Healthcare Content Marketing: Compliant Authority Building

Before creating any content, understand the regulatory landscape:

Advertising Standards (ASA/CAP)

• No misleading claims — All statements must be substantiated
• Evidence requirements — Claims need appropriate clinical evidence
• Testimonials — Must reflect typical outcomes, not exceptional results
• Before/after imagery — Restricted for many treatments

Professional Body Guidelines

• GMC — Good Medical Practice applies to online content
• GDC — Dental practitioners' advertising rules
• HCPC — Standards for allied health professionals

Google's YMYL Requirements

• E-E-A-T signals — Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness
• Medical review — Content reviewed by qualified professionals
• Source citation — Reference to clinical evidence

Structure your content strategy around pillars that serve both patient needs and search intent:

1. Condition Education

• Purpose — Help patients understand their health concerns
• Format — Comprehensive guides, symptom explainers
• Intent — Informational (top of funnel)
• Example — "Understanding Lower Back Pain: Causes and When to Seek Help"

2. Treatment Information

• Purpose — Explain what treatments involve and expected outcomes
• Format — Procedure guides, recovery timelines
• Intent — Consideration (middle of funnel)
• Example — "What to Expect from Knee Replacement Surgery"

3. Expert Insights

• Purpose — Demonstrate thought leadership and expertise
• Format — Opinion pieces, research commentary, clinical updates
• Intent — Authority building
• Example — "New Research on Minimally Invasive Hip Surgery: What It Means for Patients"

4. Patient Resources

• Purpose — Support patients through their care journey
• Format — Preparation guides, FAQ pages, aftercare instructions
• Intent — Service (bottom of funnel)
• Example — "Preparing for Your First Consultation: What to Bring"

In healthcare, who writes the content matters as much as what it says. Anonymous medical content doesn't rank.

Author Requirements

• Named bylines — Every article attributed to a qualified author
• Credentials — "Dr [Name], FRCS, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon"
• Author pages — Dedicated profiles with full qualifications
• Registration numbers — GMC/GDC numbers where appropriate

Medical Review

• Review statement — "Medically reviewed by [Name] on [Date]"
• Review credentials — Reviewer must be appropriately qualified
• Date visibility — When content was last reviewed/updated

Source Citation

• NHS references — Link to NHS guidance where relevant
• NICE guidelines — Reference clinical guidelines
• Peer-reviewed sources — PubMed, medical journals
• Avoid — Wikipedia, general health websites as primary sources

Healthcare content requires a more rigorous production process than other industries:

Stage 1: Research & Brief

• Keyword research for search opportunity
• Competitor content analysis
• Clinical accuracy requirements
• Compliance considerations identified

Stage 2: Draft Creation

• Written by qualified author or specialist writer
• Sources documented throughout
• Claims flagged for evidence requirements

Stage 3: Medical Review

• Clinical accuracy verification
• Claims substantiation check
• Appropriate caveats added
• Reviewer sign-off documented

Stage 4: Compliance Review

• Advertising standards compliance
• Professional body guidelines
• Testimonial/claim review
• Final approval for publication

Stage 5: Publication & Optimisation

• SEO optimisation (meta, headings, schema)
• Author and review attribution
• Internal linking structure
• Monitoring and update schedule

Condition Guides (High Impact)

Comprehensive, authoritative guides that cover:

• What the condition is (definition)
• Symptoms and presentation
• Causes and risk factors
• Diagnosis process
• Treatment options
• When to seek help

Treatment Pages (Commercial)

Service pages that balance information with conversion:

• What the treatment involves
• Who it's suitable for
• What to expect (process)
• Recovery and outcomes
• Practitioner credentials
• Clear booking CTA

FAQ Pages (Quick Wins)

Structured Q&A that captures featured snippets:

• Common patient questions
• Clear, concise answers
• FAQPage schema markup
• Links to detailed content

Video Content (Engagement)

Practitioner-led video builds trust:

• Treatment explanations
• Q&A sessions
• Virtual facility tours
• Patient testimonials (with consent)

Healthcare content has longer attribution windows. Patients may read content months before booking.

Metrics to Track

• Organic traffic — By content piece and topic cluster
• Ranking positions — Target keywords and featured snippets
• Engagement — Time on page, scroll depth, pages per session
• Assisted conversions — Content in conversion path
• Direct conversions — Bookings from content pages

Content Audit Cycle

Healthcare content requires regular review:

• Quarterly performance review
• Annual clinical accuracy review
• Update "last reviewed" dates
• Refresh underperforming content
• Remove or redirect obsolete content

Our Content Strategy services are built around this exact framework, designed for businesses that need predictable growth.

See how we applied this approach in our client case studies.