Is Your Senior Living Website "Mobile First"?

Mobile Friendly Is Not Enough

Did you know that every hour there are 6,000 searches related to senior living in the U.S.? Over 80% of smartphone users consult their device before making a purchase. These are just a couple of examples demonstrating how powerful search engines have become, and how much more people are relying on their smartphones to use them.

For years, senior living marketers have been focusing more and more on mobile friendly platforms, but it is becoming clear that that focus needs to be much stronger. With the data that is available, it is clear that concentrated focus on mobile could in fact make a difference in boosting senior living occupancy.

Google Agrees

For these reasons, and others, senior housing providers should consider putting even more emphasis on mobile, Isha Vij, a development manager at Google, suggested earlier this month at the SMASH 2017 Senior Care Sales & Marketing Summit near Chicago.

“We used to talk about ‘mobile friendliness’—that shouldn’t be a term we talk about anymore,” she said. “[Now] it’s mobile-first.”

Mobile First

In the U.S., people spend almost five hours per day on their mobile phones, according to Google data presented at SMASH. So it may come as no surprise that to search for and compare different products, Americans primarily use their smartphones.

Today, 65% of online customers look up more information online now than they did a few years ago, according to Google. There has also been a 200% increase in “near me” search interest in the past year—indicating that potential customers value convenience, in addition to quality.

The senior living industry has been impacted by the uptick in search engine use, Vij explained. For instance, online searches for services associated with assisted living and senior living are increasing 20% year-over-year, according to Google data.

Master SEO

For senior living marketers, mastering search engine optimization is crucial to getting a leg up on competition.

Paid and organic search drive 70% of web traffic to a website in senior living, yet 75% of users will never scroll to the second page of search results. Being on page one is critical.

We Can Help

Does your community need some extra help with web design, or just some SEO optimization? We can help you. Our team is obsessed with getting our clients a solid web presence. Everything from hashtags to meta tags, we've got you covered. Contact us today!

h/t: Senior Housing News