January 2018 - MLT Group

January 25, 2018June 30, 2023

Top 6 Ranking Factors for 2018

Content keyword relevance & content based metrics – To rank well, your page content must show that it’s relevant to the search being done. This is about publishing original content that is accurate to your services or products using the key phrases and geo-targets that are searched by the people you want to find you.
Quality of online identity info – Lots of online directories publish information about your business, and they may have gotten it wrong. Claiming your business on map results and optimizing your business information across these directories is important to consumer confidence and to the search engines’ view of your businesses reputability.
Responsive design / mobile optimization – If you want your site to rank in mobile searches (from smart phones and tablets) you have to have a mobile optimized site. Responsive design is the new standard. Businesses without mobile sites in 2018 are well behind the curve.
Original and relevant content – Search engines don’t want to return results filled with the same-old-same-old content. Your site must be filled with original content that speaks to your offerings and the user’s search.
Page load speed – Google is comparing the load speed of sites and returning results for searchers heavily influenced by how fast a site loads. Even sites built just a cou威而鋼
ple years ago can probably realize load speed enhancements in 2018 by implementing new coding techniques.
Backlinks – Good quality backlinks are the single biggest ranking factor, but link building is an arduous process. It’s difficult to get other sites to link to your site and it can be extremely time consuming. However no other ranking factor has a bigger impact. The better the quality of the backlink, the higher its value to your ranking, leading many SEO leaders to concentrate on expensive but effective PR backlinks (links from high quality sites that must be gained through public relations and relationship building).

Are you ready to improve your website’s ranking? Contact the SEO, paid marketing, and web development professionals at MLT Group today at sales@mltgroup.com or 507.281.3490.

January 23, 2018August 19, 2020

Twitter Doubles its Character Count- What it Means for Your Social Media Strategy

Twitter has always been a great marketing tool for businesses to use for communicating brief messages. Now the popular social media platform has announced it’s doubling its character count to 280. Whether you love or hate it, the controversial move has left small businesses wondering how this affects their social media strategies.

Well we have good news. This shouldn’t hurt your current social media strategy in any way, but it’s a great chance to take a step back and reevaluate how you can use the expanded character count to your advantage.

Remember Your Multi-Lingual Audiences:

One of the leading factors behind Twitter’s character expansion was user’s difficulty communicating based on their language. Twitter cited that users tweeting in English, Spanish, or French aren’t able to express as much per character as users tweeting in Japanese, Chinese, or Korean. If you have a multi-lingual customer base, this means tweeting just got easier!

Keep Content Strong:

It can be tempting to max out each tweet, but instead of making your tweets longer, make them more detailed. One of the biggest fears about this change is that it will clog users’ feed with wordy posts. With strong, relevant content, your audience won’t get sick of your tweets, even if you do max out your character limit.

If It’s Not Broke, Don’t Fix It:

Are you killing it on Twitter? Then don’t worry about redesigning your social media strategy. That being said, if your strategy on Twitter isn’t garnering the results you want, you’ll want to reexamine it, regardless of the character expansion.

Don’t Forget the Basics:

While the new character limit offers more opportunity, don’t forget what has made your social media strategy successful. Continue to include strong visuals, properly utilize hashtags, and maintain your business’ voice. Whenever you make a change to your social media strategy, first ask yourself, ‘how does this help me achieve my business goals?’

Regardless of how you feel about the character expansion, it seems its here to stay. As with any change, it’s those who adapt that survive.

Do you have a social media strategy? Is it garnering the results you need? If not, contact the experts at MLT Group. We’ll help you develop and implement a comprehensive social media strategy that will help you see real world results. We also provide other importance services like search engine optimization and search engine marketing.

Schedule your free consultation today at sales@mltgroup.com or 507.281.3490!

January 11, 2018August 19, 2020

5 Lessons Your Business Can Learn From Dollar Shave Club’s Viral Video & How to Use Them in Your Own Commercial Video

Every business would love their commercial video to go viral and that’s exactly what happened with Dollar Shave Club’s first online commercial. Video is a great channel to use for either organic or paid marketing. While your next video may not go viral, there is still a lot we can learn from DSC’s video that will benefit your business’ next production.

1. Brand Consistency: Dollar Shave Club’s first video set the tone of their brand. They are to the point, aimed at younger people, and don’t take themselves too seriously. This tone is consistent throughout all of their subsequent videos. When producing videos for your business, first, determine your brand’s persona. Second, don’t deviate from that persona. If one video is over-the-top and outrageous while the next is serious and somber, viewers will have difficulty getting a read on your business and understanding who you are.

