How SEO Is Different For B2B Companies

The B2B landscape is proving to be a fast-paced one.

This affects how B2B purchasing decisions are made and who makes them. A huge chunk of the B2B audience has migrated online according to Google. It is no wonder nearly 90% of B2B decision-makers rely on the internet in their entire research process.

This means B2B companies need to up their lead acquisition game to stay ahead of the evolving audience trends. Achieving this will guarantee your business solid organic visibility throughout the sales funnel while boosting your business growth.

What can get you there fast? Business-to-business search engine optimization. A strong SEO strategy plays an integral role when striving to drive your organic growth. That said, a business-to-business SEO strategy may take a totally different route from the conventional B2C SEO strategy. Understanding the underlying differences is the key to attaining your visibility success fast.

So, let’s dive into the ins and outs of business-to-business SEO for the purposes of making you a more informed market player and affording you a unique edge over fellow players.

A SaaS marketing agency specializes in SEO strategies designed to improve the organic search rankings of B2B websites. Unlike traditional B2C SEO, which focuses on consumer behavior, B2B SEO targets key decision-makers within companies. While core SEO practices such as technical, on-page, and off-page SEO are still relevant, the unique needs of a business-focused audience require a tailored approach. The challenges of B2B SEO, such as longer sales cycles and more complex buying processes, must be tackled differently than in B2C scenarios to achieve success.

What is B2B SEO?

This refers to a search engine optimization strategy formulated to boost the organic search engine rankings of B2B websites. Unlike the B2C SEO strategy, B2B SEO derives its strength from keywords targeting key decision-makers in companies. While the basics of SEO such as technical SEO, on-page SEO, and off-page SEO hold for business-to-business SEO, your target audience for this particular case presents a unique set of challenges. These challenges must be addressed differently from a B2C scenario.

When it comes to B2B SEO, it’s important to identify keywords that are relevant to your target audience and align with your business goals. For B2B companies seeking to elevate their online presence and establish themselves as trusted industry leaders, prioritizing keyword optimization is an imperative step when investing in SaaS SEO services. By strategically honing in on relevant keywords and meticulously optimizing your website’s content and structure, you can unlock the potential to be perceived as an unrivaled and trustworthy resource within the industry. This approach not only amplifies your visibility but also empowers your business to forge lasting connections with discerning clients, setting the stage for sustained success in the dynamic world of B2B enterprise.

Why is that? It is simply because a customer making a purchase on behalf of a business portrays different buying habits from one buying directly for themselves.

B2B SEO vs B2C SEO

The major underlying difference between the two SEO strategies is the audience. On the one hand, you are dealing with professionals and on the other hand, general consumers. Therefore, your SEO approach in both scenarios will also differ.

While the search engine ranking factors for both SEO strategies will remain the same (similar algorithm), in practice, several differences may arise as follows:

• Sales funnel

The sales funnel for a B2B business may be more involved than that of a B2C business. Take for instance a customer shopping for a leisure bicycle versus an accounting firm sourcing for the best accounting software. Experts working at FunnelAuthority are aware of the effectiveness of directing potential clients to the bottom of the funnel as quickly and efficiently as possible.

It goes without saying the accounting firm will incur more consideration and research into their buying process compared to the bicycle customer. If it’s that involving, then the b-to-b business must strive to remain visible on search engine result pages in every stage of the sales funnel (from awareness to commitment).

While interacting with your customer as a b2b business, you will therefore be required to invest more time and resources to know your customer than you would with a B2C customer.

• Keyword volume

Generally, a B2B business targets low-volume keywords. That’s because professional customers have a broad set of specific search terms compared to B2C customers. For that reason, a successful B2B SEO strategy must ace its keyword research.

You need to adapt your strategy to your specific audience by researching in-depth the search terms that align with their intent. If you succeed in making your content specific to the audience, you will equally succeed in pushing them to the next stage of your sales funnel.

• Content-type

Dealing with professionals in b-to-b marketing, your content must be highly tactical unlike in B2C where a little emotion and fun can make all the difference. That means you should be able to naturally demonstrate your expertise through unquestionable thought leadership.

B2b customers prioritize confidence in their buying process. Before cold calling them or requesting them to fill out a form, they want to be sure your brand is the best fit for their pain points. If you can provide all the right answers to their biggest questions consistently in your SEO strategy, you might just succeed in converting them.

Get B2B SEO strategies that work

Driving more B2B leads to your website is a function of both a powerful SEO strategy and a reputable SEO strategist. While sourcing for the right strategist, ensure they have a proven track record of implementing SEO strategies that produce tangible, bankable results.

Ready to get started? Click here to review some of our case studies showcasing how much value a reliable SEO partner can add to your B2B website.