Top reasons why B2B companies invest in SEO

Companies are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to attract more business their way and increase revenue. However, with such a high level of competition and the wide expanse of the digital community, there are plenty of wrong turns that a business can take. Whether you are marketing to customers or other businesses, gaining top rankings on search results for keywords relevant for your business is an essential way to ensure long-term organic traffic and the growth of your brand. Professional SEO agencies can testify to the importance that optimization can play in growing an online business. In this article, we take a look at some vital reasons why B2B companies invest in SEO and the statistics that go along with it.

Why should B2B brands invest in digital marketing solutions?

Consumerism has shifted in the past decade, transitioning from the traditional buying process to a full-on digital experience with online shopping. The same principle applies to both individuals and companies. And so, we come across the notion of conversational marketing, where both B2C and B2B brands connect with website visitors on a more personal level. Websites are no longer the product/services showrooms absent of engagement with site visitors. Instead, consumers are looking to make educated choices when buying products or services. Digital marketing introduces three very important ways for businesses to impact online users:

1. Modern marketing is oriented towards engaging with customers through content and user experience on websites.
2. Great way to monitor, analyze & improve advertising campaigns and choose new channels to promote.
3. Due to the current COVID-19 crisis, a lot of businesses are forced to operate remotely. This puts the spotlight on promoting your products/services via online channels.

Digital marketing agencies have an important role to play in the world as it is, helping individuals and businesses connect with customers on a global scale. And that is not a journey that one can make overnight. Instead, businesses need to take a holistic and systematic approach to find the perfect way to grow their online presence and brand. That is where the notion of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) comes into play.

10 reasons why B2B companies invest in SEO

Whereas developing a website or investing in paid advertising offers a tangible impact on the promotion of your business, SEO differs. With SEO strategies, you get a digital marketing approach that takes time to provide visible results and one that you can’t force your way through. That is why there are still many B2B companies that are reluctant to invest in SEO agencies or in-house SEO teams. However, we have here a very simple list of reasons that argue the benefits of investing in SEO that B2B companies can appreciate:

#1: SEO increases your website traffic

Website traffic is a necessary step in generating leads and converting them into customers. However, in order to attract crowds of online users to your website, you first need a proper SEO strategy in place. By optimizing a website in terms of user experience, page loading speed, content, backlinks, etc. – a B2B company can provide site visitors with the value they search for. And SEO ensure that your efforts won’t simply disappear overnight. Instead, you will be able to secure long-term lead generation based on the traffic that your website will receive.

#2: Top search results rankings are the primary sources of website traffic

In order to secure organic traffic for your website, you first need to tap into the primary source – search engine results pages (SERPs). By investing resources and time in on-page and off-page optimization, you can provide your website with the juice it needs for both search engine bots and online users to recognize it as an authority. Investing in paid advertising, referrals, social media, and email marketing campaigns to promote your business will offer traffic, but it won’t be enough to put your brand on the map. One of the reasons why B2B companies invest in SEO is because the traffic from ranking high on search results pages offers a constant flow of traffic.

#3: Good B2B company SEO simplifies the sales process

The role of developing a good SEO strategy goes beyond simply getting people to notice your website. By ranking high for keywords and phrases that people search for, you are already engaging with potential clients. When it comes to B2B companies, you are not targeting anyone out there but are focusing on quality leads that will want the opportunity to purchase products or pay for your services.

And so, by your website popping up on top positions online, you are already starting the sales process, making it simpler and shorter. SEO efforts will ensure that your site visitors get all the relevant information they need to determine whether or not to reach out and convert.

#4: It builds trust and credibility for your brand

People have learned to rely on search engines and the answers they provide them with. By investing in SEO, B2B companies are already taking their brand to the next level, making it more competitive and valuable in the eyes of customers. This results in making that leap toward developing your brand by enriching it with trust and credibility, not only from other users but also from Google. And people love to put their trust in Google.

#5: Most consumers do their homework before making a purchase

With a growing number of online users and the overall percentage of digital consumerism on the rise, people are much more aware of their many choices. Customers are no longer limited to dealing with businesses in their area but can discover B2B companies on a national or global scale with a single search.

