Senior Living SEO Checklist: 20 Items to Audit

An SEO audit doesn't have to be overwhelming. Focus on these 20 items and you'll cover the fundamentals that matter for senior living visibility. Use this as a starting point, then go deeper where you find gaps.

Technical Foundation (1–5)

1. Page speed. Run PageSpeed Insights on your homepage and key landing pages. Aim for Core Web Vitals in the green. Slow sites lose rankings and leads.

2. Mobile usability. Test your site on a real phone. Can users read content, tap buttons, and fill forms? Google prioritizes mobile experience.

3. HTTPS. Your site should load over HTTPS. Mixed content (HTTP images on an HTTPS page) can cause issues. Fix it.

4. XML sitemap. Submit a sitemap in Google Search Console. Ensure it includes all important pages and updates when you add new content.

5. Robots.txt. Make sure you're not accidentally blocking important pages. Allow crawling of your main content and location pages.

On-Page and Content (6–12)

1. Unique title tags. Every page needs a unique title (under 60 characters) that includes the primary keyword and, where relevant, your location.

2. Meta descriptions. Write unique descriptions (under 160 characters) for key pages. They don't directly affect rankings but influence click-through rate.

3. Header structure. Use H1 for the main heading (one per page), H2 for major sections, H3 for subsections. Don't skip levels. Include keywords where natural.

4. Internal linking. Link from high-authority pages (homepage, blog) to location pages and key service pages. Help users and search engines discover your content.

5. Image optimization. Compress images. Use descriptive file names and alt text. Large, unoptimized images slow pages and waste crawl budget.

6. Content depth. Thin pages (under 300 words of unique content) rarely rank. Location pages, service pages, and blog posts should offer real value. See keyword research for senior living for what to cover.

7. Duplicate content. Avoid identical or near-identical content across pages. Location pages should have unique, market-specific copy.

Local SEO (13–17)

1. Google Business Profile. Claimed, verified, and fully optimized? Complete every section. Add photos, posts, and attributes. Keep hours and contact info current.

2. NAP consistency. Name, address, and phone number must match exactly across your website, GBP, and every directory. Inconsistencies confuse Google and hurt local rankings.

3. Citations. List your community on senior living directories (A Place for Mom, Caring.com, etc.) and local business listings. Consistency matters more than volume.

4. Reviews. Encourage families to leave reviews. Respond to all of them—positive and negative. Reviews influence local rankings and trust.

5. Location pages. Do you have dedicated pages for each market? Each should have unique content, local keywords, and clear calls to action. See local SEO for memory care.

Strategy and Measurement (18–20)

1. Keyword targeting. Are you targeting the right terms? Map content to how families actually search—awareness, consideration, and decision stages. Use our keyword research guide.

2. Conversion tracking. Can you attribute form fills, calls, and tour requests to organic search? Set up proper tracking. Rankings without conversions don't help occupancy.

3. Competitive visibility. Who ranks for your target keywords? What are they doing that you're not? A competitive audit informs priorities.

Use this checklist as a baseline. For a deeper audit, see how to audit your senior living website. Ready for help? Request a strategy call.