Is SEO dead in pharma marketing?

23rd Jan 2025

For the first time since 2015, Google’s market share has dropped below 90% and it’s a sign of things to come. SEO isn’t just about ranking in search engines anymore. It’s about earning visibility across multiple platforms like TikTok, YouTube, SearchGPT, Perplexity and AI-driven tools like Google Gemini.

Many pharma brands aren’t focused on SEO or search, but here’s the reality: if you’re not adapting, you’ll be left behind. Yes, AI has its challenges, but the shift is happening. If you’re still thinking in terms of just Google, you’re limiting your reach.

So, what does this mean for your pharma or healthcare brand?

It’s not about website traffic. It’s about being visible where patients, HCPs and decision-makers are searching for information. SEO has always been about more than just driving numbers; it’s about ensuring your marketing and content is part of the conversation.

Pharma brands that understand this shift are already creating content designed not just to rank, but to be featured in AI-generated search results. If you don’t, you will miss out as AI-driven tools will dominate how patients and HCPs search.

Take a typical pharma search, like ‘best treatment options for Type 2 diabetes.’ Traditional search results are now often buried beneath AI-generated summaries and recommendations. If you’re not in these overviews, your competitors will be, and they’ll be the ones capturing your leads.

Here’s what you need to do now:

1. Set up cross-platform ROI tracking to measure not just traffic, but engagement and conversions across all platforms. Use tools like GA4 and custom dashboards to drive smarter decisions.
2. Optimise for multi-platform indexing, ensure your content is indexed on platforms that HCPs and patients are using for their searches, new platforms like SearchGPT, and don’t forget content platforms like TikTok and YouTube are being increasingly used by younger people to search for healthcare related content.
3. Implement schema markup and structured data to make sure AI can understand and highlight your content in its search summaries.
4. Create AI-optimised content that aligns with EEAT and YMYL principles so you can be cited by AI-driven search engines.
5. Use predictive search analysis and data analytics to stay ahead of emerging healthcare and pharma trends and evolving search behaviours.

So, is SEO dead in pharma?

Not at all. But if you’re not already thinking about how search and SEO will evolve now’s the time to act. Get in touch with our expert SEO team a message if you want to make sure your pharma brand doesn’t get left behind.

Watch my short video discussing ‘Is SEO dead?’ in a short video here.