Oncologists often turn to official product websites as a source of information to stay updated with the latest medical products and treatment options available to their patients. These websites provide valuable information on the latest clinical findings, dosage, potential side effects, and other relevant information oncologists need to make informed decisions. For pharmaceutical companies, high traffic to their product websites would mean better brand awareness, recognition, greater customer engagement, and ultimately, increased sales. Digital Tracker (PERxCEPT)’s unique methodology of measuring engagement provides comprehensive insights into what drives this traffic to product websites and what content is often browsed by MDs.
In the past year, 42% of visits to medical product websites were prompted by paid campaigns. Of this 42%, 80% of the visits were from paid search campaigns making it the most effective method for driving traffic. The remaining 20% were from display ads, emails, and social media campaigns.
#1 Invest in paid search campaigns for both brand and indication names
The data captured by the Digital Tracker (PERxCEPT) revealed that a majority of Oncologists searched for and clicked on sponsored results containing just the brand name/molecule name, accounting for 52% of visits. Having paid search campaigns for one’s own brand can help pharmaceutical companies increase brand awareness, establish trust, defend against competitors bidding on their brand/molecule names (which accounts for 5% of visits), and ensure that their product websites are ranked high in search engine results.
Only 3% of the product website visits prompted by paid search were from searches for the indication name. Having paid search campaigns under the indication name allows brands to reach a broader audience of healthcare professionals who may not be familiar with the specific brand or molecule name. This can be particularly useful for medical products that are used to treat common conditions, as HCPs may search for the indication rather than a specific brand name.
#2 Ensure search ads redirect oncologists to the relevant HCP website
While investing in paid search ads is important for driving traffic, marketers should also ensure that their sponsored search results provide relevant and useful information that oncologists are searching for. While 55% of the browsing sessions which involved a visit to a product website from paid search were to the HCP version (keytrudahcp.com, kyprolis-hcp.com, etc), the remaining browsing sessions involved at least one visit to the patient version (keytruda.com, kyprolis.com, etc.) of the website. It is crucial that HCPs are directed towards the HCP version/section of the product website as they might not get all the relevant information in the patient version of the site. In 71% of the browsing sessions that included visits to both versions of the same product website, the first visit was to the patient version, followed by a visit to the HCP version indicating that the user navigated to the HCP version after not having found the information they were originally looking for.
#3 Direct oncologists to specific efficacy and safety pages
Of the browsing sessions that resulted in a visit to a product website through a paid search ad, 67% directed the user to the home page. While this is understandable given that most search queries only include the brand or molecule name without specific keywords, it is important to note that healthcare professionals often seek information related to the efficacy and safety of the product. In fact, 45% of the time, healthcare professionals navigate from the home page to the page showcasing efficacy and clinical data, and 17% of the time, they switch to the HCP version of the website's homepage before continuing to browse. It is important for pharmaceutical companies to ensure that search results pages include ads that will direct them to these pages even if the search query mentions only the brand name. This will enable them to find the information they are looking for quickly and efficiently.
