That was my reaction too. It seems like GlacierMD might have been successful if it had focused on SEO. Whenever someone types "what is the best headache medicine", GlacierMD should have been at the top of the results. The landing page would show the results of the studies for free, but would also let the user sign up so they can enter allergy and preference info and customize the results to them. Nearby doctors would advertise on the site.
So, in essence, before spending any money, I would go out and interview doctors to see if they're willing to pay for a channel of new customers. I would also try to gauge how many customers would be willing to sign up and enter their info so local doctors could advertise to them. And, of course, I would check with a lawyer to ensure I'm not bumping into HIPAA.
Yeah I agree with your comment. Also, he could host it somewhere cheaper after launch and just keep the site up. Getting high up in the SEO isn't really built over the course of one day.
I am sure he could self-host it or rent a cheap server somewhere. AWS is crazy expensive so it seems kind of unnecessary to host it there if you are low on cash. I host a site with 40 TB worth of images and my bill is probably way less than his was.
So, in essence, before spending any money, I would go out and interview doctors to see if they're willing to pay for a channel of new customers. I would also try to gauge how many customers would be willing to sign up and enter their info so local doctors could advertise to them. And, of course, I would check with a lawyer to ensure I'm not bumping into HIPAA.