Module 8 of 13

Useful content

What to write when you have no time to write, and how to tell useful content from filler that quietly harms you.

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Answer the questions you already get asked

You do not need a content strategy. You need to write down, once and properly, the answers you give on the phone twenty times a month.

"How much does a bathroom refit cost in 2026?" "Do I need planning permission for a dropped kerb?" "What happens if my boiler is condemned?" Each is a page. Each is genuinely useful. Each is written from knowledge you already have.

The filler test

Before publishing, ask: could a stranger with no experience of this trade have written this in ten minutes? If yes, it adds nothing — and thin, generic pages do not sit inertly; they dilute the impression of the whole site.

Useful content usually contains at least one of: a real number, a real constraint, a real mistake you have seen, or a decision rule. Generic content contains none.

Volume is not the goal

Twelve pages that answer real questions thoroughly will outperform a hundred spun ones, and cost less to maintain. Publish when you have something to say, not to a calendar.

In practice — A landscaping firm in Norwich

They wrote one page: "What a garden redesign actually costs in Norfolk, with three real 2025 examples." Real numbers, real constraints, honest about what pushes a price up.

It became the page most of their enquiries land on, and it pre-qualifies people — callers already know the rough budget, so quoting conversations got shorter.

Action checklist

  • List the ten questions you answer most often on the phone.
  • Write the honest answer to each, including numbers where you can.
  • Apply the filler test before publishing anything.
  • Give each answer its own page with a plain, question-shaped title.
  • Update the numbers annually rather than republishing new posts.

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Exercise

Record yourself answering your single most common customer question, out loud, as if on the phone. Transcribe it and tidy it. That is your next page, and it is better than anything you would have typed.

Time needed: 45 minutes

Read the source

Primary documentation, so you can check anything here rather than take our word for it.

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