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B2B SaaS Marketing - B2B Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
The document outlines essential strategies for B2B search engine optimization (SEO) focusing on keyword selection, website implementation, and backlink generation. It emphasizes creating relevant content that addresses user needs at different stages of the purchase cycle and optimizing webpages for specific keywords using meta tags and content structure. Additionally, it discusses the importance of both internal and external backlinks in enhancing search engine visibility.
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B2B SaaS Marketing - B2B Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- 1. B2B Product Marke/ng Search Engine Op.miza.on (SEO) for B2B Websites Keyword Selec,on and Website Implementa,on Michael Fertman B2B SaaS Product Marke/ng Leader August 13, 2014
- 2. Topics 2 •B2B Search Engine Op.miza.on (SEO) Basics • Keyword Selec.on • Website Implementa.on • Generate Backlinks
- 3. B2B Search Engine Op/miza/on Basics Search Engine Op/miza/on for Business to Business websites is far simpler than many think. The mission is simply to create highly relevant content for people seeking to solve the problems that your product(s) solve. 2 Simple principles drive SEO from a search engine and a website perspec.ve 1. Search engines seek to serve the most relevant web pages based on the keyword search 2. The most relevant web pages include content that addresses the informa/on sought We can break the SEO process down into 3 steps 1. Keyword Selec.on: Iden/fy the most relevant keywords for a relevant prospect 2. Keyword Implementa.on: Web page(s) rich in relevant content for the keywords 3. Generate Backlinks: Increase the number of relevant web pages that link to yours 3 Keyword Selec.on Keyword Implementa.on Generate Backlinks
- 4. B2B Search Engine Op/miza/on Basics – Ini/al Requirements Website Analy.cs SoKware • You will need informa/on about site visitors before, during and aRer you implement changes to improve Search Engine Op/miza/on (SEO) • Google Analy/cs is easy to use, powerful and free o Setup Google Analy/cs account o Place Google Analy/cs code on web pages o Analyze site visitors and web pages ! Benchmarking – How many visits and visitors does your site currently aUract? – How many are finding your site without entering your company name? This is your key benchmark ! Which keywords currently drive people to the website? And keep them there? – Filter out keywords that include your company name and key employees. These site visitors already know your company – Which keywords result in the longest site visits? – Which keywords do we want to con/nue to focus? – Which pages are visitors finding when not searching on the company name? 4
- 5. Topics 5 •B2B Search Engine Op.miza.on (SEO) Basics • Keyword Selec.on • Website Implementa.on • Generate Backlinks
- 6. B2B Search Engine Op/miza/on – Keyword Selec/on Spend /me where it counts, focusing first on keywords most closely associated with prospects later in the purchase cycle Keyword Selec.on Consider what poten/al prospects will be seeking to find at different stages of the purchase cycle, focusing on the latest stages first – i.e. those more likely to purchase sooner. Purchase Stages and Keywords -‐ Marke/ng Automa/on SoRware Website Example • Early Stage – Problem Solving: What Keywords used when trying to solve a problem? E.g. “B2B Lead genera/on tac/cs and tools” • Middle Stage – Solu.on Iden.fica.on: What keywords are used when narrowing down poten/al solu/on categories? E.g. “B2B Email Marke/ng Best Prac/ces” • Late Stage – Advanced Solu.on Iden.fica.on: What keywords are used when trying to find “known solu/ons to the known problem” E.g. “Marke/ng Automa/on SoRware Comparisons”, “Lead Nurturing SoRware” 6 Keyword Selec.on Website Implementa.on Generate Backlinks
- 7. B2B Search Engine Op/miza/on – Keyword Selec/on Brainstorm to find addi/onal important keywords Free Tools Google Adwords has keyword planning tools • Enter a website address and find out which keywords are performing • Enter a product category and find out keyword sugges/ons • Find out expected search volume for specific keywords • Get website traffic es/mates for a list of keywords • Get new keyword ideas based on the ones you plan to use Think Like a Customer Use the words and phrases that a customer or prospect would use. 7 Keyword Selec.on Website Implementa.on Generate Backlinks
- 8. Topics 8 •B2B Search Engine Op.miza.on (SEO) Basics • Keyword Selec.on • Website Implementa.on • Generate Backlinks
- 9. B2B Search Engine Op/miza/on – Keyword Implementa/on Countless websites fail in this step – it is your opportunity to leapfrog the compe//on This is the set of steps that will help you leapfrog over the compe..on Countless websites fail to consider SEO. • Billion Dollar Companies outsource website development to agencies and oRen don’t consider SEO in the planning • Hundred Million Dollar Companies do the same. Or build the website in house. The effort is daun/ng even without considering keywords • The rest of us oRen struggle to create a professional looking website. Note that this sec+on focuses on content crea+on required but does not cover instruc+ons for a web developer on how to implement 9 Keyword Selec.on Website Implementa.on Generate Backlinks
