As we do each quarter, we’ve just analyzed how well the top eleven pharmaceutical companies ranked in Q4 2008 on the Search Engine Results Pages of the major sites. We were curious to see if the current climate would be reflected in our results.

We applied basic search marketing analysis to brands that exist in the highly competitive and intensely regulated pharmaceutical industry.

We looked at the top five brands of each company (based on revenue) and searched for four keyphrases for each brand: “[indication]” and “[indication] treatment” and “[indication] medication” and “[indication] symptoms.”

Then we recorded each brand’s website rankings for each keyphrase on Google, Yahoo!, MSN and Ask. (You can see the complete process below). Their scores indicate whether a brand appeared on page 1, 2, 3 or lower when a searcher specifically looked for their indication.

Our goal with this quarterly analysis, as with most SEO campaigns, is to find out which pharmaceutical companies are claiming valuable marketing “real estate” and sustaining these high rankings over time. Our results, consistent with previous analyses, show a big gap in rankings between those at the top and those lower results. The economy hasn’t made a dent in their successful SEO.

Here are our results:

• The same three companies have kept their top scores since we began this analysis in January 2007: Novartis, Pfizer, and GlaxoSmithKline. But for the first time, this quarter Pfizer (1.27) has edged out Novartis (1. 20) for the #1 spot.
• Although it appears these three have mastered the art of producing superior SEO rankings, keep in mind that a perfect score is a 7.0. There is plenty of SEO opportunity even for the leaders.
• Pfizer leads with brands Lipitor, Lyrica and Viagra posting strong results, including nine results in the Top Five.
• Novartis has four out of five brands posting strong results on all search engines, including seven rankings in the Top Five. For some reason their breast cancer drug Femara is not ranking well.
• GSK (.71) is #3 with Advair, Avandia and Valtrex ranking well and five Top Five rankings.
• For the third quarter in a row Roche (.56) holds the #4 spot with one strong brand, Rituxan, that scores well to bump it into the top 4.
• Johnson & Johnson (.52) is only a few points behind at #5.
• AstraZeneca (.32) leaps into #6 this quarter with Sanofi Aventis (.26) close behind.
• Merck (.28) falls to #8 with only its cholesterol drug Vytorin ranking.
• Bristol-Myers Squibb (.17) is in position #9.
• Wyeth (.05) and Eli Lilly (.01) continue to trail, with virtually no web presence at all for their top five brands.

Methodology:

We developed the methodology below.

• Compiled data between January 5-9, 2009
• Examined top 5 brands produced by top 11 companies based on revenue from financial statements provided by each company
• Searched four keyphrases for each brand: “[indication]” and “[indication] treatment” and “[indication] medication” and “[indication] symptoms”
• Recorded each brand’s website rankings for each keyphrase on Google, Yahoo!, MSN and Ask
• Assigned each ranking a point value based on Search Ranking Score: Top 5 Ranking = 15 points; First Page Ranking = 10 points; Second Page Ranking = 3 points; Third Page Ranking = 1 point; Not Listed on First Three Pages = 0 points
• Identified each search engine’s market share based on HitWise November 2008 U.S. Search Engine Rankings
• Calculated each company’s index score using Index = (Search Ranking Score * Search Engine Market Share)/11
• A perfect score = 7.0

With this in mind, we’ve just completed our analysis of how well the top eleven pharmaceutical companies ranked in Q3 2008 on the Search Engine Results Pages of the major sites.

We looked at the top five brands of each company (based on revenue) and searched for four keyphrases for each brand: “[indication]” and “[indication] treatment” and “[indication] medication” and “[indication] symptoms.”

Then we recorded each brand’s website rankings for each keyphrase on Google, Yahoo!, MSN and Ask. (You can see the complete process below). Their scores indicate whether a brand appeared on page 1, 2, 3 or lower when a searcher specifically looked for their indication.

The top ranked companies continue to have a strong consistent presence online that is in sync with – and reaps the benefit of — their print, TV and other offline marketing campaigns.

