A few weeks back a marketing leader from a B2B software organization challenged KoMarketing to review their website for SEO opportunities.
As our pre-sales exploration process unfolded, it became apparent that the website already had a strong organic search presence. The site performed well for the primary keyword targets, had thousands of pages successfully addressing more specific, secondary keyword phrases, and had been able to acquire links organically through a range of tactics.
When we reviewed our findings with this prospect, they acknowledged that they were hoping we would find “low hanging fruit”, missing from existing tactics, that could provide a quick boost in traffic and sales. Was there a “quick win” that might not involve more significant time or investment?
There is very little low hanging fruit in the SEO landscape.
For new sites, the days of simply optimizing HTML title tags and meta descriptions, then anticipating significant and immediate improvements for competitive keywords, are long gone.
Established sites lacking SEO focus may benefit from a refined keyword strategy coupled with on-page optimization. That said, it is the more challenging, ongoing work of acquiring quality links, generating relevant content, and analyzing / making good assessments via site metrics, that will bring success in competitive markets over time.
What was interesting in the follow-up conversation was that there may truly be forms of “low hanging fruit” based on the refined tactical development of additional marketing initiatives. In other words, this B2B marketing VP could consider tweaking their other tactics in an effort to benefit SEO.
Here are four of the ideas that came out of the discussion.
Email Newsletters
Email marketing can be incredibly valuable tactic for B2B marketers. Consider opportunities to support SEO programs through email communication, as well as incorporate email list growth as a SEO performance benchmark.
For example, we discussed generating greater visibility in their email to newly created content marketing assets meant to acquire links or social shares.
Don’t forget that email communication does not have to focus solely on sales communication; provide product updates, or free tips and tricks. Even periodic communication can bring people back that might turn into new and returning leads and customers.
In addition, ensure that high performing on-site SEO assets have an opportunity to support the growth of B2B email marketing lists. Instead of letting visitors leave with product information, white paper, or download (or just leave), cross-reference call to actions for email registration as well.
Buyer Research
Learn more about the B2B buyer to find out what their interests and needs are, specifically with your product and the industry overall. Surveys and questionnaires are one mechanism but also leverage social media assets, building networks of customers, prospects, and partners.
Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn all offer ways to list and organize social networks and track conversations more specifically based on business goals as well.
Have conversations with sales and customer service teams as well. What are some of the key issues sales personnel encounter during the buying process? What questions frequently come up from existing customers, both product specific and in broader, industry-related circumstances?
Long-Tail Keyword Development
While this B2B marketer was already leveraging the long-tail keyword research in content marketing, that is not always the case with many B2B SEO programs.
One simple suggestion is to explore Google Search Console’s Search Analytics report for variations of primary keyword phrases that may drive additional organic search engine traffic through new content generation.
In many cases, these type of search queries will lead to even higher conversion rates since the searchers’ intent is usually more refined.
Conversion Optimization
Evaluate, test, and refine landing pages. Solutions like Optimizely and Google Content Experiments allow site owners to test variables on landing pages in an effort to bring together the right mix of content for optimal conversion rates.
Even if a commercial tool or software implementation is not the way to go, consider testing variables manually and stay focused on the conversion metrics that can be found in every web analytics tool for evaluating the results.
Final Thoughts
B2B marketers that have had success in their SEO strategies should consider how they can scale this success through complementary online marketing initiatives. Many of these initiatives can get developed without exhaustive efforts in development or expense.
So even if the quick and easy opportunities in SEO have already have been explored, there may be low hanging fruit in other areas of online marketing still to be discovered.
