Watch out Yellow Pages, here comes the Internet. As more and more search engines and online resources become available, sites like www.rentalsite.com make it easier for the consumer to find the exact information he or she needs quickly and more easily. Rather than paging through the phone book, calling a number and waiting on hold, people are increasingly using the Internet to find out information they need before calling the store for more details.
Rentalsite.com is an Internet directory, serving as a tool to help customers find and rent items they need. Customers in need of rental products can search the user-friendly site in the way that works for them. From the homepage, they can click on the product category, Earthmoving Equipment for example, and then narrow it down further using the drop-down tabs. Users can search throughout the United States to bring up as many listings as possible for the piece of equipment needed, or narrow it down to the state, and even the market area he or she is interested in. Once rental company listings pop up, the customer can view the summary of the company, phone number, and even click “Request a Quote” to contact the rental company directly. Users can also click on “More Info” to request more information about the company and products.
The rental company's listing page details the rental services and products it provides as well as a summary description about the company. Links are even provided to the company's Web site, so customers can go to it to see more details, such as store hours, locations and directions, or just find out more information about the company.
With 300 rental company advertisers and 40,000 rental leads and listing views delivered per month, RentalSite exists to help rental businesses gain customers. Several different listing options are available for rental companies that would like to increase their exposure through the site. StoreFront listings, available at less than $200 per year, are given the highest priority when potential customers are searching. They appear at the top of the list of rental companies that comes up when a customer is looking for a store or product. They feature a logo, and therefore draw the most attention. Besides linking to the company Web site, StoreFront listings allow the visitor to visit the StoreFront, which is an additional page that companies can use to showcase products, list manufacturers and give additional information. One rental company even includes logos from companies whose products it carries, letting visitors see at a glance the manufacturers they recognize.
Featured Listings and Linked Listings are less expensive than the StoreFront listings, running $99 and $39 a year, respectively. They are lower priority in searches, but still allow the user to request quotes and link to the companies' Web sites.
Companies with listings on RentalSite.com can easily track the traffic generated by the rental listing on the My Account page. By month, companies can view how many unique users visited their listing, as well as click-thrus to the Web site and how many requests for information were sent from potential customers. This allows the rental company to see the value and exposure that comes from having the listing on the site.
An added benefit that increases lead potential is that a paid listing with RentalSite.com entitles the company to leads generated through a variety of specialty niche Web sites, such as RentalCranes.com and PumpRentals.com, among many others. Potential customers who stumble across these specialty sites can request information by submitting a quote request.
“We cast this broad net so when a potential renter is choosing to search online, they will get caught in our net,” says Mike Rakestraw, president of Rentalsite.com.
Rakestraw says that if a potential customer goes to a search engine, Rentalsite.com will either be a paid sponsor, or a high priority listing, increasing the chances a customer will use the site to search for their rental needs.
The site is free for visitors and no registration is required for use of the primary features. Potential customers should be able to quickly find the information they need, and find multiple sources for the one piece of equipment they need to rent, although in the case of national companies, local contact information is not offered. For contractors and homeowners, RentalSite.com could become a one-stop shop for customers who are looking to find out more information about rental products and companies in their area.
