Explore B2B Content Strategies, Topics, Types, Marketing, Emerging trends, Checklists, Case-studies, Examples and more

Why you should go for B2B SEO – NOW?

There is a misconception amongst marketers that B2B SEO is “unnecessary” and is often not given the attention it deserves. Many marketers ask the question “Why should I run a FULL-FLEDGED B2B SEO campaign?”

Three keywords come to my mind when I think of answering this question – BRAND AWARENESS, IDENTITY and VISIBILITY. B2B SEO is a type of marketing or branding and it cannot escape the associated rigmarole. Decision makers in B2B do online research before closing the sales and if you don’t have any B2B SEO strategy in place then your business is definitely missing out on a lot of potential clients.

Industry research has shown that B2B marketing is shifting its focus to Digital Theater and SEO is the most cost effective and trustworthy form of digital marketing that would give you enduring returns.

B2B SEO 2023 Strategy 1 – Sales/Leads in B2C and B2B – Understanding the Difference

In B2C (and in some low-ticket B2B types) sales are quick and are closed by a few call-to-actions (price, review, ratings, availability etc). But in case of high-value B2B, SALE is not the immediate action you should be looking at. Your prime objective is to improve the visibility of your B2B brand by gaining top positions in Search Engine Results Pages.

B2B Sales don’t happen on the site; also in B2B it’s not a single person going to close the sale. B2B sales are often executed through traditional methods and marketing channels, there are not many options to choose from in B2B deals and the volume of B2B sales is not high enough as that of B2C. There is a misapprehension that “Internet Search” plays a minor role in “influencing” the B2B Sales. We can say that B2B sales funnel is narrower and much elongated as compared to B2C. Marketers often tend to relate B2B SEO directly with INSTANT higher sales, though the ultimate goal remains the same, the process is longer and the realization takes time, but once established it could be a GOLDMINE. The right way to relate SEO and B2B is to put it this way – “B2B SEO improves BRAND VISIBILITY which then increases LEADS and SALES, subsequently”.

B2B SEO Strategy 2

SEO does not change much whether it is B2B or B2C, the basic methodology (On-Page SEO, Off-Page SEO, Keyword research, Link building, Content, SMM/SMO etc) and strategy remains the same with some superficial variations in application. There are a few things though that you cannot do in B2B SEO (to maintain the B2B Decorum) that are perfectly fine in B2C SEO.

B2B is a vast category with a plethora of businesses with products and services ranging from say $1000 (or even lesser) to a couple of hundred thousand dollars (or even more). So it is very difficult to fit all the B2B entities in one basket and one cannot have the same SEO strategy for all B2B enterprises. What we can safely say is, those B2B enterprises with comparatively lower prices (relatively closer to B2C commodities) can deploy the same B2C SEO strategy (long-form Search-Engine oriented content, keyword stuffing, SMM etc.). The rest of the B2B enterprises with high-ticket items should use a different strategy.

B2B SEO 2023 Strategy 3 – SEO-Friendly B2B Website Structure

Having a good website structure makes it easier for google to crawl and to create a map of your website; this is reflected in the sitelinks in Google.

• Simple, hierarchical structure for your website is the key to B2B SEO. Your website should be easy to use.
  Identify and quantify services/product pages, category/subcategory pages.
• Have a neatly designed index page that reaches out to all category and sub-category pages and most (if not all) service/product pages.
• Try to have individual page for each product and service under relevant category and sub-category.
• Categorize similar pages with relevant categories and tags.
• Link your internal pages that have relevant content.
• Use Breadcrumbs Navigation that shows the user where he is on the website.
• Display SEARCH option prominently, make sure that the visitor can access any page with not more than 3 clicks (this is not a Google’s norm but a good Webdesign practice).
• Make HTML Alphabetical Index part of every page (keep it on the footer).
• Make sure your URL structure is in-sync with the Content Architecture of your website. i.e. It follows the same hierarchy in the Breadcrumbs navigation. For e.g. https://www.example.com/category/sub-category-1/sub-category-2/service-page/
• Siloing – Use extensive keyword-based internal linking to associate business keywords with the pages.

There are two prominent strategies of implementing your B2B SEO – Content and Link Building. The rest of the SEO activities remain pretty much the same.

B2B SEO 2023 Strategy 4 – B2B Content Ideas

The way B2B SEO differs from B2C is how you use the CONTENT strategy. In B2C you can trick Google by having long-form content. The content in B2C is written with Search Engines as the main focus than the visitors, 1000 word B2C content can be summarized in 100 words. You cannot use the same B2C methodology in SEO for a High-end B2B Giant, because the content is targeted more towards prospects and not Search Engines. A long-form keyword stuffed content would ruin the decorum of the site. In this article we will talk about SEO for Medium and High-value B2B Enterprises. So you need to change your Content Strategy in B2B SEO. Rather than using Search Engine-oriented “inflated” content, focus on “informative” content.

Apart from the normal On-Page SEO factors (SSL, Keywords, Title, Meta Tag, URL Structure, Headings Tags in content, Multimedia, Responsive, Internal Links etc) lets discuss it from the B2B perspective. Remember B2B website, you are an AUTHORITY, you need not sell yourself by doing cheap SEO gimmicks (what else is it?) like inflated-long-form content and keyword stuffing. But you should incorporate basic SEO framework.

Create concise yet informative and keyword-rich content directed towards your prospects and not search-engines. Your content should appeal to the audience. You need to think out of the box when it comes to creating new ideas for B2B content. Here are some of the ideas, topics, trends and tips for B2B Content generation.

