When done correctly, MSP SEO can send your business right at the top of Google’s ranking.
You see, numbers don’t lie.
60 percent of marketers say that inbound marketing (SEO, blog content, etc.) is their #1 source of quality leads.
75 percent of people (read potential customers) never scroll beyond the first page of Google.
SEO leads have an impressive 14.6 percent close rate.
68 percent of online experience starts with a search engine.
SEO generates 1000 percent more traffic than organic social media.
These stats will want you to get started with Search Engine Optimization, right? Sure. Even so, MSP SEO isn’t a trial and error game. You must know what to do, where, and when.
Indeed, it makes perfect sense to hone your advanced SEO skills. But, to get your MSP website on Google’s first page, you need to get the basics correct.
So, read through as we explore the best MSP SEO practices.
Let’s get cracking.
Include Your Main Keyword Early In Your Content
The fact is, you want to sprinkle your MSP keywords several times throughout your page. Still, did you know that where you locate your keyword matters and can help move the needle?
Ideally, you’re better off if you mention your main keyword at the start of your post.
Why is this essential?
Well, because Google inclines on terms that appear at the top of a webpage.
For instance, we’ve optimized this page for “best MSP software.
So, we’ve mentioned that phrase once in the first 10 words of the post.
Simple and straightforward.
Create Unique Titles, Content, And Descriptions
You should avoid duplicate content. Google hates plagiarized content and can punish you for it.
According to Google, you shouldn’t post duplicate or near-duplicate web copies across your MSP website.
And, this rule must apply to every piece of content on your site, including:
Landing pages
Meta description tags
Title tags
Image alt text
Category pages
The long and short of it is that if you create a page on your website, what you post on that page must be 100 percent unique.
If you run a small site with a homepage and a couple of blog posts, you may not have a problem following this rule.
However, if you’re a top MSP company offering several outsourced IT services, creating unique content for all of your pages can be a challenge.
Still, stick to the rule because doing so will be worth it in the long run. And, if you’re running into problems generating content for each page, you can merge pages with similar content. Or better yet, leverage canonical tags.
Optimize Your Title Tag For SEO
When it comes to MSP on-page SEO, your title tag is crucial.
Besides, Google categorically states that “it is important to use high-quality titles on your webpages.”
So, how do you make the most out of your page’s title tag? If you have no idea, don’t fret, we’re about to tell you how in a second.
To leverage your page title tag, all you need to do is front-load your main keyword. And if you don’t know what front load is, it simply means starting your title tag with your target keyword.
Why is this essential? Well, because search engines focus on the terms you use in your title tags. That’s the reason you want your keyword in your page title. On top of that, it is essential to note that Google also pays attention to the words and phrases that appear early on your title tag.
In essence, that means it is okay to start your title with a keyword that you’re hoping to rank for. For instance, if you want to rank #1 on a competitive keyword such as “healthcare MSP,” you’ll need to start your title tag with that exact phrase.
And yes, we get it; at times, you cannot use your keyword early since it’ll make your title look creepy. If that’s the case, don’t sweat it. Just make sure that you add the keyword at the first opportunity.
For example, we’ve optimized this page around the keyword “marketing ideas for IT companies.”
However, we couldn’t quite figure out how to include the keyword at the beginning of the title. So, we opted to use the keyword as early as we could. While it’s not right at the start, it appears early enough to allow Google to see our page talks about “marketing for IT companies.”
Here’s what you should keep in mind when creating your titles:
Use one keyword for each title. Avoid stuffing your title tags with unnecessary keywords.
Create compelling, sharable titles. Write title tags should entice people to want to click on your page and find out more.
Moving on,
Optimize your Website’s Loading Speeds
Generally, Google doesn’t publicly mention its ranking factors. So, when they openly talk about a particular ranking signal, you MUST pay attention. Site speed is one of those ranking factors in the public domain.
So crucial is page speed that Google is setting up the stage to roll out a page experience update. The point is, you should make sure that your MSP website loads as quickly as possible, more so on mobile devices.
How do you optimize your site’s loading speed?
Start by benchmarking your website’s current load speed. The idea is to know what you’re working with before you can start to tweak. We vouch for the PageSpeed Insights tool to help you with that.
Why? … because this tool suggests changes approved by Google. Besides, not only do you get to know if your page is fast or slow. PageSpeed also gives you a detailed report complete with what you can do to enhance your page speed.
WebPageTest is another tool that you can use to determine your page speed. It is free and paints a more accurate picture of your visitor’s experience when they land on your website.
Irrespective of which tool you choose, here are a few ways you can optimize your MSP website’s speed.
Compress Images – This is crucial. Images can slow down the site. That’s why you should use a tool such as Kraken.io to compress your images.
