Over the past couple of years, self-storage operators have learned just how important having a Web presence is to drawing new tenants. Theyve also learned acronyms like SEO and SEM, which stand for search-engine optimization and search-engine marketing. Some facility operators say 40 percent to 50 percent of their new customers find them online. So its no surprise operators are learning how to boost their online presence.

A few weeks ago I came across an interesting blog about SEO. While some say you need an SEO expert to improve your websites standing on Google, Yelp and Yahoo, the author of the article offers 20 SEO tips aimed at small-business owners.

At the top of the list: Write web copy for humans. That means no advertising copy, do away with legalese or canned, robotic copy. No one wants to have a dictionary on hand when they visit your website. Nor should they be saturated with an overload of advertising words like the best, the only one, etc. Yes, you need to sell your facility, just dont overdo it.

Point two of this blog actually spells out how to make SEO work for you: keywords. The author suggests you do a few searches of your own to find out what keywords are the most prominent for your industry. Then try to weave them artfully into your website copy.

Another important tip from this blog, be sure to keep your copy fresh. If youre still promoting last months special or an upcoming event at your facility, change it.

For more on SEO, SEM and other website how-tos, check out these remarkable articles from the ISS archives and an interesting thread on Self-Storage Talk.

Have advice on SEO youd like to share? Post a comment below or log on to Self-Storage Talk, the self-storage industrys biggest and best forum.