How ranking works on Carehome.co.uk
A detailed look at the formula behind the UK's largest residential care directory and how to improve your search position.
Carehome.co.uk is the biggest residential care directory in the UK and the first place most families start their search. Every registered care home gets a basic free listing, but where you appear in the search results depends on four things: your subscription tier, your review score, how complete your profile is, and how recently you have been active on the platform.
How the ranking score works
The platform uses a formula: subscription tier points plus review score equals ranking score. A Platinum subscriber with a review score of 9.5 gets a ranking score of 21.5. The higher the score, the higher the position in search results for your area. Two homes with the same subscription level will be separated entirely by their review score, so getting more reviews is mandatory, it is the mechanism.
Review scores are calculated from reviews submitted by residents and their families. The score updates continuously. A home that lacks a new review in several months will, over time, see its score position relative to competitors change even if its own score remains stable.
Subscription tiers
There are three levels: Basic (free), Enhanced, and Platinum. Basic gives you the listing, but your ranking score starts at zero subscription points. Enhanced and Platinum add points to the formula, which means a well-reviewed home on a higher tier will consistently outrank an equally well-reviewed home on Basic. The gap compounds over time.
Profile completeness
The platform offers a range of profile fields: description, brochure, images, video, Meet the Team profiles, press releases, and contact details. Filling these in does two things. It improves your authority within Carehome.co.uk's internal search. And it gives families the information they need to make a shortlisting decision, which affects how often your listing converts into an enquiry.
Most homes have gaps. Common ones include missing brochures, missing team profiles, outdated photos, and a description that reads like it was written by a committee. These are fixable.
Getting more reviews
Reviews on Carehome.co.uk come from residents and their family members. The platform has review invite tools depending on subscription level, including email invites and printed review cards. The homes that rank consistently at the top of their area are the ones that have built review collection into their regular routine, not as a campaign, but as a habit.
Responding to reviews also signals to prospective families that the management team is engaged. It affects the conversion rather than the ranking score directly, but it impacts whether a family contacts you after they have found you.
Consistency with your own website
Google cross-references information across sources. If your weekly fee range on Carehome.co.uk differs from what appears on your own website, or your address format is different, it creates a consistency issue that affects your local search ranking, beyond your directory ranking. The two are connected more than most providers realise.