Unlocking Invisible Websites in Global Pharma

Introduction

At performance.io, we believe that innovation and strategic thinking can overcome even the most complex of challenges in pharmaceutical marketing. Our collaboration with AstraZeneca in compliantly optimising gated medical content for search engines using SEO friendly paywalls  is a prime example of this philosophy. This campaign has redefined how pharma brands approach digital visibility whilst driving a behaviour change that organic marketing has a place in global pharma and therefore lessening the reliance on paid media to invest back into brands and not third party media giants. 

By combining advanced technology, deep expertise in international SEO, and seamless cross-functional collaboration, we tackled a unique challenge: enabling healthcare professionals (HCPs) to discover gated content organically through search engines. This case study showcases the innovative strategies behind our campaign and the impressive results it delivered.

Our Company: performance.io

Founded in 2017 by Matt Lowe, performance.io is a leading global provider of online performance solutions to the pharmaceutical industry. With access to the largest database of online performance data in pharma and healthcare, we work with the industry’s biggest names to drive marketing strategies that result in measurable growth and cost savings. Our services range from technical SEO and online performance benchmarking to SEO optimised medical copywriting.

Working with 15 of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies, we’ve built a reputation for combining cutting-edge digital marketing techniques with a deep understanding of the pharmaceutical sector’s unique challenges.

The Challenge: SEO Behind Paywalls in Pharma

Pharma websites, especially those dedicated to healthcare professionals (HCPs), often operate behind paywalls due to compliance regulations. As a result, these sites are largely invisible to Google’s search crawlers. For the pharma industry, this means that educational content intended to inform and empower HCPs doesn’t appear in organic search results. A miss for HCPs, and a miss for pharma companies investing millions in content their audience can’t find.  

At performance.io, we identified this challenge as an opportunity to innovate, showing the pharma industry it is possible for gated content to appear in organic search compliantly. 

A Three-Pillar Approach

In partnership with AstraZeneca, we embarked on a proof-of-concept project for their Impact Academy website across 19 markets. Our goal was to develop a scalable, compliant SEO strategy to ensure that HCPs could easily find and access the educational content they needed, regardless of where they were located globally and scale this technology across AstraZeneca. 

The campaign was driven by a three-pillar strategy:

1. The development of an SEO-optimised paywall mechanism for the Impact Academy site and a robust strategy to ensure its scalability. This required huge market collaboration and multiple conversations with legal and brand teams and took 17 months end to end of direct development.

2. International SEO set-up We developed an international SEO strategy which included the following elements: a refined website structure, eliminating incompatible language/region combinations (e.g., PL-JA). We worked to enhance core Drupal functionality and optimised the country selector and core page availability for key markets. We then created Hreflang sitemaps (pending upload) to ensure accurate language page targeting.

3: A Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) strategy to build on the paywall foundations with the objective of furthering HCP engagement in line with Impact Academy’s business objectives. The project is ongoing, and we are working with our client to move the implementation forward.

Overcoming Compliance Challenges: Risk Mitigation and Flexibility

A significant challenge in this project was ensuring compliance across markets with different regulations. We developed a robust risk mitigation plan that allowed us to monitor compliance in real time. By automating the detection of non-compliant page titles, we ensured that any issues were addressed immediately before they became a problem for stakeholders.

Additionally, we offered flexible paywall options, allowing for both “hard” and “lead-in” paywalls depending on the market’s requirements. This ensured scalability while maintaining compliance.

Results: Exceeding Expectations

As a result of the strategy’s implementation, we saw remarkable improvements in organic search visibility for the Impact Academy website. When comparing the data from the month the paywall solution went live to February 2025, the results were outstanding:

• Total impressions increased from 1,608 to 9,232 (474%) +325% vs KPI of 149%. 
  • –An average increase from 85 to 486 organic impressions for each market.
• Total organic visits increased from 52 to 331 (537%) + 157% vs KPI of 380%. 
  • An average increase from 3 to 17 in organic traffic for each market.
• Total keyword rankings increased from 206 to 653 (217%) +123% vs KPI of 94%. 
  • An average keyword ranking increase of 11 to 34 for each market.

These results demonstrate improved HCP visibility and access to Impact Academy via organic search. 

What Makes This Campaign Unique?

The key to this campaign’s success was its ability to address a complex set of challenges in a regulated environment while delivering real, measurable results. By seamlessly integrating SEO optimisation with paywall flexibility and a comprehensive international SEO strategy, we were able to enhance the discoverability of valuable educational content for healthcare professionals worldwide.

Testimonial:

“As the Digital Product Owner for AstraZeneca’s Impact Academy – an educational initiative designed by and for multidisciplinary specialist healthcare professionals – I had the pleasure of partnering with performance.io to enhance our digital reach and content strategy.

Our collaboration focused on two critical areas: developing and executing a robust SEO strategy and implementing a smart paywall system. From the outset, the team at performance.io demonstrated a deep understanding of the healthcare landscape, aligning their approach with the needs of a scientific and clinical audience.

On the SEO front, performance.io conducted a comprehensive audit of our platform, identifying opportunities to optimize content structure, metadata, and user journeys. They implemented best-in-class technical SEO, developed targeted keyword strategies, and boosted discoverability – significantly increasing our organic visibility and attracting a broader audience of relevant healthcare professionals.

The paywall strategy was equally thoughtful. performance.io designed a solution that balanced access with exclusivity, ensuring that high-value content remained protected while still encouraging engagement. It was user-friendly, non-intrusive, and aligned with our audience’s behaviour – supporting better data capture, improved personalization, and a more qualified, engaged user base.

Thanks to this collaboration, Impact Academy has become a successful model for SEO and paywall strategies across other AstraZeneca platforms. We’ve gained valuable insights that better position us to fulfill our mission: delivering evidence-based education to support optimal disease management and improve patient outcomes. The impact is clear: enhanced traffic quality, better content performance, and increased strategic value from our digital ecosystem.

Working with performance.io has been a true partnership – marked by transparency, agility, and deep expertise. I highly recommend them to any organization looking to elevate their digital health platform”

Conclusion: Moving Forward

This campaign highlights the future of SEO in the pharma sector, where compliance, creativity, and strategy converge to provide measurable, impactful results. The work we’ve done with AstraZeneca is just the beginning, and we look forward to continuing to innovate in the years to come.

We are incredibly proud of the results achieved, and we’re excited about what lies ahead. Stay tuned for more updates from performance.io and read more of our case studies.