Google Ranking 101 (and How to Improve) | PugTalk

Google Ranking 101 (and How to Improve)

How is search ranking determined, and what can you do to rank higher?

Trying to rank higher in Google's local pack can be tough, especially if you don't know what all goes into their ranking! And even if you do know, which ranking factors matter to storage businesses? Join our expert Pugs as they dig into all the details around ranking and how to rank higher.

Which ranking factors matter the most?
How can I rank higher in the local pack?
Does organic search ranking matter?
What SEO strategies are best for self storage?

Featured Speakers: Tommy Nguyen & David Austin

Aired: February 20, 2024
Duration: 1:36:31

Overview

If you don't have time to watch the whole session, here are some of our favorite parts:

At 6:00, our experts highlight what SEO is and why it matters.
7:15, Tommy and David discuss where clicks actually come from and what customers see when searching for storage.
Starting at 10:15, they highlight how Google determines ranking, including the history behind it.
At 14:15, our experts cover what a backlink is and how its importance has shifted.
15:00, they talk about how SEO looks today and some of the ranking factors that actually matter.
Around 18:00, they discuss how the team at StoragePug handles SEO for the websites we build.
At 26:00, Tommy and David highlight tools that you can use to see how your website is ranking locally.
29:00, they start digging into how to use Ubersuggest to show how your website ranks for specific keywords
Starting at 37:30, they cover ranking factors and highlight the ones that matter most.
Around 38:20, our experts walk through a search results page and highlight the different parts of it.
42:00, they discuss how to land your website in different sections of the results page.
At 46:30, they talk about the importance of having good photography and video to promote your business.
Starting around 49:20, our experts dig into useful hidden ranking factors.
55:00, they highlight the importance of crafting human-friendly content instead of chasing SEO algorithms.
At 58:00, they note how to use Google Trends to understand how many people are searching for storage.
1:07:00, Tommy and David discuss the right balance between client involvement and letting our expert Pugs do what they do best.
Starting at 1:10:10, our experts highlight how you can get more Google reviews to boost your search ranking.
At 1:15:30, Tommy and David answer common questions from our clients.

Resources

Carol Mixon-Krendl

SkilCheck

Website: https://www.skilcheck.com/
Email: carol@skilcheck.com

Hailey Teal

Jenkins Organization

Website: https://www.jenkinsorg.com/
Email: hailey@jenkinsorg.com

Resources from this session

Awesome Quotes

“Once your operation is in place, you can become more dynamic with your pricing, but that requires data. You need some method of being able to record the data that you need to know whether your price is in the right place - whether you need to move it up or start giving some concessions.” - Warren Lieberman

“I never want to downplay to what someone else is doing. I'm better than they are, then I'm going to be worth a higher price. That's what value is. If you go out to a restaurant and get really good service, would you go back? Yes! What if it was pricier? You'd still go back because you got better service and a better product.” - Jim Mooney

"It's good to be informed on your competition. I don't want to ignore them, but I don't want to respond too strongly to them either." - Warren Lieberman

"We did a survey of 10,000 facilities on their pricing. We found out that two-thirds of those operators didn't change the price of a single unit of the course of a month." - Warren Lieberman

“Rate increases and value pricing are the number one ways to grow your revenue.” - Jim Mooney

"Tenants in more convenient units tend to be less price sensitive." - Warren Lieberman

"The size of the unit is only one aspect of what people are willing to pay for." - Warren Lieberman

Highlights

Foundational marketing strategies to have in place - whether leasing up or stabilized:

Website
Set up listings (Yelp, Google My Business, Apple Maps)
Social Media
Establish Local Partnerships

Lease up marketing strategies:

Lead Generating Strategies (like digital ads)
Aggregators (Sparefoot, Storagefront, etc.)
Awareness Campaigns (like billboards, flyers, and sponsorships)

Your average customer value
Find the average stay length of all tenants. Next take your economic occupancy and divide by how many units you have. That will tell you what the average customer pays.

Multiply the average length of stay by what the average customer pays, and that's the average value of a customer.

For example, if a customer stays for 12 months and pays $100 per month, then their value is $1,200.

Your average lead value

Figure out your closing rate (or conversion rate) i.e. how many leads do you turn into tenants? Multiply that by your average customer lifetime value to figure out what your leads are worth.

Pro Tip: see which lead sources are converting the best. It may be that certain sources have a higher conversion rate, so those leads are worth more to you than a source that barely converts.

Typical Lease-up timeline

According to our panelists, it's typical to see a 3-4% increase each month, putting your facility at 36% after the first year, and 72% after the second.

Alternately, you can look at your lease up goals through the lens of your units, aiming for 20 units rented per month.

For Nick and StorageMax, they pro forma their economic occupancy at 85% with their sweet spot at 92%.