Our results:
• The same three companies have kept their top scores since we began this analysis in January 2007: Novartis, Pfizer, and GlaxoSmithKline.
•    Novartis (1.42) continues to lead with four out of five brands posting strong results on all search engines, including eight rankings in the Top Five.
•    Pfizer (.98) is #2 with brands Lipitor, Lyrica and Viagra posting strong results, including seven Top Five rankings.
•    GSK (.72) is #3 with Advair, Avandia and Valtrex ranking well and five Top Five rankings.
•    For the second quarter in a row Roche (.45) holds the #4 spot with one strong brand, Rituxan, that scores well to bump it into the top 4.
•    Johnson & Johnson (.44) is only .01 points behind at #5.
•    Merck (.28) maintains its status at #6 with one brand’s results.
•    AstraZeneca (.26) is #7 this quarter.
•    Sanofi Aventis (.12) and Bristol-Myers Squibb (.12) are tied in position #8.
•    Eli Lilly (.04) has dropped to #10.
•    Wyeth (.00) continues to trail at #11, with no web presence at all for its top five brands.Methodology:
We developed the methodology below, using data gathered from the most recent publicly available financial information.

•    Compiled data between October 15 - 22, 2008
•    Determined the top 11 pharmaceutical companies based on revenue
•    Examined the top 5 brands based on revenue
•    Searched four keyphrases for each brand: “[indication]” and “[indication] treatment” and “[indication] medication” and “[indication] symptoms”
•    Recorded each brand’s website rankings for each keyphrase on Google, Yahoo!, MSN and Ask
•    Assigned each ranking a point value based on Search Ranking Score: Top 5 Ranking = 15 points; First Page Ranking = 10 points;  Second Page Ranking = 3 points; Third Page Ranking = 1 point; Not Listed on First Three Pages = 0 points
•    Identified each search engine’s market share based on HitWise September 2008 U.S. Search Engine Rankings
•    Calculated each company’s index score using Index = (Search Ranking Score * Search Engine Market Share)/11
•    A perfect score = 7.0

Engaging these motivated searchers at the top of the funnel is crucial for long-term brand recognition and, ultimately, revenue.

We wanted to find out who was successful, and who was not.

We’ve just completed our analysis of how well the top eleven pharmaceutical companies ranked in Q2 2008 on the Search Engine Results Pages of the major sites.

We looked at the top five brands of each company (based on revenue) and searched for four keyphrases for each brand: “[indication]” and “[indication] treatment” and “[indication] medication” and “[indication] symptoms.”

Then we recorded each brand’s website rankings for each keyphrase on Google, Yahoo!, MSN and Ask. (You can see the complete process below). This isn’t a popularity contest. Our results don’t reflect how many visitors each brand attracts, but what position these brands appear in when a searcher specifically looks for their indication.

Our results show that the top ranked companies are reaping the rewards of their investment in organic search. They’ve recognized the value for these brands of having a vital, consistent Web presence that reinforces their significant offline marketing.

Our results:

• The same three companies have kept their top scores since we began this analysis in January 2007: Novartis, Pfizer, and GlaxoSmithKline. But this quarter, for the first time, JNJ dropped out of the top four, swapping places with Roche at #6.
• Novartis continues to lead the rankings with four out of five brands posting strong results on all search engines. Although it has the high score (1.39) there is room for improvement to reach the best-case scenario (7).
• Pfizer (.93) is second with brands Lipitor, Lyrica and Viagra posting strong results.
• GSK (.72) is third with Advair, Avandia and Valtrex seeing good rankings.
• Roche (.58) has one strong brand, Rituxan, that scores well to bump it into the top 4.
• Merck (.36) maintains its status at #5 with one brand’s results.
• J&J (.32) has slipped to #6 with Topamax’s rankings.
• AstraZeneca (.22) has jumped from #10 and #7 this quarter and is tied with Bristol-Myers.
• Sanofi Aventis (.17) and Eli-Lilly (.09) both dropped slightly to places #9 and #10.
• Wyeth (.02) continues to trail at #11, with almost no web presence at all for its top five brands. Only one of its top 5 brands appeared on the results pages, and that was with a third page position.

Methodology:
We developed the methodology below, using data gathered from the most recent publicly available financial information.

