On this week’s episode of the Niche Pursuits podcast, Casey Markee and I discuss the current state of SEO, specifically as it relates to food bloggers. Casey is one of the most recognized names in food and lifestyle blog SEO, having audited over 175 sites this year alone.
In the second half, we hit our stride, looking at actionable strategies, common mistakes, and how food bloggers can still thrive in an AI-dominated landscape. If you’re frustrated with the drop in traffic or confused about what’s already working, the second half of this episode delivers the gold.
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Blogging Isn’t Dead, But It’s Definitely Evolving
Casey started with a reality check: blogging isn’t going away, but it’s undergoing major changes. Between Google’s push to become the “answer engine” and the rise of AI-generated content, the playing field has changed dramatically.
He made a powerful comparison:
- Google is becoming the new AOL, a closed ecosystem where they want to keep users on their platform.
- Bloggers need to build their own “moat” by building trust, authority and portability outside of Google.
What does this mean in practical terms?
- If your business can’t survive without Google tomorrow, it’s time to diversify.
- Invest in email, community building, and other non-search channels.
What’s Really Working for Bloggers Right Now?
Casey emphasized that successful food bloggers are embracing a broader set of tools and strategies than ever before. It is no longer enough to publish recipes and hope for SEO traffic.
Here are the main tactics used by the best bloggers today:
- Email Marketing: Open rates are up and bloggers are finally looking at email as a serious channel.
- Community building: Bloggers like it Beat the budget have created private groups where users pay pennies a day for exclusive content, and in some cases these communities are more profitable than advertising revenue.
- Product strategy: eBooks, white label content, or paid newsletters give bloggers a revenue stream outside of ads or affiliate links.
Casey’s Audit Statistics
From more than 170 audits in 2025, Casey saw:
- When bloggers implement just 20% of the audit recommendations, there is an average increase in organic traffic of 43%.
- Average RPMs increased by 23% with better SEO and list building.
The Role of AI in SEO for Bloggers
A natural question: should bloggers fear AI or embrace it? Casey says there are both, but those who lean towards AI tools will win out.
He outlined a few ways bloggers can use AI strategically:
- Content summaries: Add AI-generated summaries at the top of recipe posts for quick context.
- Custom AI buttons: Create custom prompts for ChatGPT or Confusion that not only help readers, but also put your site in AI memory for future citations.
- Workflow automation: bloggers with OpenAI agents:
- Follow the weekly competitors.
- Automate publishing schedules.
- Brand offers or email sequence project.
- Create SEO checklists for VA teams.
Many bloggers are still hesitant to try AI tools. But Casey says those are often the easiest wins. Once they overcome their fear, they get huge time savings and performance gains.
What bloggers are doing right (and wrong)
After hundreds of inspections, Casey sees clear patterns. He shared some common themes that separate successful blogs from those that struggle.
What Bloggers Get Right
- They Know Their Audience: They understand what types of content resonate and create accordingly.
- They promote outside the blog: Savvy bloggers optimize content on social media, newsletters, and offline posts.
- They think about EEAT: Many are beginning to understand how external relationships and authority signals affect rankings.
Common SEO mistakes holding bloggers back
- Abuse of update dates: Some bloggers repost content with a new date, but no meaningful updates, something Google sees right away.
- Herd Mentality: Blindly following the recommendations of guide groups or outdated courses leads bloggers down poor SEO paths.
- Ignoring Technical Problems: Basic things like category page optimization or recipe indexing are still often overlooked.
- Not Trusting Your Instincts: Bloggers often ignore their gut when the advice doesn’t make sense, leading to bad site decisions.
Casey also cautioned against focusing on reposting content just to “refresh it.” Instead, he recommends actually looking at the rankings and asking:
- Do these posts have more first-hand experience?
- Do they include expert advice or missing questions?
- Can you provide updates with unique value or seasonal ideas?
Optimizing for AI: “Quote me, don’t just rate me”
A notable point came when Casey explained the mindset shift bloggers must make in the LLM age: optimize for citation, not just ranking.
To do this:
- Place hints on your site that encourage AI tools to summarize your content and remember your domain.
- Use clear, expert-based insights that make your content a resource that LLMs want to refer to.
- Don’t repeat the same tips as every other banana pudding recipe; share only what you know.
Current Authority is established off-site
Despite what some SEO guides suggest, Casey believes that topical authority is largely an external game. Claiming this on your About page doesn’t make you an expert; you earn it through third-party verification. She recommends bloggers:
- Get press releases: Get featured on local TV or newspapers, especially for niche expertise.
- Media Pitch regularly: Use ChatGPT to create contact lists and informational emails for press opportunities.
- Contribute to Community Events: Speaking at a local 4-H club or food festival? This is a signal of trust that Google will accept.
Social Media and Pinterest: Is It Still Worth It?
Social media is still part of the strategy, but Casey cautioned against letting it dominate.
- Pinterest traffic remains erratic and volatile. While new features filter AI content, the platform remains unpredictable.
- If you are a food blogger, organic Google Traffic should still be your main focus.
- Excessive social trust is a red flag, as 70% of traffic comes from Pinterest.
The solution?
- Balance your channels and invest in the channels you own (email, content, products).
- Think of Pinterest as a secondary push, not a foundation.
Can bloggers restore after HCU update?
Many food bloggers have been hit hard by Google’s Helpful Content Update. Casey says he has seen more recovery in 2025 than many expected.
Case in point:
- HelloFresh was hit by the update, but slowly recovered after Google admitted to internal bugs.
- There was no recovery with a single fix. In many cases, Google required you to wait until the misapplied classifiers were removed.
Casey’s advice if your site isn’t working:
- By all means keep improving your site.
- Focus on email, social or product development when SEO is slow.
- When the tide turns, you’ll be ready to rise.
Final Thoughts
Blogging is no longer a simple game of ‘type and sort’. Success today requires wearing several hats: SEO, email marketing, community building, and yes, AI operator.
But as Casey points out, this transition also opens new doors. With the right strategy, even lagging bloggers can not only recover, but surpass their previous heights.
To summarize:
- Accept the email: This is the highest ROI channel that bloggers have.
- Build a community: Memberships and products can earn more from ads.
- Use AI: Use it to optimize, automate and differentiate.
- Seek external validation: Don’t just optimize in place; gain off-site authority.
- Stop chasing hacks: Follow data-driven strategies, not groupthink.
SEO is not dead. It just evolved. Those who adapt, especially with leadership like Casey’s, will be the ones still thriving years later.
Let us know your biggest takeaway from the episode, or if you’ve already started implementing some of these strategies on your blog. If you haven’t listened to the podcast yet, remember: the second half is where the real value begins.
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