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You may not know it, but there’s a lot that goes on behind-the-scenes when writing a blog. Before you get started, it’s important to consider the kind of content you want to put out for your Functional Medicine practice. Think about what it is you do for your patients and how they can benefit from your services. A great practice is to start brainstorming different topics that you want to cover or that you think current or potential patients could find helpful. If you can provide the information they need in a blog post, you establish your credibility, build trust, and you bring more traffic to your website.
Once you can narrow it down and choose a topic to discuss, it’s time to consider the technical side of blogging. Here are 4 tips on how to write the perfect blog to promote your Functional Medicine practice.
Correct Formatting
First things first, create an outline of what you want to cover in your blog post. This will be your guide to make sure you stay on the right track and that your entire post flows and reads well. An outline provides the structure you need to maintain consistency across the board.
As a professional in Functional Medicine, and someone who is well versed in the health and wellness field – it’s important to make your content easy to read. You want to make sure the content is written in layperson’s terms so people can actually process what you are talking about. Maintaining the correct formatting for your blog will also ensure it’s getting the most shares possible.
Here are a few formatting tips to consider:
- Feature lists
- Add headings & subheadings
- Include bullet points
- Break up text with photos or quotes
- Bold or italicize keywords or phrases
You can put out educational and informational content all day, but if it looks like a single block of text, the more likely people will click away from your site. Create more user-friendly content.
Include Internal and External Links
Another good practice when writing the perfect blog is to include internal and external links to relevant blog posts or health articles. Doing this provides your current or potential patients with other sources you believe they can benefit from. Internal and external links can also increase engagement by keeping a reader on your website longer.
Internal links are certain keywords linked within your blog post to other areas of your website. For example, if you were writing a blog on generic holistic health benefits, you could link to a separate blog post on your website that provides more detail about incorporating a holistic diet into your lifestyle. This allows your readers to navigate your website and learn more about the topics that you discuss as a Functional Medicine practitioner. Internal links also improve your search engine optimization (SEO) and help Google get your content to new audiences faster.
External links are keywords linked to another page or website outside of your own. Linking externally is a great way to provide your current or potential patients with valuable resources within your medical field. Each link should add to or solidify the topic you’ve chosen to write about. This can give a boost to your site’s relevance and positively affect how search engines rank you. As a medical practitioner, you also position yourself as an authority with quality information to share.
SEO Keywords
SEO keywords are what tells Google that your blog post is relevant to the person searching for it. The keywords you use throughout your post should be relevant to what you do as a Functional Medicine practitioner, the patients that you treat, and the services you provide. For example, if you specialize in naturopathic health, your blog could contain keywords on how you help patients identify underlying causes of illness or symptoms they may have. Ensure that your website and blog posts are optimized for search by using SEO keywords in:
- Your post title
- URL
- Introduction
- Blog headers
- Image alt texts
There are two types of keywords: short tail and long tail. A short tail keyword consists of one or two words and a long tail keyword is around 3-5 words paired together to make a relevant phrase. It’s important to use keywords that speak directly to your current or potential patients. By strategically placing SEO keywords throughout your blog post, you help search engines pair you with your future patients that may need your services.
Call to Action
A call-to-action (CTA) is an invitation to your audience to take the desired action. This could range anywhere from booking a consultation call with you or signing up for your mailing list. It’s completely up to you. A CTA is what leads your patients to the next step where they can learn more information from you, about you, or your practice. Sometimes people just need a little guidance to take the next step you want them to. With that said, some CTA’s include where potential patients can contact you, asking your readers to comment on your blog, connect with you on social media, internal linking, etc.
A CTA is a critical part of your website’s lead generation process and without one, your blog will have a hard time converting readers into patients. The key is to know what you want your patients to do and use action words to lead them towards it. This will keep your audience engaged and get them used to taking action on your posts.
Need A Functional Medicine Copywriter?
There’s a strategy behind every blog post and it’s essential to understand how it can positively affect your business. I dive into more detail about how blogging can grow your Functional Medicine practice in my blog post here. But if you’re ready to take the next step and start creating blogs that promote your practice, consider correct formatting, including internal and external links, SEO keywords, and CTA’s.
If you want to start a blog but just don’t have the time, I can help. My name is Bailey Petrucelli and I’m a medical copywriter for functional medicine providers. You can contact me here by filling out an inquiry form and I’ll get back to you within 24 hours. You can also find me on Instagram!
That is great information… I have been looking for something like this for quite some time as to my wife has been dealing with a few of the same issues.