Who’s Winning on Marketing in Your Market? Explorer’s Updated Scorecard Knows.

Explorer Update

We’ve completely revamped how StorTrack Explorer scores operators and markets on marketing. The Marketing Scorecard now has expanded evaluation criteria, giving you a deeper, more accurate picture of how operators in any market are competing for customers.

What the Marketing Scorecard Does

When you’re analyzing a market, understanding the competitive landscape goes beyond just rates and occupancy. Marketing matters. A facility that is actively investing in its online presence, showing up in local search results, and making it easy for customers to convert is a more formidable competitor and a more valuable acquisition than one that isn’t.

The Marketing Scorecard measures exactly that. It evaluates how operators in a given market are showing up online across a range of criteria: their website health, search visibility, social media presence, local listings, and how easy they are to contact. Each operator receives an individual score, and you can see how the market as a whole stacks up. Are operators in this market actively marketing? Or is there a gap that represents an opportunity?

What’s New in the Updated Scorecard

This update expands the evaluation criteria across every existing category, giving you a more complete and accurate picture of operator marketing activity.

Website Technical Health

The scorecard now checks for mobile responsiveness, click-to-call functionality, HTTPS/SSL, page load speed, web accessibility, privacy and cookie compliance, schema markup, retargeting pixels, and GA4 installation. A facility with a technically sound website is investing in its digital infrastructure, and that shows up in performance.

Website Pages & Content

Beyond technical health, the scorecard now evaluates whether operators have key pages in place: FAQ, About Us, Location, Contact, and Blog, plus an accurate footer with terms and privacy links. These are the building blocks of a credible, conversion-ready website.

Search Visibility (Paid)

In addition to existing paid search tracking, the scorecard now includes Facebook and Instagram (Meta) ad buying as a tracked criterion. Operators running paid social campaigns are actively competing for demand, worth knowing when you’re sizing up a market.

Search Visibility (Organic)

Expanded to include local and category search rankings, appearance in AI-generated search summaries, a completed Google Business Profile, updated blog content, and indexed page count. Organic visibility is increasingly competitive, and this update captures a more complete picture of how operators are showing up.

Social Media Presence

Now tracks engagement and follower counts, social icons on the website, and link-in-bio or contact integrations. A strong social presence signals an operator that is actively building brand awareness and community.

Local Listings & Reputation

Added checks for consistent NAP (name, address, phone) across platforms, having 10 or more Google reviews, and actively responding to reviews. Reputation management is a major driver of conversion for self-storage, and this update makes it easier to spot operators who are on top of it.

Contactability

Now includes email address and contact details in the footer, and clear CTAs such as Book Now and Reserve on the homepage. If a customer can’t easily get in touch or convert, that’s a weakness and a data point worth having.

Why This Matters for Your Investment Analysis

Whether you’re evaluating an acquisition, sizing up the competition in a target market, or benchmarking a facility you already own, the Marketing Scorecard gives you a layer of intelligence that goes beyond the numbers.

A market full of operators with low scores represents an opportunity — weak marketing means weaker demand capture, which can work in your favor if you’re the one willing to invest. A market with high-scoring operators signals a more competitive environment where marketing execution will matter from day one.

Combined with StorTrack’s rate data, supply metrics, and development pipeline tracking, the updated Marketing Scorecard gives you a more complete picture of what you’re walking into.

Data. First.

Ready to see how your target markets score?

Log in to Explorer and look up the new Marketing Scorecard today.