At UP, we’ve worked with biotech, medtech, diagnostics, and pharma companies for years, helping them transform their websites into strategic digital assets. Here are 10 things I’ve learned most recently that make all the difference when building websites for life science companies:
1. Life Science websites have far more audiences than traditional sites
One of the biggest differences with life science websites is the sheer number of distinct audiences you need to serve, often all at once. In addition to internal stakeholders and partners, you’re typically designing for researchers, scientists, lab managers, brand managers, healthcare professionals, investors, regulators, procurement teams, C-suite, and sometimes patients or caregivers too.
Each of these groups has unique needs, expectations, and language preferences. The instinct is often to create separate sections or overload pages with content tailored to each group, but this quickly leads to confusion and complexity. I’ve seen many projects struggle under the weight of well-meaning but overcomplicated content strategies.
The truth is, almost every audience in life sciences is time poor. They want fast access to the information that’s relevant to them, without having to dig through layers of content. That’s why the information architecture (IA) and user experience (UX) have to be ruthlessly focused and intuitive. Less noise, more clarity.
2. Scientific accuracy is vital, but so is action-oriented copy
Life science websites demand a high level of scientific accuracy, that’s non-negotiable. But just getting the science right isn’t enough. Too often, I see content that’s technically correct but fails to engage or guide the user in a meaningful way.
At UP, we’ve built our team to address this challenge head-on. We work with our PhDs who deeply understand the science and pair them with our digital strategists, UX designers, and copywriters. This collaboration ensures that we’re not just accurately conveying complex information, we’re doing it in a way that’s user-friendly and action-oriented.
It’s a unique skill to write for life science users: you need to communicate nuance and rigour, but still lead users toward the next step, whether that’s understanding more, getting in touch, or exploring your pipeline. That blend of scientific precision and UX-led content design is something many organisations underestimate, and it can be the difference between a site that’s informative and one that truly drives engagement.
3. The regulatory landscape and platform policies shape everything
In life sciences, regulatory and legal requirements aren’t just checkboxes at the end of a project; they fundamentally shape how a website is structured, what it can say, and how it functions. From medical disclaimers and consent models to the claims made about products or clinical trials, regulation has a seat at the table from day one.
And it's not just the legal landscape that matters. Platform policies, especially for Google Ads, can also present hurdles. For example, sites that include detailed information about cell and gene therapies or prescription-only medicines often get flagged or restricted. These issues can usually be worked through, but they need to be anticipated early in the planning process to avoid disruption to campaigns later on.
Accessibility is another growing area of compliance. With the European Accessibility Act coming into force this year, many life science companies will be required to meet higher accessibility standards for their digital platforms. Even outside of legal compliance, making your site accessible to all users is just good practice — and part of building trust with healthcare professionals, patients, and the public.
In short, compliance isn’t a layer you add at the end. It’s a foundation you build on from the start.
4. SEO for Life Sciences is a different beast. And it's evolving fast
Many life science organisations are investing in SEO to increase visibility, but it’s not the same playbook you'd use for consumer brands or general B2B. Scientific language is often highly specialised, keyword volumes are low, and search intent can vary widely depending on the audience.
On top of that, Google treats health and science content with extra scrutiny under its YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) guidelines. To rank well, your content needs to demonstrate E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness).
Now, there's a new layer: Generative Search Optimisation (GSO). With AI-driven search experiences like Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) and Bing’s AI summaries starting to shape how users discover information, the fundamentals of SEO matter more than ever. Structured content, clear headings, accessible metadata, and well-organised page hierarchies are now critical not just for users, but also for machines.
If your content isn’t technically well-structured and authoritative, it may not surface in AI-generated results, regardless of how good it is. In life sciences, where trust and accuracy are everything, getting this right is essential.
5. Stakeholder alignment is key. Especially around content and approvals
Every website project relies on good stakeholder alignment, but in life sciences, it’s absolutely critical. You’re often working with a large and diverse group: marketing, medical affairs, legal, regulatory, compliance, R&D, and executive teams may all need to be consulted at different stages.
Where this gets particularly challenging is around content. In most projects, content creation is the hardest part, and in life sciences, the difficulty is amplified by the layers of internal approval required. Getting content signed off can be a complex, multi-stage process involving multiple departments, often with differing priorities and risk thresholds.
That’s why it’s so important to plan for content development and approval early and to allow more time than you normally would. Build in room for iteration, prepare content in review-ready formats, and make the review process as structured and efficient as possible.
When alignment is strong and approvals are well-managed, projects move smoothly. When they’re not, it can grind everything to a halt.
