SEO for B2B: 7 Reasons You Can’t Avoid It

Search engine optimization for B2B happens to be a little different from the way it’s done for most B2C websites. For one thing, we’re looking at a completely different kind of demographic. Your average target customer is not a dad who’s looking to buy a toy for his kid or a teenager shopping for her school project.

Your average consumer is someone working in a managerial position. Their needs and preferences are different. They are mostly making decisions on the behalf of an organization. Perhaps they are looking to buy equipment for their office. Or perhaps, they want to buy company software.

Therefore, capturing them and turning them into leads takes a different kind of approach. Bear in mind that there are no ‘B2B-specific’ algorithms laid out by Google. But, the kind of content that you have to draft for a B2B buyer is different from writing for an average user.

Another thing different about B2B is that keyword search volume is small. It may even be well within hundreds but the keywords are mostly high-paying.

Focusing on those target keywords is essential if you want to attract your B2B audience. Here are reasons why you should invest in search engine optimization.

SEO is Highly Cost-Effective

Every other form of marketing (conventional marketing as well as paid forms of advertisements such as PPC and ad campaigns) can be extremely costly. If you go down that road, you’ll soon burn through your budget. That’s why SEO is so good. By comparison, you’ll find it to be extremely cost-effective.

 Also, SEO tends to produce sustainable results. In the long run, optimization is the only thing that will keep you afloat in the often cutthroat world of marketing. 

 SEO Performs in all Conditions 

Even though the process of SEO requires a little work to set up, and it may require some time before you see any noticeable results, you’ll see that when everything is in place, the results you will get can be amazing. In the middle of ever-changing business scenarios, the impact of your SEO efforts is the one thing that will remain constant.

For a nominal fee, you can work with a B2B SEO agency that can save you a ton of effort in a trial and error approach.

SEO Keeps Bringing in New Visitors

You can think of SEO as a cash cow. It continues to work even when you are sleeping. Once invested, it continues to yield great output in the coming years also. If you wish to keep bringing in new visitors, SEO is the perfect tool available in your arsenal. 

SEO for B2B Leads to Better Conversion

Sales for B2B products and services can be a little tricky as there’s often a lot of research that goes into the decision-making process. However, by utilizing the power of B2B SEO, you can divert a huge amount of traffic towards your website. 

By creating the kind of site that encourages desired actions, you can get your conversions to skyrocket.

 If yours is a local business, you can utilize local SEO by picking the right keywords to appear in front of local businesses seeking your products and services. For local B2B businesses, increasing conversion rates is even easier.

Many SEO Terms for B2B are Still up for Grabs

Most terms for SEO are already saturated. That’s why many marketers hesitate while it comes to utilizing keywords for their particular niche. The fear of facing tough challenges often keeps them from going above and beyond.

However, SEO for B2B comes with the advantage that many of the terms are still up for grabs. Several searches have not yet hit the saturation point. Many top B2B brands still appear on the second page against major key terms.

That means if you take your SEO efforts seriously, you have a good chance of securing higher rankings in your niche no matter your business scale.

SEO Gives Your Content Effort a Direction

Content is essential for any B2B brand especially given that most key decision-makers in the industry are CEOs and those at other managerial positions. 

These people like to remain educated about trending topics. When you publish quality content it shows customers that you are an authority in the industry. It shows that you can be trusted and that you are worthy of the customer’s investment. It also helps them make informed decisions about your product and service.

You can even write educational content about whatever you have to sell. You can write content like case studies, predict trends for the industry, helpful blogs, explainer videos, etc. 

Creating online content is essential, no matter whether you’re a B2B or B2C. But, when you combine the efforts of SEO; you can double, even triple the impact of your content. In the absence of SEO, your voice will get lost in the middle of so many other competitors.

Content for B2B SEO takes the following elements into consideration:

• Keyword - Key phrases for B2B companies tend to be different and also low volume. Therefore, you must be careful while picking the right kind of phrases.
• Understanding user intent - Google algorithms are getting more and more sophisticated. That’s why it no longer serves to just craft content around keywords. You must also understand the intent behind the search terms. What are users trying to find out? What kind of solutions are they seeking? By understanding the user intent better, you can create better content.
• Content type - The type of content that works for B2B is a little different. For example, CEOs and managers are more likely to find different kinds of content helpful such as white papers and e-books. When you understand what type of content is likely to work best for you, you can write better.

SEO Helps You Grab the Opportunity From Mobile SEO

Never underestimate the power of mobile for B2B SEO. Conversions are happening from mobile for almost all kinds of businesses. Those in B2B are no exception to that. 

In fact, there’s a good chance that your potential buyers are looking for your product right now. Not just that, since people tend to use mobile phones day in and day out, there’s a chance for you to attract users not just during the day but at night also.

But, because mobile searches and viewing experience are a little different from desktop, you must take a few things under consideration, such as: 

• Taking longer search terms and phrases into consideration. With the introduction of voice search, there’s a change in how people look things up. On a mobile phone, people tend to ask queries in a conversational form. So, your keyword selection for mobile SEO will have to take that under consideration.
• The way sites load on the mobile should be quick as people expect lightning-fast results and quick loading sites. The site should also be mobile-friendly and look appealing.
• The placement of CTAs is important. Keep all the clickable links and buttons easy to tap and all the numbers easily clickable. Keep all the forms as short and easy-to-fill as possible.

Employing B2B SEO is imperative if you want to stand out from the crowd and build your brand as a B2B thought leader.

Mike is a senior SEO strategist at Nine Peaks Media, a B2B SEO agency that helps SaaS, software, IT, and technology companies rank on the first page of Google with effective content marketing strategies. Nine Peaks offers performance-based inbound marketing, conversion rate optimization, and search engine marketing services.