- 10. B2B Search Engine Op/miza/on – Keyword Implementa/on General Overview Following are the key components of Keyword Implementa.on General: Op/mize each individual page for 1 to 3 closely related keywords. Ensure they appear with metatags and within page content I. Metatags: There is code in the website that plays a key role for search engines in iden/fying which websites are relevant for given keywords II. Page Content: Modify content to ensure search engines find your web pages for relevant queries III. Geo Tagging: If your business is a local one, it is important for the address and loca/on to be prominent 10 Keyword Selec.on Website Implementa.on Generate Backlinks
- 11. B2B Search Engine Op/miza/on – Keyword Implementa/on Title Tags Metatags: The “/tle” tag and the “descrip/on” tag should be keyword rich. They do not appear on the web page, but oRen appear in a google search result TITLE TAG DOs and DON’Ts • Size MaXers: 50 to 60 Characters or fewer • Don’t use your company name unless it is descrip/ve and includes the keywords. You will be was/ng valuable characters on a search term that needs no op/miza/on o Bad – “Acme Incorporated LLC” | About Us <this /tle will not improve search results> o Good – “Upper Eastside Imago Therapy | Couples Therapy | NYC” <1st page for NYC Imago Therapists> • Do Include Important Keywords more than once, and include loca.on if important o Good – “Upper Eastside Imago Therapy | Couples Therapy | NYC” 11 Keyword Selec.on Website Implementa.on Generate Backlinks Search Term NYC Imago Therapists Title Tag Descrip.on Tag Search Results
- 12. B2B Search Engine Op/miza/on – Keyword Implementa/on Descrip/on Tags DESCRIPTION TAGS Descrip/on tags no longer play the role that they once did. In the past, the text was a cri/cal driver of search algorithms and almost always displayed in the search result. Both are no longer true. " So why are /tle tags s/ll important? – They tell the searcher what they fill find on the page if they click through – In my own prac/cal experience, pages with good descrip/on tags con/nue to perform well DESCRIPTION TAG DOs and DON’Ts • Size MaXers: 150 to 160 characters • Include varia.ons of your Keywords 2 to 3 .mes o <Keyword: Primary Research Firms >. Descrip.on Tag: Guidepoint enables primary market research and qualita/ve research via access to over 200,000 subject maUer experts in Healthcare, CPG, Retail, Tech and More o <Keyword: NYC Imago Therapists >. Descrip.on Tag: Cer/fied Imago Therapist | Imago Therapy, Couples Therapy and Marriage Counseling in NYC Upper Eastside | 10128 12 Keyword Selec.on Website Implementa.on Generate Backlinks
- 13. B2B Search Engine Op/miza/on – Keyword Implementa/on H1, H2, H3 Tags, General Text, Pictures and Loca/on Informa/on Keyword Selec.on Website Implementa.on Generate Backlinks PAGE CONTENT Content should be geared towards providing the ideal informa/on for a person who has used a specific keyword or keywords. And a good site with excellent relevant content for the keywords will likely perform well, even if the page isn’t explicitly designed for SEO performance. H1 Tags • “Heading” type content is typically placed inside an “H1 Tag” for formanng purposes. • Search Engines treat the content within H1 tags as “more important” than untagged content ! Keywords should be included in the heading within the “H1 Tag” H2 and H3 Tags are similar to H1 tags but are lower priority. Ensure keywords appear within them also General Text should include your keyword varia/ons 3 to 5 /mes on the page, and should fit naturally with the page content. If the page truly addresses the informa/on one would seek with a given keyword search, then it is likely to rank well. Pictures can also be tagged with a descrip/on. Where appropriate, use keywords within the “alt tags” that describe pictures Loca.on informa/on, such as as the address, should be included on the page or in the footer if it is a local busin1e3s s
- 14. B2B Search Engine Op/miza/on – Keyword Implementa/on Example for top search result for <Document Management Services> 14 Keyword Selec.on Website Implementa.on Generate Backlinks Search Term: <Document Management Services> h4 h4 TITLE: Document Management Solu/ons, Document Management Services, Document Imaging Services – Iron Mountain DESCRIPTION: Looking for Document Management Solu/ons? At Iron Mountain, we specialize in Document Management Services. Check out our Document Imaging Services!” ALT TAG: 8 Reasons to Outsource Document Management h1
- 15. Topics 15 •B2B Search Engine Op.miza.on (SEO) Basics • Keyword Selec.on • Website Implementa.on • Generate Backlinks
