B2B SEO STRATEGY FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

B2B SEO Strategy For Small Businesses

create a winning B2B seo strategy

INTRODUCTION

Are you a small business trying to make a big impact in the digital landscape? With the right B2B SEO strategies, you can outrank your competitors and attract more valuable traffic.

When it comes to B2B SEO, it’s important to remember that quality trumps quantity. Gone are the days of keyword stuffing and spammy link-building. Instead, search engines now prioritise user experience and relevant, high-quality content.

Google’s new Search Generative Experience (SGE) is on the cusp of being rolled out, so this article aims to help you adapt your B2B SEO Strategy so that it aligns to Google’s new AI search engine algorithms. Getting started now will set you apart from the competition!

We’ll show you how to optimise your website, create compelling content, and build authoritative backlinks that will impress both Google and potential customers.

From conducting thorough keyword research to fine-tuning your on-page optimisation, we’ll provide practical tips and insights to elevate your SEO game in 2024 and ensure your small business doesn’t get lost in the online noise.

So, get ready to take your B2B SEO to the next level and start reaping the rewards of a well-optimised digital presence!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Focus on long-form content and structured data markup. Long-form content is better for ranking in Google’s new Search Generative Experience (SGE), and structured data markup can help Google better understand your content and rank it higher.
  • Personalise your content and marketing efforts. Google is delivering a much more personalised search experience for users, so you need to tailor your content and marketing efforts to reach your target audience.
  • Build backlinks from reputable sources. Backlinks are one of the most important ranking factors for B2B businesses. Guest blogging, participating in industry events, and submitting press releases are all great ways to build backlinks.
  • Track and measure your results. It’s important to track your SEO performance so that you can make sure you’re on the right track. Use tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics to track your rankings, traffic, and conversions.

What is B2B SEO?

B2B SEO or business-to-business search engine optimisation, is the practice of optimising a website to improve its visibility and organic search rankings for B2B-related keywords and phrases.

Unlike B2C SEO, which focuses on consumer-facing businesses, B2B SEO targets businesses that sell products or services to other businesses.

Creating an effective B2B SEO strategy that is optimised for AI search is going to be one of the best investments you can make in 2024.

What are the benefits of SEO for small businesses?

SEO is a powerful tool for small businesses to level the playing field and compete with larger, more established companies.

By investing in SEO, small businesses can increase their online visibility, drive targeted traffic to their website, and generate high-quality leads.

According to recent studies, 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine, and 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results.

This means that if your website is not ranking well on search engine results pages (SERPs), you’re missing out on valuable opportunities to connect with potential customers.

Additionally, B2B buyers are becoming more reliant on digital channels to research and evaluate vendors. A strong online presence is crucial in establishing credibility and trust with potential buyers.

People do business with brands they trust

By implementing an effective B2B SEO strategy, you can position your small business as an industry leader which will help to build trust with your target audience.

What to focus on for a B2B SEO Strategy in 2024

What to focus on for B2B SEO in 2024

The Search Generative Experience (SGE) is a new search technology that aims to provide more comprehensive and informative results for users. It does this by understanding the intent behind a search query and providing a more contextual response. This is the first AI-Search Engine and its due to be launched by Google early 2024.

For B2B businesses, this means that the SGE is more likely to surface results that are relevant to the specific needs of a business user, such as product information, case studies, and industry insights.

1. Prioritise experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T)

The SGE places a strong emphasis on E-E-A-T, which are the three key factors that Google uses to assess the quality and credibility of a website.

Businesses can demonstrate E-E-A-T by creating high-quality content that is relevant to their target audience, building backlinks from reputable sources, and establishing themselves as thought leaders in their industry.

2. Focus on long-form content

The SGE is better at understanding and evaluating long-form content, which means that it is more likely to reward websites for creating in-depth and informative articles, blog posts, and whitepapers.
This is a great opportunity for B2B businesses to showcase their expertise and establish themselves as thought leaders in their industry.

