The Basics of Online Marketing for Daycares and Children and Family Service Providers, with Industry Specific Resources

Connie Deng
Sep 4
5 min read

In today’s digital-first world, a strong online presence is no longer optional—it’s essential. More parents than ever are searching online for childcare options. By using simple but effective online marketing strategies, daycares and family providers can increase visibility, build trust, and ultimately boost enrollment.

This guide walks you through how to leverage free and paid online directories, as well as SEO best practices, to stand out in your local community.

The Importance of Online Marketing for Daycares

Research shows that around 70% of parents use the internet to research childcare services. When families search online, they’re looking for trust, transparency, and convenience. By showing up consistently and professionally across platforms, you can:

Highlight what makes your daycare unique
Build credibility through reviews and clear information
Attract more families actively looking for childcare

Independent mom-and-pop daycare owner working on digital marketing efficiently and effectively

Getting Found on Online Directories and Marketplaces

Once your website is live, the next step is to list your daycare in trusted online directories. This dramatically improves your chances of showing up in local searches.

Free Online Directories

Google Business Listing: Google is still the first place that parents and would-be parents go to to find local family service providers. Creating a listing is free and takes <10 minutes on their website. Google itself reports that a well-completed listing can lead to a 70% increase in your visibility in local search results. Include photos, your address, phone number, and website link. Positive Google reviews on your specific listing will also help!
Yelp: General user review platform that isn't specific to childcare providers - it also includes restaurants, bars, and all kinds of local businesses. Yelp shows up high in review search results for any kind of business so it's very helpful to have a profile with good reviews. Create a profile for free with basic information like location and opening hours and encourage your current customers to leave 5-star reviews. Many businesses find a way to incentivize customers to leave Yelp reviews, such as a free small perk (e.g., branded kids' toy) or a small discount on their next service.
Care.com: The most used site for parents to directly and specifically search for care providers. Parents actively search here for daycare and family providers, so a profile is essential.
Urbansitter/Sittercity/Winnie/Sawyer: These platforms cater to families looking for sitters, daycares, and activity-based care. Each has its own niche and audience—consider signing up for several.
State Provider Lists: Many states maintain searchable lists of licensed childcare providers. Make sure your information is accurate and up to date so that it shows up on the search. You can find relevant local government sites through https://childcare.gov/ under "See State and Territory Resources."
Local Parenting Forums: Join as many local community mom groups on WhatsApp, Facebook, or online parenting forums such as Peanut as you can. They are highly trusted by active community members. Parents in these groups are often seeking recommendations for daycares, doulas, lactation consultants, playspaces, everything! Ask your current customers what groups they are part of and ask them to add you to them. On Facebook Groups, you can search for "moms of x neighborhood" or similar names to find groups to join as well. If you answer questions authentically and add value to the group, moms are generally amenable to you sharing your services when appropriate.

Paid Digital Marketing

Free listings attract parents already searching for childcare. Paid options, however, help you reach families earlier in their decision-making process or give your listing priority placement. There are number of ways you can put a digital marketing budget (even if it is very limited) behind your online presence:

Paid Search: Appear at the top of search results when parents look for terms like “daycare near me” or “preschool in [city].” Google Ads has no minimum ad spend, though most experts recommend that a small business spend $10-20/day in order to see results.
Social Media Advertising: Platforms like Facebook and Instagram allow you to target local parents by age, interests, and location. Sponsored posts can build awareness before parents actively start their search. You can set budgets as low as $1 per day on your ad campaigns and pay per number of impressions, so this is a very cost effective way to get a lot of views and test conversion on new content or new customer demographics.
Local News or Chambers of Commerce: Some chambers of commerce or neighborhood associations and organizations offer paid listings or referral networks. These add credibility and help you connect with local families. Start with your town or city's local government office. Also check if there is a regular neighborhood magazine or newspaper in your area that you could advertise in or contribute free content to in exchange for business exposure.

Following Basic SEO Best Practices

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is essential for ensuring your daycare or child and family services appears in search results. Even small, fast, and easy improvements can help you show up higher in organic (i.e., free) search results. Here are some key SEO strategies to implement:

Conducting Keyword Research

Identify relevant keywords that parents use in searches. Tools like Google Keyword Planner can help you find popular terms. Naturally incorporate these keywords into website content, including headings and descriptions. For example, terms like "best daycare in [Your City]" can be very effective.

Creating Quality Content

Add a blog or resource page with useful parenting content. Posts like “5 Tips for a Smooth First Day at Daycare” or “Fun Indoor Activities for Kids” show expertise and attract parents researching related topics.

Focusing on Local SEO

Always include your address, neighborhood (including if it has a nickname that the locals use!), and cross streets on your website. Add location-based keywords in titles, descriptions, photo captions, and headings. This boosts your chances of ranking for “near me” searches.

Reviews Matter!

Ask current families for positive reviews regularly on all platforms, though Google and Yelp are likely to be the most impactful. The more positive reviews you have, the more visibility you will receive from online directories and marketplaces and the more trust you will build with new potential customers.

Family with young child in waiting room for an ABA clinic playing with wooden toys

Keys to Thriving Online

Growing your daycare or family service provider business' online presence doesn’t happen overnight, but with consistent effort, the payoff is huge.

Start with free directories to make sure you’re visible in local searches.
Layer in paid ads to expand your reach and stay top-of-mind with families.
Keep your website fresh with local SEO and parent-friendly content.
Encourage reviews to build credibility and attract more inquiries.

Use your online presence to stay connected with your past and current families, share relevant updates and reviews about your work, and increase visibility and trust to new prospective customers. With dedication and the right approach, you can create a stand-out online presence that consistently generates pre-qualified new leads for your business.