6. Brand matters more than many think, especially in a Sea of Sameness
In life sciences, brand is often treated as a secondary concern, something visual to layer on top of the real work: the science, the data, the pipeline. But the reality is, your brand plays a huge role in how your organisation is perceived by investors, partners, and even prospective talent.
Too often, we see what we call the “sea of sameness”: similar shades of blue and green, generic stock images of smiling patients or scientists in lab coats, and messaging that could belong to almost any company. In a market this competitive, looking and sounding like everyone else is a fast route to being forgotten.
Standing out isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about credibility, clarity, and commercial survival. Only about 1 in 10 biotech companies ever make it from preclinical to market approval. Whether you’re fundraising, forming partnerships, or launching a therapy, a distinct and confident brand can make the difference between being taken seriously or overlooked entirely.
Brand matters, and websites are often where it’s most visible.
7. Navigation can make or break scientific credibility
Life science websites often contain deep, complex information, but if users can’t find what they need quickly and confidently, they’ll lose trust fast. A cluttered or confusing navigation experience can undermine even the most credible science.
That’s why a clear and intuitive information architecture (IA) is essential. But good IA doesn’t come from guesswork, it should be grounded in real user behaviour.
Even if you’re redesigning a site that no one internally is proud of, there’s always valuable insight to be gained from the existing experience. Reviewing current analytics, conducting UX audits, and running heatmaps or user testing can uncover where users are struggling, what content they value, and how they’re navigating.
It’s easy to assume that a fresh design will solve everything, but without understanding what’s working (and what isn’t) on the current site, you risk repeating the same mistakes in a shinier wrapper.
A successful navigation strategy doesn’t just organise content. It builds confidence and authority with your users, and that’s everything in life sciences.
8. Scientists need evidence, not just blogs
In life sciences, organisations often have incredible success stories to tell — but sharing them publicly is rarely straightforward. NDAs, regulatory restrictions, and sensitive partnerships can make traditional case studies difficult or even impossible to publish.
That’s why it’s so important to prioritise premium content: whitepapers, data-backed reports, peer-reviewed studies, and technical explainers. These assets help establish credibility, demonstrate thought leadership, and provide the kind of evidence your audience, especially scientists and clinicians, are looking for.
But don’t stop at written content. Video interviews with experts, educational webinars (still excellent for lead gen), and even podcast series can all be powerful tools to connect with your audience in a more human, digestible way. Done right, these formats can build trust, deliver nuance, and make complex science more accessible, without compromising integrity.
If you're serious about demonstrating credibility, a content strategy that goes beyond blogs and brochures is essential.
9. Globalisation and Ecommerce add extra layers of complexity
Life sciences is a truly global industry. That means your website needs to work across regions, languages, regulatory environments, and user expectations. Localisation isn’t just about translation — it involves adapting messaging, managing compliance differences, and ensuring technical infrastructure supports regional needs.
If your business involves e-commerce for lab products, kits, or educational content, the complexity increases significantly. Tax rules, shipping regulations, product restrictions, and currency handling all need to be managed properly across markets. That’s a very different proposition from a static marketing site.
That’s why it’s vital to think beyond your immediate requirements and choose a tech stack that supports future goals. If you know you’ll need Ecommerce, gated content, or CRM integrations down the line, don’t build a site that locks you into limited functionality. Future-proofing at the platform and architecture level saves time, money, and stress later.
Your digital infrastructure should evolve with your company, not hold it back.
10. The best sites drive long-term growth, not just a one-time launch
A great life science website doesn’t stop being useful after it goes live; in fact, that’s when the real value starts to emerge. The best-performing sites are treated as ongoing assets, not static brochures.
Publishing new, high-quality content keeps the site relevant and visible, but it also powers campaigns, lead generation, and audience insight. Your site becomes a living part of your marketing engine, helping to shape thought leadership, fuel paid media, and drive organic discovery.
But this only works if the site is also built to integrate with the rest of your marketing and sales ecosystem. CRM integrations, marketing automation, and analytics dashboards are the back-end components that ensure the site isn’t just informative, but actively contributes to business development.
When built with long-term value in mind, a life science website becomes much more than a digital touchpoint. It becomes a central player in how your organisation grows, learns, and connects with the people who matter.
Discover the top 10 lessons from building life science websites over 5+ years. Learn how to create effective biotech, pharma, and medtech websites that balance scientific accuracy, regulatory compliance, SEO/Generative Search Optimisation (GSO), user experience, and long-term marketing value.
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