Alex MacLennan, Digital Planner, KMP Digitataalex@kmp.co.uk | @Alex_MacLennan 13 September 2010

B2B SEO Strategy

. . .Why you need to apply SEO tactics to your online content.

What is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)The process of increasing the visibility of web content inthe Search Engine (S.E) natural listings

40% of searches believe the companies with a high rank are thebest in their field

The ultimate goal of SEO is to generate a sale

The process involved in achieving this goal for B2B companiesdiffers from B2C

To be successful it’s important to understand these differences

B2C Sales Process Through SEO

Customer has a specific product / service in mind

Find a high ranking site in the S.E results

Navigate quickly from Landing page, through the sites

sales channel, to a checkout

Home Page

Product Page

Add to Cart

Checkout

B2B Sales Process Through SEO

Getting found is only the start

You are not looking to make an immediate sale

Goal of the customer is to initially research who will make

the consideration set

Your goal is to ensure your visibility at every point of this

research process

Common B2B SEO Objections

1)People can find us, just type our name into Google

2) I don’t care where we rank in the Search Engines

3)We don’t need to be there, we don’t sell anything through our website.

4)We already know who our customers are

5)Our customers already know who we are

Hours Spent Online

The majority of businesses spend over 4 hours a day online, so it is vital your

business is where your prospects are looking

29%

12% 14%19% 19%

8%

5+ Hours

4-5 Hours

3-4 Hours

2-3 Hours

1-2 Hours

<1 Hour

S.E as 1st Online Interaction Vs Purchase Time

It doesn’t matter how much or how long the purchase process is, the majority

of people are going to the S.E first

70% 73%62% 60% 64%

57%67%

Same DayWeek/TwoMonth2-3 Month4-6 Month7-9 Month9-12 Month

When S.E Use Occurs

Over 75% will either use the S.E to draw up a list of suppliers or compare to ones they already

know.

You need to be visible, by the time you realise you prospects are in the market, it could be too late

46%

30%

11% 12%

Little Knowledge

Looking forComparison

Looking for Review

Looking to Buy

Section of Results Page 1st Scanned

The majority of people look to the Organic listings, so although PPC will give

you a presence, it wont necessarily give you the business

62%

20% 14%4%

Trad. Organic

Alt, Organic

Top Paid

Side Paid

Type of Results 1st Clicked

Customers not only look to Organic first , they are also the first ones theyclick on

62%

20% 14%4%

Trad. Organic

Alt, Organic

Top Paid

Side Paid

B2B SEO Tactics & Strategies

When developing your SEO strategy there are 4 key areas

you need to focus your effort on

• Audience – Who are you selling too?

• Keywords – Are you being found by the right people at the right time?

• Content – What does your collateral say about you?

• Community - Are people linking to you?

Engage With Your Audience

Your audience is not confined to 1 person

Your site needs to be able to engage different people

within different departments who require differentInformation

You need to sell the solution not the aesthetic beauty of

your product

Engage With Your Audience

Your audience is not confined to 1 person

• The Economic Buyer• The Technical Buyer• The User Buyer• The Coach Buyer

Your site needs to be able to engage different peoplewithin different departments who require differentInformation

You need to sell the solution not the aesthetic beauty ofyour product

The Economic BuyerLooking for information on price, maintenance costs etc

The Technical BuyerLooking for information about maintenance, installation, parts etc

The User BuyerLooking for information on what the product can do, what

support isavailable, why this is the best for them

The Coach BuyerThis is the Manager with influence so need information to stress

howindispensible your product is to their company

Carefully Select Your Search Terms (S.T)What am I talking about today?

B2B SEO?B2B Search Engine Optimisation?Business to Business SEOBtoB SEOBtoB Search Engine Optimisation

Consider the different influencers and the S.T they are

likely to use at each stage of the buying process

Don’t focus on the keywords that are important to you,

think about what your prospect will be using

Be aware that people search for solutions, problems and

fixes, not always products

Quantity isn’t necessarily king

Search Term Tips

If you run PPC campaigns use your Analytics to identifythe phases people are clicking through with (there’s anAdWords report that will give you this information)

Review competitor content

Use Social Media monitoring tools to identify tags andphrases

Speak to your clients, find out how they would describeyour business and offerings

Release All Your Content

Never before has web content needed to influence the S.E

and user in equal measure

You need to establish a confidence and your credentials

through copy and content

Needs to engage the audience at every level

Ensure all your content can be indexed by the S.E’s

Landing Pages

Each page of your site could be a possible entry point and

needs to be treated as such

Revisit your title tags to ensure they contain the relevant

Keywords and are matched by the on-page copy Ensure Heading contain the keyword

Internal links directing the user to further content

Alternative Collateral

• Video

• Pdf’s

• White Papers

• Press Releases

Blogs

A blog serves as another touchpoint for your brand

Lets the customer hear what you think and see yourpersonality

Host on a separate platform

Make sure Blog Home page only contains an excerpt from

each post

Blended Search Results

Get Others to Link to You

Less linking opportunities than in b2c

Don’t be scared to share your knowledge

Invest in video and create collateral that solves a problem

Engage in forums

Blog about your niche and share news and link-worthy content

Submit articles to reputable Article Distribution sites

Take-Aways

B2B SEO needs a strategic role within any marketing plan

Ensure that you meet your prospects exactly when they are formingthe intent to buy and subsequently throughout each point of the buying

cycle

The Key is a complete understanding of your customers, their needs and their

likely actions as they search for solutions

You need to create a “Culture of SEO” within each of your departments toensure all content is driving your online presence and business towards thesame goal

No matter how big or small your company, constant exposure on the S.E will

make you look like the industry leader

Thank You