Eighty three percent of your leadsavoid the website.
You told us why, and you were right. Customers cannot picture what a unit in square metres holds, so they ring a facility or drive out to look at one. This proposal is about fixing that, not about redeveloping a website.
Freedom to Move · starting with the decision to book
The whole argument, on one screen.
If you read nothing else, read these four numbers. Every one of them comes from figures you gave us in discovery on 27 August.
of your leads come through the website. Phone and walk-in take 80% between them, because the site cannot answer the sizing question.
unanswered question. Customers cannot judge a unit from square metres. Every operator in this market answers it with a text analogy. Nobody lets them see it.
median tenant value, at six months and roughly $300 a month. One extra move-in per facility per month is $237,600 a year.
on the recommended build, at one extra move-in per facility per month, using the median rather than the average tenancy.
Our recommendation is the Conversion Engine tier at $155,000, built around a real-time 3D size visualiser feeding a custom booking journey on top of RapidStor. Foundation at $75,000 and Growth Platform at $245,000 are set out in full in section 11.
You already told us where the leak is.
Forty percent of leads arrive by phone. Forty percent walk in. Seventeen percent come through the website. The explanation given in discovery was specific, and we think exactly right: customers cannot picture what a unit in square metres actually holds, so they ring a facility or drive out to look at one.
That is not a design problem or a copy problem. It is a missing capability. And it is expensive, because a phone lead costs staff time at every facility, and a walk-in costs the customer a trip they may not make twice.
What you told us, what we found, and what we have assumed.
Most proposals blur these three together. We have separated them, because the price depends on which column a fact sits in. Anything in the third column is something we would rather confirm than guess, and each one carries a note on what happens if it moves.
Stated by Fort Knox in discovery, 27 August 2026. Treated as fact.
- Channel mix40% phone, 40% walk-in, 17% web, 3% email and other.
- Why customers callThey cannot judge unit size from square metres, and ceiling heights differ between operators.
- Tenancy valueMedian stay about 6 months, average about 15. Roughly $300 per month.
- Booking architectureCustom interface on top of RapidStor, not a ground-up booking system.
- BoxShop problemsEleven separate landing pages, no single destination for a campaign, poor presentation, Merchant Center not working.
- Approval pathManaging Director signs off, with possible parent company approval.
- TimingFebruary or March start. December and January are unproductive.
- GovernanceA separate Revantage cyber and IT team reviews before proceed.
- Scope splitKate holds brand and content. Caleb holds digital marketing and SEO.
- AssetsPricing wanted both ways: assets supplied by Fort Knox, or produced by us.
Observed directly in the live site and its source, before quoting.
- BoxShop is not indexableProducts load behind a client-side hash route. Eleven near-identical pages with one line of text each.
- Estimator sends everyone to one facilityThe utility bar link carries a single hardcoded facility code, site-wide.
- A click-to-call number is brokenOne contact module has a Ringwood number missing a digit.
- Three competing size journeysAn estimator, a calculator and a facility calculator, all different.
- Pinch zoom disabled site-wideA WCAG failure rather than a preference.
- Legacy page builderContent locked in shortcodes, not structured content. Migration is restructuring, not transfer.
- Duplicate URL patternsService pages linked from two different paths, splitting link equity.
- Unmoderated review feedThe homepage pulls Google reviews without filtering. Raised with Kate directly.
Not yet confirmed. Each one names what changes if it turns out otherwise.
- Total lead volumeNot yet supplied. The model in section 6 defaults to 400 per month across eleven facilities and is adjustable.Impact: scales the business case, not the price
- Lead to move-in conversionAssumed 35%. Adjustable in the model.Impact: business case only
- BoxShop revenueUnknown. Currently scoped into the recommended tier.Impact: could move ~$35k to a later phase
- SiteLink API credentialsYou indicated Fort Knox likely holds direct access. A separate monthly API fee applies.Impact: up to 3 weeks and material cost
- RapidStor handoffAssumed it accepts a pre-selected unit and facility. Other operators run this pattern.Impact: architecture change, repriced in Phase 01
- Content volumePriced for up to 60 content pages plus 11 location pages.Impact: fixed per-page rate beyond that
- Ceiling heights per facilityAssumed recorded and available.Impact: visualiser accuracy, not price
- Payment termsAssumed milestone billing across four phases.Impact: cash flow, agreed before contract
Let them stand inside the unit before they book it.