3. Increase content visibility with structured data markup

Structured data markup is a type of code that can be added to a website to provide search engines with more information about the content of a page. This can help the SGE to better understand the intent behind a search query and surface more relevant results.

There are several types of schema markup that are useful for B2B websites. Here are a few of the most important:
Product schema: This markup tells search engines about the products you sell. It can help your products to appear in rich snippets, which are special boxes in search results that give more information about a product. For example, a rich snippet for a product might include the product’s price, rating, and availability.

Event schema: This markup tells search engines about events that you are hosting. It can help your events to appear in search results and on Google Maps. For example, an event schema markup might include the event’s name, date, time, location, and description.

Organisation schema: This markup tells search engines about your company. It can help your company to appear in search results and on Google Maps. For example, an organisation schema markup might include your company’s name, address, phone number, website, and contact information.

LocalBusiness schema: This markup can be used to enhance the presentation of local businesses in search results and Google maps. It provides search engines with more information about a local business, such as its name, address, phone number, website, and hours of operation. This information can be used to create richer and more informative search results, which can lead to increased visibility and engagement for local businesses.

In addition to these general types of schema markup, there are also several more specific types of schema markup that can be useful for B2B websites.

For example, there is schema markup for:

Job postings: This markup tells search engines about job openings that you have. It can help your job postings to appear in search results.

Case studies: This markup tells search engines about case studies that you have written. It can help your case studies to appear in search results and on Google Maps.

Blog posts: This markup tells search engines about blog posts that you have written. It can help your blog posts to appear in search results.

Using schema markup can help improve your SEO and help your B2B website to appear more prominently in search results, and it can also give your website a more professional look. If you are not familiar with schema markup, you can use a tool like Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper to generate the markup for your website.

4. Step up your local search visibility

Even though the SGE is a global search technology, it is still important for B2B businesses to focus on local SEO techniques.

This includes optimising your website for local keywords, including creating an optimised Google Business profile, building local citations, and encouraging positive local reviews.

You can read more about Local SEO strategies in our latest article.

5. Personalise the user experience

Google will be delivering a much more personalised search experience for users, based on their search history and location. This means that you will need to tailor your content and marketing efforts to ensure it connects with your target audience and fosters lasting relationships.

You can do this by:

  • Researching your audience to understand their needs, interests, pain points and buying behaviours.
  • Segment your audience into smaller, more targeted segments based on factors like industry, job title, location and specific needs. This allows you to create more relevant and personalised content for each segment.
  • Utilise website analytics tools to track user behavior, such as page views, engagement metrics and conversion rates. This data can reveal user preferences and interests, which can be used to personalise content recommendations.
  • Personalise your website content by dynamically adjusting the content based on user actions and preferences. For example, show different case studies based on the user’s industry or job title.
  • Utilise AI-powered tools that can generate personalised content suggestions and create tailored content at scale without the needs for extensive manual effort.
  • Personalise landing pages for each audience segment. Tailor the messaging, product/service offerings, and calls-to-action to resonate with the specific interests of each group.
  • Incorporate user-generated content such as testimonials, case studies and reviews to personalise the overall user experience. This demonstrates social proof and builds trust with potential customers.
  • Personalised customer support experiences based on user preferences, past interactions and known issues will demonstrate attentiveness and fosters customer loyalty.

6. Track and measure results

It is important to track and measure the results of your B2B SEO efforts to ensure that you are making progress and optimising your strategy accordingly.

Google provides a number of tools that can be used to track SEO performance, such as Google Search Console and Google Analytics.

By focusing on these key areas, small businesses can create a B2B SEO strategy that is optimised for the new SGE and helps them to reach their target audience and achieve their business goals.

