Families search twice: on My Aged Care and on Google
My Aged Care is the government's front door to subsidised aged care. A person can apply for an assessment online for themselves or on behalf of a family member or friend, by phone on 1800 200 422, or in person through Services Australia. An assessment organisation then contacts them, or someone they choose, and an assessor usually visits the home.
Its Find a provider tool lists providers by program, lets people shortlist up to 16 and compare up to three. Many families also search on their own, read provider websites and ask relatives and friends. The provider whose own website agrees with what the government listing says is easier to trust.
Home care and residential care are different searches
My Aged Care lists providers under the Commonwealth Home Support Program, Support at Home, aged care homes and a program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The Department of Health says the new Aged Care Act began on 1 November 2025, and My Aged Care now states that the Act and the Support at Home program are in effect.
| Aspect | Home care providers | Residential aged care homes |
|---|---|---|
| Typical query | A service type plus the suburb where the person lives | A home or facility name, or a suburb with aged care home |
| What the family compares | Services, availability, care workers' hours, how to start | Rooms, location, visiting access, activities and care approach |
| Quality signal | Clear program details and consistent reviews | Star Ratings, which My Aged Care presents for aged care homes |
| Key pages | Services, service area, how to get started, contact | Tours or enquiries, accommodation pages, location and transport |
The path from first worry to first call
Understanding the journey tells us which pages the site needs and what each one has to say.
- A concern appearsAn adult child notices a parent struggling, or a person decides they want help at home. They search for general information first.
- Government steps beginThey register with My Aged Care and arrange an assessment. Your content should explain these steps without pretending to replace them.
- A shortlist is madeThey use Find a provider, then check each provider's own website, reviews and location.
- A conversation startsThe family calls or enquires. A clear phone number and a person who answers decide who gets the visit.
What we build for aged care providers
Good pages answer questions in the order a worried family asks them. Our SEO content work is shaped around that.
Program explainer pages
Plain pages on what you deliver under each program and how a person starts, without legal jargon.
Location and service area pages
Pages naming the suburbs and districts you serve, matched to your Google Business Profile.
Questions pages
Answers to the questions families ask before calling, such as how assessments work and who to contact.
Reputation handling
A steady, honest approach to asking for and responding to reviews, including negative ones.
What to say, and what not to say, about care
Aged care providers are regulated by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, and the Aged Care Act includes a Statement of Rights. The Australian Consumer Law adds that anything you claim must be accurate and capable of being proved.
Good practice
- State the programs you deliver and the areas you serve
- Describe how your approach respects the Statement of Rights, in your own words
- Show how families can raise concerns with you directly
- Link to My Aged Care for the assessment steps
Avoid
- Quoting a Star Rating you do not hold
- Promising outcomes for health or independence
- Using photos of residents without clear consent
- Hiding or deleting genuine negative reviews you control
What to have ready before we start
A provider who brings these details makes the first drafts faster and keeps every page consistent with the government listing.
- Programs by exact name: List each program you deliver as it appears on My Aged Care, so the website and the listing agree.
- Service areas, suburb by suburb: State where care workers travel and where they do not, including any extra conditions.
- The first-contact path: Say who answers the phone, at what hours, and what a family should have to hand when they call.
- A complaints route: Describe how a family can raise a concern with you directly, in words you would be happy to see quoted.
- Photo permissions: Check consent for every image of a resident or worker before it reaches a page or a profile.
- Star Rating status: Residential homes should note the rating currently published and link to the official listing instead of copying it.
Specialised care and community needs
My Aged Care says some providers tailor services for people by language, faith, culture, background, health or lived experience. If you do, say so in plain words, on a page of its own. A family searching in another language or for a culturally specific service is searching for something precise.
Search engines can only match what is written down. If your culturally specific care is mentioned once in a footer, nobody searching for it will find you.
Canberra's districts, timing and cost
Families in Canberra often search for a provider close to where the older person lives or where relatives can visit. That makes district-level content useful.
- Name the districts you serve: Pages for areas such as Tuggeranong and the Woden Valley help families confirm you reach them.
- Be exact about travel: Saying where care workers do and do not travel avoids wasted enquiries.
- Expect months, not weeks: Content and profile work builds over months. We never guarantee positions, and we explain what is realistic after reviewing the results in your area.
- Custom quote: Cost depends on the number of services and locations. Start with a SEO audit or the wider industry overview.
Frequently asked questions
Does a provider listed on My Aged Care still need its own SEO?
Yes. My Aged Care lets people shortlist and compare providers, but families also check each provider's website and reviews, and many begin with a general search before they reach the government tool. Your site should agree with your government listing and add the detail the listing cannot.
Can we display our Star Rating on our website?
Only if it is accurate. My Aged Care presents Star Ratings as a way to compare the quality of care across aged care homes, so a residential provider can explain what its rating means and link to the official listing. A home care provider should not claim a Star Rating that My Aged Care does not show for its service.
Are older people or their children doing the searching?
Both. A person can apply for an assessment on behalf of a family member or friend, and adult children commonly research on a parent's behalf. We write pages that speak to the family member who is researching and also read clearly for the older person.
What can we say about quality of care?
Describe what you do and how, and avoid promises of outcomes. Providers are regulated by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, and consumer law requires accurate, provable claims. We do not write statements you cannot back up.
How do reviews matter for aged care?
Families read them. The ACCC says businesses must not create fake reviews or suppress genuine negative ones, so we help you ask every family for feedback and respond to concerns in a measured way, without discussing any individual's care publicly.
How long before we see more enquiries?
Corrections such as a wrong phone number or missing service page can help within weeks. Stronger rankings for busy searches take months and depend on competitors. We do not guarantee rankings and will tell you plainly what the evidence shows.
Sources and further reading
- My Aged Care: Find a provider: Programs listed, shortlist of up to 16, compare up to 3, Star Ratings described for aged care homes, Commission regulation, tailored services
- My Aged Care: How to get assessed: Online, phone and in-person routes; applying for a family member or friend; home assessment
- Department of Health: New Aged Care Act starts Saturday: The new Aged Care Act began on Saturday 1 November 2025, with reforms rolled out in stages
- My Aged Care: The new Aged Care Act and Support at Home are now in effect: Confirms the Act and Support at Home program are in effect
- Department of Health: Statement of Rights under the new Aged Care Act: Statement of Rights under the new Act; complaints and enforcement role of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
- ACCC: Online product and service reviews: Fake reviews and suppressing negative reviews
- ACCC: False or misleading claims: Claims must be accurate and provable