Starting a health and wellness blog or website can be exciting – you get to share tips on fitness, nutrition, mental health, and overall well-being. But if your goal is to get traffic from Google, there’s a hard truth: ranking in this competitive niche is challenging. Understanding how to rank a health blog effectively is essential for success.
In this post, we’ll explore why ranking a health and wellness blog is difficult, how Google evaluates health content, and practical strategies to improve your health blog SEO and traffic.
Why Health and Wellness Blogs Face Tough Competition
The health and wellness space is one of the most saturated online. For almost any topic – whether it’s “weight loss tips,” “mental wellness,” or “gut health” – the first page of Google is dominated by established wellness websites and authoritative blogs. Competing with these sites requires not just quality content but a strong SEO game plan.
New blogs often struggle to generate consistent visitors without a clear plan for targeting competitive health niches.
Understanding Google’s E-A-T Guidelines for Health Content
Google applies extra scrutiny to health-related content because it falls under YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) topics. Your content is judged on Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T). This means:
- Authors with recognized expertise (like nutritionists, doctors, or fitness professionals) are favored.
- Websites that cite credible sources and studies rank higher, strengthening their search visibility.
- Low-quality, unverified advice can hurt your health blog traffic and rankings.
Also known as E-E-A-T – with the first “E” being Experience.
Related: How to Build a Website That Ranks and Converts with E-E-A-T
What Makes a Simple Website Feel Trustworthy? (From Real User Experience, Not Theory)
How Much Content Does Google Need to Trust Your Site?
Niche Selection: How to Stand Out in the Wellness Space
Instead of covering every aspect of health, focus on a specific subtopic. Examples:
- Yoga for beginners
- Keto or plant-based nutrition
- Mental wellness for busy professionals
A narrower niche reduces competition and makes it easier for your blog to gain traction in search results, helping you stand out in competitive health niches and making it easier to rank on Google.
Keyword Research Strategies for Health Blogs
Don’t guess which terms to target. Use tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Google Keyword Planner to find keywords with:
- High search volume but moderate competition
- Related long-tail phrases your audience searches for
For example, instead of trying to rank for “healthy recipes,” target “quick 15-minute vegan dinners.” Using these terms can boost your visibility on Google and help you reach more readers.
Creating High-Quality, Long-Form Content That Ranks
Google favors in-depth articles for health topics. Aim for:
- 1,000–2,500 words per post (where appropriate)
- Subheadings, bullet points, and visuals for readability
- Answering multiple related questions within a single article
This strengthens your content strategy and positions your health and wellness blog as a trusted resource.
Building Authority: Credibility and Backlinks in Health Niches
High-quality backlinks remain a major ranking factor. Competing sites often have years of links from authoritative sources. New blogs can build these relationships by:
- Guest posting on other wellness websites
- Collaborating with influencers or professionals in the health niche
- Creating shareable content that earns backlinks, driving more people to your site
On-Page SEO Essentials for Wellness Websites
- Optimize meta titles and descriptions with target keywords – you can customize these on the Add/Edit Pages with UltimateWB.
- Use descriptive alt text for images – Set the image alt tags when you insert your images in the UltimateWB Page Editor.
- Maintain a clean, fast-loading website – It is a lot easier to do with a fast, sleek website builder like UltimateWB!
- Ensure your site is mobile-friendly – You can use the easy one-click Responsive button in the UltimateWB Styles Manager.
These practices are critical for optimizing your blog/website for search and help Google understand your content.
Multimedia Content: Videos, Infographics, and Podcasts
Adding videos, infographics, and podcasts can improve engagement and dwell time, signaling to Google that your content is valuable. Examples include:
- A short video demonstrating a yoga routine
- An infographic showing a week’s meal plan
- A podcast episode discussing mental wellness strategies
Multimedia also improves user engagement and shareability, which Google values, helping you grow your audience.
Common SEO Mistakes Health Bloggers Make
- Publishing Thin Content – Short, generic articles rarely rank in competitive health niches.
- Ignoring Credibility – Avoid unverified claims; this can hurt your rankings and trust.
- Neglecting SEO Basics – Even high-quality content needs proper keywords, meta tags, and links.
- Targeting Broad Keywords – Trying to rank for highly competitive terms like “weight loss” is difficult for new blogs.
Realistic Expectations: How Long It Takes to Rank
Ranking a health and wellness blog doesn’t happen overnight. Even with excellent content:
- Expect several months before seeing steady growth in visitors.
- Competing with established brands requires persistence and a strong health content strategy
- Success comes from consistent publishing, link building, and demonstrating authority
Conclusion
Ranking a health and wellness blog on Google is challenging but achievable. Key strategies include:
- Focused niche selection
- High-quality, accurate content
- Strong SEO strategy for wellness websites
- Building authority and trust
By following these steps and being patient, new blogs can carve out a visible and credible presence in a crowded online landscape. The key is persistence, accuracy, and providing real value to your readers.
Ready to design & build your own website and build all that organic traffic? Learn more about UltimateWB! We also offer web design packages if you would like your website designed and built for you.
Got a techy/website question? Whether it’s about UltimateWB or another website builder, web hosting, or other aspects of websites, just send in your question in the “Ask David!” form. We will email you when the answer is posted on the UltimateWB “Ask David!” section.