How to Redesign Your Senior Living Website Without Losing SEO

Considering redesigning your senior living website? You’re not alone.

And it often means switching website vendors....

Many senior living operators eventually hit a point where what once worked well starts to hold them back. Updates get harder, site performance levels off, and marketing goals start feeling a little out of reach.

That realization isn’t a setback... it’s a sign of growth. It means you're ready for a digital presence that moves you forward, not one that limits what’s possible.

Making the switch can feel overwhelming at first, but it also opens the door to:

• Stronger SEO and organic visibility

• A smoother, faster user experience for families

• Better alignment with CRMs like Aline, Yardi, or WelcomeHome

• Marketing that actually drives move-ins, not just website traffic

Of course, protecting what you’ve already built matters, too. Your traffic, rankings, and momentum are hard-earned and cannot be left to chance.

It does need to be handled carefully. You want to preserve the success you've gained while also setting a foundation for even stronger growth ahead.

Let’s talk about why switching vendors can feel risky, and why it doesn’t have to be.

Why Switching Vendors Feels Riskier Than It Should

It’s natural to hesitate. We've seen operators hesitate too - and honestly, for good reason:

• "What if we lose our Google rankings and traffic?"

• "What if our lead volume drops?"

• "What if our CRM connections break?"

• "What if the whole thing turns into a nightmare?"

And these are valid concerns. Maybe it won’t happen. Maybe everything will migrate perfectly and no one will notice a thing... but maybe not.

The real trick isn’t pretending there’s no risk. It’s knowing how to spot the landmines before you step on them.

We’ve seen rushed migrations tank organic traffic overnight. But we’ve also seen strategic migrations increase it by 30% in the first three months.

The key is knowing what to protect, what to upgrade, and how to build a new site that works for you - not just looks pretty.

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8 Essentials for a Successful Website Vendor Transition

1️⃣ Audit Everything First (Yes, Everything)

Before you even think about launching a new site, you need to know what’s already working.

That means pulling:

• Top-performing pages by traffic & conversions

• Keywords you’re ranking for (even the ones you forgot about)

• Referral and traffic sources

• Any backlinks pointing to your site

• Site speed & mobile responsiveness

• Core user journeys (like "Schedule a Tour" flows)

📌 Pro Tip: Don’t just audit your own site... benchmark it against your competitors to see where there’s untapped opportunity.

2️⃣ Save What’s Working (Don’t Overthink It)

If you’ve got pages pulling in steady leads or rankings, protect them. Same goes for metadata, URL structures, even certain CTAs that are performing better than you realized.

Maybe polish them up a little. Maybe not. Sometimes good enough is good enough when it’s already getting results.

This includes:

• On-page copy

• Internal link structures

• Meta data

• Schema markup

If you do want to improve content, do it carefully, and test results post-launch.

3️⃣ Map URLs Like Your SEO Depends on It (Because It Does)

This one is huge! If you’re changing URLs (which you probably are), you need a full 301 redirect plan.

Every single important page needs a home. If you leave pages stranded, search engines and users are going to hit dead ends. And you’ll feel it in your rankings fast.

If URLs are changing (even slightly) you need to:

• Map every old URL to its new counterpart

• Implement permanent 301 redirects

• Test them before launch

📌 No redirect = lost rankings, broken user journeys, and angry search engines (and frustrated site visitors).

4️⃣ Rethink the Site Structure (Even If You Love the Old One)

Maybe your current site is fine. Maybe it’s a little clunky but comfortable.

Either way, now’s the time to ask:

• Could navigation be simpler?

• Are communities easy to find (and differentiate)?

• Are CTAs (e.g. “Book a Tour”) visible enough (or too many and confusing)?

• Is the mobile experience as good as it should be?

• Is there enough content to support the Customer Journey (both for seniors and their adult children)?

Improvements here make a huge difference later - especially when families are researching five communities at once on their phones.

5️⃣ Double-Check Your CRM Integration (and Then Triple-Check It)

Whether you’re using Aline, Yardi, Welcome Home, or another CRM make sure every single form and tracking point is mapped properly.

