Search marketing is one of the most effective ways for B2B companies to generate leads, increase website traffic, and ultimately boost revenue and business growth. With the right search strategy and optimization of tactics like SEO, PPC, and content marketing, B2B brands can tap into their target buyer’s search intents and connect with potential customers when they’re actively looking for solutions.

This comprehensive guide will explore the top search marketing techniques and B2B marketing strategies tailored for B2B companies looking to maximize their search visibility and drive growth.

Key Takeaways

Keyword research is crucial for identifying high-converting B2B search terms to target through SEO and PPC. Look for long-tail, industry-specific keywords with high search volumes and low competition.
On-page optimization factors like meta tags, content, headings, and site architecture impact organic rankings. Build authority with high-quality content optimized for keywords.
PPC ads placed strategically with relevant ad copy, targeted keywords, and compelling landing pages can effectively attract B2B searchers. Analyze metrics to refine campaigns.
Optimizing for local SEO by managing business listings and local citations can help B2B companies rank for geographic-specific searches.
Incorporate search marketing with broader digital strategies like content marketing and retargeting for a comprehensive B2B marketing plan.

Also Read: Local PPC Management Strategies to Boost Your Conversion Rates

What is B2B Search Marketing

Search engine marketing refers to strategies and techniques for increasing a website’s visibility on search engines like Google and Bing. For B2B companies, search marketing is especially vital for lead generation, brand awareness, and driving qualified website traffic.

Studies show that over 90% of B2B buyers use search engines to initiate their research process and find solutions online. Ranking higher in search results and appearing prominently in response to relevant keyword searches can significantly impact a B2B company’s growth and bottom line.

However, B2B search marketing is also competitive and nuanced. It requires in-depth research, analysis, and optimization of key strategies tailored specifically to converting high-intent B2B searchers.

This guide will provide an overview of the most effective search marketing tactics and best B2B marketing campaigns for B2B brands looking to capitalize on search to boost their business.

Why Search Marketing Matters for B2B Companies

Here are some key reasons why search marketing should be a priority for B2B brands:

Lead Generation: Ranking high for commercial keywords helps drive targeted traffic of potential buyers from search engines. These visitors have high intent to purchase.
Brand Awareness: Appearing prominently for industry keywords raises awareness and positions your brand as an authoritative leader.
Cost-Effective: Search strategies like SEO offer an organic way to attract prospects without paid advertising costs.
Competitive Edge: Outranking competitors for key terms establishes domain authority and captures market share.
Scalability: Search marketing can continuously grow your customer base and attract new prospects over time.
Measurability: Detailed analytics provide insight into lead quality, conversions, ROI, and refinements.

Given these benefits, B2B companies that need to optimize and track search marketing are missing out on a lucrative customer acquisition channel. Even modest gains in organic search visibility or conversion rate optimization can result in a high volume of new prospects.

Key B2B Search Marketing Strategies for B2B Companies

Now, let’s explore some of the core search marketing components that B2B brands should focus on to maximize search traffic, leads, and sales.

Keyword Research
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising
Content Marketing

Keyword Research

Thorough keyword research provides the foundation of an effective search strategy. It is essential to identify high-potential keywords that target prospects actively looking for your products or services.

Tools for Keyword Research

Google Keyword Planner: Google’s free keyword research tool provides search volume estimates and suggested related keywords. It’s the best place to start keyword research.
SEMrush: For a paid option, SEMrush offers robust filters and data for researching keywords specific to the region, industry, and commercial intent.
Moz Keyword Explorer: Moz’s tool lets you compare metrics between keywords to find terms that align with your business goals. It has a free and paid version.
Ubersuggest: This free tool by Neil Patel generates keyword ideas based on seed terms. The paid plan includes search volumes and additional filters.

B2B Keyword Research Tactics

Apply these tactics for maximizing keyword research efforts:

Research buying cycle keywords – e.g., “best CRM software” to target early-stage research.
For more specificity, use long-tail keywords with 3-5 words, such as “B2B lead generation agency San Francisco.”
Identify keywords for different products/services your brand offers.
Leverage geo-targeting for location-based keywords if serving a specific region.
Analyze competitor keywords for new keyword opportunities.
Refine seed keywords into expanded lists with tools like Keyword Planner.
Compile adjectives and power words that relate to your industry for ideas.
Incorporate synonyms, questions, and broader terms into keyword research.