• Compiled data between July 1 - 30, 2008
• Determined the top 11 pharmaceutical companies based on revenue
• Examined the top 5 brands based on revenue
• Searched four keyphrases for each brand: “[indication]” and “[indication] treatment” and “[indication] medication” and “[indication] symptoms”
• Recorded each brand’s website rankings for each keyphrase on Google, Yahoo!, MSN and Ask
• Assigned each ranking a point value based on Search Ranking Score: Top 5 Ranking = 15 points;?First Page Ranking = 10?points; Second Page Ranking = 3?points; Third Page Ranking = 1?point; Not Listed on First Three Pages = 0 points
• Identified each search engine’s market share based on comScore June 2008 U.S. Search Engine Rankings
• Calculated each company’s index score using Index = (Search Ranking Score * Search Engine Market Share)/11
• A perfect score = 7.0

With more consumers going online for healthcare information, and millions of dollars in R&D at stake, it is critical that pharmaceutical companies take the necessary steps to ensure that health information seekers can find their brands online. We wanted to find out who was successful, and who was not.

Last year, we began a methodical analysis (see the process below) of how well the top five brands of the top eleven companies were ranking on Google, Yahoo!, MSN and Ask. Some of these were Catalyst clients, and some were not, and the same is true today. In 2008 we continue to measure how well these pharma companies are doing in the race for the top positions.

Our results:

• The same four companies have kept their top scores since we began this analysis in January 2007: Novartis, Pfizer, GSK, and J&J.
• Novartis continues to lead the rankings with four out of five brands posting strong results on all search engines. Although it has the high score (1.72), there is room for improvement to reach the best-case scenario (7).
• Pfizer (1.02) is second with brands Lipitor, Lyrica and Viagra posting strong results.
• GSK (.89) is third with Advair and Avandia seeing good rankings.
• J&J (.62) has one strong brand, Topamax, that scores well to keep it in the top 4.
• The top three companies continue to break away from the pack with improved scores, while Johnson & Johnson (#4) dropped slightly.
• Merck wins most improved player award. After a year in 10^th place, the company has jumped from #10 to #5 on the strength of one brand’s results.
• Sanofi Aventis (#7) had the exact same score as Q4 ‘07.
• BMS and AstraZeneca improved slightly.
• Eli-Lilly dropped slightly.
• Wyeth continues to trail at #11, with almost no web presence at all for its top five brands. Only one of its top 5 brands appeared on the results pages, and that was with a third page position.

Observations:

The top five companies are investing in organic search and clearly the investment is paying off. It is not by chance they are at the top. They have clearly made a commitment to “closing the loop’ by having a strong online presence that mirrors their offline efforts. This long term marketing strategy will continue to serve them well as they capitalize on consumer interest generated by DTC campaigns.

Methodology:

We developed the methodology below, using data gathered from the most recent publicly available financial information.

· Compiled data between April 1 - 30, 2008

· Determined the top 11 pharmaceutical companies based on revenue

· Examined the top 5 brands based on revenue

· Searched four keyphrases for each brand: “[indication]” and “[indication] treatment” and “[indication] medication” and “[indication] symptoms”

· Recorded each brand’s website rankings for each keyphrase on Google, Yahoo!, MSN and Ask

· Assigned each ranking a point value based on Search Ranking Score: Top 5 Ranking = 15 points;?First Page Ranking = 10?points; Second Page Ranking = 3?points; Third Page Ranking = 1?point; Not Listed on First Three Pages = 0 points

· Identified each search engine’s market share based on comScore March 2008 U.S. Search Engine Rankings

· Calculated each company’s index score using Index = (Search Ranking Score * Search Engine Market Share)/11

· A perfect score = 7.0

I also have recently joined Facebook.  It is fun.  It is interesting.  I am finding friends I have not seen in five years.  I am networking.   I am cautiously hooked.  Try it, let me know what you think.  Putting on our marketing hat, what can we do here?  The traditional way to maintain your health is broken or at least has some pretty serious chinks in the armor. 

