Skaalen Q1 OKR — Non-Branded Search Visibility

Overview

One of four Q1 2026 OKRs proposed for ^[1] focuses on improving visibility for non-branded search terms. The current situation is that the vast majority of organic and paid search traffic is driven by branded queries (e.g., "Skaalen," "Skaalen Retirement," "Skaalen Heights"). While strong brand recognition is a positive signal, it means Skaalen is largely invisible to prospective residents who don't yet know the organization by name.

This OKR was surfaced during the ^[2] and is to be sent to Dawn Zaemisch for review and approval alongside the full Q1 OKR proposal.

Current State

Branded Search Dominance

Google Ads and Search Console data from February 2026 both confirm that branded terms drive the overwhelming majority of clicks:

Top clicked search terms: "Skaalen," "Skaalen Retirement," "Skaalen Heights"
Competitor campaigns (targeting nearby facilities) yield low results
Non-branded terms like "assisted living in Stoughton" generate impressions but few clicks

Keyword Position Baseline

Keyword	Current Avg. Position	Target Position
"assisted living in Stoughton"	9.3	5.0

High-Impression, Low-Click Terms

From Google Search Console, "memory care community" and related variants generate significant impressions (the blog post "What is a Memory Care Community?" ranks well) but have low click-through rates. This represents a content gap — impressions exist but the page or meta content isn't compelling enough to convert to clicks.

Objective

Improve non-branded search visibility so that Skaalen captures prospective residents who are searching by service type or geography rather than by name.

Key Results

KR1 — Improve "Assisted Living in Stoughton" Position

Move average search position from 9.3 → 5.0
Tactics: on-page SEO improvements, internal linking, content freshness updates to the assisted living service pages

KR2 — Publish 3 Competitor Comparison Guides

Create blog or landing page content comparing Skaalen's offerings against other local senior living communities in the Stoughton area
Leverage the existing organic traction on "Heritage Senior Living" (a Madison-area competitor whose branded searches are already routing some traffic to Skaalen via keyword strategy)
Guides should emphasize Skaalen's continuum of care and 125-year heritage as differentiators

KR3 — Refresh All Website Meta Titles and Descriptions

Conduct a full audit of meta titles and descriptions across all pages
Update copy to incorporate target non-branded keywords
Address high-impression, low-CTR pages identified in Search Console (particularly memory care content)
This work connects to the broader ^[3] and supports the parallel ^[4]

Context & Rationale

Why Non-Branded Now?

The February 2026 performance review showed a 40% drop in ad impressions (down to ~4,000), likely attributable to seasonal factors (snowbirds, Valentine's Day holiday). The 9% CTR remains strong, but the impression drop highlights over-reliance on a narrow audience that already knows Skaalen. Growing non-branded visibility creates a more resilient top-of-funnel.

Competitor Keyword Opportunity

"Heritage Senior Living" (a Madison facility) is already a top-clicked keyword in Search Console — not because it's being used as a competitor ad target, but because it appears organically in Skaalen's content. This suggests an opportunity to formalize competitor comparison content and capture more of this adjacent search intent.

New Team Member Onboarding

Nick joined the Skaalen team on the day of this meeting as Dawn's backup for web, social, and HubSpot. The meta refresh and SEO work outlined in this OKR will serve as a useful onboarding project, giving Nick hands-on familiarity with the site structure. Melissa noted she would share prior website recommendations with him directly.

Google Ads Audit — The meta refresh and content gap work overlaps with the ^[5]; both should be coordinated to ensure ad copy and landing page content are aligned
Customer Journey Wizard — The ^[6] will benefit from improved non-branded landing pages that serve as entry points for users arriving via generic search terms
Website Health — Site health score is currently 100/100 (confirmed post-rollback from the ^[7]); this OKR should maintain that score while making content changes

Action Items

Owner	Action	Status
Melissa Cusumano	Send Q1 OKR proposal (including this objective) to Dawn for review	Pending
Melissa Cusumano	Investigate 40% February impression drop year-over-year to validate seasonal hypothesis	Pending
Melissa / Sebastian Gant	Begin Google Ads audit (in progress at time of meeting)	In Progress
Nick (Skaalen)	Review site with fresh eyes; assist with meta audit once onboarded	Pending
Dawn Zaemisch	Confirm Nick's email address for future communications	Pending

Notes

"We'd love to get your assisted living in Stoughton up from, or down from 9.3 to 5.0. And that's where you show up on the search console."
— Melissa Cusumano, March 2026 Marketing Call

"People know who you are. So they're typing in your name to be able to search what your information is. So brand recognition, they know who you are."
— Melissa Cusumano, on branded search dominance