Thorough keyword research takes time, but it pays off significantly. Continuously expand your keyword list over time for new SEO and PPC opportunities. Analyze search analytics to find high-converting terms as well.

Also Read: Organic vs Paid Social Media Marketing: What Are the Differences?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is the process of optimizing a website to rank higher in organic search results. Both on-page and off-page factors impact search rankings, but on-page SEO should be the initial focus.

On-Page Optimization Factors

Elements that exist directly on the web page itself, which search engines evaluate when crawling that page. This includes:

Page titles & Meta descriptions: Concisely summarize the topic and include keywords.
URL structure: Use keywords in a short, logical URL structure.
Headings tags: Properly structure headings H1 to H6 using keywords.
Image optimization: Include alt text and keywords in filenames and attributes.
Content: Quality content with optimal keyword density improves rankings.
Page speed: Faster load times enhance user experience and SEO.
Mobile optimization: Search algorithms favor a mobile responsive site.
Internal linking: Link relevant pages together using anchor text keywords.

When optimizing for specific keywords, prioritize pages like product/service, blog, and landing pages first before tackling site-wide improvements. On-page SEO establishes the foundation before other off-page optimization techniques.

Off-Page Optimization Factors

SEO tactics that enhance a website’s authority and relevance from sources outside of the actual website. This includes:

Backlinks: Earning backlinks from authoritative sites indicates trust and relevance.
Social media: Engaging on social platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn to generate brand mentions and links.
Local listings: Creating and optimizing business listings on directories like Google My Business.
Reviews and mentions: Positive earned media from brand mentions establish credibility.
Link building: Strategic outreach to earn high-quality backlinks on relevant sites.

Both on-page and off-page optimization take time. However, consistent SEO efforts compound over time to steadily improve organic rankings, even for competitive keywords. SEO generates leads organically without ongoing advertising costs.

Also Read: What is a Go-to-Market Strategy: A Beginners Guide

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising

PPC ads allow B2B brands to get their message in front of targeted searchers and drive them to a tailored landing page. Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising (formerly Bing Ads) are the two most popular PPC platforms.

PPC Benefits for B2B Brands

Appear for high-commercial keywords with high demand.
Precisely target keywords and demographics.
Drive qualified visitors directly from search to your site.
Display across Google search, YouTube, Gmail, and other networks.
Flexibility to control budget, run A/B tests, and modify campaigns.

Well-managed PPC reinforces SEO efforts rather than competing against them. It provides another conduit for interested searchers to access your optimized content.

B2B PPC Best Practices

Follow these guidelines to maximize PPC success:

Laser-targeted keywords: Tightly match keywords and ad copy for high relevance.
Specific ad messaging: Highlight key customer pain points and your solution.
Landing page optimization: Send visitors to tailored landing pages with clear calls to action.
Optimize for conversions: Measure KPIs beyond clicks/traffic for real ROI.
Enhance CTR: Test ad variations, extensions, callouts, and other optimizations.
Adjust bids precisely: Set manual bids optimized for conversion rate, not just traffic volume.
Analyze and iterate: Use robust analytics to refine and improve account performance continuously.

With in-depth keyword research and strategic ad placements, PPC can deliver a positive ROI at a predictable cost. Treat PPC and SEO as complementary strategies.

Content Marketing

Creating and promoting high-quality, valuable content is also imperative for B2B search success. Content marketing attracts organic search visibility, website traffic, backlinks, and engagement.

B2B Content Creation Tips

Publish educational blog posts and long-form guides on industry topics.
Produce visual assets like infographics, charts, and videos.
Develop eBooks, whitepapers, case studies, and other premium content.
Promote thought leadership content authored by company leaders and experts.
Interview customers and highlight their stories and experiences.
Answer common audience questions with thorough, substantive content.

Content should focus on providing value rather than overtly promoting your brand. Search engines will pick up keywords through informative, original content surfaced to interested searchers.

Content Distribution and Promotion

It’s not enough to create high-quality content—you must also actively promote it. Leverage digital marketing tactics and external resources to get more eyes on new content.

