SEO Medical Writer

Once you have identified the type of writing, target market and approach to the content you are developing as outlined in Part 1, you are ready to construct your content. The tendency to ramble on and repeat points is the mark of a novice writer with weak skills. This can be easily spotted by any reader and does not foster much faith in your readership.

If you want your content to be considered as a respected resource on the subject matter, then you need to gain your reader’s trust. This means well constructed content, that is authoritative yet simple to understand. Medical jargon should be limited and if it has to be used, always include a simple definition of the technical term.

Always structure your content plan in point form. Divide it into sections with appropriate subheadings and ask yourself if you are telling the full story as indicated by the title. Before you start writing, ensure that the keyword research that a client provides is relevant or you may have to do the keyword research yourself.

Ensure that you have a firm grasp of all the aspects relating to the content even if you will not mention these points in your article.

Keywords

You can divide your keywords into two types :

• Primary keywords are the main keywords which will be prevalent in your content and your title.
• Secondary keywords are the synonyms and related keywords as understood by the search engines and contains the various terms that readers may use to find and identify the topic. These keywords may also be used in subheadings.

Good content will contain a healthy keyword density without being excessive and ‘spammy’. Your primary and secondary keywords should be alternated throughout the content so that it creates a natural word progression, without making for an awkward read by a human reader.

Your keyword list can be invaluable to the SEO consultant or link negotiator working on the project. It also opens up options for future articles in a series.

Subheadings

Subheadings have multiple benefits :

• It is easy for the reader to identify different and the most pertinent sections of your article. Remember that most online readers tend to scan content until they find a relevant section which they will then read carefully.
• It has SEO value as heading tags (H1, H2, H3 …) which play an important role when optimizing your content.
• It allows you to write your draft and final content according to your content plan.

It may be advisable to insert your subheadings before you even start writing your content on your word processor, blogging software or content management system. This will give your content direction and prevent repetition. It also maintains the appropriate structure of the article.

Grammar, Spelling and Layout

Grammar and spelling errors are the downfall of most writers, even the most experienced. You may be a native English speaker with excellent grammar and spelling but this can be easily lost when writing. Proof read your work multiple times and edit it appropriately. Ask yourself if it makes for an easy read. If not, this may be a grammar issue or a flaw with your article structure,  rather than the topic itself.

Keep a few points in mind for this aspect of your content creation :

• US or UK English.
• Paragraphs shorter than 90 words are ideal for online content. Print content should have shorter paragraphs.
• Never invert a sentence unless you have a point to make.
• Long sentences explain and short sentences make a statement.
• Every sentence should flow into the next, even if two consecutive sentences discuss different points of the same topic.

Quality Medical Content

Well structured medical content will answer at least four of the six possible questions that a reader may have with regards to the title. For example, if your article title is on hypothyroidism, then your article should answer the following :

• What is hypothyroidism?  (DEFINE)
• Where is the thyroid gland located (ANATOMY) and which parts of the body are affected by hypothyroidism (SIGNS & SYMPTOMS)?
• How does hypothyroidism develop (PATHOPHYSIOLOGY)?
• Why does hypothyroidism occur? (CAUSES)
• When does hypothyroidism occur? (RISK & CONTRIBUTING FACTORS)
• Who is prone to developing hypothyroidism? (PREVALENCE/INCIDENCE)

Comprehensive medical content will answer all six questions.

This is a basic approach to writing medical content and if your article follows the recommendations outlined in the two posts on medical content writing, then you can rest assured that you have created quality content.