Physician's Guide To Writing The Perfect Blog Post

The Anatomy of a Perfect Blog Post For Physicians

1) Headline
Start every blog post with a headline that grabs the reader's attention, and compels them to click and keep reading to learn more. Internet readers have very short attention spans -- around eight seconds in length -- and the headline is one of the critical first elements that help readers decide if they want to click and stay on your site. In fact, 60% of readers don't read past the headline, which presents a big opportunity.

​​Conduct Keyword Research
Once you have an angle you want to pursue, it's time for keyword research.  Keyword research will help you create a headline that will perform well on search engine results pages (SERPs). Your headline is one of many factors Google considers when ranking results on SERPs, and an optimized title will help people find the information they need more easily.

Tools like Google's Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and HubSpot's keywords tool can help you determine exactly which terms people are searching for, and which will be easier or more difficult for your new blog post to rank for.

Craft a TitleWhen it comes to the art of the perfect blog post, we've done some analysis and looked at how our own titles have performed. Here are the consistent principles we found:

• The ideal blog post title length is 60 characters.
• Headlines between 8 and 12 words are shared most often on Twitter.
• Headlines between 12 and 14 words are liked most often on Facebook.

2) Meta Description
The meta description doesn't live on your blog post -- it lives somewhere different that's just as important.
The meta description refers to the HTML attribute that explains the contents of a given web page. Basically, it's a short description you see on a SERP to "preview" what the page is about.

​In our analysis, we found the ideal meta description length is under 155 characters.

3) Featured Image
​Featured images usually sit at the top of a blog post and are another element to draw readers in to learn more. The image should reflect what the story is about, intrigue readers, or provoke them. It shouldn't be too literal or obvious, and it can simply be aesthetically pleasing, too.

4) Introduction
The introduction needs to quickly hook your reader and convince her to read the rest of your blog post. It also has to let the reader know what your post is about, so she knows what she's getting. Nobody likes clickbait, so you want to make sure your post is about what the headline says it is.

5) Sub-Headers
Sub-headers are another on-page SEO element that helps your blog post to rank in Google Search. Sub-headers organize and break up your blog post into different sections to signal to Google (and your reader) what the post will cover.

6) Body 
The meat of your blog post -- separated by various sub-headers, of course -- is where your readers will undoubtedly derive the most value. In our analysis, the ideal blog post length is roughly 2,100 words, but that will vary depending on your topic. Medium found that posts that took seven minutes to read earned the most engagement and attention, and serpIQ found that most of the top-10 Google results are between 2,032 and 2,416 words.

7) Data
Whenever it's possible to use data and numbers, do so. Numbers written as numerals (23) instead of words (twenty-three) have been shown to attract reader attention when they quickly scan what they're reading online. Additionally, numbers represent facts -- which are unimpeachable and most trusted by your readers.

​8) Multimedia Elements
We've told you a few times that your reader is having trouble staying focused, so wherever it's possible to use multimedia content to break up the blog post and re-engage your reader, add images, videos, audio recordings, and social media posts. Changing up the format of your blog post will provide additional value to your reader while making sure their eyes are focused on what they're reading and seeing.

9) Conclusion
When you're ready to wrap up and sign off, make sure to let your reader know the article is closing. Your conclusion doesn't need to be lengthy, but it should serve to recap the blog post the reader just finished and provide more resources and guidance, if wanted. More on that next.

10) Call to Action
Finish your conclusion with a meaningful call to action (CTA) for your reader -- whether it's advice, a content offer, or a link to another related blog post. Use the last lines of your post to leave the reader feeling like he or she learned something from you -- and like there's even more to learn from you, creating the desire to click a link or CTA image and read more

Following the steps outlined in this blog can dramatically increase your medical website's SEO.  Contact us to learn more techniques on how to increase traffic to your medical website.