If you’re trying to grow your telehealth brand with content marketing, you need a solid and effective strategy. Otherwise, you’ll end up throwing money away trying to play the trial and error game. As a freelance wellness writer covering highly regulated spaces, I’ve seen many of the same SEO mistakes time and time again. I’m sharing them with you so your brand can avoid the same mistakes. 

Common telehealth SEO mistakes include failing to optimize the content, targeting the wrong keywords, failing to capture multiple search intents, using AI generated content, failing to leverage research and expert insights, and ignoring technical site problems. 

Telehealth SEO 101

Before I dive into the most common mistakes, let’s cover the basics of telehealth SEO. 

Search engine optimization (SEO) makes your website more visible to search engines through carefully targeted content. A good SEO strategy combines excellent blog content and landing pages with back-end optimization that keeps the site loading well and easy to navigate. 

In 2026, Google is focused on one major function: E-E-A-T. That means experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness. 

A good telehealth SEO strategy includes creating a library of excellent, original content that can serve as a resource for potential customers, technical work to keep the website operating well, and a balance of different topics to match different search intents. 

Let’s get into the biggest mistakes I see when assessing content marketing for telehealth brands. 

Top telehealth SEO mistakes

Blogs and content without optimization 

The ‘O’ in SEO stands for optimization, yet I often see telehealth blogs failing to include any real optimization in their content. Sometimes the blogs will be titled something like, “our founder shares insights” or “summer 2026 updates.” These can be interesting titles to some, but I can guarantee your target audience isn’t going to find you via Google search when your blogs aren’t optimized. 

Here’s an example I made up from a combination of sites I’ve audited recently. I’ll go over the “what went wrong” part and then offer a better solution. For this example, we’re going to talk about a supplement brand that focuses on improved energy and brain function 

What went wrong:

• Blogs are titled “Summer 2026 updates,” “Spring check-in from the founder,” and other un-targeted headlines.
• The content in the blog has no set keywords or search intent. It’s going off of vibes and however the founder felt when writing the piece. 
• The blog doesn’t provide any actionable advice or value to readers. 
• There’s no call to action at the end encouraging readers to engage further with the site. 

Here’s where it can significantly improve:

• “How to survive summer brain fog” or “How to maintain steady energy levels during a busy summer” can allow the brand to still engage in personal summer updates while also digging into tips for staying energized during the summer. This is perfect since they’re a supplement brand promoting energizing supplements. 
• Throughout the piece, keywords like “why do I have less energy in the summer” or “busy summer zapping energy” etc can work to build an overall picture of the blog’s purpose and draw real search traffic. 
• The blog could include actionable tips to improving energy, from new workout routines and better hydration to supplements (like their product). These recommendations, backed by science and with real links to research, can provide real value to readers. 
• The end can include a call to action to learn more about the energy promoting supplements the brand sells. 

See the difference?

A good SEO telehealth writer would not write the “summer updates” blog without some pushback. If a brand hired me as a telehealth writer, I’d suggest a new title and strategy that better suited their goal of driving new traffic and conversions. 

Targeting the wrong telehealth keywords

Sometimes I’ll see telehealth SEO blogs that almost hit the mark, but aren’t quite there. These are often ones that know they could benefit from an SEO content strategy but don’t quite know how to put the pieces together. 

Their blogs cover adjacent topics, but they’re either way too saturated and impossible to outrank competitors, or they’re irrelevant to the actual work they do. 

Here’s an example, this time from a ketamine clinic SEO blog:

• The blog is filled with content like “what is ketamine?” and “how to improve depression”
• The blog serves as a resource for general knowledge, but it doesn’t capture readers who would potentially visit their clinic. 
• The call to action feels out of place because the entire blog is too widespread and generic 

Here’s how the ketamine clinic SEO blog could improve:

• The blog captures big questions but without reaching for the same saturated keywords that are nearly impossible to rank for. Instead of “what is ketamine?” they target questions like “How does ketamine compare to antidepressants?” or “unique alternatives to traditional depression treatment.”
• Their content library becomes a resource for specific ketamine therapy knowledge that their target audience would be curious about
• The call to action fits right in at the end as it ties in directly to the topics of discussion 

Failing to capture multiple search intents

A solid telehealth SEO strategy will capture multiple search intents. 

There should be some broader topics to capture a larger audience (think: “are therapy apps as good as in-person therapy?” and “what to do when your insurance doesn’t cover therapy”). 

But there should also be blogs that go deeper for potential customers who might be near the decision making stage. 

This could include searches like “Betterhelp vs. __[your therapy app]__” or “How much should I spend on online therapy?”

The blog should include a good mix of both of these intents. If your company has a local factor, there should also be some location-based blogs as well. 

For example, I write a lot of blogs for cannabis dispensaries. While I primarily write educational topics, I also add in city guides and other location-based topics that can tie their dispensary website into local search results, too. 

Using AI generated content

I hate to break it to you, but AI-generated content rarely ranks, especially in highly regulated industries. These spaces are already highly saturated with so many businesses competing for the same rankings. A generic, AI-written blog won’t cut through the noise and come out on top when compared to well-written, well-researched pieces. 

I’m not saying you have to cut AI out of the equation entirely. It can be a good tool for generating new ideas and brainstorming topic clusters. It might even help you put together an outline. 

But the writing itself should come from a human. That’s how you get nuanced takes, well-researched content, and an infusion of human experience and points of view that can’t be replicated by a machine. And that’s what Google prefers and opts to rank. 

Failing to leverage research, expert insights, and experience

Wellness marketing requires transparency and accountability. Since most telehealth content has some form of impact on a person’s health or wellbeing, Google prioritizes well-researched, honest content that doesn’t deceive or mislead readers. 

If you want to boost your chances of ranking high for telehealth keywords, you need to write good, well-researched content. Add some links to peer-reviewed articles and research. Grab some expert quotes when possible, too. 

Experience is a crucial aspect to weave in, too. Notice how I’ve thrown in bits and pieces of my own anecdotal experience? It’s unique to me, and it’s something I’ve gained over years of operating in highly regulated SEO spaces. Other businesses can’t replicate my lived experience nor can AI talk about it. 

Google likes unique experiences and insights. If you’re a telehealth founder, you probably have a story or background that brought you where you are today. Weave it in where appropriate. 

Ignoring technical site issues

I don’t work on website’s technical sides, but I can say that poor performance directly impacts SEO. If your site doesn’t load quickly, has inefficient navigation, or brings users to dead pages, you’re going to have a high bounce rate. Google notices high bounce rates and avoids putting them high up in search results. 

Hire a telehealth blog writer

I’ve been writing SEO content for wellness brands across cannabis, mental health, supplements, and beyond for many years. I know what it takes to write content that converts. 

Want to boost your telehealth brand’s SEO and drive more high-intent visitors to your site? Let’s talk.