Every business wants a better search engine ranking. As a managed service provider, you don’t want potential customers to find a local MSP competitor simply because that competitor showed up first in a Google search; you want them to find your business.
A good SEO status, ultimately, means more (and more consistent) new business. That’s the core of marketing for managed service providers. With that in mind, let’s dive in to some ways you can increase your online visibility with SEO.
1. Identify clear & niched keywords
Choosing the right keywords for your business can seem like a daunting task. This keyword-creating phase will likely take some intentional time and could be tedious at moments. However, once those keywords are chosen and implemented into all aspects of your online presence, you will reap the benefits – and you might even be grateful for the keyword-setting process.
Here are a few helpful things to remember when creating your keywords:
Focus on Service-Relevant Phrases.
Don’t overthink it. Start off by answering a simple question, “What products or services does my company sell?” Keywords should follow naturally – things like:
- managed IT service provider
- managed backups
- network designer
- VoIP integrator
- ransomware protection
You can also use tools like Ubersuggest or Google Keyword Planner to both suggest new keywords, and to verify the keywords you’ve brainstormed; both of these tools will tell you how often keywords are searched, what the level of competition around each one is, and more.
Let Keywords Guide Your Content Strategy.
Conventionally, we think linearly about content and keywords – we build a website, and then launch search engine marketing campaigns to drive users to our content. That approach has its limits. Instead of thinking linearly, think more circularly.
Since your keywords reflect both what potential clients are seeking and the way that the search engines (particularly Google) “think” about keywords, use that to help drive your company’s content strategy. In other words: leverage the existing needs of of your current and future clients, and use that knowledge to help create the best possible experience. That, in turn, will be rewarded with higher rankings and greater traffic.
It is worthwhile to mention that there is a point where you can overdo it with keywords. Try not to get to into the mode of keyword stuffing. While it is crucial to mention specific keywords so that search engine’s see your company’s pages, keyword stuffing is not the answer.
2. Build Backlinks and Blog
What Are Backlinks?
Creating external links to provide targeted traffic to your site is something that cannot be overemphasized. It is crucial that customers can find your website on other credible and relevant sites. If the only way they can find your site is by knowing your URL by heart, you are not doing your job properly.
There are a few ways to build backlinks.
Network with relevant sites – this may include vendors, partners, or industry blogs. Often, these sites might be willing to link to yours – especially if you link back to them. Everyone wins.
Be careful, though: you want quality backlinks. Don’t conveniently spam comment sections with your links trying to build backlinks for yourself. In the end, that will not prove successful.
Another option, which might be a little easier, is searching for relevant blogging websites and asking if you could guest blog for them. They get free content, which they like, and you get the backlinks you need. Speaking of blogs, it is vital that you have your own blog space that is specifically optimized to your cliental and production base.
Blogging
Blogs are a great tool to get you to the forefront of searches (both because they give you more indexable content, and because they help to build backlinks as people share your content). Writing and posting blog articles to your site is a concise way to establish thought leadership as a managed service provider, too.
3. Get help when you’re over your head with SEO in Maryland
Let’s be honest, if you, or someone in your company, puts the time and effort into doing all of this for your business, you know it will grow. That’s great! After all, your goal is to grow.
The question now becomes: do you have the resources you need in order to do all of these things well? For many MSPs, consistent content marketing and SEO efforts are a struggle to maintain.
The good thing is there are experts who can help. Here at New North, we know that getting great marketing results can seem intimidating. But, with the right approach, it can be done.
Our staff of experienced professionals can push your company over the top. Ready to get found online? If so, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us today for a free, no-hassle consultation and we’ll help you to analyze your SEO strategy and more to help your business grow.