Customers who look for self-storage units online make quick buying decisions. As the owner or operations manager of a self-storage facility, a strong website is essential for visibility and conversions. With so much competition in most regions for this service, you need to do all you can to stand out from your nearest competitors. When it comes to setting up your site, you’ll find that custom sites outperform templates in performance, branding, and SEO. Keep reading to discover why custom websites are the best option for boosting your self-storage facility’s online visibility.
Limitations of Template-Based Websites
While template-based websites seem like the most cost-effective option for your business, there are many limitations to using this type of website. These are the most common complaints we hear from business owners using template-based websites. If you are serious about growing your business in the coming months or years, consider using template-based websites carefully. They are not suitable for anyone looking to expand and add new facilities, as it can be more challenging to add new locations than with a custom site.
Generic Design
One-size-fits-all layouts that come with template-based website platforms often fail to highlight key facility features that could help your facility to stand out online. With weak visual appeal and limited customization options, you’ll find that you simply have a generic website that looks like many of your competitors’ sites.
Branding Restrictions
With fixed color palettes, fonts, and layouts, it’s challenging to add unique branding elements to a template-based website. This challenge makes it harder for your business to create a consistent, professional brand experience that aligns with other aspects of your branding, such as your social media accounts and traditional marketing efforts.
Limited SEO Performance
Slower load speeds and bloated code degrade SEO performance. There are a few options for template-based websites to add local landing pages or advanced optimization to help your website rank highly in search engines like Google.
Integration Challenges
Many business owners complain about integration challenges when using template-based websites. They experience difficulty connecting booking tools or storage management systems, such as storEDGE, Yardi Breeze, Rent Manager, and Unit Trac.
Advantages of Custom Websites
Custom websites offer many advantages for self-storage facilities looking to create a website fully tailored to their services. These are a few of the key benefits you’ll notice when you invest in building a custom website. A custom website is an excellent option for any business owner looking to create a more personalized experience for their customers and increase the likelihood of converting them into paying customers.
Built for Conversions
Custom websites can be tailored to drive conversions through strategic CTA placement and streamlined reservation flows. UX will be tailored to how storage customers compare units and prices to ensure they find the information they need when landing on your site and avoid frustration.
Faster Speed + Better Performance
Thanks to the optimized coding, image compression, CDN, and caching, you can enjoy faster website speeds and better performance with custom websites. Their substantial Core Web Vitals improve rankings and reduce bounce rates, increasing the likelihood that customers will invest in your self-storage facilities.
Custom Features That Drive Rentals
Custom websites let you add features that drive rentals, such as interactive size guides, calculators, and custom promotions. These flexible layouts highlight security features and amenities, allowing potential customers to make an informed decision about the self-storage facility they book.
Stronger Local SEO
Local SEO is critical for businesses targeting a specific city. With a custom website, you can create city-specific pages for service areas to attract customers who live and work in your local area. A custom website can include clean URL structures, metadata optimization, and storage-focused schema to boost your SEO efforts.
Unique Branding
Professional photography, drone shots, and custom color schemes can support your unique branding and help you to stand out online. These enhancements to your site will help you compete with large national REITs, build trust, and improve your reputation with local customers.
Seamless Software Integrations
Smooth integrations with systems like SiteLink, storEDGE, or Easy Storage Solutions are another significant benefit of creating a custom website for your self-storage facility. By offering real-time availability and online payments, you’ll help to improve the customer experience from the moment someone lands on your website.
Scalable for Multi-Location Operators
For multi-location self-storage facility operators, you can add location-finding tools and consistent branding through custom websites. This consistency means you’ll enjoy easy expansion as you add new sites to your business, saving you time during the busier periods of your business growth. We know that expanding your business can be very daunting, but by setting up a custom site during your initial website launch, you’ll save yourself a lot of hassle further down the line.
Real Business Impact
Business owners who use custom websites report higher conversion rates and more online reservations. The better SEO that they have from using a custom site leads to an increase in website traffic. By improving your website’s user experience, you can reduce support calls and free up your team’s time in this area, allowing them to focus on other tasks that support your business expansion.
Custom websites deliver the speed, flexibility, and SEO needed to stand out in the competitive self-service facility market. While you can save time and money with template-based websites, we recommend this option to very few businesses due to its many limitations. Custom websites are ideal for both single-site and multi-location operators looking to increase occupancy in the coming months or years.
Are you looking for support with creating a custom website for your self-storage facility? Contact our team today to learn more about the website services we offer and how we can support your business operations and increase online visibility with a custom website.
