In September, the Web Marketing Association’s Annual WebAwards 2020 will be presented. One of our most exciting categories is the Best Pharmaceutical Website. Although Pharma is a late entrant to online marketing, it has been able to attract some remarkable winners. The WebAwards, even though Pharma was late to online marketing, have been a great opportunity for it to show how digital marketing can improve pharma’s ROI.

The Web Marketing Association, a group that includes leaders and creators in digital marketing companies, has been hosting WebAwards since 1993.

The Design, Innovation, and Content categories are considered.

These are the rewards for pharmaceutical companies that do these things well. 100,000,000 adults in the U.S. or 85% of American internet users search the web to find healthcare information. We have looked at the top 10 winners of the past decade and found lessons to be learned by looking at what they share in common.

Here are nine websites of top pharmaceutical companies that do it right:

1. Web Awards 2019 winner: Parexel

Parexel, a global organization in life sciences, took on the 2009 challenge by recreating its 20-year-old image for 2019. This image was no surprise. A grandmother-aged woman holding a baby in her arms, with one hand moving to the baby’s head and the other to the face, is the winner of the 2009 challenge. The age is evident in her profile and her hand. But the creative team knew that this moment required more than a smile. There is wisdom and relief in her eyes. It is very moving to see the juxtaposition of old and young against a hospital backdrop.

The slogan “What we do, it’s with heart” by the side of the image, evokes the emotionalism of the scene.

The website does not allow words to overtake the beautiful image. It’s the relief and joy that users feel when they see the image. The image shows the compassion and expertise that the client has. Parexel’s mission is below the fold. They provide personalized content that encourages engagement. For integrations with support tools such as Evergage and UberFlip, the site had to be completely redesigned. It is easy to navigate and grab users’ attention thanks to its creativity and well-designed structure.

2. WebAward 2018 Winner: Aspen

Aspen’s website color scheme is one of the most striking features of last year’s winner. You’ll see that they use the same three shades of blue across their website. This maintains continuity and cohesion throughout each page. The red accent color stands out on the page, impressively cutting through the cool tones.

This is an excellent example of using color to highlight different sections of your website to great success. This is especially true for the red accent color. It contrasts more strongly with the blue hues and draws the eye to the important sections.

You can use the same strategy but with accent colors and highlights. Just make sure the customer is focusing on the content. We return our attention to Aspen’s website. The red highlights key section markers, clickable hyperlinks, and menu bars.

The horizontal scrolling stock exchange bar adds a bonus.

3. WebAward 2017 Winner: Neurocrine

Neurocrine won the award for their page, “Precisely Dedicated to Tardive Dyskinesia.” This page featured a photograph of a woman holding a magnifying lens up to her hand. Although the woman seemed to be twitching in the background, she was looking straight at the reader under the magnifying glass. This powerful photo communicated the purpose of the page: to highlight tardive dyskinesia in real life and to remind people visiting the site about the human side.

People like to be connected with others. This is true whether browsing or in real life. Using photos allows you to communicate complex ideas in simple and immediate ways while establishing deeper connections with your readers beyond information. Stock photos can negate this effect, however, studies have shown that people are extremely adept at recognizing similar images and will simply tune them out.

Neurocrine’s website uses photos extensively to present a variety of topics since they won the award. Their homepage uses a grid-based layout of photos to guide users. They use photos that evoke the right emotions for each topic.

4. BioMarin is the 2016 WebAward Winner

There are many finer points to be made when trying to simplify websites, such as removing sidebars and carousels. Research continues to show that these tabs are often ignored. Sites like BioMarin, which emphasize scrolling over clicking, have found the secret to getting all the information viewed: Keep it all, even the tucked-away stuff, on one page.

BioMarin’s Career page is the one that won the award. It features a full-screen image of a young girl playing on a beach, along with the text “We work for Hope.” Below the text, there’s a search bar to help you find positions within the company by keyword or location. Users can scroll down to find a section called “featured jobs”, more information about the company, and details about several job areas.

The information is still presented in a clean and simple format. However, the conclusion is that users prefer to scroll than click. You don’t have to make pages too long, so long as the information is logically grouped and presented well.

5. WebAward 2015 Winner: Aspen

Many of the same techniques and applications that you use to get readers to read your content online come from non-digital media. For example, the idea of distinguishing content “above” the fold is directly derived from newspapers. Publishers realized the advantages that content had if placed on the top half of the front page, above the fold line. This was seen far more frequently by the public than areas that needed to be picked up and turned in.

