Effective Self Storage SEO Strategies For 2024

We understand the unique challenges that self-storage facility operators face when it comes to organic search visibility. In the ever-evolving world of digital marketing, self-storage SEO has emerged as a cornerstone tactic to maximize online visibility and drive business growth. SEO is more than just an optional add-on to your marketing and tenant acquisition strategy. It’s the difference between lagging behind your competitors or leading the way in your market.

In the self-storage industry, traditional marketing techniques won’t cut it, and even online advertising can fall short without effective SEO strategies. The rising costs of advertising and the competitive landscape amplify these issues, creating a pressing need to revamp SEO processes.

Ensuring that your facility appears among the top search results when potential tenants are actively seeking storage units in your local market is crucial to attracting high-quality tenants. What is the consequences of being hard to find (or worse, invisible) online? Lost leads, empty storage units, and missed opportunities for business growth and expansion.

Yet, mastering self storage SEO isn’t straightforward for most owners and operators, leading to increased frustration and an inevitable plateau in tenant acquisition growth.

To summarize, SEO is critical for self-storage facilities due to the following reasons:

1. Enhances online visibility and brand awareness.
2. Drives targeted web traffic with high conversion potential.
3. Builds brand credibility and trust.
4. Offers a high return on investment (ROI).
5. Aids in navigating the competitive landscape and boosting local presence.

Embarking on the journey of self-storage SEO is a strategic move that any self-storage business can make to reach their marketing goals. The following sections will delve deeper into understanding what SEO is, its key elements, implementation strategies, and the role that specialized SEO agencies like Asset Growth can play in your self storage facility growth journey.

Understanding Self Storage SEO

What is Self Storage SEO?

Imagine you’re a customer searching for a self-storage facility in your local area. You pull out your phone, open up Google, and type in “self storage near me.” The results that pop up are largely due to a process called Self Storage SEO. SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the practice of optimizing a website to increase its visibility in search engine results for relevant queries.

In the context of self-storage facilities, Self Storage SEO refers to the process of enhancing the online presence of your storage facility’s website. The goal is to ensure that when potential customers search for terms like “self-storage in [city name]” or “climate-controlled storage near me,” your facility shows up as a top result.

Why is SEO Crucial for Self Storage Facilities?

With over 1.5 billion square feet of storage space built in the last few years, the self-storage industry is more competitive than ever. Hence, the question arises, why is SEO essential for storage facilities?

The answer is simple – tenant acquisition. Despite the exponential growth of the self-storage footprint in the United States, most facilities serve a customer base that largely resides within a 3-5 mile radius. This means that your potential customers are your neighbors, and you need to ensure that when they search for local storage solutions, your facility appears at the top of the search results.

SEO is not just about being visible; it’s about being visible to the right people at the right time. When potential customers are in need, your local self-storage facility should be front and center. A robust online presence achieved through effective SEO strategies can significantly increase your facility’s visibility, leading to more inquiries and booked units.

The Role of Local SEO in Self Storage Businesses

Local SEO plays a pivotal role for self-storage facilities due to the nature of the customer base. As mentioned earlier, these customers often live within 3-5 miles of the facility, and their search queries usually consist of location-specific keywords like “storage unit + city” or “storage unit near me”. To tap into this customer base, a focus on local search engine optimization, known as Local SEO, can have the biggest impact.

Local SEO for self storage involves optimizing your website and online presence to attract customers from relevant local searches near your facility. It’s not just about appearing on Google Maps or having consistent contact information across all platforms (though those are important aspects). It’s about creating localized content, generating positive local reviews, and building a strong local backlink profile.

The local map pack results are one of the highest converting areas of the entire Google search results page. Only 3 storage facilities will show up in the map listings which makes this space very competitive but worth the effort to drive new tenants to your facility.

Key Elements of Effective Self Storage SEO

Crafting an effective self storage SEO strategy can sometimes feel like piecing together a complex puzzle. But at Asset Growth, we’ve cracked the code. The key lies in understanding and implementing the following essential elements.

