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Top 6 Ranking Factors for 2018

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.

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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.

backlinks
Backlinks help your overall digital marketing efforts by allowing reputable sites to vouch for you.

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.

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Understanding Offsite vs. Onsite SEO

You’ve probably heard of search engine optimization (SEO), and try to utilize it in order to build your business online. But did you know that there are two different types of SEO? It is important to understand the different types of SEO in order to determine the best strategies for growing your business online.

There is onsite SEO and offsite SEO. Utilizing the two different types of SEO is critical for developing and implementing a successful SEO strategy.

Properly utilizing both onsite and offsite SEO strategies will give your business an edge.
Properly utilizing both onsite and offsite SEO strategies will give your business an edge.

What is Onsite & Offsite SEO?

Onsite SEO: Onsite SEO refers to elements that are on your website. For example, your domain name, content, keywords, and geotargets are all elements of onsite SEO. Properly optimizing these elements helps web crawlers read your site and evaluate its relevance to certain search terms.

Offsite SEO: As the name suggests, offsite SEO involves enhancing elements outside your website. This includes your online identity across different directories, reviews, social media, and backlinks to your site from credible websites. These elements are just as important as onsite SEO and shouldn’t be forgotten.

Which Type of SEO is More Important?

Your business is made of up many moving parts, all working together for your benefit. Neglecting one element of your business can negatively affect the rest of it. Implementing an SEO strategy works much in the same way. In order to develop a successful SEO strategy, both onsite and offsite SEO need to be utilized. Focusing on only one or the other will be much less effective than implementing an all-encompassing SEO strategy.

MLT Group offers a variety of services to boost SEO, onsite and offsite, for your business, including search engine friendly website design,  backlinking, blog services, online identity services, and many more. To develop or improve your SEO strategy, contact MLT Group’s friendly professionals at 507.281.3490 or sales@mltgroup.com.