To grow your MSP business, you must master MSP SEO.

Ultimately you want to rank #1 for your targeted keywords. Why is this important? Well, because good SEO is the cornerstone of MSP's online success.

Besides, the first ranking position in the SERPs results receives an impressive 30 percent of click-through traffic as shown in the graph below.

Image Source : SmartInsights ‍

By extension, this translates to more leads and sales – which are the primary reasons you're in business in the first place.

That said, SEO for MSPs isn't a walk in the park. You must know how to do everything correctly to stand any chance of ranking on the first page.‍

In this post, GrowthGnerators takes you through a comprehensive, step by step guide that will help you ace SEO for your MSP company.

By the time you finish reading this piece, you will know how to craft a realistic MSP SEO strategy, how to execute it, and where to get expert help just to make sure every piece falls into place.‍

Let's dive right in. 

On-site SEO For MSPs

For starters, on-site SEO is the exercise of optimizing elements on your site to improve search visibility and ranking.

So, what does a well-executed on-page SEO for an MSP look like?

We take a close look at four essential elements and what you should do.

Service Page

Indeed, your content is on point. It provides the answers your potential clients are searching for. 

Even then, you must have a page dedicated to your service. Sure, you want visitors to read all the good content you have created. But, where do they go from there?

The next step is for your audience to find more about your service. You want your visitors to know why they should work with you or your service.

If you provide security management, for instance, you should make sure you have a "Security Management" page that clearly outlines what you offer.

Think of this as a page that promotes your business. Offer testimonials on the page if you have some. And, if you don't, make sure you stick to the relevant details that would entice a target client to sign up for your service.

Use a call to action to make it easier for your prospects to convert into buying customers. You can use gated content to collect emails that you can use later to follow up with your subscribers.

One more thing – be sure to include your target keyword in the page title. 

Industry Pages

Industry pages help you target a specific group of potential clients.

Therefore, you should create a page on your website that explains how you serve in that particular industry.

If you're targeting medical doctors or offices, it makes perfect sense to state that you're a HIPAA compliant. It would be best if you include a couple of testimonials from satisfied clients to create buyer confidence.

Why is it important to show your expertise, and how does it help your MSP SEO strategy?

Since the Google Medic Update, it is becoming more relevant to position yourself as an expert in your field.

To scale the ranking on Google, you must showcase your business by building its Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T).

You see, Google not only cares about delivering relevant information but also how correct the info is.

When you state your qualification in industry pages, you come across as an expert who has authority in the subject matter. Hence the reason your visitors should trust you. 

Local Focus

Local SEO is an integral part of MSP SEO.

Again, you have to do it right.‍

Here’s what we mean.‍

Let’s say you run a security management company.

It would take a lot of work to rank for a phrase like "Security Management USA" for instance,  unless you have a sizable budget.

However, you can rank on the first page of Google for a term like "Security Management Oregon."

Start by identifying your local target. Then, include it in your website's title tags to help you rank for the keyword. 

Title Tags

Speaking of title tags, these are HTML elements that define the name of every page of your website.

Make sure that your title tags are accurate and describe the content on the page succinctly.

A perfect title tag for the security management page can be "Security Management – Oregon – Your Company.

The idea is to make sure that the search engine can quickly understand the content of your pages. That way, your site will pop up when someone in Oregon searches for security management.

You can find more about local SEO here. 

Content Writing For MSPs

57 percent of B2B marketing executives reckon that on-site SEO content creation is the most effective SEO tactic. In essence, this means that every page on your website should offer value for your target audience.

Image Source : Krify‍

Put differently, your content must be of high quality and, most importantly, answer the questions your prospects are seeking.

You cannot showcase your service as the best among your competitors if you fail to show how you can solve your potential client's pain points.

Ask yourself:

• Who is my ideal customer?
• What would motivate them to buy my product?
• How does my service stack when pitted against the competition?
  

When you create a buyer persona, you will know how to curate your content to take your potential customers through the sales funnel.

What if you can create the best content? You may consider hiring a copywriter to generate high-quality, engaging content that can attract the right traffic and leads.

When looking for a writer, hire one with enough experience to deliver what you want. On top of that, make sure that you have a content strategy to enable you to know what you want to write  within a specific period.

How Often Should You Publish?

According to ProBlogger, you should publish at least two or three times a week.

HubSpot says that the more often you publish, the more leads you will gain.

