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SEO: Why Your Website Needs It

Search engine optimization drives traffic to your site and creates lead opportunities.

seoSEO, or search engine optimization, is the practice of building and arranging your business’ website to be easily read by search engines, and, in turn, to rank well in organic search results when your products or services are looked for online. From content to site structure to meta tags, SEO is about balancing the interpretation of you site by individual people, while still making the site readable by the bots of Google, Yahoo!, and Bing.

Websites need to take a holistic approach to SEO. This includes:

• Organized site structure
• Keyword or key phrase usage
• Location targeting
• Original content
• Appropriate title and meta tags
• Continuing SEO services and updates

MLT Group provides SEO services for both new websites and those that have already been established. By investing in search engine optimization, you can increase exposure of your site to potential customers and ensure it can be found by your existing customer base.

From web design and development through content creation and on to continuing SEO services, MLT Group provides the entire gamut of services that you need to establish a strong digital presence. Get started today! All you have to do is email jeff@mltgroup.com or call one of our friendly professionals at 507.281.3490.

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Your Website: Stock Images vs. Local Photos

Which photo types are the best for your business’ website?

Though stock photos can be tastefully used, at MLT Group we always encourage our clients to use photos unique to their business. Initially, stock images may seem like the best choice: they are sometimes cheaper, more readily available, and usually high quality. Sounds perfect, right? Before you decide, consider the benefits of having a photo shoot unique to your business and operations.

1) Photos look more natural and are relevant to your business.

2) Unique photos reinforce that you are a local business.

3) You legally own the photos used on your website.

4) No other business will have the same photos that you do.

5) You can garner trust from customers by using local photos.

Imagine a customer checks out your website before visiting your business, then walks in to find the same person on the home page greeting customers at the door. Your local branding and recognition is immediately reinforced by your digital presence!

At MLT Group, we provide a full range of services to help you make your new website look fantastic. From web design and development to photography and video services, we can help you with all of your digital and traditional marketing needs. For more information, please contact jeff@mltgroup.com or call our office at 507.281.3490.

 

 

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Is Your Website Design Affecting Your Bottom Line?

Your online presence and website design can impact your brick and mortar business!

digital marketing picHaving a credible looking website is extremely important. An outdated, cluttered website can create a negative customer experience and cause customers to spend their money elsewhere.

Your website design is a key part of your digital marketing strategy; its design is where real world marketing meets the internet. The impression you leave on your online customers translates into how they view your business in real life. Does your website make you look like a credible business or like you’re still doing business in the 90’s?

 

What makes your website look credible to users?

1) Make sure your website is arranged in a user-friendly format

2) Place the most important information “above the fold”

3) Ensure your design looks like quality, professional work

4) Leverage a blog to show expertise in your field

Don’t get stuck in the past! If you need a website redesign to keep up with technological advancements, contact jeff@mltgroup.com or call the MLT Group office at 507.281.3490. We’d be happy to provide you with a quote or more information about our many traditional and digital marketing services.

 

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MLT Group Team Member Attends Forbes Under 30 Summit

MLT Group – Creative Solutions provides innovative SEO, web design, and video production services in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester, MN and throughout the Midwest

This past October, one of MLT Group’s team members, Tori Utley, was invited to attend the first ever Forbes Under 30 Summit, a gathering of 1,000 hand-selected entrepreneurs, game changers, and innovators from all around the world who are under 30 years old. We were very excited to have had one of our staff members attending and wanted to share a few of the takeaways she learned from the exciting event.

1. Millennials are Unstoppable

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Tori Utley Attends the Forbes Under 30 Summit This October

With the many breakthrough products, services, and ideas that the Forbes Under 30 Summit participants brought to the gathering, it was apparent that this is a generation that won’t settle. Millennials want the best – whether they create it or use it. How does this tie into digital marketing strategy? It shows that your strategy, website, and product matter. So long are the days where black hat digital marketing and SEO was truly effective – Google has become much more sophisticated and complex and will judge a site based on its quality, just like the millennials of the Forbes under 30.

