You won't find blog topics through brainstorming, but in nine places where customers already ask their questions: phone and email, follow-up questions to quotes, Google suggestions, the "People also ask" box, Search Console, reviews, trade associations, the seasonal calendar and staff with customer contact. Each of these sources delivers questions rather than keywords, and questions make better blog topics because someone has already asked them.
In most businesses, the question "What should we blog about?" has the same answer: about what customers ask anyway. The problem isn't a lack of topics, it's that no one writes them down. This page shows nine places where the questions are already sitting, with an example for each. Work through the list once and you'll have enough topics for half a year. How to turn that into a plan in an hour is described in Editorial plan for your company blog.
1. Phone and email enquiries
The best source, because the questions are real and local. Keep a note pad at reception or a note on your phone and write down every question that comes up more than once over two weeks.
Example: An electrician notes down "Can I install a charging point for my electric car in my rented flat?" The question comes up three times in two weeks. It becomes a post explaining the role of the property management company, the costs and the process.
2. Follow-up questions to quotes
What customers ask after receiving a quote shows what's unclear in the quote, and that's almost always a blog topic.
Example: A joinery gets asked after every kitchen quote why installation is listed separately. The post "What's in a kitchen quote and why" answers this once and for all.
3. Google suggestions as you type
Type your service into the Google search box and read the suggestions before pressing enter. Then add letters: "heat pump a", "heat pump b". Each suggestion is a search query that someone else has already typed.
Example: "heat pump noise neighbour" comes up as a suggestion. A plumbing company writes about what distances apply, how loud units are and what can be done about noise (general legal statements, with a note to check with the local authority).
4. The "People also ask" box
In many search results, Google shows a box with questions other people have asked. Click on a question and more appear. After ten clicks, you'll have twenty questions on your topic.
Example: Searching for "dental implant cost" brings up questions like "Does health insurance cover an implant?" and "How long does an implant last?" Both make separate posts for a dental practice.
5. Search Console
Once Google Search Console is set up, it shows under "Performance" the search queries your website already appears for. The interesting ones are queries with impressions that don't yet have a matching page: Google is showing you, but with the wrong page. How to set up the tool is explained in Setting up and reading Google Search Console.
Example: A painting company sees impressions for "painting facade autumn". There's no page for this, the homepage shows up on page three. A post answering until when in the year facades can be painted fills the gap.
6. Reviews, your own and others'
Google reviews tell you what customers valued and what they missed. Both are topics. Also read competitors' reviews: whatever gets criticised there, you can explain before it becomes a problem for you.
Example: In a garage's reviews, customers praise that the cost estimate was kept to. The post "Why our quote keeps its promise" explains how the business calculates.
7. Trade associations and trade press
Associations publish fact sheets, changes to standards and positions that customers don't read but that affect them. Translate that into a customer question.
Example: The association publishes a fact sheet on new requirements for electrical installations. The electrician writes "What the new rule means for your house" (general, with a note that the individual case needs to be checked).
8. The seasonal calendar
Every industry has recurring events: heating season, start of the gardening season, tax deadline, start of school, Christmas trade. For each event there are questions that get searched four to six weeks beforehand.
Example: A landscaper plans "When is the right time to trim hedges?" for February and "Lawn in autumn: what to do now" for September.
9. Staff with customer contact
Fitters, sales staff, the person at reception: they hear questions every day that never reach management. Ask at the start of the week: "What were you asked this week?"
Example: A plumbing company's fitter reports that customers regularly ask, when replacing a boiler, whether a heat pump is worth it for hot water. No one in the office knew this. The post is the most read a quarter later.
The nine sources at a glance
| Source | Effort | Mainly delivers |
|---|---|---|
| Phone and email | Two weeks of notes | Local, genuine questions |
| Quote follow-up questions | With the next order | Ambiguities in the quote |
| Google suggestions | Ten minutes | How people phrase their searches |
| "People also ask" | Ten minutes | Follow-up questions on the topic |
| Search Console | Twenty minutes, after setup | Gaps where Google already shows you |
| Reviews | Fifteen minutes | What customers value and miss |
| Associations and trade press | Ongoing | Rule changes, translated into customer language |
| Seasonal calendar | Once a year | Events you can plan for |
| Staff | Five minutes a week | Questions the office never hears |
From question to search term
A question from the phone is not yet a search term. "Can I install my charging station in a rented flat?" gets typed into Google as "charging station rented flat" or "charging ev rented flat". Before a topic goes into the plan, it's worth checking how the question is actually searched. The approach is described in Keyword research for SMEs. The question stays the topic, the search term determines the title and first paragraph.
Frequently asked questions
What if my industry is too boring for a blog?
Boring is a matter of perspective. A trustee finds VAT returns everyday business, but the founder doing them for the first time spends an hour googling it afterwards. The sources on this page show what's actually searched, regardless of whether you find it exciting.
How many topics do I need to get started?
Twelve for a quarter at one post a week, plus two backup topics. It's not worth collecting more in advance, because after the first quarter, Search Console gives better pointers than any advance list.
Should I pick topics my competitors already cover?
Yes, if you have something of your own to add: a project example, a local angle, a different opinion. No, if the post would just be a rewording. What matters isn't whether the topic is already covered, but whether your answer is different.
If I can only use one source, which is the best?
The phone. Questions customers ask on the phone have three advantages: they're real, they come from your region, and you already know the answer. All other sources fill in what doesn't get asked on the phone, because the person googles it beforehand.