How searching has changed
A few years ago a family asked the GP or a neighbour. Today the first move is nearly always the same: phone in hand, often late in the evening, and a Google search. Word of mouth comes afterwards, to confirm a choice already shaped online.
What they type, word for word
- "care homes in [town]" and "nursing homes [town]" — the base search, always tied to a place;
- "care home fees [town]" — cost is the dominant worry;
- "urgent care home placement [town]" — hospital discharge, a situation that has tipped;
- "dementia care home [town]";
- "care homes that accept local authority funding [town]";
- "respite care [town]".
Notice what is missing: almost nobody searches for the name of a home. If you do not appear on the generic searches for your town, you do not exist for that family.
The three places a home disappears
1. No website, or one frozen years ago. You do not need a beautiful site: you need one that says where you are, what you offer, what it costs and who to ring — and that reads well on a phone. More than half of families will look at it that way.
2. An incomplete Google Business profile. Often the very first contact: opening hours, a number that works, recent photos, the correct address. It is free and it is the bare minimum.
3. Absence from comparison sites. Many families are not looking for a home — they are looking to compare several in one area. If you are not where the comparison happens, you never make the shortlist, and you will never know.
Reviews: replying matters more than the rating
A negative review left unanswered weighs far more than the same review with a calm, specific reply. Families are not looking for perfect homes: they are looking for teams that listen. Replying to everything, without defensiveness, is the highest-return move available at zero cost.
Two checks worth twenty minutes
Search "care homes in [your town]" in a private window: do you appear, and where? What does a family see of you in three seconds? Then open your Google profile and check the phone number, hours and photos.
Where Curalune fits
Curalune is one of the places that comparison happens, town by town. Your basic listing is free and you can claim it. With Partner Presence you appear prominently in searches across your area.
See how Partner Presence works — or email info@curalune.com for a free check of your listing.
This article is written for care home managers and owners. Curalune does not manage admissions and does not guarantee placements.
The starting point, already done
Finding suitable homes, checking they can meet the level of care and gathering the contacts takes days of phone calls. Curalune Care Help gives you that starting point: 3 to 5 suitable care homes within 24 business hours, with contacts, links and a ready-to-send message you can put to all of them at once. £69, one-off: if you don't receive at least 3 homes matching the area and criteria you gave us, we refund you in full. Start here
