In today’s digital world, well-written content not only means content with good information — it also means content that contains relevant senior living keywords, or content that is SEO optimized. Yes, content that’s easy to read, easy to understand and delivers the message your customers want is valuable. However, if your website doesn’t contain pages and blog posts that are SEO optimized, potential customers aren’t likely to find you online.
When you think of senior living keywords, it’s likely that what first comes to mind are the different types of senior living. But “independent living,” “assisted living,” “skilled nursing” and “memory care” aren’t enough to help search engines push your website to the top of someone’s search page. Why? Because they’re too generic and have far too much competition. Think about it: There are hundreds, if not thousands, of communities with those same descriptors, so it’s unlikely your page will rank first in Google unless you reach beyond generic senior living keywords and cultivate long-tail keywords.
Understanding long-tail senior living keywords
Long-tail keywords are highly specific and tailored to what your potential customers would search for online. For example, a long-tail keyword for an assisted living community could be “assisted living in Colorado” or “affordable assisted living.” Since your potential customer base is not everyone, there will be fewer people searching for your long-tail keyword. However, those who are searching for your long-tail keyword are more likely to be the people who you want coming to your website.
Finding good long-tail keywords
To develop your long-tail keywords, consider what you’re selling, how it’s different from what your competitors are selling, and what your overall goal or mission is. Here’s where keyword and content tools can help. Using the keyword planner in Google AdWords or a tool like Ubersuggest, you can discover what long-tail keywords have a high-search volume but low overall competition. While the generic “assisted living” has a high-search volume and high competition, you may find that “assisted living Colorado” or “affordable assisted living” are frequently searched for but don’t have as high competition. This means that when you use these keywords, you actually have a chance to rank for them, or appear as a top result.
Maybe you’re not even sure where to start with your keyword search or don’t know what should fuel your website’s copy and blog posts. Using Answer the Public, you can type in a term like “senior living” and discover what specific questions people search for containing that term. You can also take this process offline and talk to your sales and marketing team, or even directly to your residents. Find out what leads ask when they visit your community and what major questions your residents had when they started their senior living search. Seed Keywords is a useful tool that helps you track these responses and compile them in one place for future use.
Integrating long-tail keywords with the buyer’s journey
Not only does learning these questions help you choose appropriate long-tail keywords, it can better inform your content. Consider the different questions a lead will ask throughout the buyer’s journey, which consumers embark on before making a purchasing decision. For example, in the final consideration stage of buyer’s journey, a person decides what senior living community would be the best fit for them, so they won’t want to read a blog entitled “Is it time for senior living?” Instead, they’d rather read about what your community has to offer them and how that aligns with their wants and needs.
Avoiding keyword clutter
Now that you have your long-tail keywords and content topics determined, it’s time to start writing. But remember: Don’t overload blog posts and website pages with jumbles of senior living keywords. While it’s important to use your keyword several times throughout a webpage or blog (4-6 times is recommended), it’s important not to overdo it. While all good digital content should be optimized, don’t waste time producing content for the sole purpose of ranking higher with online search engines. Search engines can tell when you’ve done this because your website visitors won’t stay on your pages for long. Once they realize that your content isn’t what they want, they’ll leave your site and your ranking will drop.
Diving into the world of senior living keywords can be overwhelming, but it’s important to get it right. Sixty-seven percent of seniors are online today, and you don’t want to miss reaching them. We can help you create content that’s well-written and optimized for the web – give us a call today.