Gene.com clearly understood this concept when they won the 2015 award for their page. You can see their identity, what they stand for, and how they got there. Online, the “fold” refers to any space that doesn’t require scrolling or clicking. Gene.com prioritized its content well without overfilling it, especially with its call-to action. Visitors are encouraged and encouraged to follow Gene.com on social media.

Gene.com also features many of the same features that were praised in this list. These include a simple layout and easy navigation. The use of real people as photos. Their award-winning website is an excellent example of how to use this first and most important digital asset.

6. PillCam Crohn’s is the 2014 WebAward Winner

PillCam is a capsule that can be taken to diagnose and monitor symptoms of Crohn’s disease. The capsule’s tiny camera allows for direct visualization of the bowels. It also includes high-definition images as well as easy-to-use software. How does this site inform and present its product in an award-winning manner?

The site does not take a clinical approach but instead uses what is called “social proof.” This concept comes from conformity bias and understands the tendency of people who follow the same path as others. shows that viewers who approve of the site are more likely than others to agree with it.   

The PillCam is featured at the top of the site along with its stated mission of conquering Crohn’s Disease. A link to a video provides a patient’s perspective on the benefits of the capsule and how it has positively affected her life. Each bit of information about the product can be viewed from the user’s perspective as they scroll through the site. This includes introducing healthcare professionals who have partnered with them, and a doctor’s perspective on capsule endoscopy. They are increasing the probability of PillCam being received positively by using social proof to share information about the product.

7. WebAward 2013 Winner: Quintiles

Quintiles was able to do enough right to beat its rivals in the pharmaceutical sector. Since it is their first contact with potential customers, a logo is very important. Quintiles’ logo looks like a simple, red circle. Everything else compliments it. This site is an excellent example of how to maintain a consistent brand image.

The page displays a prominent, but subtle red tint when a visitor arrives on their site. This is to echo the logo. The background image is reminiscent of a cell and is visually appealing. This is a nod to the pharmaceutical, biotech, and health industries. Because they are part of a slideshow, the text and image change as they cycle through three more Quintile’s strengths.

The background images also change as the slideshow moves through the images. The background images stand out against the bright red navigation bar and red text that highlights keywords. The site’s visual design is simple but elegant. It is also easy to navigate, like other award-winning sites.

8. WebAward 2012 Winner: iBGStar

When designing a website, it is important that visitors can access any page on your site from their homepage. This is difficult when you’re dealing with complex fields like pharmaceuticals, but if your website is easy to navigate, it will be more like a menu.

Medical professionals already have lots of information to deal with. It is easy to become overwhelmed and frustrated potential clients with a confusing and difficult-to-navigate website. The 2012 winner, iBGStar has a simple, intuitive way to keep people oriented. It has a “You Are Here” at the top of each page that helps visitors find the section they are on.

The homepage of iBGStar is simple. It has a large image and navigation tabs at the top and left, as well as contact and product information, and legal and legal information at the bottom. The navigation tabs in the left field contain information about the product. The tabs at the top point to external links. Potential customers can access online communities and other related products through external links. The navigation of the page is clear and intuitive, which makes it more effective than overwhelming.

iBGStar is a navigation system that combines breadth, depth, accessibility, and accuracy.

9. WebAward 2011 Winner: McKesson

Scroll down to see McKesson’s most prominent section. It asks you for your role in helping you. It offers three options: “Pharmacy Leader”, “Supply Chain Leader” and “Executive Leader”, but it also looks like a website that works with industry leaders.

McKesson conveys authority. Its website is simple to use, attractive, and easy to navigate. The first is the blue-and-orange theme, which takes advantage of the most compelling combination of complementary colors. Scroll vertically to navigate. Options are revealed as the business tells its story through simple images and high-production videos.

The site’s layout with its vertical scrolling and the easy-to-follow message is a replica of the design elements that made infographics and parallax scrolling so popular. It’s not trendy because it’s fashionable, but because it lets the site tell its story. McKesson uses a narrative to communicate its authority.

These are nine lessons that you can use to be a leader in online pharmaceutical marketing. The industry is moving forward and Kobe has been working hard to help medical industry companies such as Med Talk. Med Talk was founded by a medical team looking to streamline scheduling and communications. It is a robust application for healthcare services that includes an internal messaging system.

This app allows medical groups to communicate securely and effectively among themselves. It also lets them schedule and manage their many shifts and the doctors they need on call every day. The mobile version allows doctors to check and modify their schedules from their smartphones.