What do you do when your MSP SEO company says: “We Found a Great Google Trick!”?

I’ve been in the MSP marketing and MSP SEO game for a very long time—Too many years. I’ve also seen a lot of so-called MSP marketing and SEO experts come and go.  But, this one takes the cake.

This week I went to Orlando on my home from two weeks on beautiful Cape Cod.  I’m not one to attend MSP conferences—I actually stay for away from them.  Why? Simple—Many times they’re just an excuse for drinking, eating, and partying.  Just not for me.

The Xchange Conference 2017 In Orlando—Why I Stopped to Visit Ulistic HPC Members.

However, since I was driving home from the airport in Orlando, and was going right by the venue for the Xchange 2017 at the Gaylord Palms. I decided to stop in and pay a visit to some of Ulistic’s High-Performance Club members.

Rob Schenk from San Francisco IT consulting company Intivix was there. My good friend Blake Schwank from Colorado Computer Support, too. Jorge and Sam from Toronto IT support company Tektonic, David Hood from Cloud Solutions by CPU, and Michael Goldstein from LAN InfoTech, a company in South Florida that provides legal IT services. They all met me for a quick dinner and refreshments.

Jorge Rojas Shared a Little MSP SEO Secret with Me

Jorge asked: There is an MSP SEO company here and I wonder if you know them?” I don’t care too much for competitors in the managed services marketing world, however I said: “I think I may know who you’re talking about.”

Jorge continued to tell me about a presentation he went to where the presenter, the owner of this SEO company, spoke about some “trick” to have a company show up on page-one of Google, as soon as next week.

Guess What?  There Are No MSP SEO Secrets or Special Tricks.

Wait! I said “There are no tricks.”  SEO that stands the test of time takes months and sometimes years of hard work to produce.  There’s no overnight or “next-week” trick.

Wait, maybe one—It’s called AdWords.

I know there are a lot of desperate MSPs who will jump at any sales pitch that guarantees them more leads.  Here’s my recommendation: Whenever any MSP SEO company says they have a trick to get you on page-one next week—Turn around and run away! It just doesn’t work this way.

I Just Hate Seeing MSPs Get Ripped Off.

Here’s the skinny on this: Any time you try to trick Google, it will slap the biggest penalty on you that you may never fully recover from. Plus, Google changes their algorithms almost daily now.  This so-called “trick” will definitely be shut down tomorrow.

Go ahead, I know some of you are reading and thinking, “Gee this Stuart guy seems a little bitter.”  It’s not that I’m bitter—It’s just that I’ve seen many MSPs, even those who think they know better, get burned by MSP SEO companies that, in my opinion, are just out to get rich from their naivety.

I don’t like it and I never will.  I care for my clients—No matter what—Even if they dismiss Ulistic and the GOOD that we stand for in the IT channel. 

Here’s what MSPs need to look for when outsourcing SEO:

1. Proven success—Not overnight success—Long-term success
2. What more do they offer besides MSP SEO services?
3. How long have they been doing this?
4. Who do they follow and learn from? (e.g., Neil Patel is one of the names that should be on their list.)
5. Case Studies—Get them.

Anyone can start an MSP SEO business.  Look for the ones who understand everything about your business, and have a long history of success—I mean more than a few years.

Here’s my most important recommendation in regards to MSP SEO:

Have patience. Success with SEO takes time, months and maybe even years to do properly.  This isn’t an overnight “trick.”