A lot of small business owners start a blog with good intentions and abandon it after three posts. An abandoned blog — with the last entry dated two years ago — can actually hurt your credibility. So the honest question isn't "should I have a blog?" — it's "will I actually maintain one?"
When a blog genuinely helps
A consistent blog builds what SEOs call "topical authority." If you're a solicitor in Cork and you publish one well-written, useful article a month about topics relevant to your clients — family law, property, employment — Google starts to see you as a credible source on those topics. That compounds over time.
It also gives you something to share on LinkedIn or by email that isn't self-promotional. A useful article positions you as an expert rather than just someone selling a service.
When it doesn't
If your business is entirely local and operates in a very narrow niche — a single-location hair salon, a local plumber — a blog is probably not your highest-leverage SEO activity. Getting your Google Business Profile right and collecting reviews will do more for you.
A realistic commitment
One article a month is enough to see real results over 12 months. Two a month is better. The quality matters more than the frequency — a single well-researched 800-word article beats five thin 200-word posts every time.
If you genuinely can't commit
A blog that's updated twice a year is worse than no blog at all. If regular writing isn't feasible, focus on making your core pages excellent — clear service descriptions, real customer testimonials, a specific local area page. Those compound too.