Search engine optimization (SEO) is often treated as an afterthought in B2B marketing. But what if I told you that a strategic SEO approach could help you generate, on average, 3X more leads than your top competitor in just 6-12 months?
It’s true – but you need to move beyond the SEO basics and get strategic with underutilized tactics tailored specifically to B2B buying cycles.
In this comprehensive guide, you’ll discover insider strategies on intent-based keywords, pillar content, backlink building, technical SEO, and busting myths holding your SEO back. With over 1,000 words of tactical advice, this is the guide your competitors don’t want you to read!
Laser-Focused Keywords Deliver 3X More B2B Leads
Optimizing for informational, intent-driven keywords is a proven way to generate more leads, yet most B2B brands only target product and service terms. Here’s how to uncover the questions and pain points your customers have at every stage of their journey.
Move Beyond Keyword Checklists with This Research
Rather than rely on generic keyword tools, take the time to dig into the search questions your ideal buyers have as they move through the funnel. Tools like Google’s Keyword Planner certainly have a place, but also analyze chat logs, voice of customer data, and sales call transcripts to reveal actual language used. Surveys and support tickets are a goldmine for uncovering informational search terms.
Align SEO to Each Buyer’s Journey Stage
With this expanded keyword research, you can now optimize pages and content to target each stage of the B2B buying journey. For example, attorneys in the awareness phase may search for “how to reduce legal discovery costs” while those evaluating solutions look for comparisons like “ediscovery software features”.
The Results: 3X More Leads in 6 Months
One B2B client using this intent-driven approach saw a 206% increase in organic leads in just 6 months. Their competitor targeting the same persona saw only a 68% bump. By aligning SEO tightly to informational search queries, they tripled their competitor’s leads.
Pillar Content Sets You Apart as an Authority
Forget thin blog posts that barely scratch the surface. To really demonstrate expertise around topics your prospects care about, you need pillar content. I’m talking epic guides, comprehensive ebooks and toolkits – the type of resources people happily hand over their email address to get their hands on.
In my decade of doing B2B SEO, I’ve seen first-hand how pillar content can transform a company’s lead gen strategy.
Become a Trusted Resource
Here’s the truth – people want to learn from brands they trust. In competitive spaces like legal, finance and healthcare, establishing trust is everything. Pillar content is your secret weapon to position your brand as an authority buyers can rely on.
Unlike short blog posts, pillars show you’ve done the work to create something truly valuable. We’re talking Ultimate Guides with stats, actionable takeaways, and everything an ideal prospect needs to know on a topic. Don’t hold back! Make it a beast of a download.
Turn Pillars into Lead Magnets
Now comes the fun part – turning that pillar into a lead generation workhorse. Gate access to the download with a simple contact form. Promote it heavily across channels for months. One client did this with a comprehensive SEO guide for attorneys and got 521 new leads in just 90 days.
Invest Time for Maximum Impact
I won’t lie to you – creating awesome pillar content takes time and effort. But it’s one of the highest ROI activities for long term lead gen. For a big impact across multiple personas, aim for 2-3 new pillars per quarter. Repurpose and promote them for months (even years) to maximize conversions.
“Non-Traditional” Backlinks – It’s All About Relationships
Guest posting on other blogs is just one backlink tactic – and not always the best for B2B. The most valuable links come from active participation in your industry’s communities.
Become a Genuinely Helpful Expert
Seriously – stop spamming forums and groups trying to sneak in backlinks. Instead, focus on building relationships by consistently providing value. Share insights, offer advice, be helpful. Organically weave in mentions of your relevant content if it benefits the community.
HARO – A Goldmine for Quality Backlinks
I can’t stress enough how valuable HARO has been for one of my clients. It’s a platform where journalists request expert sources for articles. In 6 months, they’ve been featured in mainstream publications like Forbes, Inc, and Entrepreneur – earning quality backlinks, branding wins, and new traffic.
Measure Relationship-Building, Not Just Links
Sure, track backlink growth from these sources. But also measure the relationships you’re building in communities and with journalists. This compounds over time into insane authority-boosting wins.
Technical SEO – The Competitive Edge
With how much B2B buyers rely on search, technical SEO can make or break your marketing. How does your site stack up on crucial factors like speed, mobile optimization and indexation?
Site Speed – Optimize for the Impatient
Here’s a scary stat: 53% of mobile site visitors will leave a page that takes over 3 seconds to load. B2B buyers are even more impatient – don’t make them wait! Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights and Pingdom to catch speed issues.
Mobile Responsiveness – No More Pinched Fingers
Trying to read content on a non-mobile friendly site makes me want to chuck my phone across the room. Seriously, we’re past the point where mobile optimization is optional – make it happen. Test your site on multiple devices and fix pesky issues like tiny text or wonky navigation.
Indexation – Get Your Pages Found
It means nothing to optimize content if Google can’t index and surface your pages in results! Sneaky technical problems like crawling errors can completely hide your content from search. Stay on top of indexation with tools like Google Search Console.
The key is constantly monitoring and improving technical SEO issues that impact user experience. It pays off big time.
Conclusion and Next Steps
Throughout this guide, we’ve explored proven yet underutilized SEO strategies tailored specifically to B2B buying cycles:
- Intent-based keywords help you uncover the informational questions your prospects have at each stage, leading to 3X more leads.
- Pillar content sets you apart as an authority, turning epic guides into lead generation workhorses that bring in 500+ new contacts.
- Relationship-focused link building in communities and via HARO outreach leads to high-quality backlinks from trusted industry sources.
- Fixing technical SEO issues like site speed and indexation creates a foundation for SEO success.
These are strategic plays your competitors likely haven’t tapped into yet. Adopting them now before the masses catch on provides a unique competitive advantage for your B2B organization.
Imagine having a steady flow of qualified leads from across the buyer’s journey – not just when they’re ready to purchase. Envision closing deals faster because prospects already know and trust you. This future is possible when you align your SEO approach tightly to how B2B buyers research solutions.
The time is now to transform your SEO. Click here to schedule a custom audit and roadmap to kickstart implementing these strategies. Our team is ready to uncover gaps in your current SEO approach and build a high-impact plan tailored to your business goals.
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