Assisted Living SEO Strategies for Winning Local Markets – A Guide

Assisted living marketing is tricky business. If you sold cosmetics or cars, beach canopies or pizza ovens, you could market your products with the enthusiasm they deserve. But for assisted living, the right tone is key. 

Unlike cosmetics and pizza ovens, assisted living is a life-altering decision. We have to consider the emotional state of our consumers while reassuring multiple parties—parents, children, spouses—throughout the process. Of course, before all of that, our business has to be discoverable in the first place.

Over 800,000 Americans reside in assisted living facilities today, and that number will only rise.  Where there’s demand, there’s competition. 

But with the right tools and talent at your disposal, you can get in front of consumers before your local rivals. How? With clever search engine optimization (SEO) designed specifically for you.

Dapper Market Solutions Explains SEO for Assisted Living 

At your facility, you’ve seen the lowest lows and the highest highs. Emotions run deep and difficult decisions can bring out the best and worst in each of us. 

Even so, you, your staff, and your residents all know how vital your services are. Now, you have to convince new residents to consider your facility. 

At Dapper Market Solutions, we create tailored SEO strategies specifically for assisted living businesses. As an assisted living marketing agency, we know the tactics that work in your industry. Here are just a few ideas to get you thinking.

SEO Idea #1 – Implement a Custom Blog Strategy

Who reads blogs? The question deserves to be asked. Thankfully, that’s easy enough to answer: Google and consumers read blogs—really.

Consider this: you went online recently to research a product. You typed “best gifts for Father’s Day” or “best HVAC companies near me.” Why? Because you wanted to spend your money wisely and get the most bang for your buck. Chances are good, too, that you clicked on a blog to get your answer. 

When you discover content in this way, it’s thanks to something called “organic search engine optimization.” The “organic” simply refers to the fact that you’re not paying for the increase in traffic—you’re growing your presence instead.

Now consider how much research goes into choosing the right assisted living facility. If you took the time to look into a gift for Dad or a reputable AC company, you would certainly do the same (if not a great degree more) when choosing a place for an aging mother or an aunt who struggles with daily chores.  

So, how can a blog strategy—of all things—help?

The Importance of Blogs in Search Results & Generating New Business

When regularly published and well-written, blogs achieve two distinct goals:

• They keep your website relevant in search results, increasing the likelihood that you’ll show up.
• They leverage SEO keywords to connect with consumers at the right moment in their research.

Websites that never change (or that seldom publish new content) can quickly fall behind. Additionally, you want to meet your consumer at the exact moment of interest. Blogs rich in SEO keywords can achieve both goals. 

Here are just a few examples of what we call “long-tail keywords.” These are questions that actual consumers are asking Google right now.

• Does Medicare pay for assisted living?
• Who qualifies for assisted living?
• How does assisted living work?
• What does assisted living provide?
• Does my mom need assisted living or a nursing home?

Someone is answering these questions, and that someone could be your cross-town rival. More than your homepage or your service pages, blogs are a great place to explore these topics. 

SEO Idea #2 – Invest in a Fresh Website

Search engine optimization isn’t exclusive to blogs. In fact, your website is the first and arguably most important place to prioritize relevant keywords. But why is that the case? Let’s talk about Google for a second.

New websites are going up at an incredible rate, each and every day. How, then, can Google make sense of what these websites are about, what these companies do, and when/how to connect a user to a website in the first place?

To understand what a website is about, Google “crawls” the content on the website’s pages. In other words, an algorithm scans the language on every page, and some hidden meta-data behind it, to determine the circumstances for presenting that website in search results.

That’s an oversimplification, of course, but it gets the point across. You need SEO-rich content and sleek design across your entire website. Without it, you may not be discoverable at all.

Website Aesthetics & Functionality Matter, Too

SEO gets you in front of your customers, but we should also consider what happens after they click your link. If your website has a poor user experience (UX), confusing navigation, or outdated design, the best SEO in the world may not help. 

Authority is an important (and often overlooked) aspect of marketing. An old, slowly loading, or ugly website can imply unfavorable things about your quality of care or the value of your facility.

If you’re deciding between two assisted living businesses near you, would you choose the company with the ugly, frustrating website or the company with the sleek, modern website featuring high-resolution images and seamless functionality? The answer is obvious. 

SEO Tip #3 – Optimize Existing Content

Let’s say you’ve already checked off SEO tips 1 and 2 in this list. You have a blog strategy and a fresh website ready to roll. Maybe you’re seeing an increase in traffic and you want to maintain or improve upon it. So, what else can you do?

When you maintain or make additions to a website, Google assumes that it’s an active, relevant link. But blogs aren’t the only way to make tactical additions or edits. You can also add keywords and long-tail keywords to existing service pages, homepages, or even FAQ pages. These are sometimes called “opts,” short for “optimizations.”

By adding more content and strategically sprinkling keywords throughout, you can keep your website relevant and improve your likelihood of showing up in search results. Better still, while blogs weigh in at 600-1,400 words, an opt can be as little as 200 words here or 300 words there.

With tactical maintenance and SEO keyword research, you can keep your website in fighting form!

Find an SEO Strategy that Works for Your Assisted Living Business

In an ideal world, all you’d have to do to attract new business is do a great job in the first place. The merit of your work always matters—especially when you serve elderly Americans—but you still need to attract customers before you serve them. 

Modern businesses need SEO to get in front of the right people. That’s where an assisted living marketing agency like Dapper comes in. Let’s talk about your business, your growth goals, and what makes you special. Afterward, we can craft an SEO strategy just for you.

Grow Your Assisted Living Business with Dapper Market Solutions

In the digital world, the search results are a battleground. Without SEO, you can only hope that word of mouth or local advertising brings in the business you need. Don’t settle for the second, third, or even fourth page of the search results. Let’s get you onto the first page and keep you there with a tailor-made SEO strategy. Speak to Dapper Market Solutions today to find an approach that works for you.