We need to have a frank discussion if you’ve ever said, or thought, something along these lines:
“We don’t need SEO. Nobody searches for what we do. They find us from speaking, referrals, and exhibiting.”
Really? Take a minute to think about what happens after you give a talk or get a referral.
Unless you’re pinning down those prospects and getting them to sign contracts the moment you meet them, that person is going to vet your company online. They’ll start with a Google search. Will they find an information-rich website that loads quickly and reaffirms the image of you as a credible company to work with?
Plus, when you don’t add SEO to your B2B lead generation strategies, you give away business to your competitors.
Here’s why.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU IGNORE SEO
Your prospect has a problem
When you defined your B2B target market, you outlined the problems and trigger events that cause your prospects to engage your business. To you, the solution is obvious – the services you provide!
Solutions won’t always be immediately clear to your prospect
They might not know your company exists, or could only be gaining awareness of the full scope of their issue.
They turn to Google
In this early information-gathering stage, your prospect isn’t ready to talk to you. They’re figuring out their options. So, they do what all of us do when we want to know more: turn to Google and type words and phrases related to their problem into the search bar.
Your competitor’s webpages fill the page 1 results
Since you chose not to add SEO to your B2B lead generation strategy, you don’t show up on page 1. Instead, your SEO-focused competitors filled their solution pages and blog posts with keywords related to prospects’ search habits. These are the webpages your prospect sees on page 1 as they explore their options.
You Can’t Buy Your Way to the Top
Read: Why Google Ads and PPC Aren’t a Lead Generation Strategy
75% of searchers never leave page 1
If you aren’t on page 1, you don’t exist to a prospect.
One company really grabs their attention
What happens next depends on where the prospect is in their Buyer’s Journey.
HOW SEO FITS IN THE NEW BUYER’S JOURNEY
Action: Addressing an immediate need
The authoritative content on the site convinced your prospect this company possesses the expertise to solve their problem and will be a reliable business partner. The prospect fills out the Contact Us form or picks up the phone and calls your competitor.
Interest/Desire: Evaluating options
Your prospect realizes they have a problem, but are still in the process of answering “What’s my next step?” They don’t reach out directly to your competitor. Instead, they give up their name and email address to download an insightful resource.
From there, they get placed into a nurturing email campaign. Eventually your prospect reaches out to your competitor because they stayed top of mind.
Awareness/Interest: Gathering information
It’s dawning on your prospect that there’s something wrong. They’re struggling, but don’t know why or how to fix it. They’re looking for basic advice and consume your competitor’s helpful blog posts on the topic. Your prospect starts to favorably view them as the authority on the topic and returns to them for advice until they’re ready to act.
YOUR COMPETITORS AREN’T ON PAGE 1 BECAUSE THEY WROTE A FEW BLOGS
SEO-friendly content development is a piece of the SEO puzzle. It’s not the full picture. Webpages that make it to page 1 earned it.
Along with writing compelling content, here’s a small sample of what it takes.
When Google zigs, you zig
Google tweaks its algorithm constantly. Your results will nosedive if your strategy zags while Google zigs. You have to follow the updates, step for step.
Penguin, BERT, Core
To most people, that’s a random, nonsensical list. SEO experts know each corresponds to a major Google algorithm update. If you don’t want to track what Google’s up to, partner with a digital marketing firm like KLA Group that optimizes all their web work for SEO.
Choose impactful keywords
You might think that because you offer packages built around Microsoft 365, you should choose this as a keyword. That’s a game you can’t win. Microsoft dominates that search space. You want to find another way in.
Really, you’re looking for a sweet spot
You’re trying to hit on keywords that:
- Relate to your solutions
- Match the search intent of your prospects
- Have a decent search volume
SEO keyword research is a time-consuming process that our SEO clients are happy to hand over to us.
Credible backlinks
When an external site links to one of your pages, it’s a backlink. Your ideal backlink is from a reputable site because it signals to Google that you’re also a trustworthy authority and can help improve your SEO rankings.
Backlinks don’t “just happen”
There’s an entire process to build credible backlinks for a site.
Listings in online directories
Appearing in relevant local and industry-specific directories helps prospects find you. Like backlinks, you won’t magically appear in directories, you have to be proactive to get listed.
Consistent digital footprint
Your website isn’t the only online space you occupy. You have social profiles and a Google My Business listing, you’re in directories, and are reviewed by clients and partners. If you or another leader at the company is a subject matter expert, you’ve likely written articles, appeared on podcasts, or spoken at events.
Confuse and lose
Businesses aren’t static. People leave. You change addresses, get a new phone number, open another location. When your information isn’t consistent across your digital footprint, Google sees that as an issue because you’re confusing people who search for your services.
Maintain a high health score
Google cares about every element of your website – not just the written words. You’ll earn high marks for responsive design and quick load times. You get dinged for a site that isn’t accessible, is riddled with errors, or takes ages to load.
Webpages can be fragile, get a pro to monitor your site health for you
We’re regularly checking in on how our clients’ sites are doing. If an error pops up, we fix it before it does lasting, negative impact to their score.
STILL THINK YOU DON’T NEED SEO?
SEO stands for so much more than articles or optimized web content. It’s deeply integrated into the modern Buyer’s Journey. SEO is technical, on-page, off-page, and best managed by the experts at KLA Group.
Why businesses partner with KLA Group for SEO
“Our organic website traffic has gone up significantly since we started working together. We know KLA’s focus on our SEO is driving it. Our sales team is very happy!”
— IT Managed Services Provider
Your prospects are Googling
We think you should be the provider they find and want to work with.