2. Limits? What Limits?

If there was one underlying theme of the Forbes Under 30 Summit, it was the absence of limits on what a person can and cannot do to innovate in their industry. Although there are limits on what you can and can’t do to get ahead in the eyes of search engines, there are no limits on what you can do to exceed your customer’s expectations. Write great content, have a great web design, sharp graphic design, and more – these areas of your site are limitless concerning how innovative and creative you can be. All of these factors ultimately lead to greater search rankings, so go past the limits of traditional sites and see the reward follow.

3. Collaboration Matters

The participants of the Forbes Under 30 are secure in the fact that collaboration and teamwork are essential to success. In digital marketing, collaboration and teamwork come full circle in the practice of link building strategies. Just like in the real world of business, collaboration and link building cannot be cheated or faked. True link building that holds validity will be a collaboration between sites, all revolving around the generation of great content, a relevant site, and quality information for consumers.

Although there were many themes represented at the Forbes Under 30 Summit, we can all learn something from the members of the Forbes Under 30. In your website design, video production, SEO, or overall digital marketing strategy in Rochester, Minneapolis, or throughout the United States, remember – you have the opportunity to create unstoppable, limitless, and truly collaborative experiences for your consumers. As it has been said, content is king, and so is the quality you bring to the digital marketplace. Thank you, Forbes Under 30, for continuing to drive home these important concepts!

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Battle Wounds: MLT Group’s Digital Marketing Staff Goes Paintballing

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MLT Group’s digital marketing staff in Rochester, MN takes a break for some live-action fun

Last weekend, MLT Group brought the underground bunker to the battlefield in a paintball extravaganza. The 2nd annual paintball excursion was a great way for us to work on our strategy skills, quick responses, and team unity. Even with stretching and warm-up exercises before and after the game, we all walked away quite sore.

Just like in paintball, MLT Group is prepared with an arsenal of weapons to make your digital marketing campaign the most effective it can be. Our strategic methods help us succeed in both paintball and digital marketing. Without a solid plan in place, you may be casting too wide of a net in your digital marketing strategy. By concentrating your efforts, especially when it comes to SEO services, you can see and measure your results much more easily then by attacking randomly.

If you find yourself in need of web development, print design, or SEO services in Rochester, MN (or even across the US) contact the professionals at MLT Group. Our aim is dead-on when it comes to helping you achieve your digital marketing goals. To check out more photos from our paintball fun, visit our Facebook page.

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Hummingbirds, Penguins, and Pandas? Decoding the Google SEO Zoo

MLT Group provides web development, search engine optimization, and digital marketing in Rochester,MN and throughout the United States

If you pay attention to recent Google news, you may have heard the phrases Google Hummingbird, Google Penguin, and Google Panda. Of course, this sounds like very strange terminology when thinking about one of the largest information technology companies in the world. As Google would have it, these terms do not mean what they appear. Google has not taken a single hummingbird, penguin, and panda under its roof, though that would be an interesting sight to see! When you encounter strange “tech-talk” like this, MLT Group – Creative Solutions provides the answers to your questions regarding Google, SEO, and digital marketing in Rochester, Minneapolis, and throughout the United States.

Many websites compete for recognition and rankings on Google, and Google needs to respond to the competition. At Google, more weight is put on the quality of your website and the great content you publish, rather than the number of “tricks” you can pull to show up on the top of Google’s search rankings. Though the average person may be a step behind Google’s geniuses, those competing on the web have figured out tips, tricks, and solutions to achieving high rankings on Google, which is commonly phrased as Search Engine Optimization, or “SEO.” When too many people figure out the tricks, Google puts out a new algorithm, which changes the game and eliminates any quick tricks you many have uncovered to gain high search engine rankings. (These quick tricks that Google responds to are commonly referred to as Black Hat SEO, something that Google penalizes.) Each new algorithm has a specific name, with the past three being Google Panda, Google Penguin, and Google Hummingbird, the most recent algorithm change.

When new algorithm changes are implemented, Google raises the stakes. Websites are now required to have better content, better quality design, and user-friendly features. Though it can be frustrating when these algorithms kick in, the result is quite favorable – better websites, better user experiences, and the push to be smarter, wiser, and more intentional on the web. Rather than being confused about these algorithms, MLT Group provides solutions for your company and website – we handle the competition so you don’t have to. Digital marketing and SEO are constantly changing, and we must adapt to Google’s standards. Our web experts and SEO specialists are committed to staying informed and “in the know” with all of Google’s adaptations, which means you don’t have to do the grueling research and hard work! You can keep your focus on your customers, and we’ll keep our focus on you, your website, and the Google atmosphere.

