Comments on: Shelf-Space Analysis for Pharmas: The Search Results Are…Underwhelming http://nielsen-online.com/blog/2008/10/06/shelf-space-analysis-for-pharmas-the-search-results-are%e2%80%a6underwhelming/ Just another WordPress weblog Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:36:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Eileen O'Brien http://nielsen-online.com/blog/2008/10/06/shelf-space-analysis-for-pharmas-the-search-results-are%e2%80%a6underwhelming/comment-page-1/#comment-1602 Eileen O'Brien Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:29:16 +0000 http://nielsen-online.com/blog/?p=111#comment-1602 Melissa, Unfortunately, your article doesn't surprise me. I work for an interactive agency focusing on pharma and we are constantly providing education on the value of SEO. I will point out that searching on the disease term alone may be too broad. For our clients, the disease term doesn't convert searchers to customers, they are too early in the process and may be looking for symptoms or a diagnosis. If you add the words "treatments" or "medicines" after the disease term, that's the traffic that we are going after for our pharma clients. Eileen O'Brien Compass Healthcare Communications Melissa,

Unfortunately, your article doesn’t surprise me. I work for an interactive agency focusing on pharma and we are constantly providing education on the value of SEO.

I will point out that searching on the disease term alone may be too broad. For our clients, the disease term doesn’t convert searchers to customers, they are too early in the process and may be looking for symptoms or a diagnosis. If you add the words “treatments” or “medicines” after the disease term, that’s the traffic that we are going after for our pharma clients.

Eileen O’Brien
Compass Healthcare Communications

]]> By: Pete Blackshaw http://nielsen-online.com/blog/2008/10/06/shelf-space-analysis-for-pharmas-the-search-results-are%e2%80%a6underwhelming/comment-page-1/#comment-1596 Pete Blackshaw Tue, 07 Oct 2008 06:51:08 +0000 http://nielsen-online.com/blog/?p=111#comment-1596 Melissa: Just to reinforce your point, what's essentially happening here is that the major health care brands are NOT part of the solution when the consumer is curious, or looking for obvious information. This is a major indictment of brand website content, or even the lack of participatory or conversational elements. Google rewards links, but you can't get the "link-love," so to speak, if your content isn't timely, engaging, relevant, and always-refreshed. Large brands (even outside of pharma) struggle with the concept of "agility" and "sense and respond" -- and this ultimately erodes their usefulness to online consumers. What your note suggests to me is that most health care brands need a complete "reset" of their online content strategies. - Pete Melissa: Just to reinforce your point, what’s essentially happening here is that the major health care brands are NOT part of the solution when the consumer is curious, or looking for obvious information. This is a major indictment of brand website content, or even the lack of participatory or conversational elements. Google rewards links, but you can’t get the “link-love,” so to speak, if your content isn’t timely, engaging, relevant, and always-refreshed. Large brands (even outside of pharma) struggle with the concept of “agility” and “sense and respond” — and this ultimately erodes their usefulness to online consumers. What your note suggests to me is that most health care brands need a complete “reset” of their online content strategies. - Pete

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