The Role of Keywords & Keyword Research in SEO

Keyword research is the cornerstone of any effective SEO strategy. It involves identifying the search terms your potential customers use when looking for self-storage services.

Our team at Asset Growth uses advanced tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs to conduct in-depth keyword research, ensuring you’re targeting high-traffic, relevant keywords that increase your visibility in search results.

We have built our own keyword evaluation tool using Google Sheets that helps us evaluate which keywords will have the most impact. This is a critical step that many storage facilities skip. There are hundreds and sometimes thousands of potential keywords you could target, but you have to use your resources wisely and go through a keyword prioritization process to start with the most impactful keywords first.

The goal of all of this SEO work is increasing your occupancy and NOI. If any SEO tactic is not aligned with that goal, than you are wasting your time and money.

Optimizing Website Content for SEO

The core of any effective SEO strategy is top-notch, optimized content. The text on your website should clearly communicate your services while incorporating the keywords potential customers use when searching for self-storage facilities. But remember, it’s not just about adding keywords arbitrarily. Google’s algorithms are smart and can distinguish between naturally incorporated keywords and forced ones.

The most important aspects of your page to focus on when utilizing on-page optimization are:

• Title Tag
• Meta Description
• URL
• Internal Links
• Optimized Images & Alt Text
• Headings
• Semantic Keyword Usage in Body Copy
• Strong Design and User Experience

Importance of Website Speed and Performance

A slow-loading website can be a conversion killer. Research shows that many visitors will abandon a website if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load. Google also considers website speed and performance when ranking websites, so it’s crucial to optimize your site for speed.

Using this free tool from Google you can analyze if your webpage is fast enough: https://pagespeed.web.dev/

Building High-Quality Backlinks

Backlinks are like votes of confidence from other websites. When a reputable site links to yours, it signals to search engines that your content is valuable and trustworthy.

Focusing on acquiring high-quality links from authoritative and relevant websites in your local market. This not only boosts your site’s SEO but also drives more referral traffic to your site.

Be very careful of companies and vendors who do high volume and low quality link building. This can be a complete waste of money and even hurt your websites performance in search results. The backlinks that you acquire, should be from real websites that get organic traffic themselves.

Importance of Data Consistency in Local SEO

For local SEO, consistency in your business information across all online platforms is crucial. This includes your business name, address, and phone number (NAP). Inconsistent data can confuse search engines and potential customers, hurting your local search rankings.

Ensure that your business information is accurate and consistent across all platforms, from Google My Business to local directories. By doing so, you can enhance your local visibility, ensuring your self-storage facility is easily found by potential customers.

There are many tools that help with this. time consuming process like BrightLocal, Moz, Yext, and more.

Importance of Location Pages For Multi-Location Facilities

For multi-location self-storage facilities, the importance of creating dedicated location pages on their website cannot be overstated. Location pages are crucial for both SEO and providing potential customers with relevant, localized information. These pages are essential for several reasons.

Firstly, location pages significantly enhance local SEO efforts. By providing detailed and unique content for each location, including address, contact details, services offered, and local landmarks or directions, these pages help search engines accurately index and present the facilities in local search results. These pages allow you to target keywords like “storage units + city name” for each of the locations that you have a storage facility in.

Additionally, well-optimized location pages can rank higher in search results, making it easier for potential customers to find and select a facility near them. These pages also offer an opportunity to showcase the unique features and benefits of each location, catering to the specific needs and preferences of the local market.

For a multi-location self-storage business, effectively designed and optimized location pages can lead to increased visibility, higher web traffic, and ultimately, more tenant conversions.

Acquire and Respond to Customer Reviews

Customer reviews are a powerful tool in managing your local SEO efforts. They not only improve your business’s online reputation but also enhance your visibility in local search results. Encourage your customers to leave reviews on your Google My Business profile and remember to respond to all reviews, whether positive or negative. This demonstrates that you value customer feedback and are committed to improving your services.

