Improving the ranking of your website in search engines can be very challenging. Search engine ranking refers to how high in the list a website appears when a relevant term is searched. Obviously, the higher the better. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the technique used to drive your organization higher up the search engine results page. MSP marketing should include looking closely at your SEO. If done skillfully, this technique can improve your ranking, thus increasing traffic to your website. That means a greater potential for inbound leads and higher sales. It is also an on-going process. SEO requires careful planning that involves selection and deployment of keywords and meta tags that are pertinent to your services. This type of optimization takes place within your website. But there are other means that can also help your website outrank your competition.
Steps to Improve Ranking
There are two methods to apply Search Engine Optimization. The first method is by actually modifying your website for better recognition by search queries. It is called onsite SEO. The second method is by doing it offsite. With this method you connect other websites and social networks to your website via back links so the users can access your website by clicking on a link.
On-site Method
Clean up unnecessary clutter from your website. Make it search engine friendly. Create the content that is relevant. Replace the key words or phrases that do not specify your services with the ones that do. For example: “we are an MSP” is very vague and could point to hundreds of different companies. Using keywords like IT Support, Network Support or Desktop Support in your meta description will be much better.
- Your home page is the gateway to your business. First, determine which ones are your primary keywords and which ones are your secondary keywords for your home page. Basically, they should be your primary and secondary services. On this page, the HTML title should include ‘primary keyword, secondary keyword and company name. In the meta description you should include company name, its location and the services the organization provides. Include primary keywords and secondary keywords in Header 1,and then display image including the keyword and relevant image file name
- Use the relevant meta tags and keywords for subsequent landing pages (Products/Services, Blogs, About Us, Contact Us) for text and images
- Keeping your content local can improve your ranking considerably if clients prefer a local vendor. Use the keywords in content that are specific to your location
- Embed internal links throughout your content to make your other pages easily accessible
Offsite Method
This method provides several ways to optimize searches for your website. This method requires skill, knowledge and time because you are connecting other networks and websites to your website. Your fundamental goal is to provide links to your website when people are visiting other websites and networks. Let’s discuss the steps that you can take to accomplish that.
- Write blogs. Blogs relevant to your industry will draw readers especially when you offer solutions. Make sure there is a link to your website on your blog
- Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn have hundreds of millions of members. These social networks are excellent sources of traffic to the websites that are linked back to them. Some members visit these networks several times a day. These visits can provide significant exposure to your website
- Write monthly press releases linking to your website
- Add your website to Google listings for the local businesses making it searchable by name or keywords
SEO is an ongoing process. Consistency is essential. You have to evaluate your ranking often. Among other tools, you can use Google Analytics to see where your website stands against your competition and make necessary updates. Google algorithms are constantly changing for better searches. You must keep yourself abreast of them and adjust accordingly to remain highly visible.