In BtoB (Business-to-Business) transactions, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) plays a crucial role in boosting website traffic, leading to lead generation and customer acquisition. However, BtoB businesses have distinct characteristics compared to BtoC, necessitating unique SEO approaches.

This article delves into the SEO strategies essential for BtoB companies to thrive.

Understanding BtoB

BtoB refers to transactions between businesses, where one company provides products or services to another, contrasting with BtoC (Business-to-Consumer), which targets individual consumers. 

BtoB transactions involve businesses developing and providing specialized products, services, or solutions for other businesses. Typical examples include suppliers of raw materials, manufacturers, wholesalers, and information technology (IT) service providers.

The BtoB market is characterized by long-term relationships, higher transaction values, and more complex sales processes. Additionally, expertise and technical support often play a crucial role in BtoB business.

BtoB SEO Strategies

How to Do BtoB SEO

BtoB SEO typically involves two main strategies: adjusting your website internally so that product and service pages are found through navigational queries and convert visitors, and using content SEO to capture leads from potential customers through transactional and informational queries.

Particularly in BtoB SEO, a keyword strategy is crucial. The target audience is often specialized, with specific interests in certain industries or roles. Therefore, keyword research and content strategies focus on the expertise and terminology of those industries.

Additionally, the BtoB purchasing process is usually longer and more complex than BtoC. It often involves multiple decision-makers and requires more information. Therefore, an SEO strategy should provide content that addresses each stage of the purchasing process.

BtoB SEO Process

Success in BtoB SEO requires careful selection of keywords, extraction of personas and understanding of customer needs, content SEO, and data analysis for improvement.

The steps for BtoB SEO are as follows;

1.Selecting Target Keywords

2.Extracting Personas

3.Understanding the Customer Journey

4.Creating Content

5.Analyzing Data and Making Improvements

• Selecting Target Keywords 

Firstly, gain a deep understanding of the target industry or customers. It’s crucial to be familiar with the challenges, needs, and specialized terminologies used in that industry or among those customers. Next, use keyword research tools (e.g., Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, SEMRush, etc.) to investigate keywords that the target industry or customers are likely to search for. Utilizing competitor websites and industry expert blogs as references can make it easier to discover appropriate keywords. In BtoB SEO, targeting specific and less competitive long-tail keywords can also be effective.

• Extracting Personas Extracting personas in BtoB SEO aids in understanding customers and setting targets. Personas involve creating fictional profiles of target customers, enabling effective marketing strategies and content creation.

Collect data from existing and potential customers, analyzing their characteristics, needs, and behavior patterns. Data collection methods may include customer interviews, surveys, CRM data, and web analytics.

Identify the roles and responsibilities of decision-makers and influential individuals. This includes their positions, information sought, interests, and methods for solving problems.

Based on the collected information, create one or more personas. Personas should include details such as name, age, gender, occupation, role, responsibilities, goals, challenges, communication styles, and information gathering methods.

Use personas to guide SEO strategies and content creation. Specifically, utilize personas for selecting keywords that the personas would be interested in, deciding on content topics and formats, and optimizing content targeting and delivery methods.

Understanding the Customer Journey

Understanding the customer journey is crucial in BtoB SEO. The customer journey represents the series of steps and touchpoints that customers experience throughout the purchasing process. Since the B2B purchasing process is typically long-term and complex, understanding the customer journey allows you to provide appropriate content at the right time and address customer needs.

Identify and map keywords and content that address customer challenges and needs at each step. This enables you to provide appropriate content throughout the entire customer journey.

Content Creation

Once you’ve grasped personas and the customer journey, it’s time to create content. In BtoB SEO content creation, it’s essential to create content that addresses the needs and challenges of target customers and supports the purchasing process. It’s crucial to convey information clearly and succinctly while using specialized terminology appropriately.

Data Analysis and Improvement

Data analysis and improvement in BtoB SEO are crucial for evaluating and optimizing website and content performance.

