Search Engine Optimisation,(SEO), Search Engine Marketing,(SEM) Google AdWords, Social Media and the list goes on. How do you make sense of all of these new terms?
In the old days, it was easy to sort out your advertising. When the Yellow Pages rep turned up, it was just a case of a quick going over of the advertisement; maybe add a classification or two and sign the order! Bingo! There’s the advertising done for another year!
When the Yellow Pages let Google steal all of their business eight years ago, the path to dealing with advertising your Self Storage facility became filled with potholes. It didn’t take too long for the Yellow Pages to wane in popularity and with the advent of the Internet and smart phones in particular, the Yellow Pages became pointless before it even went to the printing press.
There has been a wholesale mass reduction in the advertisers in the Yellow Pages and there has always been conjecture about the delivery of the book to each home.
It’s dead.
Yellow Who?
We don’t have a copy of the Yellow Pages at work. We don’t even use Yellow Pages online, so why would you when Google and Yahoo! and Bing have much larger and better search tools. Google has rewired our brains: we now think of Google as a gateway to the Internet. Whenever we look for something, we “Google” it. Google of course have seized on this and have almost unlimited resources to do not only tailor advertising, but to understand users search patterns.
If you understand how Google works, with a bit of thinking you can ensure that your business is seen by the robots and spiders that patrol the Internet looking for your content and your website. Ask professionals for help.
Windex anyone?
Your website is the “window to your business” and it is not something that you can just set and forget – it’s not like the Yellow Pages ad, a static message amongst a whole bunch of other static messages, hoping someone will flip to the page where your ad has been printed.
Not many did their own artwork for the Yellow Pages and the others got graphic designed Ads to stand out. It’s the same for the Internet. Get a pro to construct your website for the same reasons and let them optimise it.
The Internet is much larger than the old phone book and if you don’t get the search engine optimisation of your website correct, no one will find you. We see plenty of cases like that. It’s easy to fall into the trap and say the “Web does not work”. It does and there are plenty of Self Storage sites getting a lot of business from it.
Many web companies make claims about how they can get you onto the front page of Google searches, but do they really understand who your customers are and their buying habits and how they will search to find you?
If they don’t know Self Storage, you may find that you end up with a website that does not work. Specific Search Engine optimisation is critical for Self Storage operators.
Ideally, we think of Self Storage customers doing a bit of browsing for Storage. A percentage of customers with time on their hands might study upwards of 6 Self Storage websites in a row, trying to find out what the best deal is and how to save a lot of money.
In reality, it’s different. In the United States, it is accepted that the awareness rate for Self Storage is around 5% of the community. In Australia it is certainly less – more like 2%. Does that not mean then that 98% of the community does not understand or even know about Self Storage?
I want it now!
Buyers that search up to 6 websites for deals are committed purchasers, they have made up their mind that they want a Self Storage unit and are looking for the first deal that satisfies the requirements. If you’re the one, then Bazinga! The rental is yours – but only if you make it easy….
Most Self Storage advertising is a simple representation of Yellow Pages advertising. That may suit those shoppers that know what they want, but it certainly doesn’t suit those who have no idea that they need Storage. And that’s the 98% that don’t know about our industry.
Self Storage facilities don’t get a lot of shoppers walking in off the street to browse through the offerings of the site. You can almost guarantee that someone who walks through the door they are ready to buy – research shows over 95% rent a space.
From someone.
So it is entirely feasible that if somebody visiting your website, are ready to buy. The customer immediately examines your website for suitability and if you pass, their research will stop. Do you make it easy for them to rent a space? Have they got to fill in a form, hoping someone will get back to them, what happens if it’s midnight? Who will respond? That’s like leaving a phone message.
Storers are ready to buy…
Optimising your Self Storage Website is fundamental to success and you must budget to do it.
Update or it’s no Storage for you…
A regularly updated website says one thing: we want your business. Google and other search engines rank on relevance: if you fail to update regularly, search engines think you’re not relevant.
Maybe they are right…
So whilst companies claim that they can make your SEO work for you, it is evident that this is a difficult task, if not impossible if the content on your website does not satisfy the customer objective – which is to do business with you. SEO can’t work if the content does not engage potential Storers.
If you consider every phone call, every Web enquiry as being $2000 plus in the bank, you may think again just how to handle them better.
Let us help you with your website, we can optimise the site, we can rebuild it and we can improve your chances of renting spaces – and that’s the most important part of your website-renting spaces.
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