By Graci Woodworth, Storage.com

Not a viable contestant in the game of local search? You’re likely doing one (or more) of these things. Continue at your own risk, user discretion advised.

Opting Out of Online Directories

Free directories (Yes, free)—such as Google My Business, Bing, and Yelp!—connect your self storage facilities to current and potential customers through local search methods. Listing your business on these directories isn’t only a quicker and cheaper solution than journals or Yellow Pages, but it also reaches the modern-day consumers who look solely to digital mediums when hunting for storage services. Lose prospects and give your competitors a head start by staying off of these online directories. Who wants to deal with customers anyway?

Dismissing Website Organization

Proper structure of your website relays a clearer message to search engines, which increases your chances of being found online. If you have facilities in a number of locations, jamming them all on the same page of your website is the best way to confuse search engines, and in turn, remain unsearchable.

Skimping on Market Definition

The location of your facility, services being offered, and character length are all necessary elements that need to be incorporated within text to help secure your target market. Without carefully crafted text for page titles and on-site content, the services your facility has to offer are about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.

Get the Picture?

If you haven’t caught on, doing one or more of these things greatly jeopardizes your online visibility, which is increasingly detrimental for growth in the digital age. Don’t lead the future of your business down a dead-end path. Instead, learn all you need to know about online directories, correctly organizing your website, and more tips on being found locally with the 7 Tips You Must Know for Local Search Success.