B2B SEO Strategy for 2021 for B2B Companies – A Beginner’s Guide
If you are somehow related to business, then you are indeed aware of the term B2B. This is actually known as a Business-to-Business strategy which is a bit different from your B2C business type (Business-to-client). But since the business type is different, the SEO strategy will be different as well. This is exactly what this post is all about.
The primary goal behind the B2B SEO strategy is to increase the organic search engine traffic and overall ranking. Well, that’ more or less the strategy for every kind of business, isn’t it? But the best part lies somewhere else.
An ideal B2B SEO campaign will put the brand before like-minded and interested people who can be potential collaborators for the brand. They will engage themselves with the brand and even offer to buy or sell the products provided by the approaching company.
It is true that the functionality of a B2B business is very much different from that of a B2C. However, the rudimentary aspects of SEO between these two methods are the same. So, what are they exactly?
Well, I believe you already know the four pillars of SEO success, don’t you?
- Technical SEO
- Content
- On-page SEO
- Off-page SEO
Despite the pillars being the same, incorporating a B2B SEO strategy will have some challenges of its own. You need to consider this very carefully since it is directly related to the people you are targeting through your brand.
Be it the B2B business type or the B2C business type; at the end of the day, it is people buying from people. But when people buy on behalf of a business, the purchasing habits become different compared to anyone else who is buying for themselves. So, how do you define this business type in the backdrop of an SEO strategy?
The B2B
When we talk about B2B SEO, we tend to refer to an advanced marketing system that can help B2B site pages achieve a higher ranking in web indexes, like Google and Bing. This is quite different from what we do in terms of SEO for B2C. The ideal B2B SEO tactics will rely a lot on the influence of keywords; they will even consider the effect it can have on the people working inside the company.
But ranking is not the only important thing here. As a matter of fact, the SEO process for the B2B business has other more substantial aspects as well. These aspects include generating more organic traffic and also finding the most cost-effective way to generate leads.
This is the kind of SEO that aims to achieve guaranteed results, relevant and quality traffic with equally lucrative lead generation and conversion opportunities.
Sounds reassuring, isn’t it?
Let’s look at how the whole process works for your brand.
How Does B2B SEO Work?
There can be no doubt that when your targeted customer finds your product on the internet, they will undoubtedly impact the presence you have on the internet. Least to say, your traffic and business will be significantly influenced by the whole ordeal.
When an SEO agency optimizes the client’s site with the relevant keyword targeted, the results will be astonishing. Ranking for targeted keywords might have 200 different deciding components; however, all of that can be classified into three main categories:
- On-Page SEO – This is one of the most critical processes, referring primarily to optimizing the content. On-Page includes processes like keyword mapping, metadata, headers, and many more. But that’s not all! A considerable part of it concerns the overall website design to improve user experience. User experience is a critical aspect of the whole SEO process.
- Technical SEO – Next up, we have technical SEO, which refers to all kinds of technical optimization. To put it simply, it covers all the vital aspects of the website, including improving the page load speed, implementing structured data markup, AMP, improvising XML sitemaps, and many more.
- Off-Page SEO – Lastly, we have off-page SEO that concerns anything and everything existing outside your website but very relevant for your brand. These factors can directly influence your brand’s SEO performance. It includes things like creating and using the backlinks. These backlinks help you link your website, drive more traffic, and build authority.
B2B SEO Vs. B2C SEO
So, can we say that B2B is very much different from B2C? Well, technically, we can say that, but there’s a catch to it.
If we are to consider the actual ranking factors of Google, then the functionality of B2B and B2C SEO is exactly the same. I mean, you can never find anything specific named as B2B algorithm. You cannot even follow any particular steps that are only applicable for B2B sites.
In fact, some of the best practices that we know about SEO are exactly the same for both B2B and B2C. However, when it comes to reality and SEO techniques, B2B is very much different, and based on that, the B2B SEO strategy is formed.
Developing a B2B SEO Strategy
If you have a B2B business, then the first thing you need to work on is increasing the traffic to your website. We all know that B2B will usually have a low traffic environment. So, compared to any other B2C site or business, your website will experience a lower amount of traffic.
Hence, at first, you need to develop the right strategy that can help you reach out to the right audience. You need to also focus on multiple profitable SEO practices that your B2B brand can use to expand its horizon.
Below Are a Few Crucial Steps to Help You Develop a Powerful B2B SEO Strategy
- The Impressive Business Persona
- Optimizing All The Funnel Keywords
- Optimizing all the pages dedicated to your product and services
- Starting a valuable B2B blog
- Building effective backlinks for your B2B website
Create the B2B Buyer Persona
Creating an ideal buyer persona is very important since it will always help you target your desired audience base. Unlike B2C, it’s not as easy to target your audience in B2B since it’s not a customer you are targeting; it’s another business you will target.
Here, the decision-maker can be anyone significant related to the business, so the target audience is different.
Optimize for the 3 Stages Funnel Keywords
After creating the persona, it’s time for you to work on how they can search for you and your products.
Here, the three-stage marketing funnel can be of great help to you. This is the perfect way to visualize the customer journey and also for understanding how to target the keywords better.
Since SEO is a long-term strategy, you need to cover the top funnel searches. But in the end, you need to incorporate suitable keywords for the overall marketing funnel.
But how does it work exactly?
Like I said before, the sales funnel for B2B reflects the path through which a customer moves through the different buying stages. In each stage, you interact with the customer, trying to persuade him/her to complete the purchase.
It will have three levels: top, middle, and bottom.
Top: In this part, your prospective customers will interact with your content. It may include actions like watching your product videos, reading blog posts or even listening to your podcast.
Middle: In this part, the customers tend to download the white papers or even sign up for a webinar. By that, you will get their contact information that goes into the CRM.
Bottom: This is the stage where the funnel narrows down and guides the leads toward completing the purchase. Here, your sales representative will guide them through a product demo. After that, you will follow them through so the lead will eventually buy the product and leave the funnel only after becoming new customers of your brand.
Optimize Your B2B Products and Service Pages
After all, this is what you are selling, isn’t it? So, you must optimize the pages designed and built for your products and services. You also need to strategize your keywords and map them accordingly to your landing pages.
Plus, never forget to incorporate some of the best SEO practices like:
- You need to mention your keyword in your page’s H1, page title, and meta description.
- Never forget to put the target keyword to your page URL.
- Come up with variations and synonyms of your primary keyword.
- Make sure to write a unique meta description focusing on boosting your click through rate.
- If possible, include your keyword high up on the page.
Develop a Valuable B2B Blog
Blogging can be beneficial for your B2B SEO. You have to produce high-quality content on various topics that your target customers might find interesting. If you write about the things they love, they will indefinitely share them more and more.
Buying guide content can be an instant hit in this case.
Build Backlinks for your B2B Website
Link building is equally essential for your B2B SEO, just like it is for your B2C SEO. You can mix and match different strategies created, particularly for B2B.
Like, you can use Digital PR. This is primarily focused on industry blogs and news sites. When you link your website with this, your site can have a good amount of traffic.
If your website has a good backlink profile, it can be beneficial for Google ranking. Thus, make sure your backlinks are in place.
What Else for B2B SEO?
So, there you have it, the idea behind B2B SEO strategy. Make sure you always consider the audience’s needs, issues, and problems. If you can provide them with a solution, then they will surely follow you.
I guess these strategies can make your B2B business successful. So, instead of wasting any more time, start using them to get success with your B2B business.
If you know about any other helpful B2B SEO strategies or tactics, let us know in the comments below.
Cheers!
