It’s critical for your community to be among the first 5 Google search results listed. But what are you doing to ensure you are?

By Pam McDonald

I just tried it and Kent Lewis is right. Google knows where I am and serves up search results that it has determined I want.

Now, you may be aware of that and you may also know it’s critical for your community to be among the first 5 search results listed. But, what are you doing to ensure you are? An overhaul of your SEO? Google ads? Integrated social media? Consistent, speedy responses to online comments? Focused review-building?

Do-It-Yourself Local Search Marketing

The foregoing are just a few examples from Kent of local search marketing tactics that can help optimize your community’s online presence. He’ll share many more on a webcast coming up Thursday, August 24th at 11AM Pacific (2PM Eastern). Caring.com, a leading online resource for senior living and in-home care and a Senior Housing Forum partner, is hosting the webinar.

Kent Lewis is a frequent speaker and writer about total engagement marketing, especially online. As President of Anvil Media, he’s been helping companies grow their businesses since the year 2000 – only two-years after Google officially launched.

Kent and the experts at his agency aim to produce measurable results for their clients by connecting them with prospects and constituents online and focusing on analytics, search results, and social media.

Where To Start?

Kent assures me that local senior communities can take actions immediately toward elevating their rankings in search engine results. While he will divulge more and more detailed strategies during the webinar, he recommends – if nothing else – implementing the following three steps.

  1. Claim Your Business Listings (Many Are Free)

    There are hundreds of web-based directories that may list your community, whether or not you provided them the information. These include Google My Business, Yahoo! Local Listings, Caring.com, Yelp, Merchant Circle, Yellow Pages, and more.

    Additionally, there are do-it-for-you services, such as moz.com and brightlocal, that can help you identify and track listings and provide local SEO as well as online rating and review building.

  1. Ensure Your NAP is Consistent

    NAP is the acronym for Name, Address, Phone Number. If this sounds straightforward and easy, be warned. Kent says, “Consistency is key! Even seemingly minor variations can drop your ranking in search result.”

    For example, is your community Brookdale Chicago? Or is it Chicago Brookdale, Brookdale Chicago Retirement Community, Brookdale Senior Living at Chicago. Each of these can produce slight – and sometime major – differences in search results.

    But don’t stop there. Is your community located on Main Street or Main St. or Main Blvd. or Main Boulevard, etc.? Consistency is not as easy as it looks at first glance. So, if they have them, follow your parent company’s rules. And, if need be, develop your own list of rules and apply them consistently everywhere.

  1. Optimize Your Listing

    Provide text, photos, videos, testimonials, etc. wherever possible. Correct any errors. Make the listing your own, but never forgetting consistency is key.

The August 24th webcast, titled “Local Search Marketing: How to Get Found by Senior Care Prospects,” is free to attend but spaces are limited. Register right away using the following link:


Caring.com has the largest online collection of senior care reviews and is visited by about 3 million people each month who are considering in-home care or a move to senior living. Its Digital Marketing Academy webinars are designed to help senior living leaders better market their organizations online.

For more information about Caring.com, call Denise at (650) 762-8190 or visit their industry blog by clicking the logo button below:

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