More positive reviews helps boost your rankings in local search results. This should be something you do on an going basis and not something you just do once and forget about. It is a critical aspect of an on-going SEO campaign.

How to Monitor and Analyze SEO Efforts

Monitoring and analyzing your SEO efforts is critical to your success. SEO is not a one-time task but an ongoing process that requires regular analysis and adjustments. Keep track of your website’s performance using tools like Google Analytics and adjust your strategies as necessary to stay ahead of your competitors.

At Asset Growth, we understand the importance of data-driven decision making. We continuously monitor and analyze the performance of your SEO strategies, making adjustments as required to ensure that your self-storage business stays at the top of search results and continues to grow. You can see our reporting process here:

The main KPIs to monitor for SEO are:

• Leads driven from organic search
• New booked units from organic search
• Closed won revenue from organic search
• Overall organic traffic from search engines

With these 4 metrics you can get a complete picture of how your SEO program is performing and where you may need to focus to improve your ROI.

The Role of Digital Marketing Agencies in Self Storage SEO

As a self-storage business owner, you may wonder why you need a self storage digital marketing agency for your SEO efforts. Can’t you just handle it in-house? While it’s true that you could manage your SEO strategies internally, partnering with a professional agency can offer numerous benefits that can significantly boost your online visibility and business growth.

How a Digital Marketing Agency Can Help Improve Your SEO Results

A self storage SEO company provides expertise and proven processes that could be difficult to match in-house. At Asset Growth, our team of SEO experts understands the unique needs and challenges of the self-storage industry. We leverage our deep understanding of the market to tailor your SEO strategy, ensuring that your storage facility is easily found by potential tenants when they search for storage options in your area.

Our agency can save you precious time by managing your SEO campaign, freeing you up to focus on the core aspects of your business. We use advanced marketing tools and software to optimize your website and monitor its performance, providing regular reports to keep you informed about your SEO progress.

Furthermore, we handle all of the SEO tasks like keyword research, identifying high-volume, locally relevant keywords to target in your content. We also work on enhancing your local SEO by optimizing your Google My Business profile and building local citations, a crucial factor in improving your visibility in local search results.

Boosting Your Self Storage Business with SEO

Harnessing the power of self storage SEO is not just about gaining online visibility, it’s about attracting the right kind of attention from potential customers at the right time. By leveraging strategic SEO techniques, you can ensure your self-storage business is not just seen, but chosen by tenants in need of self storage in your market.

At Asset Growth, we understand that the journey to successful self storage SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. As such, we emphasize the importance of consistency, patience, and an unwavering focus on key trends and analytics. We’re here to guide you, step by step, in implementing effective SEO strategies that will increase your online visibility, drive higher quality traffic to your site, and ultimately, boost your business.

The importance of optimizing your website content cannot be understated. It’s crucial to use the right keywords, maintain data consistency, and regularly update your content to stay relevant. But remember, the goal isn’t just to attract traffic — it’s to convert that traffic into paying customers.

Monitoring and analyzing your SEO efforts is also paramount to your success. Regular audits of your SEO strategies can reveal what’s working, what’s not, and where there’s room for improvement. This proactive approach ensures you’re always one step ahead, optimizing your strategies based on real data and insights.

Finally, consider the invaluable role a specialized digital marketing agency can play in your self storage SEO efforts. At Asset Growth, we bring industry-specific knowledge and expertise to the table, offering tailored SEO services that address your unique needs. We understand the self storage industry inside and out, and we know what it takes to stand out in this competitive market.

Remember, SEO isn’t just a marketing strategy — it’s an investment in your business’s future. By prioritizing SEO, you’re positioning your self storage business for long-term success. Thank you for joining us on this journey to boost your self storage business with SEO. We at Asset Growth are ready to help you take your business to new heights. Contact us today if you are ready to take your SEO to the next level.