Does your business really need a blog?
Have you ever wondered whether your business really needs a blog?
Maybe you’re thinking about starting one, or you’ve already got a blog but aren’t sure it’s worth the time and effort. You might even have a collection of old blog posts and you’re wondering what to do with them.
And with more people finding answers through search without necessarily clicking through to websites, it’s fair to wonder whether blogging is still worth doing.
The thing is, blogging can be useful. But that doesn’t mean every business needs one.
So how do you work out whether it’s right for yours?
The answer depends on your business, your customers and what you want your website to do.
What could a blog do for your business?
Before you decide whether to start a blog, it’s worth thinking about what you’d use it for.
A blog gives you somewhere to explain things in more detail than a standard website page. You could also:
Answer questions customers often ask
Share your experience
Help people understand something they may not have considered before
For some businesses, that could mean explaining how a service works or what to expect when working with you. For others, it might be helping people choose the right product or showing them how to get more out of something they’ve bought.
The important thing is that there’s a reason for someone to read it. You’re giving them information that’s useful to them, not just adding another post to your website because you feel you should.
Is blogging right for your type of business?
Some businesses have more obvious reasons to write blog posts than others.
When blogging can make sense
If you’re selling your knowledge and experience, as coaches, consultants and freelancers often do, a blog can be a useful way to show people how you think and what you know. You can explain things your customers might be wondering about, share how you work and help people get a feel for what it would be like to work with you.
It can also work well for businesses selling products. You could write about how to choose the right product, explain the differences between options or share advice on how to use and look after something you’ve bought.
In both cases, the blog gives people more information to help them understand what you offer and decide whether it’s right for them.
When blogging might not be a priority
Imagine you’re an emergency plumber or locksmith. Someone with a burst pipe or a broken lock probably isn’t going to look for a series of helpful articles before getting in touch. They need to find someone who can help and contact you quickly.
A good Google Business Profile can make it easier for people to find you. Clear service information, genuine reviews and an easy way to get in touch are likely to be more immediate priorities than writing blog posts.
It’s the same with local businesses such as coffee shops. Photos of coffee and cake, up-to-date opening hours, location information and social media posts may be more useful for the business than a blog. And let’s be honest, a tempting photo of the cake of the day can do a lot of talking!
But that doesn’t mean blogging would never make sense for these businesses.
A plumber might want to share advice on preventing common problems or explain when something needs a professional, even if they also offer emergency support. A builder specialising in a certain type of renovation may have lots of useful information to share with people planning a project.
The question is whether that content is genuinely useful for both the business and its customers, not whether the business fits into a category.
And if you haven’t got the time or inclination to maintain a blog, that’s worth thinking about too. Your marketing needs to be realistic for the business you run.
What about search and zero-click results?
One of the reasons people still question whether blogging is worthwhile is that getting found in search doesn’t always mean someone will click through to your website. People can find answers directly in search results, or through AI tools, without ever visiting the website that provided the information.
If your main reason for blogging is to attract more visitors to your website, that’s worth thinking about. Writing more blog posts doesn’t guarantee you’ll get more traffic, and it can be frustrating to put time into something that’s not giving you more visibility.
A blog post might help someone understand a service or answer a question they’re unsure about. It can also give them a better feel for how you work. They might find that information through search, follow a link from somewhere else or read it after they’ve already visited your website.
But getting someone to your website and helping them once they’re there are two different jobs.
What happens when someone visits after a recommendation matters too. They’re already interested enough to take a look, so you want to help them understand what you do and whether you’re the right fit.
That’s why it’s worth thinking about what you want your blog to do, not just how many clicks it gets.
What if you already have a blog?
If you’ve already got a blog, you don’t need to keep publishing new posts just because you have one. It’s worth taking a look at what you’ve already written and asking yourself a few questions:
Is the information still accurate and useful?
Does it reflect the business you’re running today?
Does it help people understand what you do or answer questions they might have?
Is there a good reason for it to be on your website?
Some posts might still be doing a good job. Others might need updating, especially if your services have changed or the information is out of date. And then there are those that no longer have a place on your website at all.
I know all too well how easy it is to concentrate on adding new content without thinking too much about what’s already there. I spent time adding posts to help my website reflect the business I was building, without really thinking about what to do with the older articles. If I’m honest, there were quite a few I hoped nobody would come across.
Older content isn’t automatically bad content. Sometimes a small change is all that’s needed to bring a blog post up to date. But there may be some where it’s better to let them go.
And if you’ve decided blogging isn’t the right use of your time anymore, that doesn’t mean you have to get rid of everything you’ve published. You may have useful posts that still help your customers and deserve to stay on your website, even if you’re not adding anything new.
The important thing is to make that decision based on what your business needs and what your customers find useful, rather than carrying on blogging because you feel you should.
What could you focus on instead of blogging?
If blogging doesn’t feel like the right fit for your business, there are lots of other ways to help people understand what you do and find the information they need.
You might get more value from:
Making your homepage clearer
Improving your service or product pages
Answering the questions people regularly ask you
Helping people understand what it’s like to work with you through a case study
Making it easier for local customers to find you through a Google Business Profile
These are just ideas, not a list of things you should be doing instead. What makes sense for you depends on what your customers need and where they look for information.
Don’t underestimate the value of the content you’ve already created either. A useful idea from an old blog post could be shared on social media, included in an email or turned into a helpful download for your customers.
You don’t have to do all these things. The aim isn’t to replace blogging with a different list of jobs. It’s to work out what would make the biggest difference to your business and concentrate your time on that.
So, does your business need a blog?
Sorry, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to that question.
Before you decide whether to start a blog, keep going with one or give it a rethink, look at what your customers need to know and the best way to help them find that information.
You don’t need to create more content just for the sake of it. You need to give people the information that’s useful to them, in a way that makes sense for them and your business.
Need help working out your business needs?
You really don’t have to keep adding pages or creating content just because it feels like something you should be doing.
I can help you work out what your customers need to know, what’s worth creating and where to focus your time and effort.
I’m Jacquie Budd, and I help small businesses make sense of their websites, content and search. Learn more about me →
