When I joined StorageVault in 2016, our Google My Business (GMB) presence was an afterthought. Many of our 200+ self-storage facilities didn’t even have a listing. Others were missing photos, inaccurate business hours, or were owned under separate Google accounts. We were leaving millions on the table.

Step 1: Understand the Customer Journey

I started by digging into how customers found us. By tagging our Google Maps listings with UTM parameters and tracking them in Google Analytics, I discovered that 10–20% of our total revenue came directly from Google Maps. That validated what I suspected: local SEO was a major revenue lever, especially in a high-intent, geographically-driven business like self-storage.

Step 2: Centralize and Optimize

Next, I consolidated all GMB listings under one master Google account to gain centralized control. Then I:

• Optimized every listing’s description with high-intent keywords
• Completed all location data, hours, and service categories
• Uploaded consistent logos and real photos of each facility
• Ensured each listing matched our brand and user experience

Step 3: Improve the Review Engine

We hired a dedicated Google Reviews Specialist to respond to all reviews. Then I implemented a smart review generation loop using WhiteSpark and Net Promoter Score (NPS) automation:

• After 1 week of move-in, customers received an email asking them to rate their experience
• Scores of 7+ triggered a Google Maps review prompt
• Scores of 6 or below triggered a feedback form sent directly to our Operations team for resolution

This allowed us to increase our review volume significantly while creating a closed-loop feedback system that improved service quality.

Step 4: Scale Visual Content Nationwide

Once the foundation was in place and revenue from Maps had scaled to ~$13M/year, I revisited our visual assets:

• I hired photographers across Canada to shoot updated photos of every location
• I brought on a videographer to create custom location videos
• We uploaded this content to each GMB listing

This upgrade alone led to an 8% lift in impressions, clicks, and attributed revenue.

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The Result

In total, this initiative helped grow revenue from GMB from $2–3M to $13M+ annually — a $10M recurring boost. It was one of the largest contributors to StorageVault’s total revenue growth during my time there, as the company scaled from $28M to $208M.