Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Six Helpful Tips to Improve Local SEO Rankings


Let's Face it, getting a good ranking on the search engines is much more difficult than it was ten years ago. With the explosion of social media and the ever-evolving search algorithms, how is anybody supposed to easily represent themselves in the online world? If you suspect that you are having a hard time reaching your online audience, maybe it is time to re-assess the core elements of search engine optimization (SEO). The following list names some important components and some handy tips that may just help your jump-start your website's SEO and improve your search rankings in your target market.

1. Localized Keywords - Keyword research is of the utmost importance these days. Your site may be doing poorly in search results due to a lack of specific keywords. General keywords are not going to be very helpful to you in local search when they have all been locked down by large firms with millions of dollars for SEO budget. Do yourself a favor and research the proper keywords for your local market. Specificity is on your side.

2. Google+ Local - Claiming your business on your own Google+ Local page is shown to dramatically increase your local SEO efforts. This is as easy as claiming your business page, confirming the URL, and making sure the phone number, address, and any other relevant information is filled out properly.

3. Competitive Backlink Research - Be sure to investigate the Web profiles of your competitors to see if you have missed any link-building opportunities. There are many ways in which you can simply copy the link profiles of your competitors to help raise your profile on the major search engines. Just make sure you link to websites that make sense for your self-storage operation.

4. Narrow Down your PPC Caampaign - Try testing out different phrases with a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign and switch keywords when appropriate. Depending on where you are locally, you may have missed a keyword that could bring you all sorts of Web traffic. PPC campaigns are relatively inexpensive and much quicker when it comes to determining key phrases that will be successful for you in organic search listings.

5. Google's Disavow Tool - If you have noticed your traffic is down a little, you should check out your own backlink profile. If you see it’s filled with junk links, you should use the Google Disavow tool to get rid of all bad links within your profile. These shady links can cause Google to punish your website. Removing these poor quality sites will help keep your site looking respectable in the eyes of Google and the other major Search Engines.

6. Customer Review Sites - It’s a good idea to encourage customers to review your business on major review sites. Using sites like Yelp, Yahoo Local, Google+ and other major social media platforms helps with search engines and brand awareness. The major search engines also take note of the attention customers give your Facebook and Twitter profiles. Encourage conversation on your social media pages and make sure to link to them.

All of the major search engines are constantly changing and evolving, which means you need to keep close to the pulse and be aware of any major changes to how the rankings work. Monitor your search rankings and determine where the rules may have changed if you find that your strategy is good but your ranking is suffering. SEO is a long-term discipline; do not be frustrated with short-term fluctuations in your search rankings. Aim for consistency within your local market, and you will see a rise in traffic as well as business.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Changes to Self Storage Legislation in 2014



BRIGHTON, Mich -- As many as twenty states have recently made changes to their legislation in regard to facility operation and responsibilities to tenants. These legislative changes are brought about by the efforts of the national Self Storage Association and multiple state associations as well. The affected states are as follows: 
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Illinois
  • Kansas
  • Maine
  • Michigan
  • Nevada
  • New Jersey
  • North Carolina
  • Ohio
  • Oregon
  • Rhode Island
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
There are other states apart from this list that are scheduled to be targeted for changes later this year. It is crucial for self storage owners who operate within these affected states to review the revisions to the laws and make necessary changes to their leases and other operating procedures in order to comply with the new requirements. The majority of these changes fall into five main categories. These categories include notice to tenants, late fees, limitation of value of stored goods, vehicle towing, and online sales and advertising. As with the rest of Michigan Storage facilities, MySpace Self Storage will be affected by these legislative changes too.

Notice to tenants is one of the biggest changes we are seeing in affected states. New legislation is pushing the use of an alternative method for notifying clients of impending lien sale of their stored belongings. Older laws required that notices such as these be sent via certified mail, although many states now allow the use of email or other verified mail. Email use for this process varies from state to state. Of states that permit the use of email, its implementation is inconsistent. There are a number of states that require proof of receipt from the tenant. There are a plethora of software options available that offer this functionality to self storage operators. If the email message is unable to be confirmed, then it must be resent as certified mail. These new laws are factoring into account that many storage  tenants may be mobile, and therefore unreachable at physical addresses.

