Started Blogging in 2019. Would I Still Do It Today?

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Quick Answer

Yes, I still think blogging is worth it in the age of AI. But it is not the same as it was when I started in 2019. Traffic sources have changed, affiliate marketing has become more challenging, and AI is now answering many questions directly. At the same time, I have found that personal experiences, real stories, and original content have become more valuable than ever.

Is Blogging Still Worth It in the Age of AI? Honest Answers From a Blogger Who Started in 2019

A few weeks ago, I was looking at the statistics for my website.

Some articles were still attracting readers. Others had lost traffic over time. A few years ago, most people would search Google to find information. Today, many people simply ask AI. That made me wonder.

If people can get answers without visiting websites, does blogging still make sense?

I started blogging in 2019 and have watched the online world change dramatically since then. Search engines have evolved, social media platforms have come and gone, affiliate marketing has become more complicated, and now AI is changing how people discover information.

So is blogging still worth it?

My answer is yes.

But the reasons are different from what many people expected when I first started.

What Has Changed, And I Will Not Pretend Otherwise

If I am being honest, blogging today is very different from when I started.

Back in 2019, the process felt much simpler.

I would write an article, publish it, add a few affiliate links, and wait to see what happened. If readers found the article helpful and decided to buy something, I could earn a commission. It was never a way to get rich, but it felt fair. I created the content, readers discovered it, and everyone benefited.

Over the years, I noticed two major changes.

The first was cookie consent.

One change I did not expect was how cookie consent would affect affiliate marketing.

Readers can still visit a store and buy a product after reading an article, but the sale is not always tracked. Over time, I realized that affiliate income had become less predictable than when I first started blogging.

Today, that does not always happen.

A reader can still click the link, visit the store, and buy the product, but if tracking is declined, the commission may never be recorded. The sale happens. The publisher who created the content may receive nothing.

I have seen this happen many times over the last few years.

As a blogger, I had to accept that affiliate income is no longer as predictable as it once was.

The second change is AI.

And honestly, this one is impossible to ignore.

Today, many people ask AI tools for answers instead of clicking through multiple websites. Sometimes I do the same thing myself.

Questions that once brought visitors to blog articles can now be answered directly inside search results or AI assistants. Readers often get the information they need without ever visiting the original source.

Naturally, that affects website traffic.

I have noticed changes in the types of articles that perform well, the way readers discover content, and the way people interact with information online.

Some bloggers see this as a reason to quit.

I do not.

I simply see it as another change that requires adaptation.

Blogging has changed many times since I started. Search engines changed. Social media changed. Affiliate marketing changed.

Now AI is changing things too.

The question is not whether blogging is different.

The question is whether there is still a place for real experiences, personal stories, and content created by actual people.

Personally, I think there is.

What Blogging Cannot Guarantee

One thing I think is important to say is that blogging has never come with guarantees.

It did not guarantee success when I started in 2019, and it does not guarantee success today.

Starting a blog does not automatically create traffic. It does not guarantee affiliate income, sponsored partnerships, or a large audience. Some articles may perform well. Others may attract very little attention despite the time and effort invested in them.

I have experienced both.

Some of my articles brought opportunities that I never expected. Others quietly disappeared into the archive without attracting many readers at all.

That is simply part of blogging.

For me, the value was never just the traffic or income. It was the opportunity to build something of my own, learn new skills, and create a collection of content that continues to exist long after it is published.

The internet has changed many times since I started, but that part remains true.

How My Blog Creates Opportunities Today

One thing that surprised me about blogging is how long an article can continue working after it is published.

Some of the articles that create opportunities for me today were written years ago. Brands sometimes contact me because they found content that was already attracting readers long before we ever spoke.

That changed the way I think about blogging.

I no longer see my website as a collection of individual articles. I see it as a long term asset built one post at a time.

Every article becomes part of something larger, and over time those articles can create opportunities that are impossible to predict when you first click publish.

What AI Cannot Do, And Why That Still Matters

This is something I think about quite often.

