Quick Steps to Google Business Profile Success for Self-Storage Operators

An optimized Google Business Profile (GBP) is one of the most powerful, cost-effective tools in a self-storage operator’s digital arsenal, playing a pivotal role in facility success. When leveraged correctly, GBP can significantly boost your online visibility and attract more customers. In fact, more than 58% of companies find that their local website traffic predominantly comes from this profile.

Below is a list of steps that will positively impact your GBP, ultimately improving your online search rankings and self-storage rental numbers. It’s designed to provide clear, practical advice for correctly completing and maintaining your profile, thereby allowing you to harness its full potential.

Step 1: Add Accurate, Up-to-Date Information

Some of the details that should be included in your GBP are your self-storage facility’s name, address, contacts and operating hours. A cornerstone of optimization is ensuring this information is always accurate and up to date. Nearly 70% of consumers lose trust in a company if they encounter incorrect information online. By regularly updating your profile, you can prevent customer loss and improve business credibility.

Step 2: Take Advantage of All GBP Features

Google offers several features that can enhance your GBP effectiveness. Not only can you choose categories that are relevant to your business, you can include a keyword-rich description of your operation. This should be compelling and informative. You can also upload photos of your facility exterior, units, security components and other unique selling points, such as cleanliness. Doing so will allow you to create a more engaging and trustworthy profile.

Step 2: Update Regularly

Consistency is key in GBP optimization. Adding regular content updates and engaging with customers through your profile will ensure your self-storage business stays relevant and visible. For example, if you have any special offers or news related to your products or services, such as a new offering or property enhancement, post them to your page.

Set yourself a monthly reminder to review and update your GBP. Check all the details to ensure they’re still correct. You can even create a content calendar to schedule regular posts.

As part of this effort, consider managing your business citations across all platforms for consistency. A citation is a mention of your self-storage facility name, address and phone number on any site other than your own.

Step 4: Leverage Customer Reviews

Customer reviews are a vital component of your GBP. They not only provide valuable feedback, they significantly influence prospects’ buying decisions. So, encourage your self-storage tenants to leave reviews, and make the process simple and straightforward. For example, you can send a follow-up email or text after each successful transaction, asking for a review.

It’s also important to respond to reviews, positive and negative, as it shows that you value customer feedback and are committed to improving your service. Allocate time weekly for this activity, which improves customer engagement.

Step 5: Understand Your Analytics

GBP provides valuable insights through performance analytics. They can help understand how self-storage tenants find your business online, how they interact with your profile and what drives them to your website.

Familiarize yourself with the analytics section of GBP to understand customer behaviors and traffic sources. Then use these insights to refine your marketing strategies and improve your online presence.

Step 6: Communicate With Customers

Monitor your GBP dashboard regularly, including the Q&A section, to stay on top of any inquiries or messages from potential self-storage customers. This is another opportunity to provide helpful information and increase engagement, which significantly impact your online visibility and attractiveness to renters.

Step 7: Reap the Benefits

Optimizing your GBP is an essential step in boosting your self-storage rentals. By maintaining accurate information, using the full range of features, regularly updating your profile, actively managing customer reviews, understanding your performance metrics and communicating with customers, you can significantly enhance your online presence. It not only aids in attracting new customers, it builds trust and credibility with existing ones. Both are key factors to success in the competitive self-storage environment. Set measurable goals for your GBP performance and review your progress quarterly to ensure ongoing improvement.

Jim Ross is founder of 3 Mile Storage, a self-storage management and training platform. He’s a frequent speaker at industry events, virtual-summit host, podcaster, author of “3 Mile Storage” and creator of “The Ultimate Self Storage Playbook.” His company offers management solutions for fully automated, unattended self-storage facilities. For more information, call 801.381.3298; email [email protected].