Not a diagram. Not a photo. A real 3D unit at true scale, with a person for reference and the contents rendered inside it. Drag to look around. This is running live in this document.
These models are indicative, built to demonstrate the concept rather than to ship. Production models are made to measured furniture and vehicle dimensions, textured to the Fort Knox brand, and compressed to load in under a second on mobile. Unit dimensions and ceiling heights come from SiteLink per facility rather than an industry average, and the selected unit passes straight into the booking journey with the type already chosen.
Where the current path loses people.
The difference is not more steps done better. It is removing the two points where a customer currently stops and reaches for the phone.
Put your own numbers in.
Two of these inputs came from you and are marked as such. Two are our assumptions, marked in amber, because we do not yet have your total lead volume or your lead-to-move-in rate. Change them and everything below moves.
Shifting channel share does not require more traffic. It requires the same visitors to complete online instead of picking up the phone. Amber inputs are our assumptions and we would rather have your real figures, which is why they are adjustable rather than baked in. Every output recalculates live.
Before we quoted, we read the site.
Eight findings. Some are small. Two of them mean parts of the brief cannot be delivered as written, which is better established now than in month three.
The BoxShop has no crawlable product content
Products load client-side behind a hash route, so a search engine sees eleven near-identical pages carrying a single line of text each. Section 11 of your brief asks for Google Merchant Center integration, and a product feed requires indexable product URLs. On the current architecture that requirement cannot be met at any price.
Blocks section 11The Space Estimator link is hardcoded to one facility
The estimator link in the top utility bar carries a single fixed facility code. It appears on every page including all eleven location pages, and sends every visitor to the same facility's calculator regardless of where they are on the site.
Conversion leakA click-to-call number is broken
In one of the two contact modules the Ringwood telephone link is missing a digit, so tapping it on mobile fails. Section 16 asks for click-to-call event tracking. Worth fixing what is broken before measuring it.
Live defectThree overlapping size journeys
A space estimator, a space calculator and a facility-specific calculator all coexist with different URLs and different interfaces. For the single most important question a storage customer asks, there are three competing answers and no clear path between them.
IA defectPinch zoom is disabled site-wide
The viewport configuration blocks scaling on every page. That is a WCAG failure rather than a design preference, and exactly the kind of thing that surfaces in a portfolio-level accessibility review.
AccessibilityThe site runs on a legacy page builder
Content is locked inside shortcodes rather than stored as structured content. Section 14 treats migration as a transfer exercise. It is not. This is the most commonly underestimated line in a brief of this shape, and we have priced it honestly rather than discovering it later.
Cost driverDuplicate URL patterns across the navigation
Several service pages are linked from two different URL patterns in different parts of the site. That splits internal link equity and produces either duplicate pages or broken ones. It also complicates the redirect mapping required in section 15.
SEO riskThe review feed on the homepage is unmoderated
The homepage pulls Google reviews without filtering. There is a customer matter currently displaying there that is better handled directly than left on the front page. Raised privately rather than detailed here.
Brand riskNobody in this market has solved sizing.
Every major operator answers the same question the same way: a written analogy. A unit described as a walk-in wardrobe, a shower recess, half a garage. It is the industry standard because it is cheap, not because it works.
| Operator | How size is explained | 3D view | Real ceiling height | Online move-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Knox, proposed | Item picker plus 3D unit at true scale | Yes | Per facility | Yes, via RapidStor |
| Fort Knox, today | Square metres plus a separate calculator | No | Not shown | Yes, via RapidStor |
| Kennards | Written analogies and static diagrams | No | Not shown | Yes |
| National Storage | Written analogies and size guide pages | No | Not shown | Yes |
| Storage King | Size guide with static comparisons | No | Not shown | Yes |
| Comparison sites | Their own size calculators, ranking well | No | No | Refers out, your price beside competitors |
The last row is the one worth sitting with. Third-party comparison sites have already built the size calculator your customers are looking for, they rank for those queries, and they display Fort Knox pricing directly beside Kennards and National Storage. The size question is being answered. Just not by you, and never without your competitors in the frame.