Service/Product
Your Services or Product is a natural topic for creating B2B content, capitalize on it. Focus on the problem area – Why businesses require certain service/product and then how can you help them with yours. Boast about your expertise and experience in addressing problems and how you are an industry expert in providing the specific service/product.

Capabilities
Your organization’s capabilities can add a lot of valuable and informative content to your B2B website. Elaborate your competence in various sectors. For example a Construction Company should highlight on its capabilities of building versatile structures like bridges, dams, bunkers etc.

Market Studies
It is a trend seen in B2B Content Marketing nowadays. Create and publish original research pertaining to your industry.

Comparison
Use service or product comparison as a Content topic or idea. A product or service Comparison can be a good point to increase quality content for your B2B SEO. You can compare two or more similar product or services. You can have a third party agency compare your product with your competitor’s and give a verdict on it.

Case-Studies – A TOPIC for B2B Content
Case-studies can generate enormous amount of informative SEO content for your B2B website. As a B2B enterprise you have lot of sources to create unique content apart from the services and products you offer. As a B2B entity you have undertaken various assignments, use these B2B case-studies to create original content. Create extensive case studies again based on the same theme – Problems faced, Solution offered and the Results delivered. Display your clientele with a link to individual case-study.

Methodology
Every organization has specific methodologies that it follows, incorporate these methodologies in Case Studies, Service and Product Pages. Utilize your organization’s methodologies to create genuine B2B content.

Experience Counts
You may be a seasoned B2B Solution Provider, emphasize on your expertise and experience in a particular area.

Associations
Take pride in highlighting your association with mega-projects.

Compliance
All B2B organizations have to comply with appropriate standards, rules and policies etc. Underscore how you comply with these standards.

Testimonials
You have a plethora of experience serving clients across varied verticals. Ask your clients to give their valuable testimonials and focus on your skill and problem solving abilities.

Policies
Highlight your important policies like Safety, Quality, Hygiene, Environmental, Health etc.

Vision, Mission and Ethos
Have a well defined vision, mission/goal and ethos for the organization. Include these “themes” in the content across services, products and case-studies.

Social Work
All big enterprises contribute to the welfare of the society. Let your prospects know about it.

Customer Service
Stress on the importance of Co-Operation and Customer Service. Let the prospect realize the client/customer is the king. Show them how dedicated you are towards Customer Satisfaction.

Certifications
Let your prospects know what Certifications you hold. Display the certificate badges on relevant pages with ability to check the status and authenticity of the badge with the issuing agency.

Achievements and Awards
Don’t be shy of displaying your achievements and awards. Give detailed information about

Press-releases
There are so many things happening in an organization. New product launches, new clients, deliveries, projects etc. Use these events to generate content for your B2B SEO. Publish periodic Press-releases and promote them through various channels – Google News, YouTube, Social Media and LinkedIn etc.

News
Provide links to news articles about your organization.

Multimedia
As a B2B Company you have a lot of multimedia available. Product/service images, presentation videos, methodology videos, corporate videos, project videos. Make good use of these multimedia and promote them through appropriate channels – e.g. videos through YouTube and Vimeo, Images through Instagram.

B2B Glossary for B2B Content Idea
Create your own glossary page that contains meanings and definitions of Industrial jargon.

Other material
Use your organization’s whitepapers, eBooks, recorded webinars to create original content.

Blog is mandatory for a B2B website
Use your blog as a content generation tool for your B2B website. Create a blog and publish your “expert opinions” on the news, affairs and events relevant to your industry. With your expert opinions, let your prospects know that you are an AUTHORITY in your domain.

B2B SEO 2023 Strategy 5 – Link Building

B2B SEO requires a lot of Link Building and is easier to get in-bound links. To build a successful in-bound link you AGAIN need to create unique content that has the link embedded in it.

• Submit your site to all major directories.
• Join forums that are relevant to your business and participate in “discussions” on forums. Cite your research/case-studies on forums with link back to your website.
• Answer questions on Q/A sites with link to your website.
• Leave expert comments on pertinent blogs/websites/news sites with link embedded.
• Ask your clients and investors to have an article about your Company on their site with a link back to your website.
• Try to get educational back-links for your case-studies or methodologies.
• Publish “expert” information on article websites.
• Keep a close watch on who links to you, using Google Console (a.k.a Google Webmaster). We have observed that in a competitive environment competitors often create links to your pages from websites that can be categorized under spa., malware infected, link-farms etc. These inbound links from such sites can dampen your SEO, so keep a watch on who links to you and get rid of bad inbound links using Disavow Links Tool.

B2B SEO 2023 Strategy 6 – Social Media Marketing/Optimization

Social Media Marketing and Optimization for B2B SEO is pretty much the same as you may do it for any other website.

• Publish pundit articles on LinkedIn.
• Publish all website and blog updates/ news across all Social Media.

Create unique, informative and value-rich content that would automatically get shared and spread across Social Media.

• Have a strong presence on Social Media, Google Business, YouTube, Instagram, etc – all linking back to your website.
• Promote your Corporate videos, Case Study videos etc on YouTube and other Video sites.
• Use Facebook and Twitter to comment on news and affairs appurtenant to your industry with relevant hashtags and promote them.

About Us

WDSOFT is a SEO Company in Pune, INDIA, offers result-driven B2B SEO services to clients across all verticals. Our proprietary SEO and Content Marketing methodology has helped numerous of our clients’ gain higher ranking in Google search engine, for the most hottest keywords. At WDSOFT Pune, we undertake long-term SEO projects for our B2B clients.