Top Tips **

  • Create a content marketing plan that focuses on long-form content that is relevant to your target audience.
  • Build backlinks from reputable sources by guest blogging, participating in industry events, and submitting press releases.
  • Establish yourself as a thought leader by writing articles, blog posts, and whitepapers that are published on industry-specific websites.
  • Leverage social media to promote your content and build relationships with potential customers and partners.
  • Utilise paid advertising to reach a wider audience and drive traffic to your website.
  • Monitor your SEO performance and make adjustments to your strategy as needed.

The B2B SEO Strategy Roadmap

B2B SEO Strategy Roadmap for small businesses infographic

Phase 1: Foundation

1. Conduct a thorough SEO audit

Analyse your website’s current SEO health, identifying areas for improvement such as technical issues, content quality, and keyword optimisation.

2. Conduct comprehensive keyword research analysis

Identify relevant and high-value keywords that align with your B2B business’s target audience and industry.

3. Analyse your competition

Find out how much authority your competitors have, what keywords they rank for and how much traffic they generate.

Phase 2: On-site Optimisation

4. Resolve any technical SEO issues

Work through any issues that were identified in the SEO audit such as broken links, Error 404s and broken javascript or CSS files to ensure your site is error-free and has good pagespeed scores.

5. Optimise your website’s on-page SEO

Ensure that your website’s title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, and image alt tags are optimised for the keywords you identified in your keyword research to be your ‘best opportunity’ keywords.

Phase 3: Content Creation

6. Develop a content marketing plan

Create a content strategy that focuses on creating valuable, informative, and relevant content that addresses the pain points and interests of your B2B target audience. Check out Google’s E-E-A-T content Guidelines to ensure your content ticks all the boxes and is the best it can be.

7. Prioritise long-form content

Focus on creating in-depth and insightful articles, blog posts, and whitepapers that showcase your expertise and establish you as a thought leader in your industry.

8. Utilise structured data markup

Implement structured data markup to provide search engines with more context about your content, enabling them to better understand and rank your website.

9. Optimise for local SEO

If your B2B business is targeting a local audience, optimise your website and content for local keywords to attract more local customers. If you are targeting multiple locations, add location-specific pages that provide useful information for users in that particular location.

10. Build a strong backlink profile

Acquire high-quality backlinks from reputable websites to boost your website’s authority in search engine results.

11. Engage with your target audience

Actively participate in industry forums, online communities, and social media groups to connect with potential B2B customers and establish your brand’s presence.

12. Leverage social media marketing

Utilise social media platforms to promote your content, engage with your audience, and attract more organic traffic to your website. LinkedIn is a great place to start!

13. Implement email marketing campaigns

Build a targeted email list and engage in regular email marketing campaigns to nurture leads, promote your content, and drive website traffic.

14. Implement paid ad campaigns

A paid search or social campaign can work well alongside your SEO strategy to expand your organic reach and attract more targeted traffic to your website.

Phase 5: Monitoring and Analysis

15. Track SEO performance

Regularly monitor your website’s SEO performance using analytics tools such as Google Search Console and Google Analytics to identify areas for improvement.

16. Analyse keyword rankings

Track your website’s rankings for relevant keywords to understand your progress and make data-driven decisions to optimise your SEO strategy.

17. Measure user engagement

Analyse user engagement metrics such as engagement rate, time on page, and conversions to assess the effectiveness of your SEO efforts.

18. Adapt to algorithm changes

Stay informed about changes to search engine algorithms and adapt your SEO strategies accordingly to ensure continued success.

The Wrap Up

In today’s competitive business landscape, B2B SEO is a crucial tool for small businesses to thrive.

By implementing the strategies outlined in this article, small businesses can effectively optimise their websites and content to attract more organic traffic, generate leads, and achieve their business goals.

DIG DEEPER INTO SEO

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B2B SEO Strategy for Small Businesses
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B2B SEO Strategy for Small Businesses
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Are you a small business trying to make a big impact on the digital landscape? With the right B2B SEO Strategy you can outrank your competitors.
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Whizz Marketing Services
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