- 16. B2B Search Engine Op/miza/on – Generate Backlinks Generate links to your website BACKLINKS OVERVIEW • Backlinks are links to your web page from other web pages. There are two types: o Internal: Links from web pages on your site to other web pages on your site o External: Links from other websites to your site’s web page(s) • Anchor Text is the text that appears in the hyperlink. For example, Primary Research Firm is a link to hUp://www.guidepointglobal.com and the Anchor Text is “Primary Research Firm” INTERNAL BACKLINKS • For your most important keywords and web pages, your top 2 or 3 overall, 3 or more of your web pages should have a link to the relevant page, with the relevant keyword as the anchor text: Examples from Iron Mountain Website 16 Keyword Selec.on Website Implementa.on Generate Backlinks
- 17. B2B Search Engine Op/miza/on – Generate Backlinks Generate links to your website EXTERNAL BACKLINKS Every step thus far is within your control. Your website. Your content. These steps alone are usually enough to gain first page Search Engine Result Page (SERP) for at least two or three cri/cal keywords. You will have gained 80% of the poten/al result with 20% of the poten/al effort. Backlinks, or links to your site from other sites will help you gain that extra edge, but the effort required is substan/al. And the more “authorita/ve” the site, the more impact it will have on your SEO. BACKLINK DOs and DON’Ts • Do list your site in relevant directories: o Local Services: Yelp, Yahoo, Google, Manta, etc. o Industry Specific: Directories of providers in your industry – e.g. “Psychology Today” for a psychotherapist o Press Releases: Include links to your site with keywords in anchor text – e.g. “Document Management” 17 Keyword Selec.on Website Implementa.on Generate Backlinks
- 18. B2B Search Engine Op/miza/on – Generate Backlinks Content Marke/ng BACKLINK DOs and DON’Ts • Do develop a content marke.ng program o Content Marke.ng is any marke/ng that involves the crea/on and sharing of media and publishing content in order to acquire and retain customers o Two key components are: ! Content Crea.on such as new stories, white papers, blog posts, videos, webinars, speaking engagements ! Content Distribu.on via corporate website, blogs, social media, email, press releases, YouTube, Vimeo, etc. o The undertaking is significant: ! Content Management resource(s) required to spearhead the content development calendar ! Digital Marke.ng resource(s) required to distribute the content ! Marke.ng Automa.on and CRM SoKware (e.g. Marketo and SalesForce.com) are required to execute an efficient content marke/ng program o Business Impacts ! SEO: Distributed content includes links with anchor text from outside authorita.ve websites to relevant web pages ! Overall Brand Image and Lead Genera.on: Establishes your organiza/on as a thought leader on relevant topics and generates inbound leads 18 Keyword Selec.on Website Implementa.on Generate Backlinks Content Marke.ng will be covered in greater detail in a separate document
- 19. Michael Fertman – About the Author Michael Fertman is a B2B Product Marke/ng Expert whose 20+ year career has included leadership roles in B2B Corporate Marke/ng, Product Marke/ng and Product Management, primarily for SaaS and Informa/on Services companies and products. He is currently providing product marke/ng consul/ng services to B2B firms with 10-‐200 employees and $0mm to $50mm in annual sales. Previously, as CMO of an interna/onal market research firm serving the Investment community, he built the marke/ng func/on from the ground up. During his tenure the firm generated double-‐digit growth in a flat market two years in a a row, taking share from the compe//on. Before his CMO role, He held a variety of Product Marke/ng roles at D&B, where his teams more than doubled the growth rate of six different product lines. His career also includes marke/ng strategy consul/ng at Booz & Company and Strategic Marke/ng for New York Life. He began his career as a Naval Officer, serving as Navigator of a Nuclear Powered Cruiser during the First Gulf War, aRer aUending the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania on a Navy ROTC Scholarship. He also holds an MBA in Marke/ng from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. 19
- 20. Michael Fertman – Areas of Exper/se • Search Engine Op/miza/on o Gain first page Google and Bing rank for 3 to 5 cri/cal keywords o 5x to 10x increase in keyword-‐driven site visits o Strategy, Planning and Execu/on o Examples: Primary Research Firms (Guidepoint Global); B2B SaaS CMO NYC (Michael Fertman) o Engagements ranging from 2 days to 3 weeks • Sales Growth Diagnos/c and Ac/on Plan o Company must have 200+ clients o Customer Segmenta/on by growth category (new, growing, lost, declining) o Root cause analysis o Priori/zed ac/on plan • Integrated CRM and Marke/ng Automa/on procurement and implementa/on o Suitable for companies with $10mm+ annual sales and/or 200+ clients o Map sales process to CRM and Marke/ng automa/on o Procure suitable systems based on company maturity and growth trajectory o Manage implementa/on and rollout (requires some outside programming support) 20
- 21. Michael Fertman – Areas of Exper/se (con/nued) • Product Launch Management o CraR comprehensive launch plan ! External: PR, Adver/sing, Customer and Prospect Communica/ons, Case Studies and Tes/monials ! Internal: Internal launch communica/ons plan, sales enablement o Launch Plan Execu/on ! Marke/ng Materials (see above) ! PR ! Website changes o Engagements ranging from weeks to months 21