How about embracing privacy?  My Facebook page knows I am forty.  My PCP told me I needed to go to the optometrist based on my age, lovely.  Instead what if Facebook communicated to me; we know you are forty…do you want any of these potentially relevant medical groups to communicate with you about what health concerns you should be aware of?  Do you want some recommended optometrists?  I could also ask my “friends” on Facebook.  Another example, you are turning fifty, you should consider a bone density test, however if diagnosed with osteoperosis do not worry as there are excellent osteoporosis treatments available today, would you like to find out more?  Ask the consumer who has given their personal information if we can use it to help.   I then get information from the manufacture and can ask my friends for opinions.  What do you think of Dr. Weis?  What do you think of Reclast? Actonel? Boniva?

I would love this approach!  I don’t feel forty.

Apply this same concept to pharma or any industry.  A drive to search campaign (tracks the efficacy of the TV campaign via query volume and click behavior) with choices for the consumer.  “Learn about Lipitor” possible links: understanding cholesterol, cholesterol treatment, find a doc, Lipitor vs Zocor. 

For the times they are a-changin’  

Google Health, Microsoft’s HealthVault and Revolution Health (backed by former AOL Chairman Steve Case) are the three big players, the big boys. I do not think this concept or these companies are going away. Therefore, as a pharma marketers let’s think about this new communication channel? distribution channel? and how to message our product’s key benefits.

As we know Google earns almost all its revenue in Web advertising. Google has no plan to sell ads on Google Health. It aims to make money indirectly when users search for other medical information. Today MSN places HealthVault results at the top of their organic search results. Where do you think this is going? Lipitor.com is not going to rank above HealthVault. Try it, “Hypertension treatment” on MSN Live Search.

We need to leverage our assets, what can we offer these companies to improve their service. Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google stated, “We don’t know how to suck it(information) out of the brains of doctors, but we know how to suck it out of the computer systems of doctors.” What will Google want to “suck out” of the pharma industry? We could provide a Google Health PDF with information on the benefits of our product, better yet a Google Health MOA video or even better, access to the medical research faculty that are working hard to discover a cure for MS or Parkinson’s. If we improve their service, we gain access to their customers. What is your plan? It is time to have a brainstorming session!

So now back to reality. Wikia Search launched. We instantly had clients calling about their rankings on Wikia Search. That is 2008 search marketing energy. I love it! The Search Strategists at Catalyst are busy analyzing the new engine. The reviews about Wikia Search have mostly been negative…”not much of a search engine, the technology stinks, there is nothing human about it”, etc.

Jimmy Wales and the folks at Wikia Search are fully aware of their search engine short comings stating, “It’s a project to *build* a search engine, not a search engine.” They even go as far as providing a Wikia Search disclaimer on their site with pleas for mercy like, “So the results are pretty bad. But we expect them to improve rapidly in coming weeks, so please bookmark the site and return often.”

And in all fairness (I do have to represent both sides - I was a girl scout) Jimmy Wales reminds us, “When I launched Wikipedia, I wrote at the top of the first page “Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”. On that day, anyone reviewing it would have laughed. What’s this? There’s nothing here! This is not an encyclopedia, it is an empty website with some funny editing syntax!”

Wikia Search is trying to build something different and hoping we will come. They use a social networking model and rely heavily on user participation.

So, like so many other overly hyped launches in our search world, time will tell if Wikia Search will be a contender or is simply this month’s flash in the pan. I personally do not believe Wikia Search has the chops to be a meaningful player in 2008 and I’d love to hear what you have to say about it.

As a reminder, Catalyst (that’s us) is a search marketing agency with pharmaceutical clients. You can find more about What We Do and who Our Clients are by reviewing our website. Some of the companies covered in this analysis report are clients of ours and some are not.

We do this analysis because it’s interesting to us. We hope it is interesting to you too. We’re applying basic search marketing analysis to brands that exist in the highly competitive and intensely regulated pharmaceutical industry. If you follow our methodology you just may come up with the exact same results. Then again, because it’s SEO and we’re dealing with the dynamics of search engines, you may produce different results. Welcome to our world. Our goal with this quarterly analysis, as with most SEO campaigns, is to measure which pharma companies obtain valuable marketing real estate and then sustain those rankings over an extended period of time. Here are our Q3-2007 results.

Happy Holidays!