By Christopher P. Baird

What makes a self-storage website successful? Four years ago, I wrote an article on this very subject in which I identified the primary aspects as look and functionality. At that time, Internet users did most of their Web browsing on desktop computers. Remember those? Big metal boxes connected to a screen of considerable size? You might still have one kicking around in your house somewhere, collecting dust. Perhaps there’s even a heavy book next to it, yellow in color, that you found on your porch one day and thought, “Oh, wow, someone printed out part of the Internet for me!”

Personally, I haven’t used a desktop at home since … Well, I can’t even remember, and it seems I’m not alone. The number of people searching from mobile devices has officially surpassed those searching from a desktop. Mobile has become the most common type of search traffic. If you’re unsure about the value of searching on the go, consider that approximately 75 percent of Americans admit to bringing their phone with them to the bathroom. Enough said.

How does this impact your self-storage business website? To successfully capitalize on recent trends, a website must first look and function correctly on desktops, smartphones and tablets. It needs to incorporate the information and functionality that are standard in the industry as well as a method for tracking meaningful performance statistics. Last but not least, it needs to be flexible enough to change and improve based on the information collected from its performance over time. Let’s explore each of these components a little further.

Aesthetics

As always, your website needs to look great and function well. Users can find information faster than ever, but this speed also means they’ve become finicky about the way information is presented (darn kids). A one-size-fits-all mentality will no longer suffice in a world that focuses more on a customized experience. I hate to tell you, but it turns out size does matter. Usage statistics show the larger the screen, the more people find graphic-rich material engaging, whereas text-heavy content is more valuable to a mobile audience.

On a desktop, your site must be fast, look refined enough to be trusted, and provide all the information necessary for the user to make a decision. That can usually accomplished with one page. Mobile needs a much different approach. The mobile site must allow users to choose a location (assuming you have more than one), then get right to the unit information, so they can see which unit they want to reserve. Both versions of your site’s design need to reflect the specific needs of each audience.

Information and Functionality

I’m sure you’re already familiar with the two big questions potential storage customers always ask, “Where are you?” and “How much do you cost?” Occasionally, you’ll be asked about storing gasoline or in-laws, but the usual inquiries are pretty basic. All those run-of-the-mill questions and answers need to be displayed on your website along with anything unique about your facility, such as workshop rentals, wine storage or other specialty offerings.

When it comes to functionality, almost all self-storage websites allow customers to make online payments or at least reserve units. Websites are now moving toward allowing users to complete the rental process and even sign leases. Just as providing users the information they need makes their decision to use your facility easier, providing functions that simplify and streamline their experience will help you win their business.

If your facility is full and the only game in town, do whatever you want. If you own the market, why not enjoy it? But if that’s not the case, you need to keep track of what your rivals are offering and at least match, if not exceed it to gain the competitive advantage.

Performance Tracking and Flexibility

These last two components are tied together. Find a statistics program that will allow you to collect meaningful information about your website’s performance. Google Analytics is free and will do just fine. The key statistics to track are your unique visitors, bounce rate, number of conversions (the number of visitors who reserved or rented a unit), and your conversion rate, which is the number of conversions, divided by the total number of visitors. Find out how people are interacting with your website and where they may be falling out of the sales funnel.

Still paying attention? The next step is critical. You need to examine your website performance and make changes based on those statistics to improve your conversion rate. Even a slight increase will provide tremendous value over time. Now I’m not talking about “updating your keywords” or “reworking your content,” or any of the other cheesy things you might hear from inexperienced Web marketers. I mean real changes in design and functionality, based on the data you’ve gathered. Even small tweaks over time can have a big payout.

Imagine this: You’re a single store and your website converts at 1 percent (not bad). Let’s say you can increase your conversion rate by just .25 percent—yes, just one-quarter of 1 percent—and you only currently receive one rental a month. You just added three rentals a year to your total acquisition. If you have 10 stores, it’s 30 rentals. If we assume each rental is worth $1,000, that’s $30,000. As you can see, even a tiny increase in your conversion rate can yield sizable returns. It’s an investment that pays for itself many times over.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it. Establish a professional-looking, user-friendly website that works across multiple devices, with a strong emphasis on mobile. Provide a great experience for your users by making the information they want and the tools they need as accessible as possible. Monitor performance and adjust your website as needed to improve its ability to convert visitors to customers. If you follow this strategy, you’ll have a successful website that wins business.

Christopher P. Baird is the CEO of Tucson, Ariz.-based Automatit Inc., which offers full-service Web-development and marketing services to self-storage companies nationwide. He has more than 15 years of experience in website marketing and search engine optimization. Prior to joining Automatit in 2001, he was a freelance Web designer. For more information, call 520.293.4608; e-mail [email protected]; visit www.automatit.net.