Should self-storage companies invest in local SEO?
We take a look at several reasons why owners and managers should partner with a local SEO company to help them improve their online local visibility.
The Importance of Local Search
A recent MarketingSherpa study found that local search had the largest positive impact on an organization’s marketing objectives. It was reported that local search was more effective than mobile search, personalized search or social search.
Another study from Yext found that search engines were the primary means for consumers to find local business information. The study reported 42% used search engines, while 23% relied on recommendations from a family member or friend.
The Impact of Bad Business Data
Having bad business data for your self-storage locations can have a significant impact on offline sales. The Yext study attributed a loss of $10.3 billion in annual offline sales from missing or incorrect online business listings. So it is vitally important to ensure that your business is correct across all of the major data providers and online business directories.
The syndication of bad business data lies with the three major data providers: InfoGroup, Acxiom, and Localeze. These data providers provide a “primary feed” to other business directories and if the business information was captured incorrectly it then can be syndicated across their entire network. It can take months to clean up the data since these “primary feeds” are pushed out every couple of months.
The Yext study asked, “Which Best Describes Your Reaction If Local Business Information Online Turns Out Later To Be Wrong?”. 15.1% of respondents said that they would look for another local merchant.
The study also reviewed 40,000 business listings on 50+ local directories and found that 43% of listings had an incorrect or missing address. It also reported that 37% of the listings had a missing or incorrect business name on the listing.
You may hear the acronym, NAP, being mentioned when discussing local SEO for self-storage facilities. NAP represents Name, Address and Phone. It is important to make sure that the NAP is consistent across all business directories. This is because the search engines combine references to your business from across the web. Without data consistency, the search engine will not be able to aggregate the business citations and reviews to optimally rank you within the local search results.
The Impact of Mobile Search
Google and Nielsen partnered on a study, “Mobile Search Moments”, that looked at mobile search behavior and how it impacted offline and online conversions. They found that 77% of mobile searches occurred at home or work and 17% on the go. Three out of four individuals that searched from a mobile device triggered a follow-up action:
- 36% continued to research
- 25% visited a retailer’s website
- 17% visited a store
- 17% made a purchase
- 7% called a business
They also found that conversions (store visit, phone call, or purchase) happened quickly. With 55% of conversions happening within one hour!
Having a mobile-ready website can also impact these numbers. If your self-storage website is hard to navigate or the site functionality is not working correctly when viewed from a mobile device, site visitors can abandon your site and head to your competition.
Partner With Thrive
Thrive has partnered with single and multiple-location self-storage facilities to assist them with their local SEO strategies. We have a deep understanding of the storage industry that allows us to effectively implement a local search strategy while not breaking your budget.
If you are looking for a self-storage SEO company, call us at 817-642-9686 or contact us online.
