“I don’t have time to blog.”
“I can’t think of anything to write about.”
“Does blogging even work anymore?”
These three objections (lack of time, lack of ideas, lack of proof) come up every single time I talk to small business owners about blogging. And I get it – when you’re running a business, writing blog posts feels about as urgent as alphabetising your spice rack.
But here’s what happened to me a couple of weeks ago that might change your mind.
The blog post that took 15 years to convert
Someone who runs a mid-sized accountancy firm found a blog post I wrote back in 2007 for Business Zone (now UK Business Forums). It had been republished on AccountingWEB in 2010, titled “Do blogging and accountancy really mix?“
She kept reading. Found another article from 2010 called “The difference between SEO and social media.” In the comments, she found a reference to something I wrote in 2004 called “They Know Your Name, SO WHAT?“
The original link was dead (domain-jacking incident – don’t ask), but she Googled the title and found it on my current domain, reposted in 2022.
Then she got in touch. We had an enquiry call. Now she’s a client.
But yeah, blogging never brings in clients, right?
Why small businesses don’t blog and why those reasons are rubbish
“I don’t have time to blog”
You don’t need to blog every day or even every week. One properly written blog post every month will do more for your business than daily social media posts that disappear into the void after 24 hours.
And if you really don’t have time? That’s what I do for businesses. Has your blog been gathering dust since 2023? Let’s bring it back to life with content that brings in business. I’ll handle the thinking, the writing, and making sure it ranks well without sounding like corporate waffle.
“I can’t think of anything to write about”
This one baffles me because you’ve got infinite content ideas sitting right in front of you every single day.
- Every question a client asks? Blog post.
- Every common misconception in your industry? Blog post.
- Every time you explain something to a new client? Blog post.
Start keeping a list of every question you answer this week. I guarantee you’ll have enough blog topics to last you six months.
“I’m not convinced blogging brings in business”
Besides my 15-year-old blog post story, let me explain how this works.
When someone lands on your website from Google, they’re often not ready to buy yet. They might be researching, comparing, trying to figure out if they even need what you’re offering.
A well-written blog post proves you know your stuff, keeps you in their mind for when they do need your services, and ranks on Google for years bringing in traffic without you doing anything.
That blog post from 2007 that brought me a client in 2025? Still ranking. Still working. Still bringing in enquiries.
What makes blogging work – and what doesn’t
What works:
- Writing about the questions your customers ask repeatedly. If five people have asked you the same question this month, hundreds more are Googling it right now.
- Explaining complex topics in plain English. Your expertise shows through when you make complicated things understandable, not when you use the longest words possible.
- Being genuinely helpful rather than constantly selling. The blog posts that convert best help people solve problems rather than screaming “BUY MY STUFF” every paragraph.
What doesn’t work:
- Generic “10 tips” posts that could apply to any business.
- Keyword-stuffed nonsense that reads like it was written by a robot reading a thesaurus.
- Publishing once and forgetting about it.
One blog post won’t change your business. Consistent publishing over time builds authority and search presence.
Making blogging work without it taking over your life
Start with one blog post per month. That’s manageable for most businesses and enough to start building momentum in search engines.
Focus on evergreen topics – questions and problems that won’t change in five years. These posts keep working for you long after you’ve published them.
Keep a running list of content ideas. Every time a client asks a question or you explain something, add it to the list.
And if writing really isn’t your thing or you genuinely don’t have the time? Get someone to write it for you. It’s not cheating – it’s delegating a task to someone who specialises in it.
The long game pays off
That accountancy firm owner who became a client after reading my 15-year-old blog posts? She’s not an isolated case.
I get enquiries all the time from people who’ve found blog posts I wrote years ago.
But they only work because I published them. The blog posts you don’t write definitely won’t bring in clients. The ones you do write might not convert immediately, but they’ll keep working for years.
So is blogging worth it for small businesses? Abso-fucking-lutely. But only if you do it properly, consistently, and with a strategy behind it rather than just throwing words at a page and hoping for the best.
Need help getting your blog working harder for your business? Let’s have a chat about creating content that brings in enquiries instead of gathering digital dust.
This post was originally posted in March 2022, updated October 2025.
