You’re building a medical or healthcare related website but without unique, relevant and quality content you are truly at risk for sabotaging all the efforts put forth in the initial developmental stages of the website. Whether you’re a website developer, marketing team member, or the CEO of the company, creating content for a website should not be a difficult task. A notoriously difficult situation may arise when attempting to obtain somewhat publishable writing from the experts in the company due to their already busy schedules. The bigger the company, the more of a challenge this may be. Real trouble arises when the “experts” have difficulty understanding why web content matters at all. Regardless of whether we’re creating content with our clients or whether we are assisting them to create content on their own, we know that it’s important to provide high quality and relevant content for every page of their website. It is important when your website content brings in a visitor from the world-wide internet that you keep them on your website or, better yet, the specific page they visit results in a call to action from the visitor. The Significance of Content for Medical and Healthcare Websites should never be minimized but it should be recognized that writing content can be difficult for many and preparing a template could be helpful. The goal with utilizing a content template for web pages is to begin to outline a plan for your company’s specific needs relative to web content. Templates will changed based on each website’s needs but the following is rather generalized template.
Pre-Writing Questions:
- What is the goal of your page?
- Provide High Quality Content
- Provide Relevant Content
- Obtain and maintain Interest in those reading your content
- Keep your visitors on YOUR website
- Rank high on search engines for keywords of your content to pull in new visitors
- Who are you attempting to target with this page?
- Based on each page of your content, what are 3 or 4 primary ideas you want to communicate?
- What keywords or keyword phrases will you include for results for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? SEO for Medical and Healthcare Providers, Medical Product Vendors, Service Providers and Manufacturers
- What are your competitors offering (for content) in comparison to you?
- What are your competitors using for keywords or keyword phases?
- What specific content would work best for Branding Medical and Healthcare Websites with Content and Social networking for those in the medical and healthcare industry
Page Headline / Page Title
(If utilizing an html editor, choose <h1> format, clear and attention grabber; it is best if you can include primary keyword or keywords (phrase) if possible)
First paragraph – The first paragraph is often what keeps your visitor’s attention or may result in moving on, whether they may check out what else your website might offer or worse yet, the visitor leaves. What is the ONE thing you want the reader to understand after they’ve read the copy? This ONE thing should be captured in the first couple sentences followed by a summarization of the benefits on the rest of the page. This paragraph should also include the payoff (linked call-to-action).
Create an Outline
Bold Sub-Headline (Break up your content in Paraghaphs: Point, Benefit, Product, Service, Paragraph #1)
(If utilizing an html editor, should be <h2> format, summarize the first main point discussed in the following paragraph, and include keyword or keywords (phrase) if possible)
[Content block] back up the main topic with your supporting points.
- Use bullets to Highlight some features or
- Provide Additional points.
Bold Sub-Headline (Break up your content in Paragraphs: Point, Benefit, Paragraph #2)
(If utilizing an html editor, should be <h2> heading 2 or 3 format, summarize the second main topic, point or benefit discussed in the following paragraph, and include keyword or keywords (phrase) if possible)
[Content block] back up the main benefit with supporting point.
- May use a numbered list
- To highlight information
- In an easy-to read, step-by-step format.
Bolded Sub-Headline (Break up your content in Paragraphs: Point, Benefit, Paragraph #3)
(If utilizing an html editor, should be <h2> format, summarize the third main topic, point or benefit discussed in the following paragraph, and include keyword or keywords (phrase) if possible)
[Content block] back up the main benefit with supporting point.
Bolded, Linked Call-to-Action Line (provide clear direction as to where the reader should go next)
Checklist before publishing your content:
- Is your page content 250 to 500 words?
- Is the headline clear and an attention grabber?
- Is the content relevant to your niche audience?
- Did you state your main point in the first couple sentences?
- Is there an image to enhance the reader’s experience? Did you use alt tags with keywords?
- Have you used short sentences, whenever possible? Is your content broken up into paragraphs with sub-headlines for a smooth flow for the reader?
- Have you utilized a numbered list and/or bullets to highlight or breakdown information?
- Are you using a lot of industry specific jargon? (If so, have you clarified same for those that may not know the phrases you’ve utilized?)
- Are you addressing the reader as “you”?
- Is it content interesting, relevant, unique and smooth flowing?
- Is the article free of typographical errors and grammatical errors?
- Have you utilized good back links from other high ranking sources with posting and benefiting from the results of your efforts provided to you, such as the Analytics of a LinkedIn Company Page
Additional resources relative to website development, SEO, Content and Social Media
The Independent Physician Entrepreneur – Branding and Social Media
SEO (Search Engine Optimization): The New Social Capital of Internet Businesses