B2B SEO is one of the most important, and yet most difficult, tasks in online marketing. This especially goes for niche markets with low search volumes. If you want to make it at the top of Google’s search results list, you have to precisely know what the interests of your customers are.
This is what makes SEO so difficult when it comes to B2B
When companies leverage the opportunities provided by B2B search engine optimisation (SEO) in a clever way, their offers can manage to frequently get a top position in Google’s search results list. Being here is one of the most important tasks in online marketing. And one of the most difficult.
This is the nature of the B2B SEO beast. Professionals continue to perform research more and more frequently on the Internet before closing a deal. But unlike the B2C segment, the sales often centre on very high amounts. Which is why decision-makers weigh up their decisions very precisely before signing the contract. As a result, B2B SEO faces special challenges and peculiarities:
- The content of an online offer (website, special websites, social media channels, etc.) has to be precisely tailored to the relatively small and yet demanding target group.
- In the B2B niche, there are many relevant keywords which often have a comparably low search volume and yet high CPCs (costs-per-click) at the same time.
- The content should offer decision-makers as much added value as possible and give them good sales arguments, which they can also use to convince other members of a buying centre if necessary.
- The page structure must be clear and give a good overview so that interested persons are not bothered by confusing elements and processes.
- The technical functionality, such as the page loading time or the responsive design, must be flawless.
- B2B SEO is an ongoing process and subject to continual adjustments regarding the search interests of the target group or new requirements from Google.
All of this makes B2B SEO a complex challenge, one which not all companies can face across the board. This means that for the competitors who put more effort into the topic gain a big advantage: the competition is still comparably low.
Three helpful tips for B2B content marketers
We’ve summarised below what matters most for successful B2B SEO:
1. Perform effective B2B keyword research
A good B2B SEO realisation is based on the relevant keywords. But finding these is not always easy. Especially in niche markets, tried-and-tested tools such as SEMRush or the Google Keyword Planner are not always helpful. Companies must therefore often go their own way and perform extensive keyword research. Marketers should pay attention to the following on their journey:
- High relevance and conversion rate: in the B2B segment, relevant and strong conversion keywords are more important than keywords with a high search volume.
- Close connection to the offer: the targeted keyword has to match the product or service as far as possible.
2. Meet the expectations of the users
Based on the above-mentioned tips: even high-quality and comprehensive content cannot make an impact if it does not meet the needs of the B2B target group. This is why companies should know the most significant purposes for their customers’ searches and cater to these:
- Many users research based on brand names. For this reason, an optimisation based on brand keywords makes sense.
- B2B customers are often interested in concrete information. Companies should therefore react to this by developing the right articles for their offers.
- Users like to get an overview of the market at the start of their research. Which is why it’s smart to create product summaries and comparable topics referring to the company’s own offers (e.g. “best bookkeeping software”).
3. Generate high-quality backlinks
One of the most important ranking factors in B2B SEO is the generation of high-quality backlinks. This is based on content that is relevant and interesting for the target group. In other words: B2B companies have to give operators of other websites good reasons for linking content. This can be achieved with the following:
- Articles with unique data and information (data summary, white paper, research results, statistics, etc.)
- Interesting stories
- Visual elements like infographics, nice photos or videos
- A completely new perspective on a well-known topic
- A company profile on B2B platforms, such as Europages
