The Life Sciences SEO Industry Needs a Makeover

Or: Get Out of the Weeds, and Reduce Your SEO Spend 50%

(Some identifying details of this article have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the client).

I hate SEO. It's a necessary evil, but the industry is so damn shady.

But I get sucked in, every time.

As a fractional CMO I oversee a broader spectrum of marketing functions, from branding and market positioning to lead generation and customer relationship management.

Getting deep into one specific area like SEO can detract from overseeing these broader responsibilities and strategic initiatives.

Areas like SEO are specialized fields that can consume significant resources, including my time and client budget.

As a fractional CMO, part of the role is to ensure efficient use of resources across all marketing activities and if I'm focusing too deeply on one area like SEO I might neglect other vital marketing channels or strategies that could also drive ROI.

Finally, SEO is highly technical and constantly evolving.

While most marketing leaders possess a broad understanding of marketing, including digital and SEO strategies, the detailed, technical optimizations often require specialized knowledge that SEO experts bring to the table.

So why do I let myself get sucked in?

Despite delegating day-to-day SEO tasks, as a fractional CMO, I'm ultimately accountable for the marketing results.

When SEO spending is high and the outcomes are not justifying the investment, it necessitates a deeper involvement to scrutinize the strategies, expenditures, and their returns.

SEO plays a key role in your success. It impacts website traffic, lead generation, and ultimately sales.

Its integration with other marketing activities means that ignoring SEO isn't an option, especially if initial results are underwhelming or if the spend is disproportionately high.

Let me tell you a quick story.

Upon taking an FCMO role at a company specializing in lab testing products, I encountered an immediate challenge.

The company was allocating about $20,000 monthly to SEO and link-building efforts—a substantial investment that, unfortunately, was not yielding proportional returns.

The spend was based on a broad, non-specific strategy that failed to consider the unique aspects of our niche market.

The company's product range included everything from reagents to sophisticated lab equipment, catering to various sectors such as pharmaceuticals, education, and healthcare diagnostics.

Despite this diversity, the previous SEO approach was not tailored to address the distinct audiences, needs, or their specific search behaviors.

Strategic Overhaul

My first step was to conduct an in-depth audit of the existing SEO strategy. This audit revealed that the funds were being spread too thin over various generic activities, including a scattergun approach to link building that did not focus on industry authority or relevance.

Additionally, the keyword strategy lacked focus and failed to capitalize on highly specific industry terms that could attract a more targeted, high-converting audience.

Focusing on High-Impact Activities

Recognizing the need for a more calculated approach, I helped revamp the strategy to focus on high-impact activities:

• Keyword Optimization: We refined our keyword strategy to focus on specific products and their applications in the lab testing field. By targeting keywords related to specific lab needs like "PCR reagent kits for clinical diagnostics" or "cell culture media for pharmaceutical research," we aimed to attract more qualified, bottom of funnel leads.
• Quality Content Creation: We leveraged the deep expertise of our scientific staff to create authoritative content. This included in-depth guides on choosing the right chemicals and materials for different types of lab tests, comparison articles on lab equipment, and thought leadership pieces on trends in lab technologies.
• Enhanced User Experience: We redesigned the website to streamline the navigation, making it easier for lab technicians, researchers, and decision-makers to find the products and information they needed quickly.

Reducing Costs, Improving Results

With a more targeted approach, we were able to reduce the SEO and link-building budget to under $10,000 per month. By reallocating resources to focus on creating high-quality, niche-specific content and obtaining backlinks from authoritative scientific publications and forums, we saw a significant improvement in our SEO outcomes.

Interested in digging in more on overspending on Life Sciences SEO (and how you can avoid it)? Check out my in-depth article on Overspend in Life Sciences.

As always, be safe, and save yourself

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