Assessed from publicly available operator websites, September 2026. Presented as a snapshot rather than an exhaustive audit.
Custom front end. RapidStor underneath.
Settled in discovery, and it is the right call. We build a custom booking interface that captures the lead with minimal friction, then hands off to RapidStor for the contract, identification and payment. You keep the compliance and payment infrastructure that already works. We fix the part that loses people.
Capture
Custom interface. Location, size and availability pulled live from SiteLink. The visualiser feeds the correct unit type straight in. Minimal fields, because every field costs conversions at this stage.
Qualify
The lead is recorded the moment basic details are entered, whether or not the customer completes. Lead capture stops being all-or-nothing, which is precisely where the current flow bleeds.
Convert
Handoff to RapidStor for agreement, ID and payment. Untouched, compliant, already working. The customer experiences one continuous journey.
One item to confirm with Storable: API access to SiteLink attracts a separate monthly fee on top of your existing licence. It is modest, but it is a real line item and we would rather flag it now than have it appear on an invoice later.
Four phases. Live before the winter peak.
Twenty one weeks from a February start, in line with the timeline discussed. Phases overlap where they safely can.
Technical discovery and architecture
- SiteLink API assessment with Storable: access, rate limits, cost
- Full URL inventory and redirect mapping
- Information architecture, sitemap, journey mapping
- Analytics audit against the section 16 event list
- Signed technical specification before any code is written
Design and component system
- Homepage concepts to the Revantage brand guidelines
- Location page template built once, scaling to eleven and beyond
- Booking journey and 3D visualiser interface design
- Reusable component library, desktop and mobile
- Consolidated BoxShop a campaign can point at
Build and integration
- CMS build, staff-editable, no developer for routine changes
- SiteLink integration: live availability, pricing, promotions
- Custom booking journey with RapidStor handoff
- 3D visualiser across all unit types and true facility heights
- Product feed architecture and Merchant Center configuration
- GA4 and GTM event layer across the full booking funnel
Testing, migration and launch
- Revantage IT and cyber review, scheduled early not as a launch gate
- Content migration, image optimisation, redirect implementation
- Cross-browser, device and accessibility testing to WCAG 2.2 AA
- UAT with two full revision rounds included
- Launch, rank monitoring, 30 days of post-launch support
- CMS training and written documentation
Three ways to do this.
All figures in AUD, excluding GST. Fixed price against a signed specification, billed across four phase milestones. Hosting quoted separately at $420 per month including staging, CDN, backups and monitoring.
The brief, delivered properly. A fast, well-built, well-tracked site that fixes what is broken.
- Discovery, IA and technical specification
- Full design system, desktop and mobile
- Eleven-location scalable architecture
- SiteLink availability and pricing integration
- RapidStor booking handoff
- Migration, redirects, GA4 and GTM
- Training, documentation, 30-day support
- 3D size visualiser
- BoxShop consolidation and Merchant Center
- Facility asset production
Everything in Foundation, plus the capability none of your competitors have. This is the tier that moves the 17%.
- Everything in Foundation
- 3D size visualiser, all unit types, true per-facility heights
- Item-based size recommendation feeding the booking flow
- Consolidated BoxShop with a crawlable product architecture
- Google Merchant Center feed, built to actually work
- Custom lead capture with partial-lead recovery
- Full funnel event tracking, per facility
- Accessibility remediation to WCAG 2.2 AA
- Facility photography and 3D capture
For a portfolio being scaled. Built to absorb new facilities without redevelopment.
- Everything in Conversion Engine
- Multi-site architecture: new facilities added in hours, not weeks
- Facility photography and 3D capture across all eleven sites
- Location-level landing pages for paid and organic campaigns
- Dynamic promotional and pricing modules
- Conversion dashboard by facility and unit type
- Twelve-month structured testing program included
Snowball — the part most agencies leave out
A launched website is a starting position, not a finish line. Snowball is a continuously running optimisation system: monthly testing against the booking funnel, per-facility conversion reporting, ongoing visualiser and content expansion, and a standing technical retainer. Committing to twelve months reduces the build price by 8%.