MLT Group – Creative Solutions provides digital marketing, web development, and SEO in Rochester, MN and nearby communities, as well as across the US. Every time a new animal is added to the Google Zoo, the SEO Zookeepers at MLT Group are on top of it. For your Rochester and Minneapolis website solutions, contact MLT Group today!

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MLT Group on Tour

Video Production for Rochester on Tour at the Capital by MLT Group

MLT Group Creative SolutionsLast Tuesday, March 11th, MLT Group – Creative Solutions provided video production, photography, and local business support for the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce’s Rochester on Tour. The annual event is quickly becoming a favorite of both residents and local business owners alike, as it gives Rochester, MN residents the chance to speak with legislative representatives and to advertise the opportunities available in our area.

The day began at the Rochester International Event Center before boarding the bus to the Capitol. After a tour of the capitol, participants were able to speak personally with representatives about current hot topics in Rochester, including Destination Medical Center (DMC), the expansion of the Mayo Civic Center, the High Speed Rail Study, and other legislative priorities. Since Rochester provides over $9 billion dollars in taxes to the state of Minnesota, participants were excited to make sure their voices were heard.

The bus ride up to the city was occupied with a video produced by your very own MLT Group to make sure each participant was well-informed about the current Rochester initiatives. MLT Group also provided photography throughout the day that will be available to the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce throughout the year.

Perhaps most importantly, the day-long event provided an opportunity for bonding between businesses and residents. Business owners from all over Rochester were able to take a day out of the office and really hear where residents and other business owners’ interests and concerns lay. MLT Group was proud to be part of such an impressive initiative from the chamber of commerce. One of our wonderful graphic designers even had the chance to make a new add for our business (see left).

MLT Group provides video production services in Rochester, MN to many local businesses, as well as many throughout the state. If you are in need of media production or marketing services, don’t hesitate to contact us at 507.281.3490!

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MLT Group Unveils New Digital Marketing Scorecard

Website Design and Development in Rochester, MN by MLT Group

 

MLT Digital Marketing Scorecard
MLT Digital Marketing Scorecard

MLT Group – Creative Solutions has been hard at work developing a new reporting system for our clients. Throughout the brutal Polar Vortex(es) and countless parade of blizzards, the talent at MLT has been hunkered down in our brain-storming creativity bunker crafting and fine-tuning our newest quarterly report; the Digital Marketing Scorecard. We are very excited to offer our clients this new digital marketing service in Rochester and Minneapolis, Minnesota, and throughout the country.

The scorecard provides a score from 0 to 100 that can be assessed for both current and potential clients. With an assessment of 6 different aspects of digital marketing, MLT’s new scorecard is a simple, streamlined way to determine what else your company could do to improve its digital marketing, online presence, and rankings.

A look at the details:

Web Presence – This section deals specifically with the set-up of your current website and reviews it based on both user experience and digital marketing expectations (read: Google’s algorithms).

On Site SEO – When you work with MLT Group to SEO your website, we ensure that nothing is left undone, and that the site is thoroughly optimized as it should be from the biggest picture on the home page to the smallest link in the footer.

SEO Building – SEO is a process that continues long after the content is optimized and the site has been launched. We focus much of our energy on consistent blog posting and backlink building. Page Two of the scorecard also lists examples of your search engine rankings at the time of the report.

Social Media – Now more than ever, it’s important that your business be found through a variety of platforms. In addition to ensuring all information is consistent and correct, it’s also important to continually post fresh content to your social media sites.

Other Digital – In the world of smart phones and tablets, your site must work on all platforms of technology, or you miss out on business. To optimize your presence in the digital realm, no form of communication should be left untapped.

Stats – We want to make sure you have quantitative evidence of your successes with MLT Group. We provide stats information so you can see your quarterly progress, all in one convenient document.

MLT Group is very excited about our newest digital marketing scorecard and how it will help us better serve our clients. We hope that this will be a great resource for both those that currently work with us and those that may be considering MLT Group.

Contact us today for assistance with your digital marketing and web design. From Rochester, MN, to the rest of the world, MLT Group – Creative Solutions is prepared to help advance your business and digital presence in our ever-expanding local and global marketplace!