Content marketing is dying
LLMs have given Google unlimited information, breaking the traffic exchange model that made corporate blogs profitable for the last decade.
In a striking assessment posted yesterday, Ryan Law, Director of Content Marketing at Ahrefs, challenged the future viability of content marketing as most companies practice it today. The declaration, shared on social media on May 9, points to fundamental shifts in Google's incentive structures that could render traditional educational blog content and resource centers obsolete.
Law's analysis centers on how large-scale content creation strategies — long considered essential for digital marketing success — may soon become ineffective. "We'll look back at this era and think 'wow, it was weird how every SaaS company had a library of rehashed Wikipedia content on their website,'" Law stated in his post.
The thread, which garnered over 15,000 views in less than 24 hours, examines how content marketing evolved not as an inherent component of digital marketing but rather as a response to specific incentives created by Google. According to Law, these incentives are now rapidly disappearing.
Content marketing emerged as a dominant strategy because it proved highly profitable. Law noted how "a few pages of plain-text Wiki content and some Unsplash stock imagery were historically enough to earn thousands and thousands of visits." This equation made ignoring large-scale content creation financially imprudent for most businesses.
The economic model functioned as an implicit agreement: companies created content, Google ranked it, and in return, businesses received a portion of search traffic. This arrangement benefited both parties — Google obtained content to populate its search results, while businesses gained visibility and potential customers.
However, Law argues that artificial intelligence has fundamentally altered this balance. With Large Language Models (LLMs) now providing Google with unprecedented information resources, the search giant no longer depends on external content creation to the same degree.
Indexing slowdown signals strategy shift
Several technical indicators support Law's assessment. He references Google's "indexing slowdown" and "anti-programmatic content measures" as evidence that the company now views excessive content creation as detrimental rather than beneficial to the search experience.
This represents a significant departure from Google's historical approach. For decades, the company encouraged content production to enhance its search ecosystem. The current trajectory suggests a reversal of this strategy — potentially signaling a deliberate effort to reduce reliance on third-party content.
Law characterizes this as more than an incremental change: "Traffic has suffered death-by-a-thousand-cuts for years, thanks to Google's search features and advertising. But this time is different. The social contract Google has made with publishers like you and me has broken. LLMs delivered the death blow."
Luís Rijo
Core content versus information arbitrage
Despite these concerning trends, Law maintains that certain forms of content will retain value. Companies should continue producing materials that explain their purpose, clarify product features, and help customers achieve useful outcomes with their products.
The distinction lies in scope and intent. Law estimates that truly valuable content constitutes "a relatively small library" compared to what many companies currently produce. He criticizes content marketing that has expanded "far beyond those boundaries and into topics with very little relevance to the company's products and beliefs."
Such content represents "information arbitrage," according to Law — a practice at which LLMs excel. This technological advantage leaves human content creators at a significant disadvantage when attempting to compete purely on informational grounds.
The immediate implications for marketing departments are substantial. Companies that have invested heavily in comprehensive content libraries covering broad topic areas may need to reassess their strategies. Those relying primarily on search traffic for lead generation face particular vulnerability.
The decline of traditional content marketing presents existential questions for digital publishers. Many websites that depend on advertising revenue have already experienced significant financial pressure due to traffic reductions.
Media companies with diversified revenue streams — particularly those with strong subscription models or specialized expertise — appear better positioned to weather these changes. Conversely, publishers relying heavily on ad impressions generated through high-volume but low-differentiation content face greater challenges.
Law's assessment focuses primarily on Google, but similar dynamics affect other traffic sources. Social media platforms increasingly prioritize native content consumption within their ecosystems, while AI assistants typically provide direct answers rather than directing users to websites.
Law concludes with a categorical rejection of current content marketing paradigms: "Whatever the future of content marketing is, it does NOT look like corporate wikipedias covering every 'how-to' and 'what is' topic under the sun."
He acknowledges that "content will remain core to marketing" but warns that maintaining current strategies would be misguided. "Anyone who thinks they can ride out the next few years without big changes to their strategy is in for a shock," Law stated.
The thread ends with a challenge to marketers: "We need to think bigger." However, Law does not specify what this expanded thinking might entail, leaving practical implementation questions unanswered.
Marketing departments now face difficult decisions about resource allocation, content strategy, and performance metrics. The established playbooks that guided content marketing for over a decade may require substantial revision or wholesale replacement.
As companies navigate this transition, those most dependent on search traffic face the greatest urgency to develop alternative approaches. The coming months will likely reveal which organizations can successfully adapt to this fundamentally altered digital landscape.