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Yes, but the bar is higher and the timelines are less predictable now. A lot of the easy wins from 5 to 10 years ago are gone, especially thin sites built around one tool or a bunch of low effort articles.
Where I still see things work is when the site actually solves a specific problem well. Tools can still rank, but usually when they are part of a small ecosystem. Example: the tool, a few solid pages explaining the use cases, comparisons, maybe some real data or examples. Not just the calculator sitting on a page.
AI content also changed the landscape. There is way more content competing for the same queries, so links, authority, and distribution matter more than before.
If you are a developer, that is actually a good angle. Programmatic pages, useful tools, data driven content, and fast sites still do well when the niche has real search demand. The main reality check is it rarely ramps in a few months anymore. Most projects that stick take longer to compound.
