Assisted Living Executive

“Productive” means getting as many people to the Web site as possible. Mostow is among a growing number of marketing professionals who are turning to search engine optimization for capturing clicks. Search engine optimization uses a range of technologies to help boost a Web site’s place among search engine returns. The higher up the site places in a Google or Yahoo! search, the more likely people are to notice your company and click through to your site.

getting google’s Attention

Search engines like Google use complex, secret algorithms to decide which Web sites get top ranking among search results. Simply put, search engine optimization experts try their best to crack that code, designing Web sites with attributes likely to win favor among the search algorithms.

It’s worth the effort, according to many marketers. Market research firm eMarketer predicts that 34 percent of seniors 65 and older will be online this year. When they search for assisted living, will your company’s name appear? Search engine optimization says it can, if your company adheres to certain guidelines. For example, a site with lots of links to other legitimate sites tends to get high search engine scores, and sites with lots of visitors and frequent updates also draw positive attention from search engines.

Another secret: Sites with specific information tend to get better ratings because they deliver meatier content to prospective visitors. Consider the geographic locations of a senior living company’s residences: It’s one thing to attract those who search for assisted living in general and another to lead them to a specific residence in Warrendale, Pennsylvania. Ideally, experts say, surfers looking for assisted living in that state will see the highest-ranking companies at the top of their results—but clicking through takes them directly to a page about the Pennsylvania community, rather than the company’s corporate home page.

“How much can you tell that visitor about your Pennsylvania community on a page that features 49 other states as well? Wouldn’t you rather deliver them a page that is Pennsylvania-specific?” says Rob Montalbine, a search marketing consultant and president of Handsome

FAST FORWARD

› Web sites with specific information, such as geographic locations of communities, tend to get better ratings.

› Having links on a company’s Web site helps boost search placement because search algorithms view links as a sign that the site is legitimate.

› By purchasing certain keywords, a business can ensure itself a space at the top of a Google search.

Logic Consulting.

Geography is just one example of how optimization for specific search terms can help draw productive contacts. Mostow has organized Silverado’s new site to direct visitors to several different subject areas. Searchers looking for assisted living go to Silverado’s assisted living-specific page, while others go to pages for hospice or at-home care, depending on the terms of their search.

Making the connection

Having links on a company’s Web site helps boost search placement because search algorithms view links as a sign that the site is legitimate and that it is connected to a larger community.

“It’s sort of like a credibility index,” says Andrew Wetzler, president and co-founder of search marketing firm MoreVisibility.

But it takes some expertise to get these links right. In the past, people have simply packed their sites with a range of links that were sometimes irrelevant to the site’s content. Google has learned to disregard these sites and links, and may even penalize a company for trying to load the dice in this way.

The best connections are relevant. For senior living companies, these may include ALFA’s Web site, a link to the local chamber of commerce or tourist bureau, or links to other sites with information about assisted living. Mostow’s site has

links to the Alzheimer’s Association, the Assisted Living Federation of America, and other similar groups. This idea of “legitimate” connections goes right to the heart of the search engine optimization agenda. By having legitimate links and context, a senior living company can ultimately build a sense of its own legitimacy in the eyes of consumers. Many surfers will assume that a site that rises naturally to the top of the heap has more authority.

You can also pay to play. By purchasing certain keywords, a business can ensure itself a space at the top. In a Google search for “assisted living,” a paid placement by the housing directory service A Place for Mom shows up at the top of the page.

There are some distinct advantages to paid search placement, most notably a sense of predictability. At Hershey, Pennsylvania-based country Meadows Retirement communities, for example, Vice President of Sales and Marketing thomas Baker has optimized his site to appeal to search algorithms. But he has also paid for space, especially in markets where optimization alone didn’t push his site to the top.

With a paid placement, “we can be right next to the top person on the first page,” he says.

In addition to paid placements, Baker also employs strategies to bring his company’s site to the attention of searchers. Search optimization is not just about eyeballs, he says. It’s about creating an expectation.

The Web site for Country Meadows Retirement Communities runs heavy on phrases such as “best assisted living” and “number one” and “premier.” Keywords on the site play up distinctions such as “best places to work.” All these phrases are meant to make a connection between the company and its quality in the mind of searchers. The Web site also includes an “honors & achievements” link enumerating the company’s many accolades. Baker reviews that section of the site at least twice a year. “If we have gotten new recognitions, if we have made changes to our organization, we would certainly want to use that. If we get letters of support or testimonials, we might want to use what is in there.”

That readiness to upgrade a site’s content is a major plus in the eyes of the search engines, which always are on the lookout for something new and fresh. “Google doesn’t want to bring you a site that was