Humans tend to favor the things we enjoy and that we have learned to be successful at. If blogging feels like “Ugh, I have to write this,” try reframing it: “I want to document what I know so I can stop explaining it repeatedly.” Moving from obligation to choice will make the work feel less like a burden and more like building something useful that will benefit you (and your readers).
Business blogging that supports your work
The value of genuine expertise has increased in direct proportion to rise of generic content (affectionately termed, “AI slop“). Most informational queries (think “how-to” or compiled “best of” articles) are answered in AI overviews.
You’d do better to focus your efforts on content that AI can’t easily create:
- Answers to questions you’ve been asked. Look through your email. Check your last few client calls. What did people ask? What did you explain? Write that.
- Content based on your experience. Not “10 Tips for Better Time Management” but “Here’s what I learned managing three major projects and a why I’ll never do that again.”
- Your take on industry developments. Not hot takes for the sake of being controversial, but “Here’s how this new regulation affects my clients” or “I’ve been watching this trend for three years, here’s what I’m seeing.” You have context others don’t.
- The stuff no one else is saying. Every industry has conventional wisdom and biases. If you know something that contradicts or offers new perspective on standard advice (and you can back it up with your experience), that’s valuable content.
- Deep dives into specific problems. Better to thoroughly address one specific challenge than superficially cover ten related topics.
Consistency over frequency
How often should you publish on your blog? It depends…
But for the sake of having a goal, let’s say: 1-2 solid posts per month is realistic for most small businesses. That’s enough to build a library of content over time without making blogging your entire job.
What matters more than frequency:
- Consistency over time. Better to publish monthly for two years than weekly for two months before burning out.
- Quality over quantity. One genuinely helpful 1,500-word article beats five rushed 400-word posts that don’t say anything.
- Strategic focus. Writing about topics that support your business goals, not just filling space.
Some months you’ll do more. Some months you’ll skip entirely because you’re busy. Totally acceptable.
Gaps in the content resume: when you stop blogging (and start again)
I stopped blogging in 2018.
Not because I didn’t think it was valuable. I stopped because I’m a company of one and at the time I was running two businesses, a gallery and my web design agency. Finding four hours (my minimum) to write a quality article while managing client work, admin tasks, gallery events, and life stuff was physically impossible.
This fall, I started writing again. And I remembered that I really enjoy writing. For me, it’s an active exploration that deepens my own understanding of a topic.
I accept that publication schedules can be flexible. I’m sharing on LinkedIn and BlueSky (getting a little dopamine hit when a few people “like” or share). I’m not trying to become a influencer (gross, Gen X person here) or build a following. I do want to develop a backlog of articles that support my authority and expertise (and link back to my service pages).
If you’re not a writer: video and audio can be a big advantage
Nearly everyone adds pictures. But a minority are adding contributor quotes and videos. A small percentage add audio or publish podcasts. The less common the element, the more likely it is to correlate with performance. Greater efforts drive greater impact.
Andy Crestodina, “What content works in 2025?“
If talking feels more natural than writing, record yourself. Answer a common client question on video. Explain a concept on audio. Embed the media on your post and include a transcript.
- You sound like yourself. When you’re talking, your authentic voice comes through. No fighting with how to phrase things or what sounds “professional enough.” You just explain it the way you’d explain it to a client.
- It’s (maybe) faster. Recording a 10-minute video or audio explanation takes 10 minutes. Writing a 1,500-word article takes hours. If you edit your videos, there probably won’t be much time savings though.
- It’s highly shareable. Video clips work well on social media. Audio can become podcast episodes. The transcript becomes your blog post. One recording, multiple formats.
Always, always include a transcript. You may be creating awesome video or audio content but if you don’t include a transcript, you are missing a key opportunity and doing an accessibility fail. Search engines can’t watch videos, they need text to understand and index your content. Transcripts make your videos accessible to people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or who prefer reading. Transcripts also help visitors quickly scan for information rather than watching the entire video. Learn more about what media needs a transcript.
Making blogging more manageable (not perfect)
The internet is full of blogging advice that assumes you have a content team, unlimited time, or that “growing your platform” is your primary business goal. Blog posts are supposed to support your business, not become the work itself.
The best advice I can give you is to just start writing (or recording). Don’t get stuck in the analytical mind of comparison and judgment. This is a process and you’ll be reviewing how articles perform over time, so don’t overcomplicate your work. We’re not aiming for perfection.
Perfect is the enemy of good (and done).
Voltaire (mostly)
- Write what you know. Writing 101! Look at questions you’ve answered in calls or meetings this month. Write about those. Follow your own curiosity and dig deeper than the superficial answers.
- Write the way you talk. If you write like a corporate press release on your blog, people will lose interest. Use plain language, keep it relevant to your reader, avoid jargon.
- Repurpose and reuse. One blog post can become an email newsletter, several social media posts, a resource to send prospects, or an answer to forum questions in your industry.
- Batch your writing when possible. Some people write better if they draft three posts in one session, then edit them later. This can be a handy way to block out 1-2 days a month and get all of your writing and scheduling done.
Hit publish, wait for applause…
Crickets.
Even great content doesn’t magically attract readers. Be deliberate about getting it in front of people. If you loathe self-promotion, remember that sharing your content is about sharing your expertise – not trying to “sell” yourself. You’re building your authority and engaging authentically with your community and audience.
