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Your website is one of the most visible marketing tools your facility has. In many cases, it is the face of your facility for both tenants as well as potential tenants. Think about your website now. Does it easily convey the services you offer to people who know nothing about your business? If not, making some simple changes can help increase the effectiveness of your website. That is why it is important to follow these website design best practices.
Clean, Simple Website Design
Although having a flashy, innovative website may seem like the way to stand out, most visitors are on your website to gather information. Make it easy for them with a clean and simple website design. If you overwhelm them with graphics and music, you may scare them off.
Showcase Your Self Storage Options & Services
Website visitors are looking for information on storage unit sizes, availability, pricing, specials, location and contact information. Make it easy for them to get that information quickly and efficiently. If they have to hunt for information, they are more likely to leave your website and find that information elsewhere.
Quick Website Load Time
When potential tenants are doing a search on Google, they spend less than 15 seconds on a website deciding if it has the information they are looking for. Your website needs to have a quick load time. Visitors will not wait around long for pages to load. Plus, the search engines take load time into consideration with organic rankings. A quick load time will help your website with both visitors as well as the search engines.
Clear Call to Action
Now that you have a potential tenant interested in your storage facility, make it very clear what it is you want them to do next with a clear call to action. Do you want them to Rent or Reserve Online, Call the Facility, Fill Out a Lead Form? Tell them what the next step is. Use your website to guide them through the rental process.
Responsive Website Design
According to the Google Mobile Path to Purchase Report, 47% of respondents used a mobile phone or smartphone to make a purchase. For 29% of the respondents, their smart phone has now become the main tool for purchasing. With numbers like that, it is imperative that your website is responsive. Responsive websites are fully functional websites that adapt to whatever device they are viewed on (mobile phone, tablet, pc). Today’s potential tenants want to be able rent or reserve a storage unit from any device, including their phones. You are missing out on a growing number of customers if your website does not have that capability.
Incorporating these five best practices can help breathe new life into your website and in turn help you achieve your occupancy goals.
By: Jeanne Dotson, Director of Internet Marketing Strategy
Date: 6/16/16