifics, especially for a how-to post, they will want lots of details, step-by-step instructions, and REAL PICTURES. This is especially true for any kind of hands-on craft, DIY, or home improvement project with a lot of nuances. Provide a lot of details and pictures and your post will continue to be more useful than a summary would be.

Utilize Keywords + Long-Tail Keywords

Keywords and long-tail keywords are important for your blog to place high in search results. After all, you want your blog post towards the top of search results if possible - even if AI has a summary of answers at the top. That way if people want to read a little more on the subject and scroll down a bit your post will (hopefully) be one of the top options to choose from to read more.

Keywords are straightforward words that describe your post, for example: “how-to”, “declutter”, “cleaning”, etc, - they are important but it’s easy to get lost in search results with just regular keywords. This is why it’s important to also include long-tail keywords which are the specific phrases that people might actually type into the search to find your post, for example: “how-to declutter your house with small kids”. In general, long-tail keywords give you a better chance at placing higher in search results.

Consider a Pay Wall to “Hide” Your Best Content

If you have REALLY good content that people would want to pay for, consider implementing a pay wall for readers to access it. Examples of this could be having readers pay for a course on your website or pay for access to an exclusive newsletter that offers info and content that they couldn’t find on your website otherwise.

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What I Hope for in the Future

I know AI isn’t going anywhere… that said, I hope there is a way in the future for website owners and bloggers to get paid for AI “scrapping” our data and content. After all, if AI is using our information and knowledge it seems only fair we should get paid for it! Right now there’s less and less incentive to post blog articles and create new web projects because the likelihood of it being profitable with reduced traffic and reduced ad/affiliate revenue is low. If we got a tiny cut somehow when our websites were scrapped for data that would encourage people to keep their websites up to date and post more meaningful, useful, and current information.

I hope this post gave you some food for thought on how to preserve your blog and blog income in this rapidly changing world. Best of luck!

DISCLAIMER: This posts shares personal opinions/observations and predictions on how to help your blog in this changing world. I am not an expert and you should do your own research on these matters and use my tips at your own discretion/risk.
*I don’t think you can truly 100% “AI-Proof” your blog - AI tech is really good and only getting better — however, I do think there are steps you can take to help preserve your blog, traffic, and income. Please also keep in mind that AI is rapidly evolving and observations and predictions shared in this post may not apply in the future.

Hey, Hey It's Prime Day 2020!

Hey, hey it's PRIME DAY! Making a list of some of the deals I come across - check them out at the link below (I'll be updating the list throughout the day). Now’s a great time to get a jump start on Christmas and Holiday gifts.

{ SHOP MY PRIME DAY LIST HERE } affilate link

$10 Credit at Sailormade

| This is post is part of a Partnership and contains affiliate links |

Summer is just around the corner and you can’t go wrong with nautically-inspired jewelry to compliment any outfit. If you’re on the hunt for some, definitely check out Massachusetts-based company Sailormade. Sailormade is best known for their Brummel Bracelets but have a wide variety of jewelry, accessories, and gifts to make you feel like you’re right on the Cape. Before you shop, click my link below to get a $10 Credit applied to your order:

{ CLICK HERE FOR $10 OFF AT SAILORMADE }

- All photos used with permission from Sailormade -

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Why My Blog Will Never Make a Lot of Money (and why I'm okay with it)

First off, no disrespect to my fellow bloggers and blogger friends. Blogging professionally is HARD and so much work - maintaining a following, meeting deadlines, constantly creating and promoting content, and so much more. So many people work tirelessly on their blogs every single day in order to grow it and provide income for their families - and I absolutely applaud that. However, there are a lot of common aspects of blogging that I am personally not okay with… and while it holds me back from making this blog lucrative, I’m more than okay with it - and here’s why…

I Don’t Overshare

Most blogs with a dedicated following tend to share everything about their daily lives - what they’re wearing that day, what they did, what they ate, what silly thing their kids did, what personal roadblock they’re encountering, etc. And I like my personal life, well - personal. I won’t be constantly on Instastories narrating my life, sharing all the details throughout my day. And I confess, some of my favorite blogs to follow do just that - I’m guilty of enjoying their stories and living their life vicariously through them. It’s interesting and fun and a great way to get an engaged following - but I could never do that myself. I personally find it too intrusive and creepy to have so many people know so much about our personal life.

I Won’t Sell Out My Kids

Promoting kid and baby items/gear is a huge market in the blogging industry. So many brands seek out bloggers with kids and growing families and hire them to help promote their products. In turn, bloggers share tons of photos of their children wearing or using the products, along with personal stories to make it more interesting. For example, a blogger may choose to take a sponsored post about a potty seat. In doing so, she may choose to share photos and stories of her kids potty training… now can you imagine being that child and having that digital footprint/history when they grow up? It would come back to haunt him in high school or if he ever ran for Congress.
Now, I do work with some select kids brands and products - however I’m particular with who and how I work with them. I only share about products and brands we honestly love or use, and I limit the photos I post of our children. Typically when I share photos of our kids on the blog they are carefully cropped or edited to help protect their anonymity - this is super important to me but definitely limits the brands that want to work with me, as most brands want tons of personable photos.

