Overview

Care UK, a leading residential care provider with over 150 homes nationwide, faced the challenge of establishing a trusted and modern brand in a highly competitive care sector. The organisation needed to improve visibility, build trust among care seekers, and streamline the journey for those looking for quality care.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the care home industry, increasing scrutiny and shifting consumer expectations. Care UK needed to rebuild engagement with care seekers, restore occupancy rates, and establish itself as the trusted choice for residential care.

To address these challenges, Care UK embarked on a full-scale digital transformation. This initiative included an enterprise-level website redesign, integrated SEO and PPC strategies, and an enhanced content approach. By leveraging audience-centric UX design, localised campaigns, and advanced search trend analytics, Care UK successfully increased engagement, improved lead generation, and reduced acquisition costs.

Challenge

The post-COVID care home sector presented significant challenges, with increased competition from aggregator websites and evolving consumer expectations. Care seekers required clear, accessible, and trustworthy information to make informed decisions about residential care. However, Care UK’s digital presence was not fully optimised to guide and convert potential customers effectively. The key challenges included:

• A need to modernise the brand’s online presence to connect with high-value customers.
• Increased competition from digital aggregators reducing Care UK's search visibility.
• The complexity of the care-seeking journey, requiring a seamless and informative user experience.
• High cost-per-acquisition (CPA) for digital lead generation.
• The need to counteract declining occupancy rates due to pandemic-related losses.

Insight

Research and analysis revealed that care seekers rely heavily on digital channels during the decision-making process. They prioritise search rankings, ease of access to information, and credible brand presence when choosing care providers. Additionally, local search and targeted digital advertising played a crucial role in influencing inquiries and occupancy rates.

Care UK had a significant opportunity to differentiate itself by enhancing its online user experience, improving search rankings, and refining its digital marketing strategy to target and convert the right audience effectively.

Strategy & Approach

To address these challenges, Care UK adopted a multi-faceted digital strategy focusing on five key initiatives:

1. Help & Advice Content Strategy & Optimisation

• Created over 50 high-value content pieces, including FAQs and advisory articles, to address care seekers' concerns.
• Conducted a comprehensive content audit, consolidating or enhancing over 100 existing pages.

1. Enterprise-Level Website Redesign & UX Improvements

• Implemented an intuitive, user-friendly design focused on the care seeker’s journey.
• Enhanced navigation and structured content to improve accessibility and engagement.
• Integrated advanced analytics to track user behaviour and optimise conversions.

1. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) & Content Strategy

• Optimised 300+ location pages for geo-targeted search queries, ensuring Care UK ranked highly for "care homes near me" searches.
• Increased the number of keywords in the Top 10 of Google by 29%.
• Achieved a 74% improvement in Google search rankings across key locations.

1. Paid Media and Performance Marketing

• Introduced a local PPC strategy leveraging postcode bidding to target high-occupancy need areas.
• Enhanced remarketing campaigns to re-engage potential customers who had visited the site.
• Increased PPC-assisted sales calls by 53% through improved targeting and messaging.

1. Advanced Analytics & Personalisation

• Integrated machine learning to analyse care seeker behaviours and refine content strategy.
• Implemented personalised user journeys, driving an 8% increase in sales calls from organic search.
• Developed an 18-month content calendar informed by audience behaviour, search trends, and seasonality.

Solution

Care UK's digital transformation was executed through a combination of strategic planning, technology implementation, and ongoing performance optimisation. Key elements included:

• A complete website revamp with a focus on UX, accessibility, and conversion optimisation.
• A robust local SEO and content strategy that improved organic search visibility.
• A refined PPC approach that maximised ROI and reduced acquisition costs.
• Advanced analytics integration using Google Analytics and Tag Manager to track performance and enable data-driven decision-making.
• Reputation management tools that enhanced Care UK’s online presence and credibility across 160 care homes.

Results

The transformation delivered outstanding results, significantly improving Care UK’s digital performance and business outcomes:

• 181% year-on-year growth in organic search-driven sales calls – A direct impact of enhanced SEO and content strategies.
• £1.5M incremental revenue from organic search – A strong return on investment.
• 370% increase in sales calls from local listing results – Strengthened local SEO strategy effectiveness.
• 70% reduction in cost-per-acquisition (CPA) – Improved efficiency in paid digital campaigns.
• 108% increase in click-through rates from video-based Facebook ads – Strengthened engagement through dynamic content.
• 74% improvement in Google search rankings – Increased visibility for key care home locations.
• 29% increase in keywords ranked in Google’s Top 10 – Strengthened search authority.
• 10% increase in total organic search traffic – Greater visibility and engagement.

The success of this initiative underscored the power of a comprehensive digital-first approach in the healthcare sector. It reinforced the importance of integrating UX, search, and paid strategies to drive engagement and conversions. Moving forward, Care UK will continue leveraging digital innovation to maintain its competitive edge and enhance the care-seeking experience.