Many people worry about their health. For that reason, they turn to search engines to discover how to keep themselves and their loved ones healthy. That’s one reason why health writing is among the hottest markets in content creation. Many websites use health and wellness articles to not only boost search engine rankings, but to also provide a public service by sharing information people can use to better their health.
Freelance health writers who can create accurate and informative content are in high demand with these companies. Becoming an expert health writer is simple. It comes down to doing the right things to give your content a clean bill of writing health.
Provide Accurate Information
Education is the primary goal with health content. People read health articles to learn facts on diseases, preventive care tips, treatments for specific medical conditions and other useful information. Health writers need to make it a priority to only include proven facts in their content. Inaccurate or false information in a health article can endanger a person’s health and life. Before writing on a specific topic, take extra time to do research and obtain correct facts.
Create Accessible Content
Medical terminology can be complex. Your mission as a health writer is to break down this information so that it is accessible to a general audience. If you refer to a disease by its scientific name, for example, also reference it by a common or popular name if one is widely used. Explain and define unfamiliar terms for your audience. Avoid using jargon that fits more in a medical textbook than in an article intended for a wide audience.
Build Around the Right Keywords
Your health writing should operate on sound SEO principles, so that information you’re sharing reaches a larger audience. This starts with organically inserting keywords into your article that will tie into what you are doing. If you are writing about treatments for the latest flu strain, for example, building around keywords like flu and flu vaccine will help your article rank higher in search engine results for those keywords.
Give Helpful Advice
Why does this information matter? That’s the one question you should always ask yourself when writing health content. What you write should inform your audience and help them understand how the information directly relates to their health. Ponder what questions your target audience would ask you about the topic at hand if they were in the same room with you. Focus your content around answering those hypothetical questions.
Focus on Current Health Issues
Effective health writing focuses on timely news and topics. You can establish your expertise by tackling the latest health-related news and trends. When writing about these things, it is important to retain a positive focus. Avoid painting the topic in alarmist terms. Fear will not help your audience make rational decisions. Infuse your content with useful information that helps people understand what they need to do to achieve better health.
John C is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
