Help Centre › Sitejet Builder › How to set up a blog in Sitejet Builder
A blog is the highest-ROI content investment a UK SME can make. Each post is a new page Google can rank for specific long-tail queries, compounding traffic over months and years. Sitejet Builder gives you two ways to set up a blog — a dedicated preset or a flexible Collections-based approach. This guide covers both, with UK-specific content strategy and tips for consistent publishing.
Why your website needs a blog · Two ways to add a blog · Creating a blog using Collections · Managing blog posts · Choosing a display layout · Blog SEO benefits · Organising posts with categories · Tips for a successful UK SME blog · FAQ
Three reasons a blog drives real UK SME returns:
- Long-tail SEO. Each post targets a specific question (“why is my boiler pressure low?”, “how much does a kitchen extension cost in Bristol?”) that an owner-focused services site would never rank for otherwise.
- Authority and trust. A library of helpful articles turns “I might call them” into “I am calling them now”.
- Compound growth. One post a week for a year = 52 indexed pages. At three years that is 156 indexed pages, each earning traffic continuously.
For the wider strategic picture see our business blog marketing guide.
- Quick start — blog preset. Elements panel → Blog preset. Sitejet creates a blog index page and post template in one action.
- Flexible — Collections. Create a Blog collection with custom fields (title, body, author, date, tags, featured image). More work upfront; more control afterwards. Recommended for serious publishers.
- Collections panel → New collection → name it “Blog”.
- Add fields: Title (text), Slug (text), Featured image (image), Body (rich text), Author (text or reference), Publish date (date), Categories (select/multiselect), Meta description (text).
- Build the detail page template — how a single post renders on its own URL.
- Build the list item template — how a post appears in a blog index grid.
- Create a Blog index page; drop a Collection list element onto it pointing at the Blog collection.
- Add a link to the blog index in your main navigation.
Add posts from Collections → Blog → New entry. Fill in the fields, save as draft or publish. Each post gets its own URL (/blog/post-slug) and is automatically added to the index.
Workflow tip: draft posts accumulate over a week, publish one on a fixed day (Tuesday mornings work well for UK B2B traffic). Consistency matters more than volume.
Common UK SME blog layouts:
- 3-column grid — scannable for portfolio-style blogs.
- Magazine layout — featured post large, others in a grid below. Good for editorial.
- Single-column list — long-form content focus; shows excerpt next to thumbnail.
- Chronological feed — newest first, paginated.
For trades and services, the single-column list with excerpt is the most effective. Visitors scan titles and excerpts in seconds.
- Each post has a dedicated URL with customisable title tag and meta description.
- Article schema applied automatically.
- Breadcrumbs (Home → Blog → Post title) aid navigation and SEO.
- Category pages group related posts — additional indexable pages.
- Internal linking between posts builds topical authority.
- Fresh content signals site activity to Google.
See our local SEO and how to configure SEO guides for detail.
For a UK SME with 30+ posts, category organisation makes the blog navigable. Typical categories by sector:
- Plumber — Emergency, Heating, Bathrooms, Winter Tips
- Accountant — Self-Assessment, VAT, Making Tax Digital, Small Business Advice
- Florist — Weddings, Seasonal, Arrangements, Events
- Beauty salon — Hair, Nails, Skincare, Product Reviews
Keep categories to 4–8 per blog. More categories dilute SEO value per category page.
- Answer the questions customers actually ask you — every phone call is a potential post.
- Consistency > volume. Monthly or fortnightly works; weekly is ideal.
- Write for UK English and UK audience (GBP, UK regulations, local examples).
- 800–1,500 word posts rank well for most long-tail queries.
- Every post needs a clear CTA to a service page.
- Include at least one image per post with alt text.
- Use Sitejet’s AI to draft, then edit with your UK-specific expertise.
- Review and refresh older posts annually — Google rewards updates.
Q: How often should I post?
A: Monthly is the minimum to benefit. Fortnightly is healthy. Weekly compounds fastest. Consistency matters more than volume.
Q: How long should each blog post be?
A: 800–1,500 words for most UK SME topics. Longer (2,000+) for cornerstone content like pricing guides or comprehensive how-tos.
Q: Can I import posts from a WordPress blog?
A: Partial. Import content as plain text; re-style with Sitejet elements. No one-click import, but the Collections import CSV accepts structured data.
Q: Do I need to hire a copywriter?
A: Not for typical UK SME blogs. Your expertise plus Sitejet’s AI for drafting covers most posts. Consider a freelance editor for polish once or twice a quarter.
Q: Are AI-generated blog posts OK for SEO?
A: Pure AI output rarely ranks. Use AI for drafts; edit with real UK expertise, examples and quotes. Google’s Helpful Content update targets uniform AI-generated content.
Q: Can I schedule posts to publish in the future?
A: Yes — set the Publish date field in the future. Post appears on the blog index at the scheduled time.