2. Don’t Get Lost in Your Own Video: Do you remember the commercial about the WWI Christmas Truce? The commercial had plenty of people tearing up and the message is clear- Christmas is for sharing. But do you remember who the commercial was promoting? Sainsbury’s. Sainsbury’s is a U.K. based grocery chain, so perhaps U.S. viewers are at a disadvantage, but it’s hard to remember when the business’ name only appears briefly at the end. If you’re a small business promoting yourself through video, you can’t afford to get lost in your own video. Dollar Shave Club tells viewers who they are and what they do in the first 10 seconds of their video and keeps the focus on themselves, so there’s no mistake. This is especially important as they were just starting out and didn’t have the same brand recognition they do now.

3. Hook You Audience: In the first 17 seconds of their video, Dollar Shave Club hooks viewers. “Are our razors any good? No.” Instantly, viewers are intrigued, with the real hook coming as the founder drops an F bomb. From there on, the video gets progressively more outrageous until it climaxes with dancing with a bear in a money shower. Audiences’ attention spans are only shrinking, but hooking their audience right away ensured that viewers would stick around for the whole minute and a half video. You don’t have to be crude or over-the-top to hook your audience. Learn what’s important to them and address that right away.

4. Have a Clear Message: The beauty of Dollar Shave Club’s video is that, even with all of its eccentricities, their message is clear and consistent. The focus is always on the founder speaking about the service’s benefits and why you should switch. Identifying your commercial video’s message early on will help you remain consistent and clear throughout.

5. Know Your Audience: Dollar Shave Club’s videos appeal to a younger audience that spends a lot of time online, enjoys funny videos, and are likely to share content with their social networks. This style of video wouldn’t be as effective with an older audience, who might see it as absurd or may not see it at all if they aren’t spending time online. Knowing your target audience is key to producing a commercial video that will appeal to them and choosing where to broadcast it.

Are you ready to produce a commercial video promoting your business? MLT Group offers professional videography services and is licensed for commercial drone use. Contact us at sales@mltgroup.com or (507) 281-3490 to get started today!

January 5, 2018August 20, 2020

Backlink Boot Camp: Why Your Site Needs Them to Climb to #1

Competition for the top spot on Google is fierce and your site could use every advantage. Your site is optimized for search engines, your online identity is consistent, you’re running pay per click ads, and you’re regularly getting positive reviews, so what’s left? Backlinks are an important part of any digital marketing strategy and can help your website make it to page 1.

What is a backlink?

A backlink is a link from another site to your site. Backlinks from quality sites improve your rankings on Google and other search engines, making it an essential part of any SEO strategy. It’s almost as if another site is vouching for yours. When it comes to backlinks, quality trumps quantity. 100 low quality backlinks won’t have the same impact as a few high-quality ones. In fact, too many backlinks can seem spammy and actually hurt your SEO!

What makes a good backlink?

There are a few factors that go into a quality backlink.

Relevance- Backlinks should be related to your site and your business. If you provide carpet cleaning, you won’t want backlinks from a trucking site.
Domain Authority- Domain authority measures how reputable a site is. Backlinks from sites with high authority will be stronger than those from a site with low authority. You can use tools like the MozBar to evaluate a site’s domain authority.

How to get Backlinks:

Look for Broken Links: If there are certain sites you’d like backlinks from, search it for broken links. For example, if you’re a doggie daycare and you find a broken link on a pet blogger’s site, you can contact them, let them know about the broken link, and suggest replacing it with a relevant link to your site.

Ask: If there’s a site you want a backlink from, simply ask. This works best if you’ve formed a relationship with the site’s owner. Perhaps they’re a prominent blogger in your field? Follow their content, engage, and work on building that relationship before you ask, and you’ll increase your chances of getting that backlink.

Track Mentions: Services such as Google Alerts will track mentions of your business across the internet. If those mentions aren’t linked back to your site, you can email the publisher and request a link. For example, if your business was mentioned in the local paper’s online publication, Google Alerts will notify you and you can email the writer to link the article back to your site.

Are you ready to get quality backlinks for your website? Contact the experts at MLT Group at sales@mltgroup.com or (507) 281-3490 today! We’ll develop a backlink strategy to get your website high-quality backlinks to help your site climb in rankings.