I use AI tools myself. They can be useful for brainstorming ideas, organizing information, and helping with research. There is no point pretending otherwise.

But there are also things AI cannot do.

AI can summarize information from many sources. It can explain a topic. It can answer questions quickly.

What it cannot do is experience life for you.

It cannot tell you what it was like when my family stayed in a hotel during a school holiday, whether my children enjoyed the swimming pool, or whether I would personally book the same hotel again.

It cannot describe the sunrise I watched from the harbour in Labuan Bajo because it was not standing there with me.

And it cannot tell you what it felt like when I received my first affiliate commission and realized that something I had written was helping support my family.

That is why I still believe blogs have a place in the age of AI.

Not because blogs can compete with AI on speed.

They cannot.

Blogs remain valuable because they contain experiences, opinions, photographs, and perspectives that belong to real people.

One of my favorite examples comes from my own website.

Years ago, I published a sneaker article that eventually generated my first affiliate commission.

The commission itself was small.

What mattered was the realization that someone I had never met found my article useful enough to trust my recommendation.

No traffic graph has ever been as memorable as that moment.

I still remember it today.

That was the moment I stopped thinking of blogging as simply publishing articles and started seeing it as a way to build genuine connections with readers.

That is something AI cannot do for me.

The Question I Ask Before Publishing Anything

Years ago, I often asked myself:

Will this rank in Google?

Today, I ask a different question:

Could someone else write this article without me?

If the answer is yes, I usually rethink it.

The articles I value most now are the ones that come from real experiences, places I visited, products I used, and lessons I learned myself.

The easier it becomes to generate generic content, the more valuable original experiences become.

Is WordPress.com Still the Right Place to Start a Blog Today?

Personally, I think the answer is yes.

But I also think it is important to start with realistic expectations.

When I first became interested in blogging, I was not looking for a business. I simply wanted a place where I could write, publish content, and learn how websites worked.

That is one reason I still think WordPress.com is a good place to begin.

The free plan allows you to experiment without spending money upfront. You can learn how to create posts, work with the editor, upload images, and understand the basics of running a website before deciding whether blogging is something you want to pursue more seriously.

At the time of writing, WordPress.com also offers paid plans for bloggers who want additional features. The Personal plan starts at around €4 per month when billed annually and includes a custom domain, which can make a blog feel more professional.

At the same time, I think it is important to be honest about what WordPress.com cannot do.

It gives you the tools to build a blog.

It does not build the blog for you.

No platform can guarantee readers, traffic, income, or success.

The writing still has to happen, the articles still need to be published and the consistency still comes from you.

That part has not changed since I started blogging in 2019.

For bloggers who eventually want complete control over every technical aspect of their website, a self hosted WordPress setup may become attractive later on. That path offers more flexibility, but it also means taking responsibility for hosting, maintenance, security, updates, and many other technical tasks.

For someone who simply wants to start writing and learn as they go, I think WordPress.com remains one of the easiest places to begin.

And sometimes, beginning is the most important step of all.

What I Would Tell Someone Starting a Blog Today

If someone asked me whether they should start a blog today, I would still say yes.

Not because blogging is easy.

Not because it guarantees income.

And certainly not because every article will attract thousands of readers.

I would recommend it because a blog gives you something increasingly rare on the internet.

A place that belongs to you.

Social media platforms change. Algorithms change. AI will continue changing how people discover information online.

But a website remains your own space to publish ideas, share experiences, and build something over time.

If there is one lesson I have learned since starting Twinkle So Bright in 2019, it is that the most valuable content usually comes from real experiences.

• The places you visited.
• The products you used.
• The lessons you learned.
• The stories only you can tell.

Those are the things readers remember.

And those are the things AI cannot experience for you.

So if I had the chance to go back to 2019 and decide whether to start a blog again, my answer would still be yes.

Not because the internet is the same as it was then.

But because real stories still matter.

How to Decide Whether Blogging Is Still Worth It Today

FAQ

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