The general short answer is a resounding no. Here are a few reasons why it’s silly.
They Take Forever to Write, They Do Nothing: Writing blog posts isn’t quick, and it’s not like you can bang one out between patients. It takes hours of researching, planning, writing and editing, plus, there’s the perpetual headache of making sure it doesn’t sound like every other blog out there. And after all that, what does it actually achieve? Nothing. All that energy could go into something that’s guaranteed to bring in actual patients, like fine-tuning your booking process or working on service pages that make it clear what you do and why you’re the best at it. Oh and let’s not forget, associates HATE writing them so you, the clinic owner gets left stressed about it all.
Patients Don’t Want Generic Advice: Your average patient isn’t searching for random tips on “keeping your spine happy” or “stretching your hamstrings.” (This applies to those stupid Insta posts “5 top tips for back pain” as well). They’ve likely tried Google for DIY help and got nowhere, so they’re looking for a professional, someone who can actually solve their problem, not waffle on about how they might give it a go themselves. They want real solutions, not yet another vague blog post telling them to “sit up straight.” Anything short of that makes your clinic look like every other online physio guru with vague tips and no substance.
The Internet’s Drowning in Them: You’re not the only one with a blog full of “helpful advice”. You’ve not stumbled across a unique new thing giving you a competitive edge. Every clinic with a computer and a basic understanding of anatomy is out there posting “Top 5 Tips for Avoiding Back neck pain.” So, what are the odds that yours will stand out? Zero. Google’s flooded with this stuff, and unless your clinic blog is working some kind of miracle, it’ll get buried by the 3 billion other MSK blogs and the 15 billion blogs written by chat GPT next week.
Waste of Money (And Time): Blogs aren’t exactly magnets for paying patients. The people reading them are usually just fishing for free advice to keep them from needing an appointment. So not only are you throwing time and effort at these readers who won’t book, but you’re actually paying for the privilege of losing their business. (No this isn’t about convincing people about your skills, no matter what gurus in this industry says so).
Nobody Converts from a Blog: On the off chance your blog does rank well, it’s still a long shot to generate actual bookings. Sure, some randoms will click on it, but how many of them are serious about seeing you? A handful, if you’re lucky. You’ll get eyeballs on the post but nothing in your Cliniko to show for it. It’s a well-known marketing law: people don’t book appointments from blogs. We have a lot of data on this and from over 500 clients with blogs we counted under 10 conversions this year. If you wanted a plumber to fix your boiler, would you read their blogs or would you just go to a service page?
SEO SEO No: Ranking a healthcare blog is possible but we don’t bother. Ever. Just keeping up with SEO and keywords could be a full-time job, and let’s face it, no one has time or money to do it. And for what? A few clicks from people who’ll skim the post and leave? SEO isn’t magic, it’s a long game that costs in both time and money. Instead of diving down the SEO rabbit hole, put that time into making your service pages easy to find. That’s where your effort should go.
Outdated Faster Than (Insert funny analogy here): Health information moves quickly. A blog post that seemed fresh and relevant six months ago can start to look tired, maybe even irrelevant, if it’s left to rot. Are you prepared to keep updating it, or would you rather it quietly go stale in the background? It’s a nightmare either way: leave it alone, and your site looks neglected; keep updating it, and you’re caught in an endless cycle of updates. Put your energy into service pages that build trust and bring in new business without the constant upkeep.
More Effective Marketing Out There: Think about what really drives patients to book: a fast, user-friendly website, testimonials that show real results, and clear, compelling service pages, videos and great photography. These elements build trust and credibility instantly. A blog post is fluff by comparison, a distraction from the stuff that actually matters to your clinic. Focus on the fundamentals instead, and your site will do the heavy lifting. Patients don’t need a lecture on hamstring stretches; they need to know you’re the right clinic and person for their problem.
Blogs Don’t Do ANYTHING: Blogs aren’t designed to convince someone to pick up the phone and book an appointment. The kind of content that does that is clear, straight-to-the-point, and shows why your clinic is the best choice for them. A services page or a detailed FAQ does this much better, indeed you’d get 10X better results by having a great team page. Cut out the fluff and give patients the information they need to make a decision. Blogs try to solve a problem that doesn’t even exist for clinics.
In short, skip the blog. There are far better uses of your time, effort, and money that actually get people through the door.
Get in touch if you fancy a chat about better ways of engaging patients and building your brand!
