Winning work, 29 October 2026
Does a trade business blog still work now people search with AI?
A trade business blog still works with AI search, but only if each post answers one question a customer asks, using your own jobs, prices and area. Google says there are no special requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode: a page must be indexed and eligible for a snippet. ChatGPT search needs its crawler allowed. Ten good posts beat a hundred generic ones.
Does anyone still read trade blogs?
Fewer people click through to read a whole post, but AI tools read them on the customer's behalf. When someone asks Google, ChatGPT or Perplexity "how much does a consumer unit change cost in Norwich", the answer is built from pages that say so plainly. Your post can be one of the sources, with a link.
That changes what a post is for. It used to be bait for a keyword. Now it's evidence that you know the job, in a form a machine can quote and a customer can check. A blog full of 300-word "5 tips for winter" posts does neither.
What do Google and ChatGPT say they need?
Less than the SEO industry suggests. Google's guidance for its AI features is short: the standard SEO basics apply, and there's no special markup or file to add.
For ChatGPT, OpenAI runs two separate crawlers. OAI-SearchBot finds pages for ChatGPT search answers; GPTBot collects content that may be used for training. You can block GPTBot and still allow OAI-SearchBot. If your web developer has blocked "all AI bots", you won't appear in ChatGPT search answers. Ask them to check robots.txt.
Google's helpful content guidance adds the part that matters for trades: show first-hand experience, make clear who wrote it, and write to help people rather than to rank. Mass-produced AI text with no human checking is called out as low effort.
Should your firm write a blog at all?
Not every firm should. If your work is local and domestic, your Google Business Profile, reviews and replying fast will bring more work per hour than a blog. A blog pays off when customers research before they call.
Start with ten posts answering the questions you hear most, each with a real job, a price range and your area. Add one a fortnight.
For fast, local jobs, people ring whoever is top of the map with good reviews. Post photos and ask every customer for an honest review.
Note down the questions customers ask for a month. When you have ten, you have a blog plan.
If nobody can give real details, a writer or AI will produce generic posts that AI search ignores. Spend the budget elsewhere.
What should a trade business blog post be about?
One question a customer has asked you, answered with your own numbers. "How much does it cost to add an EV charger to a 1930s semi in Ipswich?" is a post. "The benefits of electric vehicles" isn't.
Question as the customer asks it: e.g. Do I need a new consumer unit to fit an EV charger? Short answer in the first two sentences: yes/no, with the rule or the typical price range A real job: town, house type, what you found, what you did, how long it took What it cost: price range including VAT, and what moves it up or down The rule behind it: regulation or standard, with a link to the official page Photos: two or three from the job, with the customer's permission Who wrote it: your name, trade, qualifications, years in the trade Next step for the reader: how to get a quote
Write it the way you'd explain it at the kitchen table. Use the town names you cover. Put the price range near the top, because that's what AI answers pull out first. Link to the official rule, such as a GOV.UK or manufacturer page, so readers and machines can check it.
What does a blog cost against an SEO agency?
Less, if you write it yourself or dictate it, but it costs time. Here's an owner-written blog against a £750-a-month SEO retainer.
A year of owner-written posts against an SEO retainer
Twenty-six posts a year, one a fortnight, each taking about 90 minutes to dictate, check and add photos.
| Hours a year26 posts × 1.5 hours | 39 hours |
| Value of that time39 hours × £45 | £1,755 |
| SEO retainer for a year£750 × 12 months | £9,000 |
| Difference£9,000 − £1,755 | £7,245 |
No trade I know is good on social media.
He was paying £750 a month for SEO and bidding for solar jobs where firms were "bidding for 20 and winning one". What won him an 11-job solar contract was being quick and specific with quotes. A blog won't fix a slow reply. For more on what agencies should deliver, see what to expect from a trade marketing agency.
How do you know if the blog is working?
Use Google Search Console, which Google describes as a free service. Its performance report shows the searches your pages appear for, how often they're clicked, and includes traffic from AI features under the Web search type. Ask new customers how they found you as well.
If a post gets impressions but no clicks, the answer may already be shown in full in the AI summary. That's fine if your firm's name comes with it. If nobody calls after six months, put the time into your Google Business Profile, referrals or LinkedIn for commercial work.
Where Nexley fits
Nexley is the AI back office for UK trade firms: five AI assistants run your tenders, quotes, buying, scheduling and invoicing. It connects to the tools you already work in, you run it all from WhatsApp, and you approve everything. £799 a month.
When a post brings an enquiry, Nexley answers it on WhatsApp or email while you're on site, asks the questions you'd ask, and logs where the customer came from, so you can see which posts bring work. You approve every reply and quote it drafts.
Common questions
Will AI-written blog posts work for my trade business?
Only if a person who knows the job adds the real detail and checks every fact. Google's guidance says mass-produced AI content without human oversight shows little effort. Dictating your own experience and letting a tool tidy the wording is a different thing.
How long should a trade blog post be?
As long as it takes to answer the question with a real example: often 600 to 1,200 words. Put the answer in the first two sentences, then the detail.
Do I need special code or an llms.txt file for AI search?
Google says you don't need new machine-readable files, AI text files or special schema to appear in its AI features. Make sure your pages can be crawled and indexed, and that robots.txt allows the search crawlers you want.
Should I block AI bots from my website?
Blocking training crawlers such as GPTBot is your choice. If you block OAI-SearchBot, your pages won't appear in ChatGPT search answers. Decide per crawler rather than blocking them all.
Sources
- Google Search Central: AI features and your website
- Google Search Central: Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content
- OpenAI: Overview of OpenAI crawlers
- Google Search Console Help: About Search Console
- Google Search Central: Establish your business details with Google
Every rule, rate and date above was checked against these sources on the date shown at the top.
Topic: Winning work
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