Feature new content additions prominently on your website.
Promote pieces through email marketing to your subscriber base.
Share content across social media channels like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.
Pitch guest articles to trade publications and niche websites to secure backlinks.
Participate in relevant online communities and forums to engage with your audience.
Repurpose content into various formats like videos, podcasts, and slide decks.
Conduct outreach and PR to build influencer relationships and content amplification.

Optimization and promotion are just as crucial as producing content itself. Leverage search analytics to identify and double down on content resonating with your target audience.

Leveraging Search Data and Analytics

Analytics provide the fuel for continuously optimizing and improving your search marketing results. Tapping into key data helps refine strategies and increase conversions.

Using Search Engine Tools

Most search platforms offer free analytics tools to analyze performance:

Google Analytics: Connect with your website to view traffic sources, conversions, and behavior flow.
Google Search Console: Provides data on search performance, queries, and site indexing.
Microsoft Clarity: Generates heatmaps to visualize user on-site behavior and interactions.
Google Keyword Planner: Analyze monthly search volumes and keyword competition.
SERP Analysis: Check keyword rankings and analyze top results for tactics.

Regularly review this analytics data to identify optimization opportunities. Look for trends across high-converting keywords and landing pages.

A/B Testing

A/B testing involves comparing two versions of an element to see which performs better. Use A/B testing across:

PPC ad copy and landing pages
Website content and landing pages
Email or ad creative
Calls-to-action and button copy

Even slight messaging changes can hugely impact conversions. A/B testing provides concrete data on the most effective language, offers, visuals, and more for your audience.

Additional Strategies to Consider

Beyond core tactics like SEO and PPC, here are some additional search strategies for B2B brands:

Local SEO

If your business serves a specific geographic region, focus on local SEO as well. This includes:

Optimizing your Google My Business listing with complete information
Building local citations and directory listings
Incorporating nearby city/region names into content
Targeting searches with “near me” modifiers and zip codes

Appearing in Google’s 3-pack map listings for localized searches provides tremendous impressions and clicks.

Search Retargeting

Retarget visitors who have left your website by serving relevant ads across Google and social media. This will keep your brand at the forefront of their minds during the purchase process.

Incorporate Broader Digital Channels

Email, social media, PPC, and other digital strategies complement search marketing. Develop content for distinct channels while broadly optimizing for buyer keywords.

Follow Algorithm Updates

Search engines like Google frequently update their algorithms. Follow announcements from Google and Moz to adapt efforts accordingly.

Also Read: SEO vs PPC: Differences, Pros, Cons, & Best Practices

The Bottom Line

Implementing the search marketing strategies covered in this guide will significantly bolster your B2B company’s ability to connect with buyers during their online research process. Approaching search in a strategic, data-driven manner ensures your brand captures potential customers at the right time with the right message.

While search marketing involves both art and science, the ability to measure tangibles like rankings, traffic, and conversions means you can directly quantify the business impact of your efforts. Over time, gains in organic visibility and paid conversions will add up to greatly boost your lead generation and return on investment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most effective search marketing strategies for B2B companies?

The top search strategies for B2B success include keyword research, on-page and technical SEO, PPC ads, content creation and promotion, conversion optimization, and leveraging analytics. A comprehensive approach delivers the best results.

How can search marketing generate leads for my business?

By ranking higher in organic results and optimizing PPC ads, you can drive more qualified visitors from key commercial searches to your website and landing pages. This inbound traffic has a high intent to purchase.

How much does search marketing cost?

SEO efforts like content creation have minimal costs. PPC ads involve ongoing ad spending, but costs are predictable, and ROI can be measured. Overall, search marketing is very cost-effective for lead generation.

How long does it take to see results from search marketing?

With consistent SEO, organic rankings and traffic improve gradually over 2-6 months. PPC ads can drive visits immediately. Allow time to gather performance data before assessing ROI.

How can I track the performance of my search marketing?

Leverage free search tools like Google Analytics, Search Console, and Keyword Planner to analyze keyword rankings, site traffic, click-through rate, and conversions. Use A/B tests to optimize efforts further.

How often should I create new content for search marketing?

For an effective content marketing strategy, aim to publish new long-form content like blog posts or videos at least 2-3X per month. Promote new and existing content regularly.

Should I focus on SEO or PPC for the best results?

The two strategies are complementary. SEO delivers organic growth, while PPC provides immediate results. Optimizing both maximizes visibility across search engines for a complete approach.

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