Creating Content People Actually Read

Lead with the answer

Most visitors arrive with one question. Nielsen Norman Group's eyetracking research found that people looking at a page of text give the most attention to the first lines and the start of each line, and often skip the rest. Their first advice is to put the most important points in the first two paragraphs.

• •Write the title as the question or task the reader has, in their words.
• •Answer it directly in the first paragraph, before background or history.
• •Skip long welcomes and "in this article we will" openings, and only promise what the page delivers.

Make the page easy to scan

The same research shows the worst scanning happens on walls of plain text with no headings, bold or lists. Formatting gives the eye somewhere useful to land:

• •Use headings for each part of the answer, and start them with the words that carry the meaning, so someone reading only the first two words still gets the point.
• •Keep paragraphs short and focused on one idea.
• •Use numbered lists for steps and bullets for options.
• •Bold a few key phrases, not whole paragraphs.
• •Cut sentences that do not help the reader do or understand something.

Use images that explain something

• •Prefer photos you own of your office, team and equipment over generic stock images, used with your team's permission.
• •Use a simple diagram or checklist when it explains a process faster than text.
• •Write alt text that describes what the image shows for people using screen readers.
• •Compress images so the page still loads quickly on phones.
• •Never use patient photos without the patient's written permission.

Write the way your team talks

The clearest articles sound like a helpful person at your front desk explaining something, not a brochure.

• •Use everyday words, and explain any clinical term the first time it appears.
• •Address the reader as "you" and prefer active verbs.
• •Keep a calm, honest tone, and leave out hype and promises about results.

Add what only your practice knows

Google's helpful content guidance asks whether a page offers original information and goes beyond the obvious. Generic articles look the same on every website. Yours can include:

• •What a visit for this topic looks like at your office, step by step.
• •The questions patients ask your team most and how you answer them.
• •Who wrote or reviewed the article, so readers know where the information comes from.
• •Links to reliable sources for any facts or numbers you mention.
• •A review date, updated only when you actually change something.

Offer one clear next step

Close with the step that fits the article, and make it easy to find:

• •Book a visit or call the office, for articles about a specific service.
• •Read a related article, for early research topics.
• •Join your email list, for readers who want reminders and updates.

Use link and button text that says where it goes, such as "Book a cleaning", rather than "Click here". Nielsen Norman Group notes that descriptive links also help people who hear pages read aloud.

Search basics that also help readers

Google's SEO Starter Guide describes practices that make pages easier for people as well as search engines:

• •Use the words people actually search with, and expect that different people describe the same need in different ways.
• •Organize the page into sections with headings so it is easy to follow.
• •Link to your related pages with descriptive anchor text.
• •Avoid repeating keywords unnaturally, which Google's spam policies call keyword stuffing.

For more detail, see our guide on writing content that ranks on Google and our SEO service.

Check what people read and improve it

Google Analytics 4 gives you a few simple signals for each article:

• •Engaged sessions and engagement time: GA4 counts a session as engaged when it lasts longer than 10 seconds, includes a key event or has two or more page views.
• •Scrolls: with enhanced measurement turned on, GA4 records a scroll event the first time a visitor reaches about 90 percent of the page.
• •Next steps: clicks to your booking, phone or contact pages from the article.

Compare your own articles with each other rather than with outside benchmarks. When a useful article has low engagement, move the answer higher, sharpen the headings or cut filler. Our guide on high bounce rates on blog pages covers more fixes.

Get the article in front of people

A good article still needs readers. After it goes live:

• •Link to it from related service pages and older articles on your site.
• •Feature it in your next patient email, with a short summary and one link.
• •Share a short version on your social profiles or as a Business Profile post.
• •Give your front desk the link so they can send it when patients ask the same question.

See repurposing content across channels for turning one article into other formats. If you would like help planning and writing articles, see our content marketing service.

Sources

Guidance and product features change, so check the pages for current details.

• •Nielsen Norman Group: F-Shaped Pattern of Reading on the Web
• •Google Search Central: Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content
• •Google Search Central: SEO Starter Guide
• •Google Analytics Help: Engagement rate and bounce rate
• •Google Analytics Help: Enhanced measurement events