How to make a blog for your dental practice that people will actually read

Blogging is a proven way to generate traffic to your website, boost your SEO, and create a steady stream of fresh content on your site. Unfortunately, a lot of dentists tend to struggle when it comes to blogging so they miss out on all of the benefits it has to offer.

Some dentists aren’t sure what to blog about, some avoid it because they aren’t great writers, and others have made an attempt but were unsuccessful. Whatever your reasoning is for not blogging, it’s time to make a change. Here are some helpful tips to create a blog that can bring traffic to your site and make people want to read it.

1- Don’t make it all about you

The number one mistake that most dentists make with their blogs is making them completely self-serving. While your blog can potentially bring in new patients, you can’t go into it with that mentality. Your blog is one part of your website that should be all about your visitors.

An occasional blog post about a special you’re having on teeth cleanings is ok, but having every article be about your practice won’t attract readers.

2- Inform or entertain

If your articles aren’t going to be about your practice, then what will they be about? Ideally, blog posts should inform, entertain, or both.

For instance, articles about how to keep a healthy smile, or foods that stain your teeth, offer knowledge to the reader. Those types of articles teach readers valuable information that can benefit them, so they are more compelled to read them.

At the same time, you want your articles to be entertaining as well. Having an article about “5 Movie Villains Who Need a Dentist” is much more likely to catch the eyes of readers, get shared, and potentially go viral than a boring generic article.

3- Be consistent

Did you start a blog some time last year, and then over time it just kind of got put on the backburner? You’re not alone. Blogs take time to manage and keep going, and as a dentist, you probably don’t have the time to do it.

The best way to make sure your blog is constantly being updated is to have a person from your office be in charge of it. Create a regular posting schedule and stick to it. Whether it’s once a week, once every other week, or certain days of the week, just be consistent. Ideally, you should try to add an article once a week, but there are no set “rules” for posting frequency.

4- Don’t limit yourself to text

A blog post doesn’t have to be limited to just written articles. Use your blog as an opportunity to get creative. Blog posts can include videos, infographics, audio, or any other type of media. Having visuals gives visitors something appealing to look at and share.

It’s best to create your own visuals, but you can also share images or videos that you found online. Just make sure that you give credit to the original source if you didn’t create a piece of content.

5- Encourage people to share

Blogs thrive by having people share the content on them. Make it easy for people to share your blog posts by having social media sharing buttons in each article. If you use Wordpress for your site, then there are plenty of plugins that can help you do this.

Since there’s a good chance that people aren’t rushing to share your service pages on Facebook, blog posts are a great way to generate social media activity for your practice.

These tips should help you get your practice’s blog off to a good start, and hopefully start bringing new traffic to your website. The most important thing to remember is not to give up. The results may not come immediately, but over time you’ll start seeing all of the benefits blogging has to offer.