SEO Keywords for Assisted Living Facilities

How to Choose the Best Assisted Living Keywords for Your Facility

Before you start adding every senior care or assisted living phrase to your homepage, take a step back and ask yourself a key question.

Who Is Your Ideal Assisted Living Resident or Family Decision-Maker?

Are you primarily focused on independent seniors seeking a supportive community? Do you specialize in memory care for individuals with dementia? Are you trying to reach adult children researching assisted living options for their parents? Each audience uses different search terms, and understanding their intent is essential.

For example:

• An adult child searching for immediate care may type “assisted living facility near me”

• A senior looking for specialized care could search “memory care in [City]”

• A family member planning ahead might Google “affordable assisted living options in [City]”

Understanding the needs, pain points, and search behaviors of your target audience helps you choose keywords that directly match what they are looking for.

Start With Your Core Services

Begin by identifying your most in-demand services. These terms typically have strong search volume and can serve as the foundation of your homepage, service pages, and ad campaigns. For example:

• Assisted living near me

• Memory care [City Name]

• Senior living community [City Name]

• Respite care services

Once you have these core terms, use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to uncover related keywords that have high traffic potential with manageable competition.

Research Your Competitors

Examine the top-ranking assisted living facilities in your area. What keywords are they using in their titles, headings, and content? SEO tools can reveal which terms are driving traffic to their websites and highlight opportunities where you can stand out. A little competitive research can help refine your own strategy and close the gap on local competitors.

Prioritize Long-Tail Keywords

Over 90 percent of all Google searches are long-tail keywords. These are more specific, often question-based terms that may not attract thousands of searches each month, but they draw highly motivated visitors who are ready to take action. Some examples include:

• How much does assisted living cost in [City]

• Best assisted living facility with memory care near me

• What services are included in assisted living communities

Long-tail keywords are ideal for blog posts, FAQs, and targeted landing pages. They closely align with search intent and can deliver high-converting traffic when used strategically.

Ready to Improve Your Search Visibility Online? Get Your Free SEO Report!

Each report is hand-crafted by a team member at MarketKeep and comes with a customized video that walks you through your report visually. That way we can help you understand how your business is performing online, and what you can do better in order to connect with your customers in the moments that matter to them.

Ready to Improve Your Search Visibility Online? Get Your Free SEO Report!

Each report is hand-crafted by a team member at MarketKeep and comes with a customized video that walks you through your report visually. That way we can help you understand how your business is performing online, and what you can do better in order to connect with your customers in the moments that matter to them.

On-Page SEO for Assisted Living Facilities

Make your website easy for Google to understand while at the same time comforting and informative for families searching for care.

On-page SEO is about optimizing your assisted living facility’s website so that it ranks well in search results and provides a seamless experience to every visitor. When your site loads quickly, communicates clearly, and includes the right keywords, Google is more likely to recommend it, and families are more likely to trust it.

Where to Use SEO Keywords for Maximum Impact

To get the most value from your assisted living keywords, place them strategically in areas where both search engines and potential residents’ families pay the most attention:

• Page Titles: Use clear, location-based phrases like Assisted Living in [City] | [Your Facility Name]

• Meta Descriptions: Write concise summaries with strong keywords, such as Looking for trusted assisted living in [City]? Schedule a tour today.

• Headings (H1, H2, and H3): Use natural, keyword-rich headings like Memory Care Services in [City] or Affordable Assisted Living Options Near You.

• Body Content: Include your keywords where they fit naturally, focusing on clarity rather than keyword stuffing

• URLs: Use clean, keyword-friendly URLs such as /assisted-living-[city]

Create Dedicated Pages for Each Care Service

Instead of listing every offering on a single page, create dedicated landing pages for your core services. This improves SEO, enhances user experience, and gives your facility a stronger chance to rank for specific search terms.

Examples include:

• Independent Senior Living

• Assisted Living Services

• Memory Care Programs

• Respite Care Options

• Skilled Nursing Support

Each page should focus on one primary service, use location-based keywords when relevant, and include clear calls to action such as “Schedule a Tour” or “Request More Information.”

Improve Your Site Speed and Mobile Experience

Families often search for assisted living options on their phones, sometimes while visiting hospitals or planning quickly after a health change. Your site needs to be fast, mobile-friendly, and easy to navigate.

Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to identify improvements. Your site should:

• Load quickly on every device

• Be fully responsive on smartphones and tablets

• Display visible CTA buttons like Schedule a Tour or Call Now

Add Schema Markup to Your Site

Schema markup helps Google understand your facility, the services you provide, and where you are located. Adding Local Business Schema or Healthcare Schema can improve how your site appears in search results.

