How writing B2B SEO Content for the Buyer's Journey Drives Visibility and Conversions 

All of us have been influenced by Google. We have come to expect finding answers with ease.   

Back in 1998, Google processed roughly 10,000 searches per day. By 2007, they were processing that same volume of searches per second. In less than a decade, Google went from becoming barely known to an integral part of everyday life. The latest data shows that Google processes over  99,000 searches every second (Internet Live Stats, 2022). 

Is B2B SEO Content a Good Investment? 

As in our personal lives, Google search is the No.1 resource for B2B research. About 90% of B2B researchers who are online use search to research business purchases. That number remains consistent from a 2012 study, but it’s interesting that visitors increased the number of searches they made prior to engaging on a brand’s site. So, what does that mean for marketers looking to fill their funnel using search? 

Simply put: brands can’t be visible in search results without the right content. B2B researchers who use a generic query don’t know your company, its specialty, or why they should care. Rather, they’re searching for solutions to problems they have.  

It’s the job of B2B SEO to understand what drives that potential customer to search initially and ensure that your site shows up with a strong answer to that query. From there, marketers can introduce their brands and try to convert.  

How is SEO content different for B2B companies? 

B2B SEO is not dramatically different from B2C SEO, but there are some interesting nuances. For instance, B2C searchers tend to focus more on local results, with 4 in 5 users searching to find a local solution.  

Another key difference is the narrow focus and low volume of searches within the B2B space. A good rule of thumb is that long-tail keywords have lower search volume but represent much stronger search intent. They also tend to be lower in ranking difficulty. 

B2B SEO is far more focused on keywords that will drive the visibility of business cases. It requires extensive research into buyer personas, common questions, and strategic drivers. 

Write to the intent of the journey 

Have a real understanding of the pain points of your buyer at each stage of their journey. This helps with keyword selection. More importantly, it enables marketers to create content that resonates with the visitors landing on your page. 

Any content produced for your site should have the B2B sales cycle in mind. Know who your buyer is and what they’re looking for—from issue to purchase. Then meet the visitor where they are by providing content based on stages of the buying journey.  

Top of the Funnel (ToFu) Content 

Top of funnel (ToFu) content enables the reader to understand their pain points and to learn about the available solutions. 

For example, if a purchasing agent at a small automotive parts manufacturer is looking for materials that can withstand high heat, pressure, and friction for their custom hydraulic ring seals, she may use a search query such as “highest heat-resistant polymers for auto parts.” Clearly, this type of searcher clearly isn’t interested in brands. Nor does she know all the types of polymers available. 

For this reason, ToFu content can be thought of as awareness  content. 

Middle of the Funnel (MoFu) Content 

This stage is where you educate and assist the buyer in choosing which solutions best meet their needs. Establish your authority, demonstrate your experience, and nudge the buyer in your direction by subtly leading them to the conclusion that your product or service will solve their problem. 

This middle-of-the-funnel content can be thought of as consideration of options . It’s a great stage to craft content about comparisons, to showcase advantages and benefits, and to further inform after the searcher is aware of your product. 

Make sure your MoFu content is targeted at specific problems, demographics, equipment models, etc. To apply this to our earlier example, focus the content on automotive applications for heat-resistant and high-strength polymers rather than applications in aerospace, even if your polymer has application there.  

Bottom of the Funnel (BoFu) Content 

Now that your visitor knows you can solve their issue and they are aware of the value of your product or service, they may be ready to convert. This is your chance to convince your potential customer that your solution is better than what your competitors offer. 

This type of content targets keywords that relate directly to your company’s solutions. Typically, these are short-tail terms of two or three words, which makes them more competitive and therefore require much more sophisticated and “valued” content. 

Here are some examples of common B2B keyword modifiers that B2B marketers include in their keyword lists when optimizing their services pages. 

• ”Services” 
• “Solutions”  
• “Development”  
• “Management”  
• “Maintenance” 
• “Procurement”  

In B2B, BoFu keywords tend to be lower volume in nature and highly competitive. For example, “Torlon injection molding services” gets only 44 searches per month. But by the time someone searches for that phrase, they are past the awareness and consideration stage. They may be ready to request a quote. 

Even if this term is highly competitive, it would be wise to spend SEO budget (and maybe even B2B PPC budget!) on this term. 

B2B SEO Strategy Example 

Recently we worked with a client to develop a visibility plan for ToFu to BoFu terms associated with Torlon injection molding.  We started with broad keyword research, looking for those kinds of terms that would help a researcher find our website when they were looking for a polymer that would work in a specific niche use case.  The page fleshed out information about how Torlon can handle heat and friction and essentially walked through the informational aspects of the material. 

We included a strong call-to-action and information that would help the searcher understand that this company offered services beyond just supplying the material. We did this by incorporating lower-volume buying intent keywords into the content. Future iterations may build out specific BoFu pages for services, but this was a great start. 

Almost immediately we saw increases in search visibility and month-over-month traction for informational searches associated with the ToFu keywords that would help a searcher find this polymer as a potential solution for their niche application. 

B2B SEO Agency Partner 

At Goldstein Group Communications, our focus on carefully researched content is front and center. Our B2B SEO clients begin their time with us with a thorough SEO audit, including extensive keyword research. From there, we take time to dialogue with our clients about their goals, buyer personas, and buyer’s journey. Only then do we flesh out B2B SEO content throughout the site. We take great pride in achieving strong visibility, thought leadership, and conversions. We do it by creating content that resonates throughout the sales cycle. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your unique needs – contact us for a discussion today!