The original objective was to revamp the old BCM-IVF website to enhance the content graphically and create a more professional look. The web experts at HexaGroup analyzed the existing site and the clinic's needs, and made recommendations that ultimately changed the direction of the project and multiplied its benefits.

Prior to discussing visual revamping of the site, the HexaGroup team examined the objectives of the site itself: The target audience for the BCM-IVF site's content comprised mainly doctors referring patients and couples looking for help to have a baby. To reach this audience, the team considered the impression the site would make on doctors planning to refer patients, and determined what information would be important to couples looking for a fertility clinic.

With these considerations in mind, HexaGroup could begin working with the BCM-IVF staff to develop site content that was highly relevant and easy for patients to understand. Another key consideration came into play at this point: because couples looking for infertility solutions often start their journey with a web search, initial and ongoing search engine optimization would be as important as building the site itself.

Successful search engine optimization must be built into a site from the start, through carefully developed content written with search engine optimization in mind. This content, combined with technically sound design, makes search engine optimization easier and infinitely more effective, thus making the site available to more people.

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of the project was the balance between emphasis on in-vitro fertilization; a well-known procedure with high name recognition and the philosophy of BCM-IVF, which stresses that this is only one of many possible solutions to infertility. While most other local infertility specialists focus almost solely on this technique, BCM-IVF sought to emphasize a holistic approach to fertility, in which other treatments often achieve success with less expense and risk.

Because BCM-IVF wanted to raise its profile on the web, search engine optimization was a key consideration from the project's outset. To develop the full potential of the clinic's website, HexaGroup started by building a solid foundation of site structure and content, which were created from the start with optimization in mind. The results of our internal marketing audit, along with our considerable experience in this area, enabled us to organize the site for maximum exposure to the right audience

The site needed to function as an educational tool as well as a promotional one, so HexaGroup ensured that medical procedures and methods were explained in terms that were not only accurate, but also user-friendly for the general public. The carefully crafted site text paved the way for quality site indexing, which was important to the goal of reaching a wider audience on the web.

When the site was completed, HexaGroup performed advanced keyword research to determine the best code and tags to include on each page for optimal search engine ranking. The most popular relevant keywords from the site were also used to create sponsored links for both Google and Yahoo! Search Marketing (formerly Overture). These search engine advertisements were targeted at a local audience, and HexaGroup ensured that the ads were built to be most relevant to users in the greater Houston area, to improve the chances that prospective patients searching the web would find the BCM-IVF site.

With the website completed and optimized for search engine relevance, it was time to submit the site for indexing. HexaGroup manually submitted the BCM-IVF site to the Open Directory Project (dmoz.org ), which links in with the most popular web search engines, and also submitted the site directly to those search engines for inclusion in their indices.

Now that the search engine optimization is in place and the ad campaign is producing results, HexaGroup continues tweaking and monitoring the site to keep it competitive. Our ongoing support includes continuous keyword analysis, traffic monitoring, and re-submission of updated web pages as needed; in short, whatever is needed to ensure that BCM-IVF stays at the top of web search results.

In addition to gaining a content-rich and user-friendly website, BCM-IVF has garnered a much wider web audience since the new site went live. Now, when a couple seeking help with infertility searches the web with a popular search engine, a combination of relevance and sponsored links puts bcmivf.org at or near the top of the search results and HexaGroup continually monitors and tweaks the site to keep the clinic in the spotlight. This has brought more attention not only to the BCM-IVF facility, but also to the philosophy that its doctors share, that infertility treatments should offer a variety of tools and options, addressing each patient as an individual.