Are you targeting the optimal keywords for your Pharma website?

23rd Jul 2023

When it comes to kicking off an SEO strategy, one of the best places to start is by understanding and exploring the most appropriate keywords that you should be targeting. To rank higher in search engines for queries your audience is searching for, you will need to identify the correct keywords and create and deliver valuable content specifically targeting these. This article shares the significance of search intent and the process search engines go through to interpret queries. 

A pharma or medical website will need to craft its SEO strategy on the keywords and phrases searched for by it’s users. Without researching and pinpointing these words and understanding the intentions and requirements of your target audience, the time you’ll spend optimising your website will not result in the increased traffic you’re looking for. 

What is search intent and how do search engines understand and process queries?

Search intent simply refers to the purpose behind a search query. What is the user looking for when entering a particular query into a search engine?

This could range from seeking information such as a statistic, navigating to a specific brand website, or making a transaction. Search engines like Google prioritise building language models that will decipher user goals, so that they can deliver the most relevant information on search engine results pages. This is why it’s also hugely important for websites to also grasp this search intent, to ensure their content is providing the right content, in the right format to match these user queries. In the Pharmaceutical industry specifically, understanding different intents and types of information needs across different stages of diagnosis and treatment is crucial. 

Here’s an example: 

A user is searching for ‘solutions for improving sleep quality’. Search engines identify the intent, (intent to find information), and the topic (ways they can improve their sleep quality), and utilise this information to decide the most appropriate results for the user. It then searches its index to pick websites that hold the most relevance to match the search query. When we search for this query on Google, the results show us pages relevant to the topic area, with lots of informational content. 

How can you identify and target keywords effectively?

Beyond understanding search intent to inform what type of content you should be producing, it’s essential to identify popular keywords and topics users are searching for. There’s multiple ways to do this: 

• Host an ideas session to explore and think about the keywords you’d like your site to rank well for
• Talk to your sales and customer services teams internally, seek input about what they think your audience will search for, what are the most common queries they hear?
• Utilise free and accessible tools like Google Analytics, Search Console and Ads Keyword planner, as well as looking for what autocompletes a keyword you’re thinking of targeting. Explore the related queries boxes that pop up on SERPs too.
• Work in partnership with an SEO agency to identify content gaps on your site and provide comprehensive keyword research  

Remember it’s vital to not solely focus on general terms; incorporate long-tail keywords – specific, lengthier search phrases – as they tend to be less competitive with fewer searches but with a higher chance of converting. These nuanced keywords will cater to precise user intent. 

I’ve identified my keywords, now how do I optimise my healthcare website?

Once you’ve generated a list of target keywords, it’s crucial to ensure that your website is optimised for them so that the right people can find your content. Here are a few steps you can take to do this: 

1. Take your longer list of target keywords and group them under similar topics
2. Prioritise keywords based on importance, search volume and competitiveness to focus on high-impact terms first
3. Understand user wants in terms of content, by searching for each of your keywords in Google. From videos to in-depth articles to detailed instructions, there’ll be an ideal form of content to produce for each of your targeted keywords
4. Assess your site’s current keyword targeting by making a list of all the pages on your website and identify one’s that aren’t properly optimised. 
5. Check where you’re ranking currently for each of your keywords and make a note of relevant competitors. Sites like the NHS website are often preferred by Google due to their high domain authority so pick competitors who offer the same services to you and focus on those. 
6. Work through each of your pages, optimising the content, headings, and metadata with your target keywords in mind
7. Try to avoid keyword cannibalisation by making sure that each page focuses on one main keyword topic to maintain clarity and relevance. 

This article will have provided you with some valuable information about search intent, keyword research, and how to optimise your pharma website for increased search visibility. If you’d like some further support and guidance on keyword research in the Pharma SEO space, feel free to reach out to us at Varn Health and we’d be happy to help.