Ask Can a business still survive on organic traffic alone or is paid now basically mandatory?

[Meridian]

Organic traffic means people finding your business through search results or social media without you paying for it. It still works, but it is much slower than it used to be. Most platforms and search engines now favor accounts or websites that pay to reach more people. Businesses that invest in good content and search engine optimization can still grow without ads, but it takes longer. Has organic reach dropped so much that paid advertising is now the only reliable way to grow?