Independent web businesses face an uncertain road
CSS-Tricks has a new owner, Graham, which makes it independent again after its time at DigitalOcean. Commenters were warm about what the site taught them, but several doubted that an indie blog can make a living 'in this era'. One said selling to DigitalOcean was ultimately a mistake. 'Websites Should Be Printable' got a different kind of reaction. Many said they haven't printed in years, and others noted that infinite-scroll content is designed not to be printed.
The pattern: the old open-web publishing model, with free content, search traffic, and ad or sponsor revenue, is under pressure from AI answers and from platform design that holds users inside. Plenty of people value the independent web, but it isn't clear how it pays.
Older threads in the mix, like the one-person online business and 'I am done. I give up' threads, repeat the same lesson: attention is hard, and luck matters. A few commenters add that specializing and picking a niche is what worked.
So what?
If your business depends on search-driven content traffic, assume it shrinks and look for revenue you control, such as a newsletter, direct customers, or a paid niche. Acquiring a beloved but struggling content brand is cheap, but only if you have a real plan to pay for it.