A small professional firm needs a blog when it will answer the real questions buyers ask before they choose a firm, and someone checks whether people find each article. If your website doesn’t yet say clearly who you help, or nobody can write one useful article a month, fix those first.
Someone told you that you need a blog. Maybe it was your web designer, an agency or a course you went on. So you paid for articles, or wrote a few yourself, and waited.
Now you’re wondering. Do you need a blog on your business website at all? And if you already have one, is it doing anything, or is it a cost you can’t see the point of?
A blog can be one of the most useful things on a professional firm’s website. It can also eat time and money with little to show for it. The difference usually comes down to what you write about, and whether anyone checks what it does.
By the end of this article, you’ll know whether a blog makes sense for your firm. You’ll also know how to tell if the one you have is working.
Key takeaways
- A blog is worth having when it answers the questions your buyers ask before they choose a firm.
- In our experience, generic posts written to “keep the site fresh” rarely bring in enquiries.
- One useful article a month usually does more than four thin ones.
- Google Search Console shows, for free, whether people find each article.
- Old, thin posts can often be merged into one stronger article, with the old addresses redirected.
In this article
- A good blog answers the questions buyers ask before they call
- When a blog isn’t worth it for your firm yet
- What makes an article worth writing
- How to tell if your blog is working
- How often a small firm should post
- What to do with the old posts you already have
- Questions people ask about business blogs
A good blog answers the questions buyers ask before they call
Before most people contact a professional firm, they research. They search for their problem, compare options and try to understand what happens next.
A blog lets you be the firm that answers those questions. When someone searches “what does a commercial lease review involve?”, your article can be the one they read. By the time they reach your contact page, they already know how you explain things.
This idea is at the heart of Marcus Sheridan’s book They Ask, You Answer. Answer your buyers’ real questions honestly and in full, including the awkward ones about cost and problems.
Articles also help after someone gets in touch. You can send a new enquiry a link that explains your process, so the first call starts further ahead.
And articles give search engines and AI tools something to show when people ask questions in your area. That’s harder to do with a short service page alone. Our guide to building SEO that brings enquiries, without becoming a marketer, explains how articles fit into the bigger picture.
When a blog isn’t worth it for your firm yet
A blog isn’t the first thing every firm should fix. Sometimes other work will bring more enquiries, sooner. If your website doesn’t say clearly who you help, articles will send people to a page that loses them. If your contact form goes to an inbox nobody checks, more visitors won’t help. Fix those first.
A blog also needs time. If you’re fully booked from referrals and don’t want more clients, it may not be worth the effort right now.
And if nobody will write or check the articles regularly, be honest about that. A blog with three posts from 2022 can make a firm look less active to a new visitor.
A blog makes most sense when your website already works. It helps most when the clients you want search before they choose.
What makes an article worth writing
The articles that do well for professional firms tend to have a few things in common.
It answers a real question
The best topics come from your own clients. Write down the questions people ask on first calls, in emails and in meetings. Each one is a possible article.
When we plan articles, we start from questions real buyers have asked, then check them against what people search for. Topics that nobody asks about don’t make the list, however clever they sound.
It gives a full, honest answer
A short post that says “it depends, call us” won’t help anyone. Explain what it depends on. Give the steps, the options and the common mistakes.
Some firms worry about giving too much away. In practice, people who understand the work are often easier to help, and many still want an expert to do it for them.
It sounds like your firm
Readers can often tell when an article was written to fill a gap in a content calendar. Use your own examples, your own way of explaining things and the words your clients use.
It shows the reader what to do next
End each article with one clear next step that fits the topic. That might be booking a call, reading a related article or downloading a checklist.
How to tell if your blog is working
If you pay for articles, you should be able to see what they do. Here’s what to look at.
Are people finding the articles?
Google Search Console is free. It shows how often each page appeared in Google results, how many people clicked and which searches they used. Ask whoever looks after your website to give you access.
Look at each article over three to six months. If an article gets no impressions at all, Google either isn’t showing it or nobody searches for that topic.
Are readers getting in touch?
Ask every new enquiry how they found you. If people mention an article, write that down. Google Analytics can also show which pages people visited before they sent a form, if it’s set up properly and respects cookie consent.
Do you use the articles yourself?
This is an underrated test. If you or your team send articles to enquiries and clients, they’re doing a job, even when the search numbers are modest.
If your blog is managed for you, ask for a short monthly note covering these three points. If nobody can tell you, that’s useful to know too.
How often a small firm should post
There’s no magic number. A steady rhythm you can keep up matters more than a big burst followed by silence.
For many small firms, one well-researched article a month is a sensible start. Two a month works if you have the time or the budget, and plenty of real questions to answer.
Plan topics a few months ahead, so you’re not stuck for ideas each time. Keep a running list of client questions, and pick the ones that link to the work you most want.
Updating an existing article also counts. Refreshing a useful post with current information can do as much as writing a new one. Our article on SEO writing tips covers how to write and improve articles that Google can show.
What to do with the old posts you already have
Many firms have a blog full of short, older posts on similar topics. Several thin posts about the same thing can compete with each other in search, and none of them does well.
Here’s the approach we’re taking on our own site. We find posts that answer the same question. We pick the strongest one, keep its web address and fold the useful parts of the others into it.
The old posts are kept as drafts, so nothing is lost. Each old web address then redirects to the stronger article, so old links and bookmarks still work.
Before you remove or merge anything, check Search Console. A post that looks old may still bring in visitors. Keep anything that’s working, and improve it.
A blog that earns its place
Start this week: open Search Console, see which articles people find, and ask your next few enquiries how they found you.
If you’d like help deciding whether a blog is right for your firm, book a More Clients Call. It’s a free call, under 30 minutes, and you’ll leave knowing where to start.
Not ready for a call? Read our SEO writing tips
