Know About the Various Business to Business SEO Strategies

Posted by LUM.NET Internet Strategies on February 27th, 2017

Most companies that have adopted search engine optimization or SEO are business to consumer (B2C) operations in e-commerce environments. However, a growing number of business-to-business (B2B) marketers now recognize the power of search—and they are looking for ways to design, implement, and manage an effective B2B SEO strategy. The key to success is to understand the differences between B2C and B2B optimization and work with an SEO agency that specializes in the latter.  

The ultimate goal of SEO in a B2C scenario is to generate an online sale right away. The aim is to push the website on top of the search engine results so that potential customers can see it and visit the landing page, which is designed to take them quickly through the shopping and checkout process. 

This kind of approach is unrealistic for a majority of business-to-business marketers. In a B2B environment, products or services are rarely ever acquired in an e-commerce scenario. The goal of B2B SEO is not to make an instant sale, but rather, to be included in the short list of considered set of preferred suppliers and eventually be selected as the provider. Conversion in B2B SEO is typically not immediate and may not occur online. When it comes to search engine optimization for B2B companies, getting found online is just the beginning. 

This is why B2B SEO focuses on creating a ‘stickiness’—on prompting visitors to find out more about the company by going deeper into its content. This content needs to be credible to inspire confidence. Landing pages need to be informative and easy to understand, providing links to other pages that also help build trustworthiness and authority. It’s not enough to present product specs. The pages also have to articulate the company’s selling proposition clearly. A good analytics tool is likewise necessary to measure stickiness factors, including the depth and length of visits, how much time a visitor spends on certain pages, number of return visits, etc. 

When you contact a good SEO agency that specializes in B2B SEO, you can expect a site audit. A thorough SEO website audit determines what works and what’s missing in your current website; it will reveal weak links that might be causing you to fall behind your competitors in terms of ranking. The company will then recommend a combination of SEO strategies too can efficiently boost your rankings. They will then implement an ongoing SEO and lead management plan that is customized for your B2B needs. 

About The Author:

Mark Lum is President and Founder of LUM.NET Internet Strategies. Mark leads a team of technical and design professionals to achieve optimal results for LUM.NET's clients. With over 20 years of experience in technology, business management and entrepreneurship, Mark relishes the opportunity to introduce new technology for increased sales and cost efficiency. LUM.NET understands the notion of “man vs machine” when it comes to search engines and he accepts that challenge. Mark has an MBA with a concentration in Strategic IT.