Should I List Prices On My Self-Storage Website?

Yes, yes and yes.

Self-storage facility owners often ask us whether they should display rental prices on their websites. Our answer is always “yes,” because potential tenants visiting your website will appreciate it. In many cases, they simply won’t choose your facility over competitors if you don’t provide that essential information. However, many storage owners are hesitant to embrace this best practice. So we’re dedicating today’s self-storage blog post to bust pricing myths and sing the praises of transparency online.

You say: “My prices are not the lowest in the market. If I display them, customers will turn away.”

We say: Most consumers do not comparison shop exclusively for price. It’s true that a small sector of the population will only search for the best possible deal. However, most renters choose a facility based on a variety of factors, including cleanliness, security, quality of customer service, location and amenities such as 24-hour access or climate control. Many purposely avoid renting from the lowest-priced facility, fearing that a too-good-to-be-true price could mean sacrifice of other important qualifiers.

You say: “If I omit prices from my site, consumers will make more phone inquiries.”

We say: A lot of owners intentionally leave rental pricing off their websites, so potential tenants are more likely to call. Their intention is to convert callers into customers over the phone.

This is good thought, but the strategy is a little misguided for our times. Modern consumers want to quickly find the information they need online. Rather than making the phone call to ask for pricing, they are likely to choose a competing self-storage facility that offers up the details they seek online. In addition, many consumers browse for self-storage at work or in other environments not conducive to making personal calls.

You say: “But keeping pricing off our website works for us. We frequently get calls asking for prices.”

We say: A sector of the population does prefer to make phone inquiries, so give site visitors the option regardless by prominently displaying your number on every page. However, we are confident your facility will fill more units if you move to include pricing details on the site. When you rely solely on phone inquiries, you’re missing out on a large consumer base that prefers to find information online. This tends to include the younger generation, arguably the most mobile demographic. Because they move and need storage more often, younger, tech-savvy customers are some of your largest potential revenue sources.

Here’s a good rule of thumb for deciding whether to display information on your site: If you receive multiple calls asking the same question, answer it on your website. Phone calls should be utilized to address customers’ individualized needs. Let your website handle general concerns like pricing.