Don’t Make These B2B SEO Errors
This article was published on March 15, 2013
Categorized in: B2B Digital Marketing, SEO
While the overall approach to SEO may be similar for B2Cs and B2Bs, B2B SEO often takes additional care since the sales cycle is that much longer. B2C customers make decisions much more quickly, especially if the product is relatively inexpensive. B2B decisions affect an entire organization and therefore the product or service needs to be a perfect fit. Since business decision makers are turning to the search engines to find products and services, a B2B SEO campaign is necessary for every B2B company that has a website.
Because B2B SEO is so crucial, it’s important to avoid the following errors:
Using the wrong keywords
A common error that B2Bs make is assuming that their prospects know the industry like they do. Sure, you might be speaking to a sophisticated audience but that still doesn’t mean that they get the lingo or would use industry jargon to find what you have to offer in the search engines. We’re not recommending “dumbing down” your content or keywords at all, but not all prospects are going to be familiar with the terminology. You don’t want to overemphasize the branded names of products without explaining what they do using terminology that buyers will be more likely to use when searching.
Having a site that isn’t search engine friendly
The user experience of a site is extremely important, but you also need to keep the search engine spiders in mind during the web development process as well. Web developers aren’t usually SEO experts and SEO tends to be an afterthought. B2B website content needs to be readable by the search engines in order for it to get indexed. For example, with sites that are Flash heavy, certain important content can’t be seen by the search spider.
Having a static website
There is often a long B2B buying cycle. A visitor to your website isn’t going to convert right then and there, which is more common with B2C sites with an e-commerce component. Prospects may visit your site many times before they fill out that lead form. If there is always new content there for them to see, it will keep them engaged and could help with the decision making. Often the businesses that are the most transparent and publish the most content are the ones that are getting the business these days. A blog that is frequently updated is always recommended for a B2B site. In addition, PDFs, whitepapers, press releases, webinars, case studies, etc. can also attract search engine attention and keep the visitor informed.
Not branching out with content
Fresh content on your site is great for SEO efforts, but you will also need to look for opportunities to publish content on other sites too. Establish relationships with others in the industry and get your content noticed. It’s OK to reach out and ask for a guest posting opportunity as long as you have devised a smart pitch for the website/blog owner. The worst that they can say is no.
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About the Author: Brick Marketing President, Nick Stamoulis
Nick Stamoulis is a digital marketing expert and President of Brick Marketing. With 25+ years experience, he specializes in solving complex digital marketing challenges through SEO, content marketing, social media, PPC, email marketing, SEO for AI (GEO) and conversion optimization.
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