As some of you know I do graphic and web design freelancing (which actually is why I have this blog). One thing I hear from a lot of clients and potential clients is that they’d like to have a blog.

When pressed on the issue, however, they don’t always have clear reasons for wanting a blog. Sometimes it’s just “everyone else is doing it” (which isn’t always a horrible reason), and sometimes they literally have no reason. They just “thought it would be a good idea.”

Most people don’t realize that starting a blog is a pretty big project. Here’s a list of things I can think of that should scare you away (or at least be considered):

Hosting: Some web hosts don’t provide sufficient features or processing power to run a Blog.
Content Management System: You probably weren’t going to code the entire blog from scratch, that’s a really big project. You need to decide between options like Wordpress and Drupal. Here’s a good article on choosing a content management system (CMS).
Themes/Templates: Using a free theme might seem like a good idea at first, but having someone design something for your blog will almost always look better. That’s more important than you might think.
Security Updates: If you’re hiring someone to do this for you, he’s probably going to expect you to pay him to do the security updates. That may mean a larger up-front fee, or it may mean a recurring fee. You could learn to do it yourself, but with some CMS’s that process can be time consuming and annoying.
Content: Oh, yeah. You’ll stop getting visitors if you don’t post content regularly. I have this problem all the time. It’s difficult to find time and motivation to write even one post per week.
Readers: You won’t get many readers if you don’t make an effort to spread word about your blog. That’s done a lot through social networking now.

Don’t get me wrong, though. There are plenty of reasons for a small business to have a blog. Ultimately it’s going to come down to weighing the pros against the cons. Here are a list of things a properly done and well-maintained blog might help your business:

Customers/Clients: I can’t actually say this has ever worked for me. I’ve never gotten a client through my blog. However, if you look like you know what you’re talking about, and you get enough readers, it may work out. I’ve heard stories of designers meeting clients through their blog, so it’s definitely possible.
Showing off: There’s probably a better way to put this, but basically a blog is an opportunity for you to show people that you know your field. This will help in the above-mentioned finding clients, but it can also make your current clients feel more comfortable working with you.
Helping clients understand: On a few occasions I’ve sent a client a link to an article on my blog to explain things like wireframing. I’ll actually probably end up sending this post to clients in the future when they ask about blogs. It saves time writing to explain things to individual clients every time (though this is not always a good thing), and it can make you look a bit more professional.
Making a name: Even if your blog doesn’t get you business directly, it can make others think more highly of your services. Your name (or business name) may be more likely to come up in conversation.
Having a blog: This is a very bad reason to have a blog if it’s your only reason. It’s true that having a blog can make you seem more ‘hip’. That’s really more of a bonus feature than a reason, though.

There are more reasons for having a blog,.. having an excuse to waste large amounts of time, the overall learning experience, possibly advertisement revenue (harder than you might think), and other reasons. The truth of the matter is there are many good reasons to have a blog, and many good reasons not to have a blog.

I can’t really tell you what you should do, except to say that you should be careful. A blog is a big commitment. It’s important that you take the time to set your goals. You should also manage your blog in such a way that it actually accomplishes those goals (and doesn’t just suck the life out of you).

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