Whether you’re building a blog from scratch or you just want to make your current one a good health blog, there are some essential things you need. Which is why I’ve pulled together this post about what you need for an awesome health blog! Take my 10+ years of experience and run wild.
This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Kate the (Almost) Great®!
Medical disclaimer
This is one of the most important aspects of having any health blog, let alone a good one: you need a disclaimer that you are not a medical professional. Termly says, “Medical disclaimers are used to help reduce legal liabilities in case your content directly or indirectly causes harm to readers” (x).
I have them at the start of every health blog post, as well as on some of my pages. They always say something like, “I am not a medical professional of any kind.”
But what if you are a medical professional?
Personally, I would still include them because you can’t be an expert on every single aspect of medicine. There isn’t enough time for you to be one. Additionally, you’re not examining patients in person or even providing virtual advice; you’re sharing written advice.
My advice for someone writing a blog who has a medical background is that your disclaimer should be clear about whether or not your experience applies to that particular post AND that they should talk to their doctors regarding their care.
Here are some examples:
- While I am a licensed RN, my experience does not apply to this post. Speak to your medical professionals before making any changes for [topic].
- I am a medical student and am not licensed to practice yet. Please speak to your care team about your specific concerns.
- I am a licensed [specialist] in the state of [your state]. Please speak to your care team about your specific concerns.
- I am a licensed [specialist] in the state of [your state], but I am not a specialist in [topic of the post]. Please speak to your care team about your specific concerns.
- While I do have an MD, I am not currently a practicing physician. Please speak to your doctor about your concerns.
- While I am an occupational therapist, I am not a doctor. Please speak to your care team about your specific concerns.
- While I do have a BN, I am not a practicing nurse. Please speak to your care team about your specific concerns.
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Affiliate disclosure
This is necessary for all blogs, but since we’ve started with disclaimers, let’s talk disclosures!
If you have ads or affiliate links, make sure you include a disclosure in your post, like the one I have up above the image. It’s required by the FTC (in the USA). And if the FTC doesn’t come after you for not having a disclosure, Google might.
I always have one in the sidebar, as well, but the law is that the disclosure has to be before the first link, which is why I always have mine towards the start of my posts.
It doesn’t have to be fancy! Mine is always some variation of “This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Kate the (Almost) Great®!” Other people tend to include things like, “This means if you click a link and make a purchase, I might receive a commission from your sale.”
The reason why I don’t include that, although it isn’t incorrect, is that different programs use different policies. I’m a member of a lot of affiliate programs; I don’t want to include information that doesn’t pertain to the programs included in that specific post and miss information that does.
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Affiliate links for relevant topics
As I implied earlier, affiliates are when you link to a product, someone clicks on the product, they buy it, and you get a commission. It’s a big part of why gift guides are so popular! (The other part is it’s really good traffic.)
I say “relevant topics” because there are SO many affiliate programs out there and companies to work with. Some won’t apply to what you’re writing about! You’re more likely to be successful when you link to products that people will use, so make sure you’re signing up for ones that are health-related.
Not sure where to start? Here are some affiliate programs to check out and sign up for:
- Amazon
- Skimlinks
- Collective Voice (f.k.a. ShopStyle)
- Etsy (through Awin)
- Ultimate Bundles
- Tailwind (through Impact)
- Shopify
Some programs have assets for you to use, like banners advertising specific products, which can make your life a lot easier. Adding those to your post is an easy way to include affiliate links.
Once again, make sure you include a disclosure before any affiliate links. And, yes, that includes banners. It’s a US law.
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Why you blog
This is important for all blogs, but it is especially true for health blogs. But you don’t have to give any information you don’t want to; in fact, I recommend you hold more information close to the chest before you decide to share it. After all, the internet is forever.
So how do you strike that balance?
On your about page, you should include information about who you are, but it should primarily be about the blog. For example, this is on my about page: “Kate the (Almost) Great is a resource for other chronic illness patients and their loved ones. I use this site to educate people on the illnesses I have and that are adjacent to mine, as well as to provide strategies for living with them.”
Earlier on that page, I specifically list some of the illnesses I have, but even if I didn’t, those sentences would be enough.
This is also important if you are a medical professional of some kind. If you plan to capitalize on the fact that you are a professional, explaining why you blog is a good way to include specifications about your background.
What is your job? What training did you do? What certifications do you have? Also make sure to include disclosure stuff, such as the examples I gave earlier.
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This is another topic that applies to all blogs, but I find it especially helpful for my health blog.
I tag all of my posts with relevant information so they are easy to find, both for readers and search engines. I have individual tags for each of my illnesses, as well as for chronic illness and chronic pain individually.