I Follow the Rules

I always do my best to follow the rules regarding sponsored content and outbound links. There are a lot of guidelines out there from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on how sponsored content and affiliate links need to always be disclosed and outbound sponsored/affiliate links should be formatted as “no-follow” (in order to not falsely inflate a product or brand’s Google-ranking). Unfortunately there are a lot of unscrupulous companies out there that will solicit bloggers to create posts or add back-links that completely go against these rules. I have been solicited several times (and a few times by large companies that should know far better), asking me to add “do-follow” links or mention product without disclosures in exchange for compensation. I always turn these shady offers down (and scold them for being unethical).

I Have Standards

I will ONLY accept sponsored posts from products and brands we honestly use or are interested in. I will never accept a sponsored post from something that doesn’t fit my blog, my beliefs, or me. I have turned down many sponsored posts for products that do not fit my aesthetic or would have me promote a product we do not like or would never use.

I Don’t Live in an Instagram-Worthy House

We live in a very average house with very average finishes and furniture. Our kitchen is still sporting it’s laminate green (yes, green) counter tops and linoleum floor and our living room still has the very bold (and ugly) burgundy wall-to-wall carpet that were installed when our house was originally built. Would I love to renovate and re-do these things? Absolutely. But it’s not in our budget right now and not a priority, so we’re going to continue to live with these less-than-beautiful finishes. Many bloggers completely re-renovate or re-decorate the same rooms in their home over and over in order to keep up with the latest trends and to continue to land partnerships. And as fun as that might be, it’s also very wasteful and encourages a “throw-away society” that values consumerism and disposable items over value and longevity.

I Don’t Stick to a Content Schedule

Sticking to a content schedule is something I really should be better about. I already keep a blog calendar over my desk and pencil in a few blog topics or content I want to create over the course of each month. However, I’m terrible at sticking to it… life gets busy. Lately we’ve been keeping busy with family, sports, appointments, and school. Keeping up with the kids is most important and so I try to be flexible (arguably far too flexible) with the blog. Sometimes I don’t do a blog post or Instagram post for a week… or three! That’s as good as a death sentence for engagement, which is already SO hard to achieve these days with Instagram’s increasingly difficult algorithms.

So in conclusion, if you want your blog to be lucrative - consider doing the opposite of all I do. I’ll be over here, not making much money but content in my principles ;)

Back-to-School Fashion with L.L. Bean

It’s the most wonderful time of the year (…for parents, that is)! September is right around the corner and the kids will be going back to school. Now’s the time to get your back-to-school shopping started and I’ve rounded up some of my favorite kid picks from our favorite New England-based retailer, L.L. Bean. I love how their stuff is built to last so you know that backpack (and everything else) will last for years to come. | This post contains affiliate links |

Back-to-School Fashion with L.L. Bean

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Easy Fast Fix for a Common Eyesore {Sneak Peek}

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.

Drilled wellheads are a common eyesore in yards these days. Often installed in a convenient location for maintenance, but definitely not appealing. Take our wellhead for example - it's smack dab in the middle of our front lawn and sticks out like a sore thumb. Thankfully with the help of a Dekorra Rock Enclosure from the Home Depot, I was able to easily and quickly hide this eyesore in just one afternon!
You can check out the full how-to on "How to Hide a Drilled Wellhead" on The Home Depot Blog.

BEFORE

I acknowledge that The Home Depot is partnering with me to participate in the program described above (the “Program”). As a part of the Program, I am receiving compensation in the form of products and services, for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words. My post complies with the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day!  Today we stopped by the garden center to pick up some lavender plants for our deck.  Lavender not only smells and looks beautiful but it can help as a natural bug repellent.  Win-win! 

I’ve also updated my Amazon Storefront to include a list of “Green Living” products and ideas to help you live like it’s Earth Day every day - because it is!

Shop My Favorite Finds on Amazon!

We're huge Amazon fans in this house - living out in the boonies like we do means that a lot of home and grocery shopping is done online and you can't beat Amazon for their selection and Prime shipping!  | This page contains affiliate links |

I've created a page on Amazon to showcase some of our favorite Amazon finds - everything from home, to beauty, to baby and kid items.  Items with a "speech bubble" in the corner means I've added a note about that item, just give it a click to see what I have to say about it.  

Feel free to check our Favorite Amazon Finds often since I'll be continuing to add more items as they come up.