SEO for Pharmaceutical Companies: regardless of what type of website you have, search engine optimisation is integral for a business that wants to be noticed online.
It’s easy to assume that all SEO methods are the same, and while there can be a lot of similarities, there will be times when a tailored approach must be taken.
This is especially true for the pharmaceutical industry. There are a lot of tactics that remain the same just as there are tactics that should be avoided altogether.
The following is an overview of what a SEO for pharmaceutical companies plan should be.
What Is Different in SEO for Pharmaceutical Companies?
Those who have just started a website may be wondering why SEO tactics are different from that of other sectors: why you should set up a specific SEO for Pharmaceutical Companies plan.
In part, there is a limitation as to what can be adverted using social media. Supplements, vaping devices, CBD and medicine are not allowed to be advertised on most social networks.
The reason for this is because there is no way to regulate as to what the supplements, medicine or any other pharmaceutical products offer.
The same is true for CBD. Although completely legal, there is still a large grey area, due to the many locations people access services such as Facebook and Twitter.
Although CBD may be fine for medicinal use in some countries, others may still have restrictions in place. Given the amount of red tape in place, it should come as no surprise that social networks such as Facebook have place blanket ban on advertising these products.
However, these restrictions don’t mean that pharmaceutical companies should wash their hands of SEO, it simply needs to be approached in a different way.
Social media is a small percentage of SEO for Pharmaceutical Companies and marketing, and although frustrating there are limits in place, there’s very little reason as to why a pharmaceutical company can’t thrive online if it makes use of the following tips.
1 – Loading Time Can be a Huge Factor When Ranking
The purpose of SEO for Pharmaceutical Companies is to rank for relevant search terms, but there’s much more than keywords to consider when looking to rank in the top spot.
There have been several Google algorithm updates over the years to ensure its users are only visiting sites that were relevant and offered high-quality content.
The Google Panda released in 2011 saw social networks and new sites surge in the rankings, whereas sites containing a lot of advertising dropped in popularity.
This was followed by a further update in 2012 named Google Penguin, which focused on sites that were employing the use of low-quality backlinks.
Another factor that has been considered of late is the loading time of a website. Business owners should try and ensure that their website loads within three seconds.
Some website owners may feel that a couple of seconds won’t make any difference, but they should consider the fact that over 45% of visitors will abort a webpage if it’s not loaded within three seconds, so those couple of seconds could cost a company a lot of conversions.
What needs to be done to make a website faster can vary. In some instances, a new hosting company could be the answer. In other scenarios, a website redesign could be needed.
Those who aren’t well-versed in SEO or website design are advised to employ the services of a professional.
Not only will this allow a business to know what needs to be updated, but it can also ensure that other funnels of the SEO process are managed in the right way.
2 – Ensure the Website is Mobile Friendly
Connecting to the Internet via a mobile device is nothing new, as many mobile phones in the past have had access to the web, even if it was in a WAP format.
However, as the Internet has evolved, so too has the way we connect. Rather than carrying a mobile phone, many people essentially carry a tiny computer that they will use for a series of daily tasks.
Because of this, the use of mobile traffic is more than that of desktop users. This doesn’t mean that desktop users should be ignored, but it’s important to cater to mobile users as well.
Fortunately, many websites can be optimised for both desktop and mobile users. This means that the page will operate as normal on a desktop but introduce more swipe-based commands in its mobile guise.
If visitors must pinch the screen to navigate, then it could be a good idea to update the website so it’s more in line with visitor expectations.
3 – Offer an Excellent User-Experience
A great user-experience can overlap with ensuring that the website is mobile-friendly, but there are other factors that need to be considered.
For example, users should be able to carry a series of tasks on the site with a few simple swipes. Should they have to go searching for information or find that they’re being misdirected, then it’s likely they will head over to the competition.
Like other factors of the website, the user experience can vary but it should fit in with the tone of the business.
4 – In SEO for Pharmaceutical Companies Make Use of Long-Tail Search Terms
When carrying out keyword research it’s not unusual to focus on keywords that are being commonly searched.
However, this can be problematic when looking for organic rankings, and experience when using pay-per-click options.
Long-tail keywords are simply keywords that contain three or more words. Although these terms may seem to have a lower search count, it’s more likely that these searches will click on the results they’re offered, given the length of the search query.
The use of long-tail keywords in line with other SEO efforts could mean a business is taking advantage of missed opportunities by bigger players.
5 – Backlinks Remain an Important Ranking Factor
It’s not unusual to hear that keywords are no longer relevant as social media is doing more than a stellar job of promoting sites.
However, SEO for pharmaceutical companies may face restrictions in these instances, it would be easy to presume that there are no avenues to explore.
Backlinks remain as important today as they did when first introduced. As Google’s modern-day incarnation of its ranking algorithm is different from that introduced in 1998, and now has a new approach in relation to recording backlinks.
Backlinks in the past could be created by leaving comments in blogs and posts on forums, but this can be viewed as trying to exploit the system nowadays, which will mean the site will be ranked lower if shown at all.
Instead, business owners should look to obtain backlinks in the right way by offering evergreen content that can be shared and ensuring that descriptions contain as much detail as possible.
6 – Optimise Every Page of the Website
As SEO can take on several guises, business owners will need to find a tailored solution that fits their needs.
In every instance, a website owner needs to ensure that every page of the website is optimised.
On-page elements that need to be considered include header text, meta tags and image descriptions. Although keywords are vital, it’s also important to only list what’s relevant.
Using too many keywords could be considered ‘keyword stuffing’ which means that the SEO work carried out could be ignored.
7 – Reach Out for Reviews
Just because a pharmaceutical business can’t take advantage of social media reviews, there are other avenues that can be explored which also help aid SEO for Pharmaceutical Companies.
Google My Business not only allows a business to enter its business details, but it also creates a platform where customers can leave reviews
The more customers that leave reviews, the more the business will find favour with Google when it comes to search engine rankings.
Although receiving negative feedback is never nice, it can be a trait of the business world we must endure if we’re looking to benefit in the long-term.
This doesn’t mean that we should ignore bad reviews, but rather use them as a chance of retaining a customer.
The platform will allow you to reach out to customers to ascertain what wasn’t to their liking. A few simple changes not only ensures that the original customer has been recognised, but it shows that the business truly cares for its customer as a whole.
8 – Effort Needs to be Made When Creating Content
The use of content has been mentioned previously, but those who aren’t able to take advantage of social media channels will need to ensure that every effort is made to create great content.
The content produced depends on what product or service you’re offering. Those offering CBD may want to include text that covers the studies and cite these sources.
Not only does this give customers more confidence in your product or service, but it also tells Google and other search engines that there is valuable content on your website.
The right content will be shared by the masses, which in turn should generate some beneficial backlinks in the process.
9 – Why Use an SEO Expert?
It’s easy to assume that many SEO tasks can be carried out by the business itself, and in some instances, this can be the case.
However, as the business grows so too does the SEO work that needs to be carried out.
This is the case about SEO for Pharmaceutical Companies.
Employing the services of an SEO specialist not only ensures that the workload of the business is lessened, but also ensure that the company is leveraging the full potential of the online world.