- Share it directly with people who need it. When someone asks a question your blog post answers, send them the link. When you see a relevant discussion in a professional group, share it (if it’s helpful, not promotional).
- Email it to your list. If you’re not building an email list, start. Even a small list of people who want to hear from you beats hoping Google sends you traffic someday.
- Link your posts together. Linking is the magic glue of the interwebs. When you write something new, go back and add links from older related posts. This helps readers find more of your content and helps search engines understand what you’ve written about.
- Use social media, but don’t depend on it. Share your posts there, yes. But remember those platforms want to keep people on their platforms, not click away to your website. Social media is for brand visibility and conversation, not traffic (usually) – though it can have some relevance in AI search results.
Reference your own content in other contexts. Speaking at an event? Mention your blog post on that topic. Answering questions in industry forums? Link to your relevant content.
Don’t obsess over analytics
So you’ve started blogging. You’re sharing posts on social media. How do you know when it’s working?
Track the basics in Google Search Console
- Which posts are getting impressions in search
- Which keywords people are using to find you
- Which posts are getting clicks (and which aren’t)
Check Google Search Console maybe once a month. Try not to obsess over this data. Look for patterns. Notice which topics are getting traction. Capitalize on what works and keep experimenting.
Pay attention to direct responses
- Are people mentioning your posts in conversations?
- Has anyone sent you a question that references something you wrote?
- Are prospects coming to calls having already read your content?
- Which posts get engagement (comments, shares, saves)?
- Are people asking follow-up questions?
Qualitative signals matter as much as traffic numbers. On LinkedIn and BlueSky, engagement matters more than views. A post that sparks three meaningful conversations is more valuable than one that gets 1,000 views and no response.
Give it time before judging results
- 3-6 months minimum before you’ll see any significant search patterns
- At least 10-15 posts before you can see patterns in what resonates
- A year before cumulative impact
The metric that matters most: Are you getting more qualified inquiries from people who found you through your content?
This, again, isn’t just about posting any old content – it’s about creating unique and useful content that has the potential to rank and includes a compelling call to action. It’s critical to do keyword research if you are serious about crafting content that will match the intent of those long-tail search queries and result in conversions.
What you won’t see: Overnight success. Viral hits (probably). Thousands of daily visitors (for most small businesses, volume is less important than getting in front of the right people at the right time).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does blogging help small businesses grow?
Yes, but not overnight. Blogging helps you answer common questions, demonstrate expertise, and get found by people searching for your services. Over 6-12 months of consistent publishing, you should see more qualified leads finding you through search and better conversion rates from prospects who’ve read your content first.
What are the best topics for a small business blog?
- Case studies from your work. “How we helped [type of client] solve [specific problem]” shows your expertise in action. Change names if needed, but share the specifics.
- Behind-the-scenes content. How you approach projects, what your process looks like, the tools you use and why. This humanizes your business and helps prospects understand what working with you would be like.
- Opinion pieces grounded in experience. Your perspective on industry trends, based on what you’re seeing with your clients or in your market. This is where your unique value shows up.
- Problem-solution posts. “Here’s a challenge my clients face and how I help them address it.” Practical, specific, and demonstrates your expertise without being promotional.
- Local or niche-specific content. If you serve a specific geographic area or industry, write about topics relevant to that audience. You won’t compete with national sites, but you don’t need to.
How do I promote my blog if I don’t have a big audience?
Share posts directly with people who need them – send links when someone asks a question your post answers. Build an email list (even a small one). Link your posts together. Share on social media without depending on it for traffic. Reference your content when speaking at events or participating in industry discussions.
Do I need technical skills to run a business blog?
Basic writing for the formatting knowledge is helpful, but most business blogs need simple technical optimization: clean URLs, compressed images, alt text, and proper heading structure. If you can format a document and upload images, you can create a blog. You can also record video or audio and get it transcribed if writing isn’t your strength.
Can I benefit from blogging without a dedicated marketing team?
Most successful small business blogs are written by the business owner. You already have the expertise – blogging is just documenting what you know and answering questions you’ve already answered dozens of times. Start with what you know, write in your own voice, and publish consistently. You can do it!
I want to create videos but where should I upload them?
YouTube is usually the better choice for most small businesses. It’s free, handles all the technical stuff (encoding, streaming, mobile optimization), and YouTube itself is the second-largest search engine. Videos on YouTube can show up in both YouTube and Google search results, giving you two chances to be found.
Hosting video directly on your site can slow down your pages and require more technical management. For most small businesses, embedding YouTube videos on your blog posts gives you the best of both worlds: your content lives on your site with the transcript, but YouTube handles the video infrastructure.
How do I create a transcript of my audio or video content?
Tools like Descript, Otter.ai, or even YouTube’s auto-captioning can handle transcription. Clean it up a bit (remove the “ums” and false starts), add some paragraph breaks and headings, and you have a blog post.
Rev.com has pretty accurate AI transcription, you can also connect Zoom to Fathom or use it’s AI transcription tool. Google it – there’s tons of options.
Need help developing a content strategy that fits?
Let’s talk about what blogging for your business could look like.
Explore content strategy and copywriting services or reach out:
Just start writing
Here’s a starter for your next blog post:
- Pick a question someone asked you last week and answer it.
- Record a five-minute video explaining something you know well.
- Write 500 words about a common problem your clients face.
Send me a link to your article. I’d love to read it!
Need help or have a question? Leave me a comment or send me an email. I’m always happy to discuss content strategy and answer any questions you might have.