Set clear goals for your SEO strategy, such as increasing traffic, acquiring leads, and improving conversion rates.

Utilize data collection tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to gather performance data for your website and content.

Evaluate website and content performance based on collected data, identifying issues and areas for improvement, such as pages with high bounce rates or keywords with low conversion rates.

Based on analysis results, devise and implement specific improvement measures, such as updating or adding content, optimizing internal links, improving metadata, and enhancing page speed.

After implementing improvement measures, measure their effectiveness and provide feedback. Evaluate changes in KPIs and goal achievement, and implement further improvement measures as needed.

Since SEO is an ongoing process, regularly conduct data analysis and improvement to optimize website and content performance. By performing data analysis and improvement, you can maximize the effectiveness of BtoB SEO and enhance website and content performance.

Effective B2B SEO Strategies

Below are specific effective SEO strategies.

• Implementation of industry glossary page content 
• Internal keyword optimization for product names and service pages 
• Content SEO with specialized knowledge 
• Concise and informative whitepapers outlining services 
• Extracting personas from achievements and case studies to target articles 
• Acquiring citations and external links through advertising in industry media

Implementation of Industry Glossary Page Content

In BtoB, there is a high frequency of searches using specialized terminology, and the keywords to target are often highly specialized. Creating and implementing clear and concise page content that summarizes industry-specific terms can be effective in optimizing SEO to appear at the top when users search using industry-specific terms.

Internal Keyword Optimization for Product Names and Service Pages

In addition to content articles, set page titles and meta descriptions for product names and service pages to appear in navigation queries for named searches. Especially for product pages, ensure there is ample information provided rather than having simple pages with just photos and product names.

Reference: What is the Effective Length of Title Tags for SEO? Explanation of Title Creation and Title Tags

Specialized Knowledge Content SEO

In BtoB, the themes of keywords, such as industry-specific terms and industry trends, become more focused. Content SEO values articles based on more specialized expertise. Delivering highly unique specialized information that can only be provided from sales experiences or core expertise through content SEO can be effective. By understanding the challenges and concerns of target customers through competitive analysis and customer interviews, content is created based on relevant keywords.

Concise and Informative Whitepapers Outlining Services

In BtoB, the procurement process often involves multiple decision-makers and is long-term and complex, requiring more information. Therefore, having whitepapers makes it easier for the ordering company to share service information internally and facilitates approval from superiors. 

Utilize content such as whitepapers, e-books, and webinars in conjunction with SEO strategies. Providing content tailored to each stage of the purchasing process is essential.

Extracting Personas from Achievements and Case Studies to Target Articles

In B2B, the target customers are more unique compared to BtoC, requiring distinct targeting. Extracting personas from actual customers who have purchased products or services and implementing helpful content articles targeted at them can be effective. For example, if the companies that have implemented the product are food manufacturers, creating articles promoting the services of products implemented for food manufacturers or detailing achievements and case studies can contribute to an increased conversion rate.

Gaining Citations and External Links through Industry Media Placements

To achieve high rankings in SEO, external links and citations are essential. For BtoB companies, natural link acquisition is desirable through collaborations with industry associations, media, experts, guest article submissions, and participation in industry events.

Summary 

BtoB SEO is one of the vital marketing strategies aimed at improving lead generation for business-to-business transactions. It involves understanding the needs and challenges of target customers and decision-makers, selecting keywords for the BtoB market, grasping each step and touchpoint of the BtoB purchasing process, and providing content tailored to customer needs. BtoB SEO particularly focuses on specialized terms, so consider implementing the strategies outlined in this article for your BtoB SEO efforts.

Author Profile

International Web Consultant Paveena Suphawet

A trilingual professional in English, Thai, and Japanese, she has numerous achievements in international SEO. She studied the latest IT technologies at Assumption International University, Thailand, and majored in International Business at the University of Greenwich, UK. Following her tenure at ExxonMobil’s Thai branch, she became a key member of Admano from its establishment.

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