How to Create a B2B SEO Strategy

B2B SEO (search engine optimization) is the process of optimizing a website to improve its visibility and ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs) for relevant keywords and phrases. A strong B2B SEO strategy can help increase website traffic, leads, and ultimately, revenue.

In the end of the day, the deliverable for a B2B SEO strategy is a document that serves as a guide for a company’s SEO program. This article gives some tips and suggests some tools for the research on which the strategy is based as well as the chapter headings and templates for creating a B2B SEO Strategy document.

How to Create a B2B SEO Strategy

The Importance of SEO Strategy

Companies must invest time and energy into building an effective B2B SEO strategy. This task can be accomplished by an in-house digital marketing specialist or can be outsourced to a Digital Marketing Agency. Either way, SEO strategy should be the cornerstone of B2B technology companies marketing programs for several reasons:

Increased Visibility

A well-executed B2B SEO strategy can increase the visibility of a business's website on search engine results pages (SERPs), making it more likely that potential customers will find the website when searching for relevant products or services.

Increased Traffic

By increasing visibility and improving search engine rankings, a B2B SEO strategy can also lead to an increase in website traffic. This can lead to more leads and sales for the business.

Better Targeting

A well-crafted SEO strategy allows for better targeting of your ideal audience, as it helps you understand what keywords and phrases your target market is searching for and how to optimize your website to rank for those terms.

Cost-Effective

Improving search engine rankings through SEO is a cost-effective way to drive traffic to a website and reach new customers, compared to more traditional forms of advertising.

Brand Credibility

A strong SEO presence can also improve brand credibility and authority, as it shows that a business is a reputable and reliable source of information in its industry.

Competitive Edge

Having a strong SEO presence in your industry can give your business a competitive advantage over others in your field.

Now that the goals have been clarified, it’s time to do the underlying research that ultimately determines SEO strategy.

Formulating The SEO Strategy

It is important to first identify the target audience and their search intent. This can be done using online tools such as Google Analytics, SEMrush, and Ahrefs. These tools provide valuable insights into the keywords and phrases that potential customers are searching for, as well as the websites and competitors that are currently ranking for those terms.

Once the target audience and their search intent have been identified, the next step is to optimize the website for those keywords and phrases. This includes on-page optimization, such as incorporating keywords into titles, meta tags, and headings, as well as technical optimization, such as ensuring the website is mobile-friendly and has a fast loading speed.

In addition to on-page and technical optimization, building high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites is also crucial for improving a website's visibility and ranking in SERPs. This can be done through link-building tactics such as guest blogging, broken link-building, and creating shareable content.

As an example, let’s use the KeyScouts SEO strategy template for a company called Acme Cloud Security which sells B2B cloud security services:

Here we can see a topic with its subtopic and three keywords for that subtopic. The purpose of this table is to estimate the potential for each keyword. It all starts with the amount of monthly traffic where there are many tools such as Moz Keyword Explorer, Google Keyword Planner and Semrush for advanced SEO professionals.

Once you know the keyword volume you can extrapolate the potential traffic and leads if you can successfully increase your ranking for your keyword. You should also factor in the difficulty of achieving a good ranking based on competition and budgetary constraints.

This should help determine for which keywords it is worthwhile to rank and what results you can expect from your campaign.  Now that the prerequisite research has been done, we are ready to use this information as the basis for our strategy document. 

Creating a B2B SEO Strategy Doc

Most of the information for the document can be taken directly from the research that was done regarding keywords, web page optimization, backlinks and competitors. Outside of that, there are a number of additional sections that should be included to complete the document. Here are some excerpts from what the Acme Cloud Security SEO document might include:

Executive Summary

This is usually the first section of the document which states the purpose of the strategy and lays out the key tactics. Here is an example of how an executive summary might look for the Acme SEO strategy document:

The goal of the SEO strategy is to improve Acme Cloud Security's online visibility and generate more leads through organic search traffic. To achieve this goal, we recommend the following tactics:

Conduct keyword research to identify high-volume, relevant keywords and phrases that potential customers are using to search for cloud security services.

Optimize the company's website content, including landing pages, blog posts, and other pages, for the identified keywords and phrases. This includes on-page SEO elements such as title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags.

Develop a content marketing plan to create high-quality, relevant, and engaging content that addresses the needs and pain points of the company's target audience. This content can be used to attract backlinks, improve engagement, and generate social media buzz.

Build high-quality backlinks to the company's website from authoritative, relevant, and trusted websites. This can be achieved through outreach, guest posting, and other link-building tactics.

Monitor and analyze website traffic, keyword rankings, and other key performance indicators to identify opportunities for improvement and adjust the SEO strategy as needed.

