To blog or not to blog? That’s a fair question. I was psyched with the emergence of ChatGPT and Grok, getting them to generate posts written in the styles of Mark Twain, Stephen King and Fyodor Dostoevsky, sometimes in combination. Yet, on re-reading many of my earlier posts (now deleted) I can spot the generic AI fluff. Words like “foster”, “craft” and “boast” were never a part of my writing and don’t sound like me at all. More importantly, I had to ask how my posts truly helped my website clients. Writing about subjects unrelated to web development is beyond my scope of focus and growing expertise. I am not seeking a prize for my prose. The prize I seek is my next website client. To answer whether a blog page is distracting clutter or an asset that drives new customers, let’s weigh the pros and cons. We’ll start with the cons.
Time.
Nothing is more valuable because it’s finite. To create a post worthy of your customer’s time requires process. The process: pick a topic, gather facts/examples, draft, revise to remove airy low-value wording, revise again to find your own voice. This post I am currently working on has already taken up a few hours on a Thursday morning. Is it worth it? Probably not! (A sarcastic, self-deprecating emoji should go here, but I’m not feeling cute).
AI is often a trap.
It’s tempting to spit out organized and professional sounding posts in minutes. But it’s ever easier to detect when it’s not your voice since so many of us have hit AI to the point of generating trivial content. So, if you’re not going to write it yourself, then most readers are understandably going to take a pass.
Do you actually follow any bloggers?
I don’t. That acknowledgement alone may be enough for you to avoid bothering with a blog page. Also, regarding reader habits, most of us won’t bother with a social media post if it exceeds thirty-five words. Thirty-five is my favorite number, currently. I pronounce it thiddy-five. I won’t waste your time with an explanation.
When might blogging be worth your time?
Are there any pros? Yes, but under narrow conditions. Build credibility by sticking to your expertise. If your posts are genuinely useful and uniquely tied to your wares you may see an uptick in website traffic and return visits. However, “helpful hints” that are easily found on Google are a waste of time and kill credibility.
The Deciding Factor
Again, time. How to save you and your customers time? Do the same questions about your wares keep coming up? Can a simple FAQ section or page provide the answers? If inquiries are more complex and eating into your phone/email time, a targeted blog post (or series) could save everyone time in the long run. Otherwise nix the blog page. It will only clutter your site while wasting your most precious resource.
I’m happy to help you create or eliminate a blog page. Either way, your customers come first. So do mine!
Whether you go small or you go big you're gonna have to work for it. So you might as well go big. - Vivek Ramaswamy