Reinventing a Food Blog After an 80% Traffic Drop with Carrie Forrest from Clean Eating Kitchen

In this candid episode of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast, Keri Forrest from Clean Eating Kitchen shares her journey of reinventing her food blog after an 80% traffic drop caused by the rise of AI overviews in Google search results. Once thriving on a data-driven SEO strategy that included web stories and keyword-optimized how-to content, Keri saw her monthly page views plummet from nearly a million to 100,000–200,000. Despite the financial and emotional toll, she reflects on the season of abundance with gratitude, acknowledging that her savings and email list became lifelines during the rebuild. Now focused on what AI cannot replicate—human connection, empathy, and transformation—Keri is pivoting toward YouTube, authentic storytelling, and educating her audience about the risks of AI-generated recipes. She embraces a beginner’s mindset, prioritizing authenticity and long-term fulfillment over scale, and sees this moment not as failure but as an opportunity to redefine her purpose in the evolving digital landscape. The conversation underscores a broader shift in content creation: from transactional, keyword-driven content to relational, transformational storytelling. Keri and host Bjork explore the psychological challenges of reinvention, the importance of saving during prosperous times, and the need for creators to build resilient, multi-dimensional businesses. They emphasize that while AI may replace certain types of content, the human elements of trust, vulnerability, and real-world experience remain irreplaceable. Keri’s story is a powerful reminder that success isn’t just about traffic or revenue—it’s about sustainability, legacy, and staying true to one’s values even when the playbook changes.