Once you have your basic website set up, you need to ensure customers can find it. This means you need to become familiar with the way internet search engines work, and you may want to use the power of social media to drive people there.
In this article we look at simple steps that can help your local community find you and engage with you – through search and social.
Simple steps to search optimisation
The journey to a pharmacy’s website often begins with a search query. In a crowded digital space, standing out requires a good grasp of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). Key to this is understanding how search engines, like Google, rank websites based on factors such as relevance to search terms, the geographical location of the business, and the length of time your business has been established online. In addition, Google also takes into account paid search advertising and organic search marketing when ranking businesses on the page.
Paid search advertising involves paying for higher visibility for specific keywords. This strategy means that your pharmacy can appear more prominently when specific terms are searched.
Organic search marketing, on the other hand, focuses on naturally achieving a high ranking through relevant and quality content. This includes optimising your website with the right keywords, local information, and ensuring that your website’s structure is search-engine friendly.
4 Tips for increasing your Google ranking
- Start by choosing a domain name that is both memorable and reflective of your pharmacy’s services.
- Regularly update your website with content that aligns with what your customers are searching for. This includes blog posts on health tips, information about new products, and updates on pharmacy services.
- Create a list of keywords and phrases that potential customers might use to find your services and incorporate these into your website’s content.
- Research the top-ranking pharmacies in your area and analyse their websites for keyword and content strategies.
Websites accumulate value over time. New domains might take a while to rank highly on Google, but establishing an online presence early can pay dividends in the long run.
Leveraging social media to increase revenue
Social media offers a unique platform for pharmacies to engage with their communities.
- Business vs influencer
Adopt a business-focused approach to social media, prioritising quality over quantity in terms of both the kind of content you share, and the type of engagement you elicit from your content. Social media is also a powerful way to secure real time feedback from customers about their experience, and to share any positive customer experiences with a wider online community. - Target your audience
Tailor your social media activities to reach the right audience, especially those within the vicinity of your physical store. - Choose the right platforms
Think about which social media channels your target customers are likely to be most active. For example, older demographics might be more active on Facebook, while a younger audience could be reached through Instagram.
| Social media platform | Age of users |
| Snapchat | Very young audience such as teenagers |
| Tiktok | Teenagers to early 20’s |
| Adults aged from 20 – 30 | |
| Twitter / X | Teens and adults aged 15-40 |
| Adults aged 35 upwards |
- Make the most of product or service endorsements
If a local celebrity or healthcare professional endorses a service you provide, then sharing their endorsement on your social media channels is a great way to promote your business. It is important to ensure compliance with industry regulations such as the MHRA’s guidelines (you can find out more in the MHRA Blue Book Guidance). - Utilise social media for two-way communication
Engage proactively with customers and offer an alternative contact method for busy periods. Set clear response time expectations for messages.
Social media content ideas
It can be difficult to think of what to post on social media if you are new to using it for business. Here are some ideas for inspiration:
- Spotlight a star product
Add excitement to each week with a ‘Product of the Week’ showcase, making it a fun reveal for your followers. Pair it with quirky facts or a mini contest to boost engagement.
- Educational posts
Share useful health tips, animated how-to guides for medical devices, and tackle common health issues with a twist of humour or interactive quizzes.
- Fun and facts
Create a ‘Did You Know?’ series and share surprising health facts, bust myths, or participate in light-hearted Q&A sessions to connect with your audience.
If you have time and feel comfortable filming short videos of yourself talking about a particular condition or product then this can be a great way to provide useful, engaging healthcare information while also advertising your business at the same time.
Remember though that you don’t have to build up to millions of followers, for a local business it’s more important to target useful information to your desired customers.
Keeping it current
One of the challenges of social media marketing is that you need to post content fairly regularly. This can be a barrier if your time is limited, but there are ways to get around this. For example, you can post high-quality content once a month. For example:
“We treated 50,000 people really well this year”
“All our customers rated us as excellent”.
You can also use it to announce services, such as:
“Did you know we provide an asthma review service in your community?”.
Consistency is key, and you may find it helpful to plan a content calendar to regularly post content.
You can use online and app-based scheduling tools to manage and automate your social media posts.
Keep content relevant and up to date to drive traffic back to your website, this in turn will improve your search engine ranking.
Keeping it safe
Email Communications and Email marketing is an effective way to stay in touch with customers, but it must adhere to UK General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)regulations. This involves getting explicit consent for marketing communications and ensuring that the content sent is relevant and useful.
Using email communications and GDPR
One of the benefits of having an online presence is that you have an easy route for offering customers the option of signing up to receive regular information.
If they need to register to book services or to buy products online, you can ask them if they would like to receive other types of communications.
It’s important to note that if you are contacting customers you need to adhere to UK GDPR and there is guidance available to support with this (see the useful resources section below), but a good general rule of thumb when thinking about emailing customers is to consider the purpose:
| Scenario | Explanation | |
| ✔ GDPR Compliant | Emailing customers with follow-up information on purchased products | Sending follow-up information that directly relates to a customer’s purchase is compliant, as it’s considered part of the purchase process. |
| ✘ Not GDPR Compliant | Sending promotional emails about new products without explicit consent (e.g., advertising hayfever tablets to cough syrup purchasers) | Promotional material for unrelated products requires explicit customer consent under GDPR. |
Conclusion
Developing a robust online presence for a pharmacy involves a combination of strategic SEO, thoughtful social media engagement, and compliant email marketing. By understanding and applying these principles, pharmacies can effectively reach and serve their local communities in the digital age.
Useful resources
- Medicine and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) The Blue Guide Advertising and Promotion of Medicines in the UK (Last updated 2020)
- Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) Health and Social Care guidance
- National Pharmacy Association (NPA) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
- Google Ads Google Ads Overview
