Some SEO specialists will tell you that the primary goal they look to achieve for any client, regardless of their industry, is better rankings in search engine result pages (SERPs) from providers like Google and Bing. What they may not be capable of doing is looking below the surface when it comes to applying different strategies for B2B SEO versus B2C SEO. You must look beyond the numbers to understand the real value of how SEO drives success for both company types.
SEO at a Glance
SEO agencies in the past often used a variety of manual and automated tactics to achieve the desired rankings for their clients.
- Targeted comments left in blog posts and on comment threads
- Adding backlinks to articles
- Website posts aimed at search engines versus people
If you have been keeping up with the changes to Google’s algorithms, you would know that many of these tactics have become outdated and can backfire on the user. Correctly leveraged SEO in today’s digital marketplace should emphasize an understanding of the audience and their intent. Data analytics has become an essential tool when it comes to using data effectively for digital marketing purposes.
Newer strategies must look beyond Google or Bing search engines and target how people are conducting their searches. They could be doing so using their mobile device or by searching for videos or podcasts. How SEO gets applied by an SEO Agency will vary depending on whether they are performing work for a B2B or B2C client.
What is B2B SEO?
The search strategy for a B2B environment should focus on pulling in organic traffic and supporting other external channels related to the business. SEO agencies should be trying to accomplish this by creating unique, engaging content that has meaning to others in the same industry. Companies should be positioning themselves as thought leaders focused on driving new ideas and spearheading change.
Superficial content existing only for backlinks and search engine crawlers will not be enough to attract a steady flow of traffic from a target business audience. What use would they have for content that seems cut and pasted from other articles that employed the same tactic?
It pays to invest in content from those directly involved in the industry. The president of a construction business would enjoy hearing from another business owner on the pros and cons of investing in a new data analytics platform for better metric tracking. The CIO of a new technology firm wants to hear from others at their level how much success they had by transitioning from a traditional data center to a hybrid cloud infrastructure.
Companies looking to bring on an agency to handle B2B SEO should make sure they understand the language of their target business audience. An agency should already be actively working in that space and up to speed on the current opportunities and challenges presented. We have a blog post about this as well – 4 Questions You Must Ask Before Hiring an SEO Company
What is B2C SEO?
Most B2C SEO focuses on attracting the attention of individual consumers. There is likely to be a lot more competition for visitor traffic since you are working in a much broader marketplace. Content for B2C SEO will need to be available both on and offline.
The online piece includes your websites, ads, and other content spread across your social media channels. Offline content encompasses any press releases, guest blogs, and links back to your company from other websites.
Other optimization techniques used for B2C SEO include making localized content viewable at the top of different search engines. Options like Google My Business listings allow a B2C company to add quite a few details about their company, making it easy for customers to see everything they need when searching without requiring a website visit.
Key Differences Between B2B and B2C SEO Strategies
B2B SEO must account for the longer buying process involved in those transactions. Products and services offered will be much more complicated than those handled by a B2C company. Orders tend to be on a much larger scale than the individual purchases from a B2C enterprise. For that reason, it can take B2B companies much longer to close on a deal.
Customers for B2C companies need a much shorter time to do the research necessary to decide on a purchase. Even larger purchases like for a car can take at most a few weeks. You can measure the timeline for a B2B company deal in months. Orders often require involvement from other stakeholders and various checks and balances to approve the large dollar payments.
Content for B2B companies often contain references to industry-specific jargon within ads, blogs, and articles that may not make sense to a casual reader. The emphasis will be on a narrower market space than B2C focused businesses. Websites will be built more for gathering leads for follow-up versus getting an immediate sale.
B2C websites will have content encouraging visitors to make quick purchasing decisions. The layout tends to focus on upselling and providing a smooth checkout process. Visitors receive visual and textual suggestions for potential purchases based on the last time they visited the site or a reminder that they still have items remaining in a checkout cart.
An Agency Handles Everything
Actuate Media is an SEO Company that helps B2B and B2C companies manage their SEO strategies. We rely on data collected through digital marketing channels to help create desired relationships between businesses and their target audience. You will gain a clear line of sight into the value of your digital marketing ROI.
Learn more about what Actuate Media can offer your business by telling us more about what you wish to see accomplished through digital marketing.
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