Do Service Providers Need SEO Help?
How’s this for ironic: A service provider may host numerous Web sites, but still not know much about promoting itself on the Web. LaDezign, a Los Angeles-based Web site design and Internet marketing solutions company, thinks it can fill that void.
LaDezign has found that some service providers do indeed need help with chores such as search engine optimization (SEO). The company recently worked with a colocation firm on SEO, noting that its client had previously operated a rudimentary Web site and failed to turn up “in search results, particularly in the areas where its customers were located.”
For the colo client, LaDezign launched a site redesign and SEO initiative to boost its Web presence.
Given the competitive nature of colo and hosting, why aren’t some service providers up to speed on SEO (search engine optimization)? Is it just not a skill set they get involved with?
“It’s question of being a jack of all trades,” said Jason Ciment, chief executive officer of LaDezign. “And to win the SEO game you need to be the best not just better. And, therefore, they find it’s better to hire a firm for $3k per month then do it internally.”
Companies in the service provider space confront a number of SEO issues. Ciment said the task is to generate keyword rich, relevant and compelling content. The next step is “getting enough contextually relevant sites to post that content on their Web sites with good anchor text links to their site. The biggest problem is finding quality sites to get links from.”
The SEO business can lead to the potential for conflict when customers come from similar market segments — such as colo. In those cases, Ciment said he sometimes refers prospects to another consultant. But most of the time, he said he tries to “find a way to work with them and carve out a niche that my current customers can deal with.”
LaDezign, meanwhile, partners with service providers to offer SEO to their customers.
“This is something we are doing now with some of our clients so they aren’t just goodwill referrals but actually earn something on the upside too,” Ciment said.
Of course, LaDesign isn’t alone in the SEO game for service providers. Specialty companies like Kutenda assist MSPs with end-customer search engine optimization. And industry pundits such as MSP University have rapid web site design services to help MSPs get online with the appropriate SEO terms in place.
Additional insights from Joe Panettieri. Sign up for MSPmentor’s weekly Enewsletter, Webcasts and Resource Center. And follow us via RSS; Facebook; Identi.ca; and Twitter. Plus, check out more MSP voices at www.MSPtweet.com.
John – Great Information. I concur. It has taken a few months and a ton of resources just to get my page rank up on page one of Google as well as making sure the “spiders” (SERPS) like my structure, etc. And with SEO, at least for me, It’s a continual process – and not simply adding in keywords or phrases. It’s about writing not just for humans but for search engines….that takes skill and tenacity!
Shane: You just hit the nail on the head. Yes, MSPs and their SEO experts need to write for search engines. Sometimes the content will be bland or dry. But get those keywords into your company descriptions, and Google rewards you. Big time.
-jp
Man that was frightful, my hands are still shaking… When I hit the LaDezign website I thought everything was going well for about 3 seconds, then this woman literally scared me to death coming at me from the bottom right corner! LOL.
OK, I know its off topic but I feel like these talking people running across webpages are about 10 years late to the party.
Andy Myers
http://www.andymyers.net
SEO issues are widespread. I’ve written about data visibility/access issues in government. A 2007 Congressional hearing revealed that more than 2,000 federal Web sites don’t show up in commercial search engine results.
Great info…as someone in the industry with 15 years experience as a MSP…marketing is needed, much deeper than SEO…MSP’s need to be able to market themselves and offer tips and tricks to their clients as well.
Cheers
Stuart Crawford
ULISTIC Inc.
403.775.2205
http://www.ulistic.com
I agree with you to some extent and will eagerly look forward to your upcoming updates. I can see you put in efforts in it.
Thanks for the feedback. I’ll be revisiting SEO and other marketing topics in the future.
Stuart –
Great comment about marketing. These days, on the open web, or two-way web as I refer to it often – marketing is about spreading ideas, giving more than taking, and fostering relationships that are about client engagement.
An example: While in NYC, two bloggers are twittering about where to stay. The roger smith hotel (being savvy with twitter search and alerts) hops into their conversation and offers them a “blogger discount”…..selling? yeah…but it worked and those bloggers became huge fans of the Roger Smith Hotel.
Now – think outside the box and you can imagine how an MSP could use these tools to engage….
Cheers!
Shane
I absolutely agree with what Shane has said. Plus, thanks to others as well for sharing information.