Tips and Hints

Don’t construct long sentences – Do your best to write as concisely as possible. You should avoid writing a sentence longer than 20 words. Web users are more likely to read short sentences rather than long sentences.

Avoid complex sentence structure – Although you may enjoy testing your excellent grammar skills, complex sentence structures with a surplus of semicolons, dashes, and ellipses often confuse web users. In most cases, there is a simpler way to construct a sentence and still maintain its meaning.

Write to your audience – If you’re discussing the latest research on periodontal disease in a blog post, you can’t assume that your readers have the same knowledge that you do. If you blog contains too much technical verbiage, you may turn readers away.

Check your facts and statistics – When citing studies or statistics, make sure you have your numbers and facts straight. Your dental copy is a reflection of your client’s competency and knowledge. If you improperly state facts, you could affect your client’s reputation.

Use keywords naturally – Google’s algorithms can detect unnatural keyword use. Construct sentences so that your keywords flow naturally in a sentence.

Keep paragraphs short – Like sentences, it is best to keep paragraphs short. Web users typically scan copy. If you break up your blog or web page content into small paragraphs, you increase the likelihood of the user reading your copy.

Do you have any great tips for new dental writers? Feel free to share them in the comments section below.

Are you a seasoned copywriter or are you just starting out in the industry? Do you feel as if you have a decent understanding of search engine optimization (SEO) and knowledge about dentistry? Your dental copywriting friends at Words for Dentists have composed a short quiz to test your knowledge.

1. Google possesses over 90% of the search market. True/False
2. PPC advertising is the same thing as organic SEO. True/False
3. Cosmetic dentists must have a specialty license. True/False
4. SERP stands for search engine results page. True/False
5. A periodontist is a gum disease specialist. True/ False
6. Streptococci mutans causes oral cancer. True/False
7. Flash is an SEO friendly website code platform. True/False
8. Hyperlinking from a blog to a website improves SEO. True/ False
9. Each page of a dental website should contain more than 250 words. True/False

Answers:

1. True – Google is the most used search engine in the world.
2. False – PPC stands for pay-per-click. This form of SEO is very different from generating organic traffic.
3. False – There is no specialty license for cosmetic dentistry at this time. Any licensed dentist can perform cosmetic dentistry.
4. True – The SERP determines how your dental website or dental blog is ranking in search engines. As a dental writer, your goal should be to help your client appear on the first page of search engine results.
5. True – Periodontists receive additional post-graduate education to treat gum disease.
6. False – Streptococci mutans is a strain of bacteria responsible for dental caries.
7. False – Flash platforms are not mobile compatible and search engine spiders have difficulty deciphering flash code for indexing websites. HTML5 and jQuery are examples of SEO-friendly code.
8. True – Backlinks are vital to improving SEO rankings over time.
9. True – To really make an impact on search engine algorithms, a dental website should contain original copy and about 300 words per webpage.

How did you do? Are you an expert dental writer? If you’re new to dental copywriting, don’t worry! Check back with our blog every week for helpful tips. Happy writing!

Identifying Passive Voice

A sentence with passive voice means that the object of an action is the subject of the sentence. Passive construction easily confuses readers, especially internet users, who scan copy. When a sentence utilizes passive voice, the focus of the sentence changes from the subject to the action. Readers may stumble across your copy if the subject of your sentence is unclear.

Using Active Voice for Clarity

When using active voice, the subject of your sentence performs the action. Active voice is preferable when copywriting because your reader is less likely to stumble over your words or misinterpret your meaning. Additionally, active voice promotes concise sentence structure and helps eliminate wordiness.

Understanding When to Use Passive Voice

Like other literary devices, passive voice has its place. Passive voice is acceptable if you want to emphasize the object of a sentence. It is also common to use passive voice when writing highly scientific information or recording history.

In most cases when writing dental websites or blogs, writers should dissect every sentence and check for passive constructions. If you find sentences with passive voice in your dental copy, rearrange your sentences so that the subject is emphasized and not the object of an action.

Do you have any tips for detecting and avoiding passive voice? Feel free to share your tips in the comments section below. Happy writing!