Blog writing is not just a stream of consciousness, especially when it comes to content for a medical practice. Google classifies medical content as “Your Money or Your Life” content (YMML) which means it’s held to a higher standard because misinformation can have serious negative consequences for the people who read it. That means it’s important to make sure your medical content is accurate and well researched – but it doesn’t stop there. Here are 9 more important elements to make sure you include in every blog post you publish.
- Original content. Research is important – but plagiarism is a no-go. Not only will it earn you penalties from Google, but it means you have no control over the accuracy of the content you’re publishing. Take the time to write your own original content and verify the accuracy of the information you’re publishing.
- Professional writing. Use proper grammar and sentence structure, and always check your spelling. Proofread all posts before publishing – remember, spell check doesn’t catch every error. It’s best to have a second pair of eyes read through an article before it is published to ensure everything is correct.
- Offer a takeaway. When creating a blog article, make sure there is an element within the post that will provide something to your readers. As you write, ask yourself, “What can readers learn from this article?” While novice writers often answer the question at the end of their articles, professional writers know that the answer goes at the beginning – with the explanation to follow.
- Provide relevance. Always make sure that your blog articles are illustrating and representing your medical practice in a positive way, as it pertains to your existing and prospective patients. Diary-style blog posts are probably not going to be relevant or interesting to your readers, nor are posts that have nothing to do with medical advice. Newsworthiness is another way to keep blogs relevant for medical practices – and can be a good way to showcase new procedures that your practice offers.
- Link to credible sources. Creating blog articles based on new studies supported by professional societies in your medical specialty are a great way to drive relevance and establish that your blog is credible. The key is to do the research required to ensure the pages you’re linking to are genuinely credible before linking.
- Link back to your own website pages. This practice, known as interlinking in the SEO world, provides valuable supplemental information to your readers on the topic you’re writing about. It’s also a valuable way to showcase your website’s information hubs on different topics – for example, if you’re blogging about a new plastic surgery procedure, your procedure page about plastic surgery as well as a blog post about plastic surgery recovery are both natural links to place on your post.
- Include frequently asked questions. Not only are FAQ sections helpful for patients looking for answers to their questions, they’re also valuable for SEO purposes, as they can help you connect with people searching for answers to their questions online. Including a section for FAQ at the end of your blog posts is a great way to accomplish both of these things at once.
- Include images. Most people see a wall of text and their eyes immediately glaze over. Including an image in your blog posts helps break up the monotony and attracts readers. Including too many images causes the message of the article to be lost, but not including an image at all is a near-guarantee that the article will not be read.
- Provide a call to action. Make sure readers know where they can go to get more information on the article’s topic and any relevant contact information for your medical practice.
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Need help dialing in your blogging strategy? MyAdvice has been helping medical practices with their content for over 20 years. Contact one of our experts today.