What this price depends on, and who carries it.
Your brief uses the phrase "where supported by the existing platforms" throughout. That phrase is where fixed-price projects fail. Rather than absorb it silently into a contingency, here is each assumption, its confidence, and where the risk sits.
| Item | Assumption | Confidence | Where the risk sits |
|---|---|---|---|
| SiteLink API access | Fort Knox holds or can obtain direct API credentials, including the separate monthly access fee. | Medium | Confirmed in Phase 01 before any build commitment. If access is restricted we reprice or rescope before you have spent anything on build. |
| RapidStor handoff | RapidStor accepts a handoff carrying pre-selected unit and location. Other operators run comparable patterns. | High | Verified with Storable in Phase 01. Carried by us once verified, not by you. |
| Content migration | Content is locked in a legacy page builder and requires restructuring rather than transfer. Priced for 60 content pages plus 11 location pages. | High | Verified directly in the live site. Additional pages at a fixed per-page rate agreed up front. |
| Lead volume and conversion | Model defaults of 400 leads per month and 35% lead-to-move-in, both adjustable. | Low | Affects the business case, not the price. Replace with your figures and the model recalculates. |
| BoxShop scope | Consolidated BoxShop is worth building in the first phase. | Low | Depends on BoxShop revenue, which we do not have. If it is small we would move it to a later phase and reduce the price accordingly. |
| Creative assets | Two options priced. Fort Knox supplies existing imagery, or we produce facility photography and 3D capture. | High | Itemised separately so you can choose facility by facility. |
| Security review | Revantage IT and cyber review runs in parallel from Phase 01, not as a launch gate. | High | Scheduled early. Late-stage security findings are the most common cause of launch delay in projects of this shape. |
| Organic performance | We own technical SEO, redirect mapping and site architecture. Your digital marketing partner owns content, copy and off-site. | High | Rank monitoring for 90 days post-launch included, with a documented rollback position for every redirect. |
We build systems for organisations that cannot afford them to fail.
Sonder Sites is a small senior team. No account managers, no juniors learning on your budget. The people who scope the work are the people who build it, and you deal with them directly for the life of the engagement.
Built to survive a security review
Delivering into government and tertiary environments means procurement, security assessment and accessibility compliance are routine rather than a surprise at week sixteen. We supply insurance certificates, hosting architecture, data residency and access control documentation up front, and we expect the Revantage technology team to interrogate all of it.
The integration is the project
Most of our work is commerce and booking systems where the interface is the easy half. Inventory sync, payment gateways, ERP and CRM handoffs, real-time availability. We read the API documentation before we quote, which is why this proposal names the SiteLink access fee rather than discovering it in month three.
Eleven now, thirty later
Location-based architecture is a specific discipline. Done badly it produces near-duplicate pages that Google's recent updates penalise heavily. Done properly, adding a facility is a data entry task rather than a development project. We have built this pattern before and we know where it breaks.
We will tell you what not to build
This proposal argues against parts of your own brief and separates what you told us from what we assumed, because the two should never be priced the same way. That instinct is the actual product. Expect it for the life of the engagement.
Anyone can build a website now. The difference is knowing which of the thirty-one sections in a brief will actually move revenue, and which are there because someone thought they should be.
Tim Sullivan · Founder, Sonder Sites
Four steps, and none of them cost you anything yet.
Confirm direction
A short call to select a tier and confirm scope. Nothing is locked at this point.
Close the amber column
Total lead volume, lead-to-move-in rate and BoxShop revenue. Three numbers that turn the model in section 6 from indicative into yours, and settle whether BoxShop belongs in phase one.
Technical verification with Storable
We confirm exactly what SiteLink exposes, at what cost, under what limits. This is the one thing that could move the number, and we would rather test it before you commit than after.
Specification and contract
Fixed price against a signed specification, with a February start and a launch before the winter peak. The Revantage technology team is introduced in the same week, not at the end.