Healthcare Marketing | Josh Blicker
Key Points:
By 2030, the number of Americans aged 65 and older is expected to reach over 73 million, up from 54 million in 2020. This demographic boom is creating unprecedented demand for senior care services—and fierce competition among providers. If your facility isn't showing up where families are searching, you're invisible. Google Ads gives you a fast-track route to the top of search results, but only if you use it right.
Google Ads for senior living facilities are paid search campaigns designed to place your community at the top of Google search results when prospective residents or their families are actively looking for senior care. These ads work by targeting specific keywords, locations, and demographics to attract high-intent traffic and generate qualified leads.
Used strategically, they put your services in front of families exactly when they’re making life-changing decisions.
Traditional marketing still has its place, but families are turning to Google before picking up the phone. They're searching phrases like "assisted living near me" or "memory care in [city]." If you're not there, your competitor is. That’s revenue you’re handing away.
Google Ads lets you:
Unlike SEO, which takes time to build, pay-per-click advertising delivers immediate visibility. But visibility without strategy just burns your budget. You need to show up for the right people with the right message—at the right moment.
Families searching for senior care are in a high-emotion, high-stakes decision phase. That means your ads need to hit with precision.
Start with search intent. Someone searching “cost of senior living in Charlotte” isn’t just browsing—they’re budgeting. That’s a lead worth chasing.
Here’s how to dial in your targeting:
Prioritize keywords with high conversion potential, like:
Avoid generic keywords like “senior living”—too broad and too expensive.
Your reach should match your service area. If you’re in Indianapolis, your ads shouldn't show in Phoenix.
Use:
While adult children typically initiate the search, your messaging should align with both them and potential residents. Google Ads allows for:
Clicks are worthless unless they convert. So, what separates a high-performing ad from one that just eats budget?
You’re not just advertising a service—you’re building trust. This is an emotionally charged decision. Your ad needs to reassure and guide.
Too many senior living facilities run all their keywords under one campaign. That’s a mistake. Structure matters.
Break your campaigns into themes based on service and location. For example:
Then create ad groups for each specific keyword set within those campaigns. This level of control boosts Quality Score, lowers CPC, and ensures messaging relevance.
Best practices for campaign setup:
Senior care keywords are competitive. CPCs can range from $3 to $15 depending on the market. That said, it’s not about spend—it’s about ROI.
Here’s how to think about it:
If one resident is worth $3,000/month and stays for 24 months, that’s $72,000. If your ad brings in just one resident per month, it can easily pay off—even at $1,000/month in ad spend.
Use:
Getting the click is just the beginning. If your landing page doesn’t seal the deal, you lose.
Your landing page should:
Avoid sending traffic to your homepage. That’s a black hole for conversions. Purpose-built landing pages are where the magic happens.
Winning with Google Ads isn’t set-it-and-forget-it. You need to actively manage campaigns weekly—or better, daily.
Track cost per conversion, not just clicks. If you're getting $10 clicks but $1000 leads, you're winning.
Scale by:
Let’s save you thousands in wasted spend. These are the landmines to avoid:
This drives junk traffic fast. Always test Phrase and Exact Match first.
Your homepage is built for everyone. Your ad is built for someone. Match your message to a focused landing page.
If you don’t know which keyword drove the call, how will you optimize?
Every irrelevant click drains your budget. “Free care,” “jobs,” “nursing school”—block them all.
Lead forms are worthless without speed. Families expect follow-up within minutes, not hours.
You’re not just running ads—you’re filling rooms. Google Ads for senior living facilities is a high-stakes game where every click counts. If you want predictable, profitable growth, you need more than traffic—you need conversions.
That’s where CMG comes in.
CMG helps senior living facilities in Indiana, North Carolina, and beyond turn search intent into move-ins. As a specialized healthcare marketing agency, we deliver strategic campaigns that convert through:
Whether you’re launching your first community or filling vacancies fast, we’ll help you scale predictably—with data-backed marketing that delivers.
Ready to attract qualified leads and grow your census? Let’s talk strategy. Contact CMG today.