Avoid Bulky Themes – You’re better off with a lightweight theme such as GeneratePress. So, if you’re using a bulky them, it’s time to make a change.
Leverage Lazy Loading – Lazy loading can improve your website’s load speed by up to 50 percent. The only thing you need to know is that lazy loading makes images appear as a visitor scrolls down your site, which can harm the user experience.
Use a CDN – CDNs serve images and any other media on your website on servers near your visitors.
Keep Up With Results On Google Search Console
MSP SEO takes time to bring in the results you’re hoping for, so it makes sense to track your result.
If you’re not using the Google Search Console, you’re making a huge mistake.
The Search Console doubles up as a live dashboard that enables you to know how your website performs in SERPs.
And, the Search Console comes with a host of useful functionalities. While you may not need to use every function, be sure to check these three reports regularly.
Performance
This feature allows you to know how many users see and click your website in Google search. It also lets you see the keywords visitors use to find your content and where you rank.
The data analyzed by this function is incredibly valuable. Still, you can make the most out of this feature by tracking the accumulated click and impressions over time. If the numbers keep rising, then your MSP SEO efforts are bearing fruits. If not, you may want to rethink your strategies.
Coverage
This feature enables you to see the pages Google has indexed. It also allows you if Google is running into problems when trying to crawl any of your pages.
If the report shows an “error” or “warning,” you should resolve the issues as soon as possible. An error means that your page isn’t indexed, and Google will not rank it.
The best part is that Google tells you what you need to do to get the page indexed.
Enhancement
The crucial thing to focus on here is Mobile Usability. Why?
Well, because Google predominantly uses mobile content to rank and index your site, so you want to be sure that the website offers the best user experience on mobile devices.
Optimize Images For SEO
Image SEO involves more than just ranking high in Google Images. So you may know, Google says that optimizing your images correctly can enable your pages to rank higher in Google web search.
So, if your pages have images, ensure that you optimize them for SEO. The beauty of it is that you can do this in a couple of ways. You only need to remember the following MSP SEO practices.
Use Descriptive Filenames to Name your Images – The fact is, Google can’t see your images. However, your image’s filename can help the search engine figure out the content on your images.
Use Image Alt Text – Google significantly relies on alt text to understand the images on your website.
Leverage Internal Linking
Internal linking is arguably one of the easier MSP SEO strategies you can apply on your website. All it takes is linking one page of your site to another.
Even so, it is important to mention that you shouldn’t link your pages randomly.
Here’s what you can do to get the most out of your internal links.
Use Keyword- Rich Anchor Text
This will enable Google to know what’s on your page. Examples of anchor texts include “full-service web solutions,” “Chicago MSP Company,” and so on. Of course, it makes perfect sense to use the main keyword in your anchor text.
Send Authority To Relevant Pages
As a rule of thumb, you’re better off linking pages that don’t have much link authority. That way, you can boost these page rankings.
Pro Tip: Link old pages to new pages. Old pages tend to have more authority than new pages.
Publish Amazing Content
If there’s one thing that can make your MSP SEO campaign take off the ground, then it has to be high-quality content.
Yes. Creating and publishing original, super helpful content can go a long way in making your MSP business visible in SERPs.
Wait…
What is high-quality content? A couple of years back, you’d publish a 1000- word post and sweep your audience off their feet. But that has changed. In fact, there’s nothing special about a 1,000-word post anymore.
Nowadays, business owners and bloggers spend about three hours creating a post. In essence, this means that your content marketing strategy has to be on another level for your content to rank well.
Researching MSP keywords and creating content around these keywords can be time-consuming. But, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t generate content that offers value to your target audience.
You can partner with an MSP content marketing agency to help churn out content that your prospects and customers care to read.
The best MSP marketing company should also help with things such as inbound marketing and lead generation. Ideally, you want to create content that your readers can share to boost your brand’s awareness.
Here’s what generating high-quality content involves:
Find a data partner
Gather and analyze the data
Create a report
Edit the report
Generate charts and graphs
Promote the write-up on social media and through email marketing
Reply to comments
And, when you have your content up and running, be sure to build backlinks to your website. You must be thinking – do backlinks still work?
Yes, they do. A SEMrush study established that backlinks are interconnected with ranking in SERPs.
Growth Generators Can Create An MSP SEO Strategy for You
Our work at Growth Generators is to help MSP, and IT businesses rank high on Google.
Our growth strategy covers everything from content creation to designing and optimizing websites, inbound marketing, and lead generation.
If you’re looking to grow your MSP business through SEO, contact us today, and one of our marketing executives will be in touch with you.
And if you want even more tips on mastering your MSP company, check out this post.
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