Top 6 B2B SEO Best Practices

Mar 3, 2020 7:10:04 AM

By Cathy Cain-Blank

In the first part  of our B2B SEO series, we discussed the basics of B2B SEO and how it works. Now, we’ll dive deeper into the topic and discuss B2B SEO best practices for generating high-quality leads.

For any B2B company, SEO is one of the most critical methods for attracting an audience, generating leads and ultimately converting them into customers. After all, over 70% of B2B buyers' journeys begin with organic search. However, to win the SEO game, you need to invest substantial efforts and time. You also need:

  • Engaging content
  • A great outreach
  • Link building

So, how will you balance these factors to generate leads worth pursuing?

Top 6 B2B SEO Best Practices

1. Target Keyphrases, Not Single Keywords

Keyword research is the essence of successful SEO. Whether you are building a new website or upgrading an existing one, keyword research is of the utmost importance if you want to rank high in search engine results, especially Google. We can't emphasize enough the importance of keywords when you are creating your B2B SEO strategy.

But SEO is not about single or specific keywords anymore. Search engines are smarter than they were early on, and now understand how keywords relate to one another. So, you can extend your reach by using keyphrases rather than single keywords. For example, instead of targeting “ORM,” you could target “online reputation management tools” or “tools to manage online reputation.”

Invest quality time in analyzing your target audience and understanding their search queries. Only then are you ready to create keyphrases (and subsequently content) that specifically answers their queries.

A useful way to find appropriate keywords for your audience is to conduct a search (as if you were the buyer) and look at the “related searches” section at the bottom of the Google search results page.

2. Create Different Types of Content

Authentic, engaging, and high-quality content is critical to the success of your B2B SEO efforts. However, posting similar types of content won’t help you. This is where the importance of the “hub and spoke” model comes into the picture.

The hub and spoke model comprises the main page (hub page) on a particular topic that contains links to related content (spokes) on the same topic. The hub and spoke model can help a great deal in ranking for high-competition keywords as it is a mix of high-value content, internal linking and solid on-page optimization. Research shows that links are still fundamental to organic search rankings. For instance, our site includes a main (hub) page about email marketing as well as many articles featuring detailed strategies on how to be successful with email marketing. 

3. Personalize the Content to Suit Your Target Audience

As we mentioned above, quality content is the lifeline of B2B SEO. However, to ensure your content is helping your prospective customers and answering their queries, it’s vital to create personalized content.

In a survey conducted by Demand Gen Report, it was found that up to 70% of B2B consumers said that personalized website content is what attracts them the most. If you have specific industries that you serve, you can make your content more meaningful if it speaks directly to those audiences. 

4. Understand User Intent to Create Engaging Content

Keyword research will be easier if you understand the value of user intent and incorporate it into your content.

You can assess user intent by:

  • Analyzing content types that are ranking on the first page of Google (or other search engines).
  • Creating content based on user queries.
  • Evaluating competitors’ content that is ranking high in search results.

5. Leverage Schema Markup

Schema markup is code that you put on your website to help the search engines deliver results that have the most information to help buyers. Since Google is dedicated to providing an exceptional user experience, this is one reason why schema markup has become important over the years.

Have you noticed how Google is using schema markup to show search results these days, especially for B2B companies? They are making the most of the following to woo users:

  • Answer boxes to help users quickly find answers to their questions.
  • Rich snippets of text that provide deeper insight into the search results.
  • Accelerated mobile page (AMP) results and customer reviews.

B2B websites that are using schema markup tend to have better search engine visibility scores than websites that aren’t using it.

6. Optimize Your B2B Website for Mobile

To connect with a wider audience, optimize your B2B website for mobile. Without a well-thought-through mobile SEO strategy in place, you cannot reach prospective customers who use mobile to search for B2B products/services. Plus, 51% of B2B marketers optimize their website content for mobile to improve SEO so chances are you have competitors who fall into this group.

Need help incorporating these B2B SEO best practices into your business? Contact us today!