Search Matters™

Looks that Kill:
Complexities of B2B Keyword Strategies

If you’re not in sync with how your potential prospects look for your type of products and services via the search engines, it can absolutely kill your chances of getting found in the organic searches results. There are two key factors B2B marketers must consider when developing keyword search strategies for optimized websites.

First, remember you’re usually not talking to one buyer. A typical B2B purchase involves four, five, or more different people who ultimately influence the purchase decision.  Sure, they share common organizational objectives—but they have unique perspectives, interests, agendas, and needs. The “technology” buyer may base their search on product and performance attributes, while influential “end-users” considers ease of operation, and the “economic buyer” looks at ROI. All use the web to research, evaluate, or vet business purchase decisions, and yet they may use completely different search terms relevant to their individual interests and concerns. An effective B2B keyword strategy considers varying search strategies. 

The second force at work in B2B keyword strategies is the sophisticated, complex, and non-commoditized characteristics of B2B products and the unique industry vernaculars used to describe them. Terms you use to describe your products and services may not be the terms your prospects use in online searches. Beware of company and industry lingo; your prospects may not be familiar with it, choosing instead to use more generic search terms. Also, beware of using only brand names; your prospects may not know or remember company-specific brand names in their searches. New technologies also pose problems in keyword strategies. Even though new-to-market technologies could provide the perfect solution for prospects needs, prospects may not know what to search for. They may know the problem, but not the name of the solution.

When developing successful B2B keyword strategies, it doesn’t matter what you call it. It only matters what they call it. Here are some things to remember:

• Identify all the buyers and influencers in your prospects’ purchasing process.
• Think like your customers. Think in terms of both products and solutions.
• Don’t assume your prospects know your industry or company-specific lingo, or the names of your proprietary brands.
• Develop multiple landing pages within your website that also work as entry points to accommodate varying search techniques.