By implementing these tactics, the cloud security services company can improve its search engine visibility, attract more targeted traffic, and ultimately generate more leads and revenue.

Goals & Objectives

This is usually the second section of the document which clearly states and explains the ultimate objectives of SEO strategy. This is how the Goal & Objectives section might look for a company like Acme Cloud Security:

The primary goal of the SEO strategy for Acme Cloud Security is to increase the visibility of the company's website in search engine results pages (SERPs) for relevant keywords and phrases. The ultimate objective is to drive more organic traffic to the website, which can be converted into leads, prospects, and customers.

To achieve this goal, the SEO strategy will focus on a few key objectives. The first objective will be to conduct comprehensive keyword research to identify the most relevant keywords and phrases that potential customers are using to search for cloud security services. The second objective will be to optimize the website's content and structure for search engines. 

The third objective will be to build high-quality backlinks to the website from authoritative and relevant sources and leverage social media platforms and other digital channels to amplify the reach of the company's content and improve its visibility in search engines.

Finally, the SEO strategy will focus on measuring and reporting on the success of the campaign. This will involve tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) such as organic traffic, keyword rankings, backlink profile, and conversion rates. The SEO strategy will also use data analytics tools to identify areas for improvement and refine the campaign over time

Target Audience

This section ensures that all stakeholders are in agreement regarding the target audience, which might look something like this for Acme Cloud Security:
Our research has determined that the target corporate customers for cloud security services provided by Acme Cloud Security should focus on these specific job titles in specific industries per below:

Job Titles
Chief Information Officer (CIO)
Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
IT Director
IT Security Manager
Compliance Officer
Risk Manager

Industries
Financial Services
Healthcare
Retail and E-commerce
Government
Manufacturing

Our SEO strategy is based on reaching these executives and managers in these industries with our key messages to increase traffic, leads and conversions.

Resources & Timeline

Now that the strategy has been backed up with specific information based on market research, the closing section of the SEO strategy document is usually about the resource and timeline required for implementation. For Acme Cloud Security, the Resources and Timelines might look like this:

Implementing an effective SEO strategy for Acme Cloud Security requires careful planning and execution. The resources and timetable for implementing the strategy are provided below:

• Resources Requirements
  1. SEO Expertise - Implementing an effective SEO strategy requires a deep understanding of the technical and creative aspects of search engine optimization. This can be done in-house if the company has staff with the required expertise or outsourced to an SEO agency.
  2. Keyword Research Tools - Keyword research is a critical part of any SEO strategy. To conduct keyword research effectively, you will need access to keyword research tools such as Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Google Keyword Planner.
  3. Content Creation - Creating high-quality content is an important part of any SEO strategy. This may require hiring additional staff, such as writers or editors, or outsourcing content creation to a freelancer or content agency.
  4. Website Development - The website may need to be updated or optimized to improve its search engine visibility. This may require additional resources from the website development team.

• Estimated Timetable
  Audit and Analysis:  3-4 Weeks
   Before implementing an SEO strategy, it's important to conduct an audit of the website and conduct a competitive analysis to identify areas for improvement. This can take a few weeks to complete.
  Keyword Research: 4-6 Weeks
  Keyword research is an ongoing process, but the initial research can take a few weeks to a month to complete.
  Content Creation: 8-12 weeks + ongoing
  The timeframe for creating new content will depend on the quantity and complexity of the content required. This can take several weeks to several months.
  On-page optimization:  2-3 weeks
  On-page optimization involves updating the website's content, meta tags, and other on-page elements to improve search engine visibility. This can take several weeks to complete.
  Link Building: 12-16 weeks + ongoing
  Building high-quality backlinks is a critical part of any SEO strategy. This can be an ongoing process that may take several months to see results.

In general, implementing this comprehensive SEO strategy for Acme Cloud Security may take several months to a year to see significant results. It's important to emphasize that SEO is an ongoing process, and the strategy will need to be continually refined and updated to stay effective.

Summary

When it comes to digital marketing for tech companies, creating a winning SEO strategy is a must-have. It requires understanding your target audience, determining the relevant keywords and providing compelling content to drive traffic and leads to your website. A strong SEO presence also improves brand credibility and authority, giving your business an advantage over the competition.

Working with an outsourced digital marketing agency with SEO expertise can help increase the chances of success for a B2B technology company's SEO efforts. At KeyScouts, we have the expertise and resources necessary to conduct thorough keyword research, perform technical optimization, and execute a comprehensive SEO strategy.  

Let’s set up a call today to see how we can work together in making your SEO strategy a resounding success.