Choosing senior living is one of the biggest decisions a family makes, and it rarely happens quickly. The search often starts with an adult child looking on behalf of a parent, moves through tours and long conversations about care and cost, and ends weeks or months later. Advertising it comes with rules most marketers forget: in the US and Canada, senior living ads are housing ads. As a marketing agency for senior living communities, we work within those rules and judge the marketing on tours and move-ins.
- For independent living, assisted living and retirement communities, mainly in the US and UK.
- Ads run as housing ads, with no targeting by age, gender, family status or ZIP code where the rules forbid it.
- Tours booked and move-ins as the numbers that matter, with follow-up through a long decision.
- Ads, SEO or email management runs $500-$2,000 a month, month-to-month. Websites run $1,200-$15,000, fixed price.
Senior living ads are housing ads
| Platform | The rule | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Google, US and Canada | Housing includes retirement residential communities; no targeting by age, gender, parental or marital status, or ZIP code | Keywords, place-based targeting of at least 1 km radius, and the message do the work |
| Meta | The housing special ad category applies to ads promoting a housing opportunity, for US advertisers and audiences in the US, Canada and parts of Europe including the UK | Limited age, location and lookalike targeting; creative and offer select the audience |
| US law | Ads can't indicate a preference based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status or national origin | Images and wording that welcome everyone the community serves |
Sources: Google's restricted targeting policy, Meta's housing category and special ad categories, and 42 U.S.C. 3604(c), read November 2026. Not legal advice.
Age-restricted communities are allowed. The Fair Housing Act's exemption for housing for older persons covers housing for people 62 or older, and housing for people 55 or older where at least 80% of occupied units have a resident aged 55 or over and the community publishes and follows policies showing that intent. The Justice Department notes such communities may operate as senior housing. The platform targeting rules still apply to the ads themselves, so the age qualification belongs in the message, not the audience settings.
Two audiences, one decision
The person searching is often not the person who'll move in. A daughter comparing options after work wants care levels, costs and availability laid out plainly. A future resident wants to know what a normal day looks like, who their neighbors would be, and whether they'll keep their independence. Good senior living marketing answers both, on pages and in ads, and makes booking a tour easy for either.
- No pricing guidance. Families won't book a tour without a sense of cost. A starting price or a range helps.
- Slow first replies. The enquiry arrives on a Sunday evening and nobody calls until Tuesday.
- One call, then silence. Decisions take months, and communities that stop following up lose to the ones that don't.
- Reviews nobody asked for. Happy families rarely post unless they're asked.
Follow-up through a long decision
Because the decision takes so long, follow-up is where most of the return is. We set up an automatic first reply to every enquiry, a named person who calls back the same day, and a series of emails that answers the questions families ask between the first call and the tour: care levels, costs, what's included, and what moving in involves. Our build note on our lead follow-up app shows how first replies go out in seconds, using our own software's data rather than a community's.
What we do for senior living
- Google Ads for local businesses. Families search for senior living near a parent, and you want to be there when they do.
- Local SEO. The map results and reviews decide which communities families shortlist.
- Facebook ads for local businesses. Open days, availability and tours, run inside Meta's housing rules.
- Email marketing. Enquiries take months to decide, and follow-up stops after the first call.
- Reviews and reputation. Residents and families are happy, but it doesn't show online.
- Website design. Families can't find care levels, pricing guidance or a way to book a tour.
How it fits together
A strong local profile
Correct categories, real photos, care levels and a steady review routine.
Pages families need
Care levels, pricing guidance, daily life, and a tour button on every page.
Search ads for active searches
Senior living searches near the community, within Google's housing rules.
Social ads in the housing category
Open days, availability and tours, with the message doing the selecting.
A reply in minutes
An automatic first response and a same-day call.
Months of follow-up
Emails and calls that answer the next question, until a tour and a decision.
One monthly number
Tours booked and move-ins, by channel.
What it costs
| Service | Price | Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Ads management (Google, Facebook or Instagram) | $500-$2,000 a month | Month-to-month, no setup fee, ad spend paid straight to the platform |
| SEO and AI search visibility | $500-$2,000 a month | Month-to-month, no long-term contract |
| Website, landing page or store build | $1,200-$15,000, fixed price | Agreed in writing; 50% to begin, balance on delivery |
Entry plans start at $500 a month. Full details are on our pricing page.
Who we're not for
- Communities that want ads targeted by age or ZIP code where the rules don't allow it.
- Anyone who wants reviews written, bought or filtered.
- Teams with no one to follow up enquiries for months, not days.
Guides for senior living
- Business not showing on Google Maps?: the checks, in order
- Google Ads vs Facebook ads: which to start with
- Leads not answering the phone?: why enquiries go quiet
- Is SEO worth it?: when it pays and when it doesn't
Questions senior living communities ask a marketing agency
What does a senior living marketing agency do?
It brings enquiries and booked tours from families and future residents, keeps in touch through a decision that can take months, and shows which channels lead to move-ins. That means search, ads run within the housing rules, a strong local profile and reviews, and follow-up that doesn't let an enquiry go cold.
Can we target older adults with Google ads?
Not in the US or Canada. Google lists retirement residential communities as housing, and housing ads there can't be targeted by age, gender, parental or marital status, or ZIP code. Search keywords, locations and the ad's message do the selecting instead.
Does Meta's housing category apply to senior living?
Meta requires the housing category for ads that promote a housing opportunity when the advertiser or audience is in the US, Canada or parts of Europe including the UK. A community's ads for residences do that, so we run them in the category, which limits age, location and lookalike targeting.
Can we advertise a 55+ community?
If it qualifies as housing for older persons under the Fair Housing Act, yes: housing for people 62 or older, or 55 or older where at least 80% of occupied units have a resident 55 or older and the community publishes policies showing that intent. Ads still can't show a preference based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status or national origin.
Who are we really marketing to?
Often two people: the future resident and a family member helping them choose. Pages, ads and follow-up need to answer both, from care and cost to what a normal day looks like.
How long does a senior living decision take?
Usually weeks to months, so most of the value is in follow-up after the first enquiry and the tour. We judge the marketing on tours booked and move-ins, not form fills.
Have you worked with senior living communities?
We have no published senior living case study and won't claim one. The approach on this page is what you'd get, and we can show you our own follow-up software.
How much does senior living marketing cost with you?
Ads, SEO or email management runs $500-$2,000 a month, month-to-month, plus any ad spend. Websites are fixed-price, from $1,200.
Want to know which channels last quarter's move-ins came from? Book a strategy call and we'll trace them with you.