Changes to late fee laws in the affected states have seen the implementation of a "safe harbor" of fair and reasonable late fees. This late fee zone encompasses $20 per month or 20 percent of the monthly rate, where tenants pay the greater of the two. These updates have recently occurred in Arkansas, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon and Tennessee. Facilities in these states that are charging more than this amount need to reduce their late-fee charges or be able to demonstrate the fee being charged is tied to the actual costs incurred by the facility associated with late paying tenants.

Changes to the limitation of value of stored goods provide statutory support of contractual obligations already seen in most self storage agreements. In applicable scenarios, the tenant is limited to the maximum amount in the event of filing a damage or a loss claim. Many of these states have seen the addition of a towing right in lieu of having to enforce a lien against a titled property. With this new legislation in place, operators can now have a licensed towing company remove the vehicle from the site and eventually process the vehicle for sale. In the event of this type of situation, the facility is no longer liable for any damage to the vehicle after having it towed and the facility still retains the right to collect the unpaid rent through regular methods of collection. Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Utah are among The states that have added this towing right.

Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, North Carolina, and Ohio have allowed the use of online advertising in lieu of newspaper ads and other print ads as long as they are considered to be "commercially reasonable". Commercially reasonable has been defined in most instances to be a method of advertising that results in obtaining a minimum number of potential bidders. If online advertising, which arguably attracts more visitors than print, is able to attract a minimum numbers of bidders to attend the auction, then it will be considered sufficient. In addition to the use of online or alternative advertising for lien sales, a number of states, including Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina and Oregon, have statutorily clarified the right of operators to conduct their lien sales via the use of online-auction sites.



Thursday, March 13, 2014

MySpace Self Storage Gearing up for Spring and Summer Storage in 2014

MySpace Self Storage on Pennsylvania Ave in Lansing, MI


BRIGHTON, Mich--If you've lived in Michigan for any amount of time I'm  sure you'll agree that our weather is unpredictable at best. The day to day forecast is subject to change at a moment's notice. This unpredictability is not just limited to the short term. Take this winter for example. The past couple of years have seen very mild winters, but this year we are continuing to see record amounts of snowfall in some areas. With local weather conditions like these, it is important to make sure that your belongings are stored properly. Whether your are currently in need of some extra storage space or are an existing self storage customer, it is a good idea to periodically review your storage needs.

For anyone in the Brighton area, Myspace Downtown Brighton Storage is the perfect place to keep your belongings for the winter. This location features a wide variety of indoor climate controlled storage unit solutions. Keep leather furniture, wood desks and cabinets, or any other temperature sensitive items here without worry!

Flint residents have a great opportunity coming up this spring and summer as both of our MySpace Self Storage locations in Flint are scheduled for upgrade this year. The MySpace Facility on West Pierson Road will be getting a handsome 15,000 square feet of exterior drive up storage space. Additionally, our MySpace storage facility on Hill Road will be receiving a respectable 10,000 more square feet of exterior storage units. This is great news and better timing for everyone in need of a little extra storage space this summer. Come on in to MySpace Self Storage on Hill Road or Pierson Road in Flint and get your perfect storage unit today!

Our Flint Locations aren't the only ones getting the love! MySpace Self Storage on Pennsylvania Avenue in Lansing will also be expanding its storage unit capacity. The Lansing location will be getting an added 8,000 square feet of storage unit space. 4,000 feet of this added space is intended to be exterior drive up storage units. This will be a new service offered at this location as previously the only type of storage units offered were indoor climate controlled units. This upgrade will offer a lot of potential for college students in need of inexpensive storage as well as other Lansing residents in need of summer or long term storage.

No matter where in Mid Michigan you are located, MySpace Self Storage is positioned to offer excellent self storage unit services to you! From indoor climate controlled  units to exterior drive up storage; MySpace has you covered! Visit Us online at http://selfstoragemyspace.com and discover the possibilities for yourself!