Competing with Big Storage Brands in the UK

As a young start-up in the storage industry, Green Goat Storage is just eight weeks old, a newcomer in the world of self-storage amidst giants like Big Yellow, Safestore, Access Storage, and Shurgard. It’s our first venture into the consumer space, and while we’re eager to show customers what we have to offer, the road has been more intense and eye-opening than we ever imagined.

Like many start-ups, we launched with the hope that, by offering a quality service at competitive prices, we’d stand out in our local community. We knew the best way to reach customers was through Google search, so we dove into the world of search engine optimization (SEO). But SEO quickly proved to be a labyrinth of jargon and data—impressions, organic traffic, backlinks—that we’re still learning to navigate. Yet, despite our best efforts, our major competitors are intent on staying one step ahead.

To our surprise, we found some of the big brands are paying to pop up in searches for “Green Goat Storage.” In a bid to dominate the search engine, they’re appearing above us on Google’s results page when customers search our exact business name. Sometimes, slight variations appear, such as “Green Storage” or “Green Goat Fulham,” which all lead to their sites instead of ours. It’s clever, we’ll admit—Google’s auction-based ad system rewards whoever can pay more to outbid the others—but it’s disappointing to see these established names using such aggressive tactics against a small start-up.

Our digital presence goes beyond Google; we’re also building our brand on social media. But standing out in such a crowded space is a challenge in itself. Platforms like Instagram and Facebook feel saturated with posts from these big brands, each with massive budgets to boost posts, run campaigns, and place targeted ads. In contrast, we’re working to create a space that feels authentic, where potential customers can connect with us. Competing for visibility in a landscape where bigger brands push polished ad after ad, often focusing on flashy discounts and “limited-time offers,” can sometimes feel like trying to be heard in a noisy room.

Despite these challenges, we’re staying grounded in the philosophy that drove us to open Green Goat Storage in the first place: that people deserve good value, transparency, and excellent customer service. We know that we’re offering something different from Big Yellow’s vast storage compounds or Access Storage’s industrial-style setups. Instead, we’re here for our community, providing flexible, affordable storage that feels more personal.

The big brands may try to drown us out online, but we’re remain inspired by the response from our customers. Our storage units are filling up, and each new client tells us we’re on the right track. Scale and money, whilst powerful in the online world, just isn’t enough to deliver on customer experience. We may be small, but we believe that Green Goat Storage’s commitment to being transparent and approachable will help us become the most trusted storage business in Fulham and Chelsea.

While the competition is fierce, we’re here to stay— enjoying making a name for ourselves and proving that there’s room for a different kind of storage experience. Green Goat Storage might be the new kid on the block, but we’re not going anywhere.