The short answer is maybe blogging helps random strangers find one of your posts on the internet… but that’s not the best reason for blogging. Blogging instead establishes your authority, credibility, and availability.

The chance of getting freelance work from random search (eg “web developer near me”) is pretty low vs the odds that they find you through a referral. In other words they’re more likely to find you after a former client tells them “I worked with them and they did a great job.” Think about it: what’s the first thing most people do when they get a recommendation. They search for the person or company name, right? And when they find you and your site, your posts help reinforce that recommendation, confirming that you’re who they’re looking for and that you know what you’re doing. (Pro tip: a testimonial is a very good blog post.)

But also, blog posts really can at least fractionally increase the chance you’ll get found from “cold” searches because each post is a single-topic solution to somebody’s specific problem. And search engines want to give specific answers. So, for instance, if you’re a plumber and someone searches for “fix leaking shower fixture,” and you happen to have a post specifically about leaking shower fixtures, search engines will tend to put your answer above someone else’s post about fixing leaky faucets in general.

And finally, if you post somewhat regularly vs your competition, search engines seem to rank you higher than an otherwise similar individual or business who doesn’t blog or who doesn’t blog as often. Regular posting is a direct way to let Google know you’re still in business.