Attracting visitors to your website is one thing, but converting them? That takes work. You can have the best self storage website on the internet, but if you don’t have accurate imagery that matches your property, you’re wasting money on lower-quality leads that are less likely to convert.

Why does photography matter so much? It’s all about trust.

Accurate Photography Converts More Leads

Imagine that you’re searching for a self storage unit for rent in Bend, Oregon. If your unique value proposition (UVP) is that you lease clean self storage units in a gated facility near Mt. Bachelor, the imagery on your site should match that claim. Don’t just tell potential residents what you do, show them. Updated property photos staged to support your UVP builds trust with your target audience.

Open self storage unit made of grey bricks with blue door

Another reason you need accurate photography is that it helps potential tenants align their vision of your property to what you actually offer. That way, when they come in to visit or sign a lease, what they’ve seen on your website matches what they see in real life. For example, if you only offer outdoor RV parking, but the photos on your website show covered RV storage, that can be misleading. And no one wants to feel like they’ve been catfished.

Use Stock Photos to Tell a Story

There’s a lot of stigma out there regarding stock photography — it’s boring, it’s cheesy, it’s fake — and sure, all of that can be true, but only if you overdo it. Stock photos are a great relationship-building tool. The most successful self storage websites use stock images to paint a picture of what life is like for their target audience.

Think back to our UVP from earlier: clean units in a gated facility near Mt. Bachelor. If your target audience values the property’s proximity to Mt. Bachelor, odds are they are interested in outdoor activities like skiing and mountain biking. You can take that information and use it to find pictures that speak to the audience, showing them you value their journey and understand their needs.

fish-eye photo of mountain bike rider with red jacket, red backpack, and black pants riding over rocky terran above a valley with mostly blue sky

Encourage Tenants to Share Their Experience

Controlling your reputation online can be tricky, especially with the proliferation of social media and review websites. That’s why it’s even more important that the images on your website match the photos your tenants and potential residents are posting online. The last thing you want is someone to post something that doesn’t align with your brand — or for the images they post to contradict your UVP.

Get ahead of the game and encourage your tenants to post pictures that paint your facility in a positive light. After all, people are more likely to trust word-of-mouth and online referrals than they are any claims on your website.

Photo of Asus smartphone with facebook app login screen being held by a hand against a blurred green vegetation background

Updated Photography — Small Investment, Big Reward

While it is an investment to update your website with professional photography (and yes, you should absolutely use a professional photographer), the reward can far outweigh the cost. In addition to a better-looking site, imagery that aligns with your property helps build trust which can increase conversions.

Learn more about Self Storage websites with G5.

Contact us for information on how we can help you fill your facility fast.