Great Clinical Trial Website Looks Like

A Clinical Trial Website Presence Can Make all the Difference.

The initial step in patient recruitment marketing involves creating an appealing website dedicated to the clinical trial. This website serves as a central hub where you can effectively communicate the study’s methodology, locations of the research sites, patient eligibility criteria, links to partners, and what potential participants can expect. When executed properly, the website also conveys empathy, encouraging visitors to engage with you, reach out for more information, and share the site with others. Therefore, what factors contribute to the success of a clinical trial landing page?

Sofwandigital, a reputable patient recruitment advertising agency based in Boston, MA, examines the key elements of effective messaging, visual content, search engine optimization (SEO), regulatory compliance, layout, and the qualities to seek in a digital marketing agency partner.

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A Clinical Trial Patients’ Journey

Martha received a diagnosis of a rare disease that could lead to complications as she aged if left untreated. Her loved ones immediately took action and extensively searched the internet for potential treatments. They explored various options, including drugs, gene therapy, and herbal remedies, carefully scrutinizing each Google search result and comparing information from blogs and patient testimonials.

Eventually, they compiled a list of possibilities when, suddenly, a family member discovered a specific clinical trial tailored to Martha’s exact disease. The trial’s website provided detailed information about Martha’s condition, highlighted the innovative scientific approach being used, and offered an FAQ section along with the next steps for Martha to determine her eligibility. In a matter of days,

Martha was accepted into the trial and began receiving treatment. Ultimately, the therapy protocol saved her life. The life science company responsible for the trial went on to gain FDA approval, secure market access and reimbursement codes, and was subsequently listed on NASDAQ. Their success was attributed to their groundbreaking gene therapy platform and promising pipeline. This anecdote represents an actual client’s experience.

The significance of an engaging and purposeful clinical trial website cannot be underestimated, as it played a crucial role in rapidly recruiting subjects and enabling the biotech company to gather sufficient patient data and unveil their findings. Meanwhile, other biotech firms conducting similar studies solely relied on the clinicaltrials.gov website to promote their trials. This success story serves as a prime example of the saying, “the early bird catches the worm.”

Elements Of A Great Clinical Trial Landing Page

Design –

Web design in the context of a clinical trial website is comparable to the background music in a movie. It may not be immediately noticeable, but it greatly influences the overall mood and impression. The design of a clinical trial website adheres to specific conventions aimed at guiding web visitors through a user experience that ultimately motivates them to take action, such as sharing the site with their doctor or contacting a clinical trial site. Depending on the messaging and target audience, web design can be metaphorical or literal in its approach.

When searching for a healthcare-focused web marketing agency, it is advisable to seek out one that offers a 100% guarantee on homepage design or a refund. This demonstrates their experience and talent in delivering an exceptional web presence, alleviating any concerns about whether you will be satisfied with your new website design.

Messaging –

Effective messaging plays a crucial role in capturing the attention of web visitors and guiding them towards the desired actions, from the headline and sub-headline to the calls to action. Unfortunately, many biotech firms make the mistake of using either overly long or overly generic headline messaging.

An ideal headline should be catchy and clever, but it should also provide specific information directly related to their clinical study. For instance, a headline like “Curing Disease For a Healthier World” may sound appealing as a website headline, but it fails to clearly articulate the study’s intent. On the other hand, a headline like “Targeted Gene Therapy to Treat XXXX Disease in Young Children” cuts through the noise and effectively communicates the precise focus of the study.

Website Layout and Formatting –

Lengthy paragraphs of text pose challenges for readability. Eye-tracking studies using heat maps have demonstrated that web visitors tend to scan content instead of reading every single word. Therefore, it is crucial to employ effective formatting techniques that break up the text into smaller, more manageable chunks of information. The strategic use of dashes and bullets can also enhance the reading experience and maintain the engagement of web visitors.

