Has the Door Shut for Newcomers in SEO and Digital Marketing Post-HCU and AI Search

Just thinking about this situation, a lot of SEOs and digital marketers are going through mass layoffs and having to pivot into other industries away from digital content that no longer ranks. This content no longer pays the bills for a lot of people anymore.

The clever ones have seen the writing on the wall and got out early, followed by the layoff people who thought they had a career for life.

I can’t see how new SEOs and digital creators can come into a market where jobs are scarce and where there is an oversaturation of content writers, SEOs, and website owners who are about to be unemployed.

Surely this rug pull will mean that you can no longer get a job in these industries, so new people are blocked out. What will that mean in 5 or 10 years?

My own story is that I fell into web design and affiliate marketing. It took many years before I made anything more than pocket money, before the real money and a full-time job came of it.

If I had not been able to earn money in those first few years from digital marketing, then I would not have carried on. The small earnings made me realize I could scale up in a few years.

New people trying to come in at the bottom now won’t be able to earn from Adsense/affiliates, as it would take many years to earn a penny. Plus, they won’t gain the knowledge it takes to rank and earn.

The avenue of earning money from a new website and learning SEO as you go along is no longer viable. New people are now effectively blocked from coming into the digital marketing industries.

There will be no new “I set up a travel blog, then 5 years later it was my full-time job" types anymore. That avenue has now gone.

What are your thoughts?

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People have been saying for over 20 years that SEO is dead, but it’s not. SEO keeps evolving, but it can still be very profitable. Many travel blogs are still making a lot of money through SEO.

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If you know what you’re doing, it’s not that hard. However, I do believe it’s more challenging now compared to before.

I understand your concerns—I’ve seen similar shifts in digital marketing and SEO. When I started with web design and affiliate marketing, it was a tough road, but persistence paid off. It’s true that the landscape has changed, and many who entered the field recently face a saturated market with fewer opportunities. However, new entrants can still find success by focusing on niche markets, leveraging new technologies, and adapting to evolving trends. While the traditional routes might be tougher, exploring innovative strategies and diversifying income streams can offer new pathways. Adapting and learning continuously is key to navigating these changes and finding new opportunities in the digital space.