I’m Kayla. I design and ship biotech sites for a living. I also break things, fix them, and talk to lawyers more than I planned. Sounds fun, right? It is. Most days. For an even deeper behind-the-scenes story, you can read my full breakdown of building biotech websites.
Biotech web design feels different. The stakes are higher. Words matter. Claims matter. Speed matters. And trust? That’s the whole game. If you want to see where those stakes are pushing design next, this overview of biotech website design trends for 2025 is a solid forecast.
Let me explain what worked for me, where I messed up, and what I’d do again tomorrow.
Real projects I shipped (and what actually happened)
1) Gene therapy startup on Webflow—simple words, real proof
They had a bold science story. CRISPR angles, animal data, the works. I built the site in Webflow, with a CMS for publications and news. I used BioRender for clean pathway art, so the figures didn’t look like a textbook scan.
What we changed:
- Cut the jargon on the home page. “Fix a broken gene” beat “novel vector platform.”
- Added a Publications page with PubMed links and DOI numbers.
- Put “For research use only” where needed.
- Kept it super fast: lazy-loaded images and used Cloudflare.
What happened:
- Bounce rate dropped 22% in six weeks.
- Average load stayed under 2 seconds.
- Legal was happy because we stuck to data and citations.
I love fancy visuals. But not here. Clarity beat cute. Every time.
2) Diagnostics landing pages on WordPress—clean forms, no health data
A lab wanted landing pages for two assays. I used WordPress (Gutenberg blocks) and kept the stack light. Rank Math handled SEO. Cookiebot set the consent banner right for GDPR.
We used real lab photos from their team. No fake stock smiles. I added short charts with Chart.js to show sensitivity and specificity. We used Jotform (HIPAA plan) for contact. But we didn’t ask for health info. Not even a hint. Only work email, role, and city. Safer that way.
Tricky bit:
- Legal review was slow. We cut claims that sounded like treatment talk. We set clear use cases: research, not patient care.
Result:
- Pages got picked up by trade press.
- Sales folks liked the “Request a call” funnel. Three steps. No noise.
3) Trial recruitment microsite—fast pages, careful words
A CRO needed a tiny site for a Phase II study. I used Next.js with a Sanity CMS because the team wanted fine control. The “Can I join?” screener was very light. Age, zip code, smoking status. No PHI. The site pushed people to call a real coordinator.
We added:
- WCAG 2.2 AA color contrast.
- Big buttons for mobile.
- A clear “What to expect” step list.
It felt almost too simple. But guess what? It worked. People want plain talk. Not ten blocks of tiny type.
Tools I keep reaching for
- Figma for wireframes and quick feedback.
- BioRender for pathway and cell art that looks real.
- Webflow for clean marketing sites with a safe CMS.
- WordPress when the team already loves it.
- Next.js + Sanity when dev control matters.
- GA4 and Hotjar for behavior and heatmaps.
- OneTrust or Cookiebot for consent.
- Yoast or Rank Math for SEO helpers.
- Cloudflare for CDN and caching.
If you want to see how small design tweaks can unlock big gains, check out the teardown library at DesignWebMagic for side-by-side before-and-after case studies.
What worked (and felt good)
- Plain language first. “How it works” in three steps. With verbs.
- Proof nearby. Data tables, methods, sources. Not hidden.
- Real faces. Photos of the team in the lab. Not models.
- Clear CTAs. “Download the poster.” “Talk to a scientist.” Keep it short.
- Schema on key pages (Organization, Article, Product) so search makes sense.
- Print styles. Scientists still print PDFs. I know I do.
What bugged me (and how I fixed it)
- Stock lab photos. They look fake. I asked for one afternoon in the lab and shot my own with a phone. Way better.
- Too many claims. We cut them or added citations. The site felt calmer.
- Long review cycles. I built a “red flag” checklist so Legal could skim fast.
- Heavy pages. I trimmed scripts. No giant hero video on mobile. Load time dropped, and nobody cried.
Earlier in my career, I actually sat on the other side of the table and hired a web design company in Orange County—that experience is why I’m borderline obsessed with keeping timelines and expectations clear.
Compliance without panic
This part makes folks sweat. It shouldn’t.
- FDA and FTC care about claims. So we keep marketing true, modest, and cited.
- HIPAA only matters if you collect PHI. Most marketing sites don’t need it. If we do, we use a HIPAA-ready form and limit fields.
- GDPR and friends? Cookie consent with clear choices. A short, human privacy note. No dark patterns.
- Accessibility always. Alt text. Contrast. Keyboard nav. Good for people. Good for search. Good for sleep. A lot of those lessons actually came from a different vertical—designing sites for senior living communities—which I unpacked in this piece.
One quick example that always trips teams up: if you're publishing any content that even hints at hormonal pathways—say, explaining how falling testosterone levels might be linked to thinning hair—you need rock-solid references before making the claim. I usually point clients to this plain-English explainer on whether low testosterone actually causes hair loss because it breaks down the mechanisms, debunks myths, and cites peer-reviewed studies they can lean on when drafting copy.
I once thought rules would kill the fun. They didn’t. They gave the site a spine.
SEO and speed that actually help
- Titles that say what the page covers. Not cute riddles.
- H1 for the page point. H2 for sections. No soup of headers.
- Internal links from method pages to product pages.
- Fast hosting and image compression. I use AVIF or WebP when I can.
- A light blog with real news: posters, preprints, team notes. Even short ones.
Win for readers. Win for reps. Win for me when I check analytics on a Monday.
Small things that made a big difference
- A glossary for tough words. Hover to see meaning. Scientists love it, newbies love it more.
- “Compare” blocks for assays. People decide faster.
- A real press page with contacts, logos, and facts.
- Conference kits before big shows (like ASHG or JP Morgan week). Swag link, poster PDFs, one-liners for reps.
Side quest: now and then I moonlight on non-biotech builds just to keep my UX muscles loose. One recent detour was optimizing a classified listings hub for nightlife services in the Chicago suburbs—Backpage Bolingbrook—and the project underscored how universal fast load times and intuitive category hierarchies really are. Poke around and you’ll see how the site leverages clean filters, mobile-ready cards, and transparent contact options to keep casual visitors from bouncing.
You know what? The little bits pull the load. If you're hunting for a longer checklist of UX tweaks built for lab-centric brands, grab these 41 detailed tips to improve biotech website user experience.
Quick checklist I share with every biotech team
- Say what you do in one line on the home page.
- Show proof near claims.
- Use real lab photos.
- Keep forms short. No PHI unless you must.
- Make pages fast. Under 2–3 seconds if you can.
- Add alt text. Fix contrast.
- Set consent right. Be clear about cookies.
- Keep a live Publications page.
- Plan content drops around conferences.
- Track, learn, and trim the fluff.
My verdict
Biotech web design is not about flashy tricks. It’s about trust, speed, and straight talk. When we build with care, the science shines, and people lean in.
Would I do it again? Tomorrow. Just give me Figma, a lab tour, and a lawyer who answers email. I’ll bring coffee.
If you’re stuck, start small: one clear page, one clear claim, one real proof. Then build out. It’s slower than hype, but it lasts. And that’s why I keep doing it.