Use Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper to guide setup, and include details such as:

• Facility name

• Address and service areas

• Hours of operation

• Types of care provided (assisted living, memory care, respite care)

Optimize Your Images for SEO

Photos and videos are important for building trust, showing the quality of your community, and reassuring families before they visit. They also impact SEO.

Make sure every image:

• Is compressed for fast loading

• Has a descriptive filename (e.g., assisted-living-community-baltimore.jpg)

• Includes keyword-rich alt text (e.g., Residents enjoying activities at assisted living facility in Baltimore, MD)

This not only helps improve rankings but also boosts accessibility and can increase your chances of appearing in Google Images search results.

Off-Page SEO for Assisted Living Facilities

Build trust, increase visibility, and strengthen your facility’s online reputation.

Off-page SEO includes all the activities you do outside of your website to improve your rankings and online authority. The more trusted websites that link back to your assisted living site, and the more your community is mentioned across the web, the more confidence Google has in recommending you to families searching for care.

Ways to Strengthen Off-Page SEO

Earn High-Quality Backlinks

Think of backlinks as digital referrals. When credible sources link to your assisted living website, it signals trust and authority to search engines while helping you rank higher.

• Submit your business to senior care directories like A Place for Mom, Caring.com, SeniorLiving.org, and local Chamber of Commerce sites

• Contribute guest articles or expert advice on local health and wellness blogs, senior resource websites, or community news outlets

• Get listed on niche sites such as caregiving forums, hospital resource pages, or elder care associations

Promote Content on Social Media

Social media is a powerful tool for driving traffic and encouraging shares that can lead to valuable backlinks.

• Share photos and videos of resident activities, wellness programs, and community events

• Post educational blogs such as “How to Choose the Right Assisted Living Facility” or “What Services Are Included in Assisted Living”

• Use location-based hashtags like #SeniorLivingBaltimore or #MemoryCareRockville to reach families in your service area

• Engage with your followers by answering questions, highlighting testimonials, and showcasing stories that build trust

Connect with the Local Community Online

Building partnerships with local organizations can generate meaningful backlinks and referrals.

• Sponsor local charity events, health fairs, or senior expos and request a link from the event’s website

• Join business associations, caregiving networks, or local senior coalitions that maintain online directories

• Partner with hospitals, rehabilitation centers, or healthcare providers and ask to be listed as a recommended senior living resource

Ask for Links from Happy Families and Partners

If you have strong relationships with healthcare providers, social workers, or community organizations, ask them to feature your facility on their resource pages. Families who write reviews or share their stories may also be willing to link to your website from personal blogs or community forums. These mentions increase both exposure and authority.

Track and Maintain Your Backlink Profile

Keeping track of your backlinks ensures that your profile remains healthy and beneficial to your SEO strategy.

• Use SEO tools like Ahrefs, Moz, or SEMrush to monitor new and lost backlinks

• Check the quality of your inbound links regularly and make sure they are relevant to senior care

• If you find spammy or irrelevant sites linking to you, disavow them through Google Search Console to protect your rankings

Pro Tip: Tie It All Together With Google Analytics 

Finding out which SEO keywords to target for your assisted living facility is only the first step. To truly maximize your strategy, you need to measure what is working and identify where improvements can be made. This is where Google Analytics becomes one of the most valuable tools in your digital marketing toolkit.

Track Your Performance by Monitoring

• Which keywords are driving traffic: Use Google Analytics and Google Search Console to see which assisted living terms are bringing visitors to your site. Are families finding you by searching “assisted living near me,” “memory care facility in [City],” or “best senior living community nearby”? These insights reveal which services are most in demand and which search phrases are connecting you with qualified leads.

• Which pages are performing best: Review your service pages, location pages, blog posts, and FAQs to see which attract the most visitors. If your memory care page consistently performs well, consider expanding it with related resources such as “How Much Does Memory Care Cost in [City]” or “What to Expect from a Memory Care Community.” Building content around what is already working allows you to capture even more targeted traffic.

• What search terms trigger your Google Business Profile: Google Business Profile Insights can show you which searches make your facility appear in the local map pack. Phrases like “assisted living in [City],” “senior housing options near me,” or “respite care facility [City]” reveal how families are discovering you in real time. These insights are vital for strengthening your local SEO and aligning your content with the exact terms people use.

By combining data from Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and Google Business Profile Insights, you gain a complete picture of how your SEO strategy is performing. With this knowledge, you can refine your keyword targeting, improve underperforming pages, and double down on the content that already brings results. When you consistently track performance, your keyword strategy becomes a roadmap for greater visibility, more tours scheduled, and more families choosing your assisted living facility.