The Web Design Playbook for Regulated Industries

What Biotech, Pharma, and Fintech Teams Need to Know Before Their Next Website Project

Designing a website in a regulated or complex industry is about aesthetics, clarity, compliance, and conversion. For companies in biotech, pharma, fintech, healthtech, or B2B SaaS, a templated approach does not meet the demands of legal oversight, accessibility, and buyer trust.

This guide outlines what regulated companies must prioritize before launching or rebuilding a digital presence and what to avoid.

1. The Role of Web Design in Regulated Industries

Your website is a marketing tool and is part of your credibility. Investors, procurement officers, partners, and regulators look to it to assess quality, transparency, and professionalism.

In regulated industries, a good website:

Explains technical offerings clearly
Stays compliant with evolving policies
Serves as a content hub for due diligence and research
Supports long buying cycles with layered user journeys

2. What "Good Design" Really Means

Modern websites in regulated industries must go beyond style.

Qualities of a strong design system:

Mobile-responsive and built for all screen sizes
Follows ADA and WCAG 2.1 accessibility guidelines
Enables version control for legal and compliance review
Integrates with secure CMS platforms (like Sanity or Webflow)
Supports gated content, investor explainers, and disclaimers

Design without these considerations will break down during legal reviews or enterprise sales processes.

3. Ensuring Compliance During the Web Design Process

Key steps to ensure your site is compliant from the start:

Discovery: Document industry-specific regulations (FDA, HIPAA, FTC, GDPR, etc.)
Sitemap planning: Distinguish clearly between educational and promotional content
Wireframing: Include space for legal disclaimers and policy links in all key templates
Design: Apply accessibility color contrast rules, clear hierarchy, and mobile compliance
Content reviews: Ensure no unsubstantiated claims are included in marketing copy
Forms and tracking: Configure consent-based data collection, opt-in flows, and cookie banners

Idea: Invite legal or compliance teams to your CMS system with review access early—don't wait until launch week.

4. How to Test for Accessibility and Privacy Before Launch

Before going live, thorough QA is critical.

How to test effectively:

Accessibility Testing

Use WAVE or axe DevTools to scan pages for contrast, labels, ARIA errors
Test keyboard-only navigation (tab, enter, etc.)
Use screen readers (like NVDA or VoiceOver) to ensure all content is announced

Privacy & Compliance Testing

Deploy region-specific cookie banners (e.g., Cookiebot, Termly)
Review all form logic for explicit consent and privacy policy linking
Use Lighthouse to check for general performance and compliance

Idea: Run your site through a simulated user journey and look for friction—especially for investors, clinicians, or regulated users.

5. Choosing the Right Platform and Stack

Not every CMS or tech stack supports regulated use cases.

Recommended Platforms

Low-Code, Marketing Control: Webflow
Developer-First and Modular: Headless CMS like Sanity, integrated with React/Next.js
Localization and Privacy Handling: Sanity, DatoCMS, or custom headless builds

Stack Considerations

Can stakeholders view and approve content before it's live?
Can updates be tracked and version-controlled?
Are integrations (CRM, analytics, forms) secure and privacy-compliant?

If not, your platform may slow down and not support your compliance efforts.

6. Typical Project Timeline

Web design and development timeline for regulated industries

Speeding this up is possible with MVP launches—but not at the cost of compliance or stability.

7. Key Metrics to Track Post-Launch

Post-launch measurements:

Form conversion rates (by user segment)
Page speed / Core Web Vitals
Bounce rate reduction
Scroll depth and session duration
Accessibility score (WAVE or Lighthouse)
Privacy audit performance
Lead attribution to SEO or paid traffic sources

Numbers like traffic and rankings are helpful—but incomplete without compliance and conversion metrics.

8. Common Mistakes to Avoid

Ignoring accessibility: Risk of ADA lawsuits or exclusion of key audiences
Using prebuilt templates: Most don't meet legal formatting or layout needs
Forgetting privacy logic: GDPR fines or opt-in violations are real risks
Lacking review processes: Legal must be able to approve content or modules
Not preparing for localization: Global teams need region-specific compliance flows

Avoiding these five mistakes early can save months of backtracking later.