Do I Need to Be a Good Writer to Blog?
This question or some variation of the statement: “but I’m not a good writer…” is something I hear from therapists when I encourage them to write blog posts on their therapy website.
The truth is that you don’t need to write good to be a good blogger. (See what I did there?)
Grammar errors. Spelling mistakes. Run-on sentences. They are okay and will not kill you or your website.
Yes, good writing is important, but it’s not the most important aspect of blogging.
In fact, I’ll let you know about some great tools to improve your writing, but first…
Why is Blogging Important for My Therapy Website?
Blogging is one of the best ways to increase your site’s rank in Google.
More visitors from Google means more people viewing your content. When done well, this translates to more therapy clients for your practice.
If I had to do it all over again and build a new therapy practice, one of the first things I would do is start blogging.
Blogging not only adds pages to your website (which Google likes), it also allows you to show your authority on certain topics (which Google likes), and allows your potential clients to get a sense of who you are (which leads to more paying clients).
Blogging is a win-win-win across the board.
Why Many Therapists Don’t Blog
I get it. Blogging can seem intimidating.
“What will I write?”
“Will people even read it?”
“Who am I to write about this when so-and-so-expert has already written the book on it? Literally.”
If you’ve done good keyword research, you’ll know what to write.
If the information is helpful, people will read it.
Just because so-and-so wrote the book on it doesn’t mean you don’t have something valuable to add to the conversation.
Your potential clients want to hear from YOU.
Scary, right?
Also very, very true.
Answering the Questions on Your Potential Clients’ Minds
Does this person understand what I’m going through?
Can this person really help me to achieve the results I’m looking for?
Are they real? Are they relatable? What will working with them be like?
These are the kinds of questions on your prospective clients’ minds, and they are the exact questions that you can answer for them on your blog.
Because that’s all that blogging is- showing up, answering questions, and being helpful.
That’s it. That’s the recipe for a successful therapy blog.
What if I Want to Learn to Write Better?
Great. There are two things you can do to increase your writing ability. Ready.
Writing and reading.
If you want to become a better writer, write. As you do, your skill will improve over time.
Of course, there are all kinds of online writing courses that you can take as well if that’s your thang.
If you’re not ready to commit to writing a therapy blog, start a personal blog instead.
Or write in a journal each night for 20 minutes. Just write.
And read. Read fiction. Read non-fiction. Read therapy books and sci-fi. Whatever floats your boat.
Heck, listen to audiobooks if you don’t like to actually read.
The point is to imbibe writing from other sources. This will help spark the creativity in you.
Other Tools for Improved Writing
There are a handful of free tools that you can use to help improve your writing.
Writing (or even dictating) into Google Docs will help you with spelling and grammar.
Yoast is a plug-in that I use for SEO that also grades your posts and pages on readability. It also offers some handy tips to improve your writing with links to more robust articles.
I would be remiss not to mention Grammarly. You’ve probably seen ads for them floating around the internet.
It’s like having an editor and proofreader in your pocket for free. How sweet is that?
Don’t Wait to Start Blogging
My number one tip for anyone who wants to start a blog on their therapy website is just that: start.
If you start writing now, your writing will improve over the next three months.
Not only that, but your site will likely rank higher in three months as well.
The you in three months will look back and high five the you of today if you get started now.
There is a Chinese proverb that states, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
Where will your website rank on Google in three months?
The answer could very well be determined by whether you start blogging today.