I also have a Tags & Topics page with them organized, as can be seen here:
If you don’t have over 900 posts published, then you don’t need a ton of tags. Most of the tags on my page aren’t even used anymore. But I keep them so people can find them, and I built that page to house all of my tags over the last decade.
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Clearly-noted reputable sources
I’ve said it a million times before and I’ll say it a million more times: your integrity and reputation are the most important investments you can make as a blogger.
Just because you see something that agrees with your opinion or point of view doesn’t mean it’s correct! Sites that are for a foundation around a condition, or that are from health provider websites, are generally good sources.
You also want to make sure that when you share other people’s information about health you’re not sharing incorrect information. Yes, it’s on them to be correct. But what you share with your audience is your responsibility.
In general, you need to be ready for someone to say, “Oh yeah? Prove it.” Plus, if you think something is a fact, make sure you’re positive before you post about it. A quick Google can help a lot!
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Alt text
Alt text “describes the appearance and function of an image on a page” (x). This is essential for low-vision people who use screen readers. So when you share an image on social media, make sure you have alt text.
For my blog post images, whenever I post them on social media, the text of the social media post is exactly what the text in the image reads. In the alt text function in WordPress, I generally write: “Text reads: what the text of the image says (end text)”. If I don’t do that, I just type what’s in the image without “Text Reads:” and “(end text)”.
When I’m sharing other images, I write the text of the social media post, press enter a few times, and then include an image description, or ID. So in a social media post featuring a screenshot of my Instagram feed, the text reads: “Follow me on Instagram! [ID: Kate’s Instagram feed]”.
If you’re going to post about health on social media, it’s hypocritical not to include alt text. I’m not perfect and sometimes posts slip through the cracks. But I do my best to include alt text, and you should, too.
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About page
Your readers will (hopefully) be curious about what your blog is and who you are! You need a page that explains you to them.
This page should explain the purpose of your blog as well as who you are. It needs to do both.
This is why it’s the best place to explain why you blog. Not just why the blog exists, but why you chose to blog.
I don’t consider myself an expert on writing these pages, so check out these posts to help you write an amazing page: About Me Template, How To Write An About Page That Compels Your Readers To Fall In Love With You, I can’t write about myself! 5 simple steps to creating a killer about me page, and How to Write the Perfect ABOUT Page for Your Blog.
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Social media links
Want your blog followers to follow you on social media? Have links to your networks easily accessible! I shouldn’t have to go looking for your networks. If someone has to click to go to your contact page to find your social media, many people aren’t going to bother. If someone has to scroll to the bottom of your blog to find them, many people aren’t going to bother.
My links are under the picture of me on the right and at the bottom of the page. This way, none of you have to go looking for that information. You should have the links on your page in multiple places.
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As a whole, the readers subscribed are the readers most interested in your content. If they sign up to receive your emails and stay subscribed, they are the ones most likely to see and read your posts.
Your newsletter can bring you more traffic and it can make you money. But building your audience can take a while, so you want to start building it ASAP. You can send them new blog posts, give them sneak peeks of your content, make them free downloads, or something else altogether. And, as a reminder, the end of this post is a list of specific things to send your subscribers.
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You don’t want people to need to go on a treasure hunt to find what they’re looking for, which is why you need things like an easy-to-navigate design and a search bar.
Make it clear where people can find specific things, but you need to do it without overwhelming your readers. That’s why I’m a big fan of a simple menu with related pages nestled under them.
“Home” is pretty straightforward, but “Start Here” is next. The pages next to “Start Here” are all straightforward: check out my blogging resources, a big freebie, shop my products, how to work with me, where to follow me, and then holiday. Related to my holiday posts are my gift guide posts, which is why it’s nestled underneath it.
Okay, let’s talk about what’s under “Start Here.” Yes, I have a page for Start Here, but I have related pages nestled under it. These include: About, As Seen On, Tags & Topics, and Popular Posts.
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Search bar
I currently have 933 blog posts published. Yeah, you read that right. So no matter how many connected posts I link to in my blog posts or how much to dig through my archives, you might not be able to find a post that you think I’ve written.
That’s why it’s so important to have a search bar. It will (probably) take you a while to get up to 900+ posts, but you need to plan for the day when it isn’t practical to expect your readers to dig through your blog to find something.
Finally, 95% of people aren’t going to spend more than a few minutes looking for a specific post. If they can’t find what they’re looking for, they’re going to leave. A search bar helps make that time last longer.
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Like this post? Share it! Then check out:
Writing about Health on Social Media Like a Pro, Essential Social Media Tips for Bloggers, How To Blog Consistently, What I Would Do If I Started a Blog Today
Kate Mitchell is a blogger, chronic illness patient, and advocate who helps people understand chronic illness and helps chronic illness patients live their best lives.
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