60% of consumers abandon purchases due to poor website user experience. If this is true of the general public, then it is important to consider how this translates over to the senior living industry. Our demographic is predominantly less tech savvy than many other consumers. This does not mean that senior living website design is less important, but rather that there are additional hurdles to overcome to create a great user experience, which places a greater importance on your website. That’s why we are giving you a few tips to help boost your senior living website and bring residents through the door through easy, practical steps.

Creating an Experience

To successfully execute your website strategy, you’ll need to begin by viewing your website as an invitation into your home. Your website will serve as the first impression to the majority of potential residents and their loved ones. A 2021 study revealed that 76% of consumers research a business virtually before ever visiting a physical location. Stunning lobbies and great tours are undoubtedly important to converting visitors into residents, but they don’t mean much if your website isn't converting researchers into visitors. With our imaginary home in mind, here are steps you can take to begin bringing visitors into your community.

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Be Easy to Find 

The foundation of your website experience is being easy to find. This will ultimately be a matter of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Quality SEO is your key to being easier to find on search engines such as Google. The goal of SEO is to increase organic (non-paid) traffic to your website by making it easier for users to find the website when they search for relevant topics or keywords. This is accomplished through, primarily, good copywriting. Thankfully, this does not have to feel like a mysterious thing that is outside of your reach. Place yourself in the shoes of a researcher in your area. For example:

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You are a potential resident in Knoxville, TN, so you go to Google to find your next community. What would you search for?

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It would likely look something like this, “senior living communities in Knoxville Tennessee.”

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The bold terms would be considered keywords; therefore, you would want to incorporate these words into your website copy to help improve your chances of appearing at a higher rank on a search engine results page (SERP).

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Being strategic about the keywords you use is key to becoming more visible to the people who are searching. Thankfully, determining what people are searching for isn’t a shot in the dark. There are services available to help see what people are searching for in your niche. For example, answerthepublic.com is a valuable resource to find common searches based on keywords you provide. This information can then be applied as you write blogs, meta descriptions, etc. We understand that this is all easy to talk about in theory, but difficult to execute during the busy day-to-day tasks of senior living. That’s why we exist! If you are looking to boost your presence and become easier to locate online, our team of specialists are ready to assist you from copy to design and beyond.

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Be Easy to Navigate 

Once a potential resident finds your website, you’re now responsible for creating a website that is easy to navigate. Consider that this is their first time walking through your virtual front door, and they need to know where everything is. The process of creating a website that is easy to navigate/operate is known as User Experience (UX). This is where it is important to keep in mind who your niche is. The most value for a senior living website is going to be found in how simple it can be. Some demographics are more inclined to continue navigating a site that is designed to “wow.” However, creating an overly complex website, whether it be aesthetically or functionally, you run the risk of overwhelming an older demographic. 

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Creating clear calls to action and a strong network of links that get your website visitor from point A (home page) to point B (contact form) in the most streamlined way possible is going to be the ultimate goal. This may require some self-auditing to determine if your website has too much that blocks that path. Remember, the potential resident found your website because they are searching for answers, so you have to see that through by directing them to the place that will answer their questions. The harder your website makes it to find those answers, the less inclined the potential resident will continue to search or return to your site.

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Design to Convert 

Once your site is easy to find and navigate, now it is time to determine who you will convert researchers into visitors. Your website is a great place to bring virtual strangers to your brand into your ecosystem. Crafting gated content is an effective way to invite potential residents to learn more about your brand while giving you an opportunity to learn more about who is interested in you. Gated content can come in many forms. For example, offering an ebook to anyone who provides basic contact information is a simple way to begin building more contacts to help convert. Newsletter sign-up forms are another great way to strengthen your connection with people who are looking at your website. It can become easy to be overly concerned with the aesthetics of a website that we forget that your website is a tool in your marketing toolkit. While your website should look nice, it cannot come at the cost of losing its functionality. Finding the balance between making a website that looks nice and converts is going to help boost your chances of bringing people to your physical location. If you’re still unsure of how to execute this, then consider working with an agency who can offer you a turnkey website experience. Our team of specialists not only know website design, but we also know senior living. See our work here. 

A well-designed senior living website is more than just an online presence—it’s your community’s virtual front door. By focusing on SEO, a user-friendly experience, and clear conversion strategies, you can effectively attract potential residents and guide them through the decision-making process. If you're ready to elevate your online presence and bring more residents through your doors, contact our team of specialists today to get started!