CHICAGO, Aug. 17, 2009–A team headed by Susan Hodges, who manages the mid-west division of Susan Carol Associates Public Relations, of Fredericksburg, VA, is researching web sites in the healthcare and biotech industries nationwide this summer and has found that in just one group of 30 sites researched, there are major omissions in branding, messaging and search-engine positioning.

“These are omissions that are definitely narrowing potential revenue channels,” said Hodges.

Hodges, a seasoned writer who joined the global PR firm recently, said few of the researched sites maintained current stories in their news rooms, if they had a news area at all. The biggest issue at most sites, however, is lack of clarity, Hodges reported. Most web sites don’t clearly state their value to customers or who they are trying to attract. She and other members of the team, who are media and branding strategists, are continuing to evaluate sites based on a checklist developed by the agency that covers:

–search engine optimization
–design
–clarity
–ease of navigation
–interactivity, and
–branding sophistication.

They are examining sites concerned with pharmaceutical manufacturing, research and biotech, as well as physician groups, hospitals and healthcare consulting and information technology companies.

The team is offering to proof and review web sites free of charge for the opportunity to meet with the company’s marketing department or top management to review and recommend ways to boost their branding and promotion capability through the Web.

“It is a shame that so many organizations invest in web sites, but then don’t keep their sites up to date,” said Susan Carol, founder of the 20-year-old PR agency. “These organizations also fail to check their stats or monitor their placement in online search engines,” Carol said. “This is a major branding channel, and with some fine tuning, these businesses could convert their sites into revenue-boosting channels.”

Susan Carol Associates is a full-service agency specializing in integrating marketing, advertising and public relations in healthcare, technology and finance. The firm has a corporate web site at http://www.scapr.com and a second site to feature its healthcare industry portfolio at http://www.healthindustrywriters.com. Hodges is a veteran professional communicator with extensive experience writing about health and medicine. Her communications experience also ranges to the transportation, equipment-leasing and property-casualty insurance industries. A former newspaper reporter, she has written for more than 70 publications and consulted for dozens of organizations. Susan Hodges can be reached at slh@scapr.com; Susan Carol, APR, can be reached at sca@scapr.com.