Supporting Circle's evolution into UK's largest hospital group

Medico Digital’s relationship with Circle Health started with a need to grow its share of the self-pay market. By embedding ourselves within Circle’s teams, we could align our efforts with both patient need and organisational goals, delivering measurable results and providing strategic guidance at every level.

After identifying limitations in Circle’s previous campaigns, we knew Google AdWords would be a key pillar of its new digital strategy. So we developed tailored solutions to optimise engagement, targeting and tracking.

To address low conversion rates, we started with highly targeted microsites for their orthopaedic and cosmetic services. Previous targeting attempts had been broad, but using high-conversion keywords and location-based bids, these new campaigns quickly showed the potential in digital channels to deliver tangible results. The orthopaedic microsite increased engagement time by 722%, while targeted AdWords campaigns drove a 163% rise in orthopaedic enquiries. And despite the competitive market, they were soon receiving 50 monthly enquiries for their cosmetics microsite, too.

To track campaign performance effectively, we introduced a dynamic call-tracking system, enabling Circle Health to attribute patient enquiries to specific keywords. These efforts ensured marketing spend was focused on patients actively seeking private care, improving their ROI.

Following the success of the microsites, in 2018 Medico Digital delivered a new website for Circle Health in just three months, with 400 treatment pages and 300 clinician profiles. Designed for speed, accessibility and responsiveness, the site achieved a 100% accessibility score and a 4x faster load time than its main competitors. Equipping it with AMP-ready pages allowed for an intuitive, more engaging experience across mobile and desktop.

We also implemented advanced SEO strategies to enhance organic visibility, and integrating treatment-specific contact forms offered a more bespoke patient journey, increasing conversions by 230%. Tailored to their marketing team’s needs, the CMS allowed them to easily make use of the Umbraco framework and update content with ease, ensuring a lasting, patient-focused digital platform.

As part of this website development, we created one of the UK’s first private hospital online booking systems. Collaborating closely with Circle’s internal teams, we developed a fully integrated system linked to their patient management software, CompuCare.

This solution allowed patients to view consultant availability and book appointments directly, eliminating the need for phone calls and streamlining the patient experience, positioning Circle Health as a leader in patient-centred digital innovation.

By 2019, Circle Health had experienced significant growth, supported by advancements in its digital presence. Improvements to its website and online patient scheduling, alongside the success of ongoing paid campaigns, supported their acquisition of BMI Healthcare. This addition of 56 hospitals transformed Circle Health into Circle Health Group, now the UK’s largest private hospital provider.

As Circle Health Group expanded, its digital needs evolved. We scaled our SEO efforts to match the complexity of the organisation, producing a wealth of engaging content informed by consultant interviews and building high-quality links to enhance domain authority. These strategies boosted organic visibility and significantly contributed to patient acquisition.

We know that trust is solidified and outcomes are improved if the patient experience is tailored around specific needs. Each speciality under Circle was treated as a unique patient journey, ensuring tailored content, user-friendly interfaces and contact forms were optimised for conversion. This patient-centric strategy remained core to our approach, aligning with our own mission to deliver accessible and relevant healthcare information.