And with such a large pool of companies to choose from, they are willing to take their time and weigh all the options put before them before making the call to buy. However, having that top position on search results provides customers with the added dose of assurance they need to make their final decision. When B2B companies invest in SEO, they invest in the opportunity to rank higher than the competition, making it easier for customers to choose their business of others.

#6: Properly implemented SEO strategies offer a better user experience

Other businesses are a much tougher sell to make than your everyday consumers. As a company, you have an understanding of the values that you want to offer others, which is why you are inclined to find those qualities in other websites. That is why the user experience a website offers plays such a crucial role in the lead conversion process. And that is also one of the reasons why B2B companies invest in SEO – to get that vote of confidence from search engines they need to assure other businesses that their website is valued.

User experience (UX) should be your top priority to reduce your bounce rate to a minimum while boosting your organic traffic and conversation rate to a maximum. With the combination of skilled SEO specialists and the right team of web developers, this can be achieved with ease. Critical as it is for website success, here are a few focal points to prioritize when investing in UX:

• Optimized content that offers value and is engaging
• Website pages that are easy to navigate through
• Fast loading speed for web pages and images
• Responsive web design for mobile device users

#7: Local SEO can boost traffic and conversions for B2B businesses

In the past, we explored the importance of SEO for local businesses. By optimizing the presence of your company online, you inevitably make it more visible for potential customers in your local area, ranking high for local search terms. Local SEO efforts can help B2B companies turn up on searches that focus on specific towns, cities, regions, states, etc. When looking to grow their local presence and influence, B2B companies invest in SEO.

#8: It helps your company stay ahead of the competition

Keeping your business ahead of the competition is your primary goal. However, SEO has been around for some time now, which means that your competitors are using it as well. That is one of the driving motivators for B2B companies making the effort of not only investing in SEO but also combining it with other digital marketing solutions. The best way to stay ahead of your competitors is not to ask whether you need SEO or paid advertising, but rather – what else can you add to the mix.

#9: More cost-effective than paid advertising solutions

SEO might seem like a steep price to pay on a regular basis, but it is a long-term investment. Whereas your other digital marketing solutions are short-burst and provide a business with the value it is willing to invest, SEO carries bigger potential. When you want to make an overnight impact with your lead generation, you will reach out to professional PPC agencies. However, when you want to make room for a well-established progressive growth of your B2B company, you will look to SEO to help you get there.

#10: A well-developed and nurtured SEO strategy offers long-term results

The results that follow from it in the years to comes make SEO worth all the hassle. Google Ads, social media advertising, email marketing – they all provide boosts in attracting leads, but only so long as you keep them going. With SEO, initial efforts are substantial, but the impact it offers is long-term. And that long-term self-sustainability is one of the top reasons B2B companies invest in SEO today.

• If you want a team of experts with your content and optimization needs to focus on, schedule an SEO consultation with our team today!

Some relevant SEO statistics B2B businesses need to consider

The ever-changing flow of SEO in the digital world can be challenging to keep up with. However, as marketers, we understand the importance of using current data and competitive analysis to better our online presence and that of our clients. These SEO statistics every B2B company owner should be aware of are but a small piece of an enormous cake:

• According to more than 60% of B2B marketers, SEO is the primary digital marketing solution for generating leads.
• On average, the conversion rate that comes from SEO can go as high as 16%.
• Over 75% of SEO specialists believe content to be the most important factor in building an SEO-friendly website.
• More than 93% of online experiences today start with search engines.
• The first organic result on the first page gets roughly 31.7 % of all clicks
• 70% of marketers see SEO as more effective than PPC.
• More than half of companies monitor their SERP on a weekly basis
• Web pages with faster loading speed rank higher on Google

Implement SEO to build a B2B company with a strong online presence

By investing in SEO, a B2B company is investing in its long-term future over the years to come. Whether you are looking to sell products or provide services to other businesses, form strategic partnerships, or find investors – SEO can be the link that connects you to it all. And with SEO trends constantly changing for the better, it promises to become more and more influential in the world of online business. To summarize some of the most important reasons why B2B companies invest in SEO:

• Long-term success and brand development
• Cost-effective digital solutions
• Carries to potential to offer high ROI
• Instills trust and credibility
• Maintains competitiveness