Because if leads don’t land in the right place, you won’t just lose data - you’ll lose actual opportunities. And if you think setting it up right takes time, fixing it after a missed month of leads takes a whole lot longer.

This includes:

• Form field matching

• Hidden tracking parameters (UTMs)

• Pixel (Dataset) and conversion event setup

• Integration with platforms like FURTHER, ActiveDEMAND, HubSpot, or Opiniion

📌 Ask yourself: Can I track this lead from click to tour to move-in? If not, something’s missing.

6️⃣ Create a Launch Testing Plan

Right before launch, test everything!

That means:

• Testing every form submission (and notification)

• Clicking through redirects

• Loading pages on slow Wi-Fi

• Checking call tracking numbers and conversion events

• Reviewing metadata one last time

• Watching for broken links

• Ensuring all necessary scripts are clean and firing as they should

It’s boring.
It’s tedious.
We hate it...
But It’s 100% necessary!

We use a 60-point pre-launch QA checklist for every client, and recommend you have as thorough a process, too.

7️⃣ Monitor Post-Launch Performance Like a Hawk

The first 30 days after launch are critical. This is when issues will sneak up if they’re going to.

You’ll want to monitor:

• Organic traffic trends

• Keyword rankings

• Form submission and phone call rates

• Bounce rates and session times

• Any sudden drops (or strange spikes) in leads

• Crawl errors

📌 Catch small issues early and they stay small. Miss them, and they can grow into problems.

8️⃣ Use This Change as a Launchpad (Not Just a Lateral Move)

Switching vendors isn’t just about avoiding problems - it’s a huge opportunity to step into something better.

A new site means a chance to refresh your brand, modernize your user experience, strengthen your SEO, and make life easier for your internal teams.

It’s also a perfect time to tighten your messaging, streamline CRM integrations, and future-proof your digital strategy so you’re not just catching up but you’re getting ahead.

Some of the strongest growth stories we’ve seen started with a move just like this.

• Refresh your brand story
  A new website is the perfect excuse to fine-tune your messaging, sharpen your voice, and better reflect who your brand is today - not who you were five years ago.

• Level up your SEO strategy
  Most older sites rank well despite themselves. A smart migration lets you rebuild with stronger on-page SEO, improved site structure, and local optimization for even better visibility.

• Modernize the user experience
  Families expect faster load times, mobile-first design, clearer navigation and so do search engines. A new build means you can meet those expectations effortlessly.

• Streamline your internal processes
  Better integrations with your CRM (Yardi/Aline/WelcomeHome), marketing tools, and analytics platforms mean your teams spend less time chasing data and more time moving in residents.

• Improve lead quality, not just quantity
  With a smarter content strategy and better targeting, you can attract families who are truly ready to engage, not just curious browsers.

• Boost conversion rates without extra ad spend
  Sometimes, a few tweaks in design and CTAs can lift conversions by double digits without increasing your marketing budget at all.

• Future-proof your digital presence
  With changes coming fast in AI, search, and consumer behavior, building a flexible, scalable site now means fewer headaches (and costs) later.

• Re-energize your internal team
  Launching a refreshed, better-performing website can be a major morale booster - giving your sales, marketing, and leadership teams something new and exciting to rally around.

➡️ Final Thoughts

Switching website vendors can feel like a lot.

But with the right strategy, the right team, and a little patience where it matters, it’s a chance to build something that doesn’t just match what you had... it outperforms it!

It's a chance to reclaim flexibility. To sharpen your brand. To make things easier for your team and more inviting for families searching for the right place to call home.

You don’t have to do it alone.

Whether you’re just starting to explore options or already mapping out your next steps, we’re here as a sounding board, a strategic guide, and a hands-on partner who knows exactly what’s at stake.

If you’d like to talk through your current setup, brainstorm next moves, or just get a second opinion - we’re happy to jump on a call. We’d love to be your guide.

Whenever you’re ready, we’re here.