Additionally, it is important to consider the font size and ensure it is sufficiently large and appropriate, particularly for older individuals. When working with a patient recruitment digital marketing agency, it is advisable to request that they demonstrate how your new clinical trial website appears on various devices, not just desktop computers. Images and text can appear differently on mobile and tablet devices, so comprehensive testing and quality assurance (QA) should be conducted by your digital agency prior to the website’s launch.

Audience Personas –

It is well understood that individuals facing life-threatening diseases or conditions are driven to seek answers. Eye-tracking studies using heat maps have revealed that most people tend to scan headlines and text rather than reading every word. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that the web page is easily scannable and not overloaded with excessive text.

Additionally, it is important to consider whether too many technical terms are being used at the beginning of the visitor’s journey. Taking into account the user experience (UX) is a vital step when evaluating a patient recruitment campaign and clinical trial website. Conducting usability tests with individuals outside of the client team is essential to determine if the information hierarchy is easily understandable for the layman.

Moreover, providing web visitors with the opportunity to “self-identify” on a landing page can be a clever approach to delivering the right messaging and information to specific audiences. Offering a clear choice for patients or doctors on a web page is an excellent way to guide individuals into the appropriate funnel based on their needs and interests.

Eligibility –

Effectively communicating clinical trial eligibility is an essential element of a patient trial study landing page. Rather than solely presenting a list of specific criteria, it is beneficial to incorporate well-designed icons that reinforce these aspects. By using icons, subject eligibility is visually illustrated, enhancing the overall design and aesthetic appeal of the web pages.

Subject Diversification –

A common obstacle faced by all clinical trials is the challenge of achieving sufficient subject diversity. Traditionally, women and individuals from different ethnic groups have been underrepresented. An analysis conducted recently revealed that despite men and women having an equal risk of stroke, only 37% of participants in stroke treatment clinical trials are female.

Furthermore, another study discovered that black adults are twice as likely as white adults to develop hypertension by middle age, yet only approximately 5% of hypertension clinical trials in recent years explicitly focused on recruiting black participants. To learn more about increasing diversity within a clinical trial study, you can read Sofwandigital’s blog post titled “How to Enhance Diversity in Clinical Trials” by clicking HERE >>

SEO –

Having an aesthetically pleasing clinical trial website alone is not sufficient unless it incorporates essential search engine optimization (SEO) best practices. Implementing these practices ensures that your new clinical trial landing page appears prominently for relevant keywords related to your study. Websites that overlook crucial elements such as proper metadata, alt tags, H1 titles, and interlinking are unlikely to achieve top positions on Google’s first page.

It is advisable to go beyond agencies that focus solely on “PR and web design” since their expertise may be superficial. Opting for a comprehensive biotech-focused web marketing agency is typically the best approach, as it ensures a combination of exceptional design and strong backend SEO skills.

Compliance –

The majority of general web design and PR firms lack the necessary expertise to ensure that clinical trial websites comply with HIPAA regulations and adhere to GDPR rules when conducting patient recruitment studies outside the United States. Attempting to learn and implement these requirements on the go can result in significant penalties and potentially delay your pipeline. To mitigate these risks, it is advisable to collaborate with a patient recruitment digital marketing agency that is well-versed in HIPAA, GDPR, and stringent site security measures.

One additional hazard that life science firms should be aware of is the use of open CMS platforms like WordPress. WordPress is known as the most frequently targeted CMS platform for hacking, and the third-party plugins utilized to enhance site functionality are often not thoroughly vetted for compliance. Understanding the reasons why smart life science firms are avoiding WordPress for their corporate websites and clinical trial landing pages is crucial.

When seeking a digital agency, prioritize those that utilize closed CMS platforms. This approach not only safeguards you against compliance issues in the future but also prevents web design agencies from pressuring you into expensive yearly maintenance plans to keep your site operational. Apart from an annual hosting, security, and backup fee (usually under $500), your yearly website maintenance costs should be minimal. In the current landscape, it is more important than ever for biotech and life science firms to find a digital agency partner that will not push them to their financial limits.