Irrespective of your industry, the number of times you can publish content on your blog depends on several factors including;

• Your buyer's personas
• Your talent and budget
• Your content marketing strategy
• Your ability to produce top-notch content
• SEO strategy and competition

While the number of posts you can generate in a say a week isn't cast in stone, one thing is for sure – never sacrifice quality for quantity.

In other words, you'd rather post once a week and create content that your audience cares to read.

Make sure that your material is fresh and unique. Further, be strategic with the keywords you choose.

So, instead of trying to compete for search terms such as "security management Oregon" go for something like "how much does it cost for security management in Oregon." Or, you can write about "common problems you're likely to encounter when moving to the cloud."

How Do You Find Content Ideas for MSP?

You can use many tactics you can use to find out what your target audience may want to read. There's a wealth of paid and free tools that can provide valuable insights on blog topics.

You can also mine blog topics by having conversations with your existing and potential clients as well as the sales team.

Surveys offer an excellent opportunity to identify content gaps. The best way to carry out a market survey is to use questionnaires to fill out your prospects. The goal here is to help you generate content that is valuable and unique.

Off-Site SEO For MSPs 

Off-site SEO or some people like to call off-page SEO includes the actions you take outside your site to improve your rankings in SERPs.

Off-site SEO covers several factors, some of which you can control (such as the popularity of your site) and some (such as domain age) you don't control.

The more popular your website is, the higher it will rank on Google or any other search engine. The question then becomes – how do search engines determine the popularity of a website on a specific matter?

To answer that question, it is essential to mention that search engines are repeatedly crawling sites to determine where content lives on the internet.

Moreover, when a bot detects a hyperlink, it checks to see which site links connect to.  If a particular webpage or blog has lots of links from other websites, search engines consider it popular. The links are what we call backlinks.

While backlinks are essential for the growth of your MSP business, not every link counts. Links from high Domain Authority websites are more valuable than those from sites with low Domain Authority.

In fact, bots see links to sites that aren't as credible as spammy, which is likely going to harm your SEO efforts.

This article by Moz offers more insights about Domain Authority so you can check it out if you want to learn more about the topic.

How Do You Get Backlinks From High Domain Authority Websites?

As stated, not all links are equal.

You should, therefore, aim to get high-quality backlinks that will help push your website up the rankings.

Here's a rundown of tips to help you gain inbound links for your website... 

Get Featured On Your Local Chamber of Commerce

Your Local Chamber of Commerce is a gem you can leverage to build credible quality links from a high Domain Authority website.

And the beauty of it is that you can quickly find a business that is  relevant to yours in the directory. Getting your post on the Chamber's official website is a significant step toward building a rich portfolio of inbound links.

Guest Blog 

Guest blogging is one of the best MSP SEO strategies for companies serious about ranking on the first page of Google.

According to Social Marketing Writing, up to 62.96 percent of readers see blogs with multiple authors credible.

When you guest post on a high Domain Authority website in your industry, you're putting your brand in front of a bigger audience and, most importantly, building your credibility.

And of course, you get a backlink in return, further attracting the love you need from search engines. 

Press Releases

Have you done something or launched a newsworthy product? If the answer is yes, you can use it to write a press release about it.

The best way to go about press releases to get high-quality backlinks is to send them to a repayable press distribution network with a broad reach.

Again, we insist that your press release should be something worth sharing to attract links. At the very least, you want other media houses and outlets to pick it up and link to it. If it is mediocre, you won't benefit from SEO. 

Case Studies

If done correctly, case studies will always bring you high-quality backlinks.

The trick is to work with vendors in your industry. Plus, the study case on the vendor's website once complete.

Remember, your primary aim is to get quality and contextual links.  Ideally, you want links from websites related to your line of business. If you have a Security Management page on your site, for instance, get a link from a reputable website's blog about Security Management Consultancy, etc. 

GrowthGenerators Can Help Put Your MSP Business On The Map

At GrowthGenerators, we specialize in helping businesses get the growth strategy.

Whether you're struggling with MSP SEO or creating content that converts, we will hop in and help you achieve your dreams.

We will share tips on how to go about on-page and off-page SEO so you can direct your energies in scaling other areas of your business.

At the first point of contact, we will discuss your budget and determine which package best suits your needs.

On top of that, our experienced team of SEO experts will follow up to make sure you're on the right track and that your website ranks on the first page of Google.

So, what are you waiting for? SEO is a long term game, and the sooner you start to implement your strategy, the better.

Feel free to get in touch with us and we will get back to you within the shortest time possible.

To your success!