55% of enterprise-level organizations spend $20,000+ each month on B2B SEO. 61% of B2B marketers claim SEO to be their top inbound marketing priority.
Despite spending their top dollars, B2B companies often find themselves struggling with their organic rankings. And you may as well.
One of the big blunders they make is not familiarizing themselves with the difference between B2C & B2B customer journey. But here’s the thing: SEO works differently for B2B organizations.
“The only way to grow in B2B consistently
is to be better than very good.”
– Seth Godin
The B2B customer journey is comparatively different. B2B businesses shouldn’t run SEO campaigns that are focused on targeting consumers. Your target audience includes other businesses.
There’s no single person responsible for making purchasing decisions. Hence, it’s critical to produce highly converting funnels for different sets of people.
B2B purchases are gigantic. And so are the stakes. Your SEO campaigns should successfully drive these different sets of audiences through their customer journeys.
Your sole focus should be on delivering value and building trust and credibility. The C-Level executives are always looking forward to building long-lasting relationships. Hence, it’s crucial to deliver value-adding information at each step of the way.
Those wondering how B2B SEO is different from B2C SEO should look at what their individual customer journeys look like.
The B2C Customer Journey
The B2C Customer Journey is extremely easy. Here, your consumers may come across one of your PPC ads. Or they might click through your email. Maybe, they just find your website organically. From that moment on, they’ll explore your website.
And based on their experience, they may purchase your product(s) or service(s). Also, you can run different marketing campaigns to retain them. That’s all there is to the B2C marketing funnel.
But the same isn’t the case with the B2B customer journey. Let’s look at what the B2B customer journey looks like.
The B2B Customer Journey
For B2B customers, the journey is completely different. There’s no single person you’ll be targeting. Instead, there’ll be end-users, project managers, decision-makers, C-Level executives.
Usually, B2B purchases are huge. And a single message targeting a single person won’t lead to a purchase. B2B sales involve different people in different roles. And these people will be looking for different information.
For example, if you are selling your own Customer Data Platform, you need to deliver different information to different people. For example, the end-users might be looking for the features. Whereas the decision-makers may also look at other factors like how your software will help their organization grow and how it stands out from others in the market.
92% of B2B buyers will purchase a product or service after reading a review. B2B buyers conduct 70% of their research online before making a purchase.
You need to devise a B2B SEO strategy that helps you target different people in different roles at the right time.
Let’s have a look.
5 Tips to Consider While Building a Result-Oriented B2B SEO Strategy
Consider these tips while building your B2B SEO strategy:
- Create Different Buyer Personas
- Identify How Your Product(s) or Service(s) Solves Their Pain Points
- Conduct Thorough Keywords Research
- Create Value-Adding Content for Different Stages of the Buyers’ Journeys
- Link Building & Establishing Authority
Create Different Buyer Personas
75% of B2B buyers have claimed that their purchase includes different people in different roles and locations. Here, you are not trying to attract individual consumers. Instead, you need to cater to the needs of the many.
Different people are involved in the decision-making process. There are end-users who will be using the product or service. So, their input is crucial. Then there’s the quality tester. Next, there’s a manager who’ll calculate the potential ROI. And then there are C-Level executives.
So, the first thing you got to do is identify the set of people you’re targeting. Understand their motivations. Identify what drives their decisions. And based on that, create buyer personas which you can use to level up your B2B SEO strategy.
Identify How Your Product(s) or Service(s) Solves Their Pain Points
With so many decision-makers involved, you need to understand what different people in different roles are concerned about. Identify their pain points. Discover their problems while they are carrying out their daily tasks.
And based on that, ask yourself:
“How does my product or service solve these problems?”
Your answers should be different for a different set of people. This will help you build an effective and strong brand message. On top of this, you can carry out thorough keyword research for different sets of audiences. And that’s not all. You can also create value-adding content pieces targeting different decision-makers.
Conduct Keywords Research
Now, you know who you are targeting. Also, you are well aware of their pain points and problems. Now, you need to conduct thorough keyword research for different decision-makers.
If you are selling a SaaS product, the B2B end-users might want to know more about the features. At the same time, the B2B managers will be more concerned about the ROI. And based on that, their search engine queries will vary.
So, the next thing you got to do is conduct thorough keyword research for different buyer personas. Identify the search phrases or keywords different B2B decision-makers will use at different stages of their buyers’ journeys.
Filter out the high-value, low-volume keywords. Generally, B2B buyers aren’t ready to make a purchase. What they are looking for is value-adding information so that they can discuss it in the board room. You’ll be targeting professionals. This means they’ll be experts in their respective fields.
So, you need to be well-aware of the jargons they use or industry-specific keywords.
Create Value-Adding Content for Different Stage of the Buyers’ Journeys
You need to now create content that addresses the pain points of different B2B decision-makers. Target questions specific to different buyer personas. Create different web pages that target these people. Incorporate the relevant keywords naturally.
Moreover, understand the motivations of different B2B decision-makers. And create content for each stage of their buyers’ journey. Create numerous marketing materials focused on different stages.
This will help you target different people and address each one of their pain points and problems.
Link Building & Establishing Authority
B2B buyers are experts in their industry. So, if you want to sell your product or service, you need to position your brand as credible and trustworthy. Your aim should be to establish authority in your space. That doesn’t mean ranking just on the first page of Google. Instead, you need to create a strong online presence across multiple channels.
On top of this, focus your efforts on high-quality link building. Create blog posts that truly deliver value. Reach out to high-domain authority websites and submit your guest posting request. Build long-lasting relationships with experts in your space and industry-leading publications.
Build Your B2B SEO Strategy Today!
The title speaks for itself. SEO works differently for B2B organizations. With different people involved in different roles, you need to cater to each one of their needs. Also, you need to identify their pain points and problems.
Remember – your buyers are not willing to make a purchase. Instead, they’re here to consume information. Hence, it’s crucial to deliver a highly engaging content piece that solves their problems.
So, what are you waiting for?
Build your B2B SEO strategy today. And if you need any help, call in the calvary.
